."

"What--a sailor?" I said quickly.

"Get out! Sailor! all tar and taller. I'm not going to pull ropes. I
mean blue uniform--'Tillery--Horse Artillery. They do look fine. I've
seen 'em lots o' times."

"Here, you two, I'm going out. I shall be back in five minutes," said
Mr Dempster, so suddenly that he made us both start. "Look sharp and
get that work done."

He stood drawing a yellow silk handkerchief round and round his hat,
which was already as bright as it could be made, and then setting it on
very much on one side, he gave his silk umbrella a flourish, touched his
diamond pin with the tip of his well-gloved finger, and strutted out.

"Back in five minutes! Yah!" cried Esau. "It's all gammon about being
honest and getting on."

"No, it isn't," I said, as I carefully dotted a few i's.

"Yes, it is. Look at him--makes lots o' money, and he cheats people and
tells more lies in a day than I've told in all my life."

"Nonsense!"

"Tain't. He's a regular bad 'un. Back in five minutes! Why he won't
come till it's time to go, and then he'll keep us waiting so as to get
all the work he can out of us."

But that time Esau was wrong, for in about five minutes the outer door
was opened, and our employer thrust in his head.

"There's a letter on my table to post, Gordon," he said. "Be sure it
goes."

"Yes, sir," I said, and as the door closed again I looked at Esau and
laughed.

"Oh, I don't mind," he said. "That wasn't coming back. He only looked
in to see if we were at work. I shan't stop here; I shall 'list."

"No, you will not," I said, as I went on writing quietly.

"Oh, yes, I shall. You can go on lodging with the old woman, for you
won't be the chap to come with me."

"You won't go," I said.

"Ah, you'll see. You don't mean to stop here, do you, and be bullied
and knocked about?"

I went on writing and thinking of how dearly I should have liked to go
somewhere else, for my life was very miserable with Mr Dempster; but I
always felt as if it would be cowardly to give up, and I had stayed on,
though that day's experience was very like those which had gone before.

We had both finished our tasks an hour before Mr Dempster returned,
nearly an hour after closing time, and even then he spent a long time in
criticising the writing and finding fault, concluding by ordering Esau
to go round with the catalogue he had made out to the printer's.

"There's a master for you!" cried my fe