Three months passed. To Henry Martin they passed very satisfactorily. At his new rate of payment he was able to lay up two dollars a week without denying himself anything absolutely necessary to his comfort. At the end of this period, therefore, he had twenty-six dollars on deposit in a new savings-bank. Of his venture he had heard nothing. He remained perfectly easy about this, however, knowing that in due time he would hear from it. Mr. Hamilton, he observed, took more notice of him than formerly. He frequently greeted him, in passing through to his office, with a pleasant word or smile; and Henry felt justified in concluding that he was in favor with him.

It was after the interval of time already mentioned that he again received a summons to the counting-room.

Mr. Hamilton had a long paper before him closely filled with figures.

"Sit down. Henry," he said.

"Thank you, sir."

"You remember our conversation three months since, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir; perfectly."

"You consented to take a share in a venture was sending out to Rotterdam?"

"Yes, sir."

"I have just received a statement of it, and, you are interested, I have called you in to let you know how it has turned out."

"Thank you, sir," said Henry, eagerly.

"I find that, after deducting all expenses, your share of the profits will amount to one hundred dollars."

"One hundred dollars!" exclaimed Henry, in astonishment and delight.

"Yes. I think we have been very successful."

Henry felt flattered by that word "we." It seemed to associate him, humble office boy as he was, with the eminent merchant who employed him.

"That is better than the savings-bank, sir," said Henry.

"Yes, it is; but I ought to add that it is not always so sure. All ventures do not turn out so profitably. To return to your affairs I shall charge you interest on the five hundred dollars you borrowed of me, at the rate of seven per cent. You have had the use of the money for three months."

"Then the interest will amount to eight dollars and three quarters," said Henry, promptly.

"Quite right; you are very quick at reckoning," said Mr. Hamilton, looking pleased.

"That is not a difficult sum," answered Henry, modestly.

"I did not suppose you knew much about computing interest. You left school very young, did you not?"

"At twelve, sir."

"You had not studied interest then, had you?"

"No, sir; I have studied it since."

"At evening-school?"

"No, sir; I studied by myself in the evening."

"How long have you done that?"

"For two years."

"And you keep it up regularly?"

"Yes, sir; occasionally I take an evening for myself, but I average five evenings a week at studying."

"You are a remarkable boy," said the merchant, looking surprised.

"If you flatter me, sir, I may grow self-conceited," said Henry, smiling.

"You have some right to feel satisfied with yourself. Tell me what was your object in commencing this course of work."

"I picked up at a bookstore on Nassau Street an old book containing the lives of some men who rose from obscurity; and I found that many of them studied by themselves in early life, being unable to attend school. It seemed to me that education was necessary to success, and, as I had nothing else to depend upon, I began to work evenings."

"Did you not find it irksome? Were you not tempted sometimes to give it up?"

"Just at first; but afterward I got to enjoy it."

Here Mr. Hamilton asked Henry a few questions, with a view of testing his knowledge both as to extent and accuracy; and the result was so satisfactory as more and more to prepossess him in favor of the boy.

He returned to business.

"It appears," he said, "that, interest deducted, you have ninety-one dollars and a quarter to your credit with me. You are at liberty to draw it, if you wish."

"What would you advise me to do, Mr. Hamilton?" asked Henry.

"You had better leave it in my hands for such use as I may think likely to prove profitable. I shall dispatch a vessel to Marseilles in a week. Would you like to take a share in this venture?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then, I will assign six hundred dollars to you. Five you may continue to borrow of me. One is your own."

"Not quite, sir. You remember the interest."

"That need not be charged till the end of the year. I will still retain the savings-bank book you left with me as a guaranty. Is that satisfactory?"

"Entirely so, sir."

"Have you been able to save up anything lately?"

"Yes, sir; I have twenty-six dollars on depost in another bank."

"Very good. You are, then, provided for in any case of emergency."

Henry went back to work.

His reflections, as may be imagined, were very pleasant. He figured up what he was worth, and it stood thus:

Six-penny Savings Bank.................... $35 00

Second bank account....................... 26 00

Thus he figured up a grand total of one hundred and fifty-two dollars and twenty-five cents, making a gain in three months of one hundred and seventeen dollars and twenty-five cents.

"Why, at this rate," thought Henry, "I shall soon be rich."

Of course, he owed a large part of this sum to the favor of his employer; but this, again, was earned by his fidelity and economy—two qualities which I wish were more common among boys of his age.

Returning to his room he looked for his savings-bank book, but to his dismay it was nowhere to be found.

"Where can it be?" he asked himself, perplexed. "Perhaps Sam has seen it."

But Sam had not yet returned from the store, though it was past his usual time.

"It is very strange," thought Henry. "I am sure it was at the bottom of my trunk. Can the trunk have been opened?"