"
In spite of his lameness he was holding up his head and walking like a
man now; up and down and across the little room, trembling, excited, the
words rushing in an eager flow from his mouth. His mother sat quietly
rocking herself and knitting. She knew in this mood there was nothing
to be said to him; and, indeed, what had she to say save that which
would add fuel to the flame?
"Well!"--a long sigh,--"after that Mr. Surrey doubled my wages, and was
kinder to me than ever, and watched me, as I saw, quite closely; and
that was the way he found out about Mr. Snipe.
"You see Mr. Snipe had been very careless about keeping the books; would
come down late in the mornings, just before Mr. Surrey came in, and go
away early in the afternoons, as soon as he had left. Of course, the
books got behindhand every month, and Mr. Snipe didn't want to stay and
work overhours to make them up. One day he found out, by something I
said, that I understood bookkeeping, and tried me, and then got me to
take them home at night and go over them. I didn't know then how bad he
was doing, and that I had no business to shield him, and all went smooth
enough till the day I was too sick to get down to the office, and two of
the books were at home. Then Mr. Surrey discovered the whole thing.
There was a great row, it seems; and Mr. Surrey examined the books, and
found, as he was pleased to say, that I'd kept them in first-rate style;
so he dismissed Mr.
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