I must ask you to suppose a lapse of some time after the
occurrence of the events that I have just been relating. During
this interval, thanks to the kind assistance I had received at
the outset, my position as a man of business had greatly
improved. Imagine me now, if you please, on the high road to
prosperity, with good large offices and a respectable staff of
clerks, and picture me to yourselves sitting alone in my private
room between four and five o'clock on a certain Saturday
afternoon.
All my letters had been written, all the people who had
appointments with me had been received. I was looking carelessly
over the newspaper, and thinking about going home, when one of my
clerks came in, and said that a stranger wished to see me
immediately on very important business.
"Did he mention his name?" I inquired.
"No, sir."
"Did you not ask him for it?"
"Yes, sir. And he said you would be none the wiser if he told me
what it was."
"Does he look like a begging-letter writer?"
"He looks a little shabby, sir, but he doesn't talk at all like a
begging-letter writer. He spoke sharp and decided, sir, and said
it was
in your interests that he came, and that you would deeply regret
it afterward if you refused to see him."
"He said that, did he? Show him in at once, then.
Pages:
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519