if you took hold the right way----"

She stopped, but Charnock understood. Keller was often ill and was
getting old. He could not carry on his rapidly extending business much
longer, and Charnock might presently take his place. But this was not
all, and he hesitated.

"Do you think I'm fit for the job?" he asked.

"You could do it if you tried."

Charnock smiled. "It's comforting to feel somebody trusts me, and I see
advantages in the plan. You keep the books, I think. It's very nice in
the little back office when the lamps are lit and the store is shut. We
could make up the bills together."

Sadie blushed, and he thought he had not seen her look so attractive.
She was remarkably pretty, although there was now something about her
that puzzled him. It was something elusive that acted like a barrier,
keeping him away. Yet he knew the girl was fond of him; if he wanted
her, he had but to ask, and it was not on this account he hesitated. He
thought of a creeper-covered house in England; a house that had an air
of quiet dignity. He remembered the old silver, the flowers in the shady
rooms, and the pictures. The girl who moved about the rooms harmonized
with her surroundings; her voice was low and clear, she had a touch of
stateliness. Well, he was ruined, and she was far away, but Sadie was
close by, waiting for him. For a moment he set his lips, and then, while
his nerves tingled, banished the disturbing doubts.

Dropping the paddle, he leaned forward, put his hand on the girl's