"No, sir. It am in charge of the office."

"You are!" Kent's surprise increased. "I happen to be Mr. Kent,
junior partner in this firm."

"I beg your pardon, sir." The dapper clerk bowed and hurrying to
his desk took up a letter. "Mr. Rochester left this for you, Mr.
Kent, before his departure last night."

"His departure!" Kent deposited his suit-case on one of the chairs
and tore open the envelope. The note was a scrawl, which he had
some difficulty in deciphering.

"Dear Kent," it ran. "Am called out of town; will be back Saturday.
Saunders gave me some of his cheek this afternoon, so I fired him.
I engaged John Sylvester to fill his place, who comes highly
recommended. He will report for work to-morrow. Ta-ta - PHIL."


Kent thrust the note into his pocket and picked up his suit-case.

"Mr. Rochester states that he has engaged you," he said. "Your
references -?"

"Here, sir." The clerk handed him a folded paper, and Kent ran his
eyes down the sheet from the sentence: "To whom it may concern"
to the signature, Clark Hildebrand. The statement spoke in high
terms of John Sylvester, confidential clerk.