A HELPING HAND
"I should like to be excused to-morrow forenoon, Mr. Frye," said Albert
a few days later. "Frank has promised to introduce me to his father."
"Certainly," replied Frye, cheerfully, "take the entire day, if you
wish, and if you have a good chance try to make the acquaintance of Miss
Maud Vernon, a cashier in Mr. Nason's store, or at least take a good
look at her. She is the key that will unlock the information I need, and
I shall depend upon you to obtain it."
"I will keep my eyes open," replied Albert aloud, mentally resolving
that it would not be in the interest of Frye and his sinister plot. The
next day he met Frank by appointment, and the two called upon John Nason
at his office. Albert was greeted cordially, and, after an exchange of
commonplaces, soon found himself being interrogated by a series of
questions pertaining to his home and college life, his knowledge of law,
and how he liked his present employer, all of which with their answers,
not being pertinent to the thread of this narrative, need not be quoted.
They were for a purpose, however, as all of John Nason's business
questions were, and at their conclusion he said:
"I am glad to have met you, Mr. Page. My son has spoken in the highest
terms of you, and what has interested me more, Mr. Frye has also. He
does not usually bestow much praise on any one, but is more apt to
sneer. After you are a little better acquainted with legal proceedings
here, come and see me. I may be able to do something for you. You
might," addressing Frank, as if to end the interview, "show Mr. Page
over the store now; it may interest him."
After an hour spent walking through the vast human hive, where over one
thousand clerks and salesgirls were employed, the two friends returned
to their club for lunch.
"Well, what do you think of the old gent?" asked Frank, as he sat down.
"I like him," was the answer; "he talks to the purpose, though, and I
fancy his rapid-fire questions were for an object."
"You may be sure they were," replied Frank, "and, what is more, I saw by
his expression that you had made a good impression. Do you know what I
did the other day? I told him all about our escapade with the two
fairies, and repeated all I could recall of the sermon you preached
about it."
Albert looked astonished.
"I am sorry you did that," he said; "he must have thought me very weak
not to have refused in the first place. What did he say?"
"Oh, not much," replied Frank; "he laughed, and said he guessed the
closer I stuck to you, the better I would behave myself."
"Do you make a practice of confessing all your larks to your father?"
observed Albert.
"Oh, I don't conceal much," answered Frank laughingly; "he and I are the
best of friends, and he is so good to me I haven't the heart to deceive
him. I had an object in telling him of our racket, however;" and then
after a pause, "I wish you were to be at liberty this afternoon, Bert; I
am going to take the 'Gypsy' round to Beverly to her winter quarters and
I'd like your company."
"Well, I can go if I've a mind to," answered Albert; "Frye said I might
take a day off if I wished."
Frank looked astonished. "Isn't he in danger of heart-failure?" he said;
"the old buzzard must be getting stuck on you, I should say."
When the two had boarded the yacht, and while the engineer was getting
up steam, Frank showed his guest all over that craft.
"I am surprised at the size of your boat," said Albert; "why, she is
large enough for an ocean voyage."
"We may take one in her some day," replied Frank; "stranger things have
happened. I believe she cost over eighty thousand dollars, but dad
bought her for less than half that at an assignee's sale."
When steam was up they took a run out around Minot's Light and across to
Cape Ann, and as the day was a delightful one, Albert enjoyed it
immensely.
"I can't imagine a more charming way of spending a summer than to have
such a craft as this and a well-chosen party of friends for company, and
go where you like. Why, it would seem like a dream of life in an
enchanted world to me."
It was late in the afternoon when they ran in past Baker's Island, and
at Beverly they went ashore, and leaving the crew to moor the yacht in
the stream between the two bridges, returned to Boston.
It was almost Thanksgiving time ere Albert saw Mr. Nason again, and then
one day Frank said to him: "I want you to call on dad to-morrow. He
wants to see you."
It came as a most agreeable surprise to Albert, and yet, as he entered
that magnate's palatial store the next day, he did not dare to allow
himself to hope that it would mean anything to him. He took the elevator
to the fourth floor, where Mr. Nason's private office was, and with
beating heart entered. His greeting was more cordial than before, and
Mr. Nason, who, it may be observed, was a man that went about business
as a woodcutter chops a tree, said:
"Are you under contract or obligation to remain with Mr. Frye any
specified time, Mr. Page?"
"Nothing more than to give him a reasonable notice that I wish to quit,"
replied Albert; "I am paid so much a month 'for the present,' as he put
it when I went there, and I certainly shall leave him as soon as I see
any chance of bettering myself."
"That being the case, I see no reason why you cannot entertain the
proposition I have decided to make you," said the merchant, "which is
that you sever your relations with Mr. Frye between now and the first of
the year, and then take hold and see what you can do in looking after my
legal matters. The fact is, Mr. Page, as I intimated to you a short time
ago, I am not entirely satisfied with Mr. Frye. Just why need not be
considered now. The only point is, do you feel yourself capable of
acting as my attorney and assuming charge of any law business that may
arise?"
"Well, so far as my knowledge of the law goes," replied Albert, "I
passed a good examination when I was admitted to the bar, I had some
practice in Sandgate, and since I've been with Frye I've learned a good
deal of the usual procedure here. I think I can do all that is
necessary."
"My needs in a legal line are not complicated," continued Mr. Nason; "it
is mostly looking up deeds and making transfers, seeing that titles are
clear, etc. You will have to watch the custom officers, and there are
more or less collections to be made. Occasionally I have to resort to
the courts, but try to avoid them as much as possible."
"I think I could attend to all such matters to your satisfaction," said
Albert confidently; "they are not hard tasks."
"Very well," replied Mr. Nason. "I have decided, partly at the request
of my son and partly from my own estimate of your ability, to give you
the trial. I will pay you twenty-five hundred dollars per annum to look
after my needs, and you are also at liberty to take such other business
as comes to you so long as you do not neglect mine."
"I thank you, Mr. Nason, for this offer," replied Albert, rising and
proffering his hand, "and I accept gladly and will devote all my time,
if need be, to your service."
"Very good," responded Mr. Nason; "separate yourself from Frye at once,
or between now and the new year, and in the meantime I would suggest
that you rent a suitable office. There are one or two vacant in a
building I own on Water street that will serve very well, and when you
are through with Mr. Frye, come and see me. I shall consider you in my
employ from now on, and as you may need funds in fitting up your office,
I will advance you a little on your salary," and without further comment
he turned to his desk and wrote and handed Albert a check for five
hundred dollars. "I should prefer," he added hastily, as if to prevent
any word of thanks, "that you make no mention whatever of our agreement
to Mr. Frye, or in fact to any one, until after January first." Then
rising and offering his hand to Albert as if to dismiss him, he added:
"Come out to my house any evening, Mr. Page; we shall be glad to see
you, and I am usually at home."
There are moments when our emotions nullify all attempts at speech, and
to Albert Page, who before had felt himself alone and almost friendless
in a great city, this was such a one.
"Never mind the thanks now," said Mr. Nason, as he saw Albert's
agitation; "put your thanks into your work, and in a year we will talk
it over."
"And this is the man I had almost hired myself out to spy upon!" said
Albert to himself as he left the store.