"How vewy unfortunate!" said Mr. Western, sympathisingly; "vewy twying,
indeed!" then burying his chin in his hand, he sat silently regarding them
for a moment or two.
"Have you come to any decision about taking him?" Esther at last ventured
to ask of Mr. Twining.
"Taking him!--oh, dear me, I had almost forgot. Charles, let me see you
write something--here, take this seat."
Charlie sat down as directed, and dashed off a few lines, which he handed
to Mr. Twining, who looked at it over and over; then rising, he beckoned to
his partner to follow him into an adjoining room.
"Well, what do you say?" asked Western, after they had closed the door
behind them. "Don't you think we had better engage him?"
"Engage _him_!" exclaimed Twining--"why, you surprise me, Western--the
thing's absurd; engage a coloured boy as under clerk! I never heard of such
a thing."
"I have often," drawled Western; "there are the gweatest number of them in
New Orleans."
"Ah, but New Orleans is a different place; such a thing never occurred in
Philadelphia."
"Well, let us cweate a pwecedent, then. The boy wites wemarkably well, and
will, no doubt, suit us exactly. It will be a chawity to take him. We need
not care what others say--evewybody knows who we are and what we are?"
"No, Western; I know the North better than you do; it wouldn't answer at
all here.
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