gay at most times, without being talkative, and he was decidedly
successful. Everybody knew he was making money now. His salary was fifty
dollars a week, and he was certain soon to get more. Some lots of his in
West Philadelphia, bought three years before, had increased notably in
value. His street-car holdings, augmented by still additional lots of
fifty and one hundred and one hundred and fifty shares in new lines
incorporated, were slowly rising, in spite of hard times, from the
initiative five dollars in each case to ten, fifteen, and twenty-five
dollars a share--all destined to go to par. He was liked in the
financial district and he was sure that he had a successful future.
Because of his analysis of the brokerage situation he had come to the
conclusion that he did not want to be a stock gambler. Instead, he was
considering the matter of engaging in bill-brokering, a business which
he had observed to be very profitable and which involved no risk as long
as one had capital. Through his work and his father's connections he
had met many people--merchants, bankers, traders. He could get their
business, or a part of it, he knew. People in Drexel & Co. and Clark &
Co. were friendly to him. Jay Cooke, a rising banking personality, was a
personal friend of his.

Meanwhile he called on Mrs. Semple, and the more he called the better he
liked her. There was no exchange of brilliant ideas between them; but he
had a way of being comforting and social when he wished. He advised
her about her business affairs in so intelligent a way that even her
relatives approved of it. She came to like him, because he was so
considerate, quiet, reassuring, and so ready to explain over and over
until everything was quite plain to her. She could see that he was
looking on her affairs quite as if they were his own, trying to make
them safe and secure.