Page 49 - Fairbrass
P. 49

to that  I  learnt  more  about your father and
                               his business  than  I  should  have  done  if  I

                                had  been  with  him  all  day  long.  Well,
                               your father's  clerk  made  himself  very com­

                               fortable  in  your  father’s  chair,  and  read  the
                                newspapers,  and  sang1 scraps of  songs,  and

                               did  his  best  to  amuse  himself  until  he was
                               interrupted  by  the  appearance  of  another
                               smart  young  clerk  with  a  letter  for  your

                               father.  The two,  w h o   seemed  to  be  on very

                                friendly terms with  each  other, decided that,
                                as  they  had  so  happily  met,  they  must
                                go and  have  ** an  eleven  o’clock,”  as  they

                                called  it,  together,  and  I  felt  certain  that  I

                                should  be  left  alone,  when  your  father’s
                                clerk,  catching sight of me,  said,  “ Hullo 1
                                I'll  give  the  girls  a  treat,              I'll  hide

                                myself  behind  the  governor’s  bush  j ”  and
                                with  these words  he  put  me  in  his  button­

                                hole,  and  we  all  three  went  out  together.
                                In  a  few  moments  wc  were  in  a  bright

                                room,  where,  in  front  of  a  long  counter,
                                quite a  number  of smart young clerks sat on

                                high  stools,  talking  merrily,  but  not  very
   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54