"What makes you talk like this, Arthur?" exclaimed Annie scornfully. "As if the price of a meal could matter. Of course we do not keep company now as we did—how can we, with only Hannah to do everything?—But I should think we could afford to have what we needed for ourselves!"
Annie was very scornful as well as angry, and Arthur was prevented from saying any more about his new situation to either of his sisters, for Annie took care that he did not get a chance of talking to Molly before supper, and when that was over, he was glad to go to bed. Although he had not said a word about it, he felt tired and sleepy after his close attention to his work.
Molly noticed the next morning that he still looked a little sleepy when he got up.
"Yes, I do feel a bit tired," admitted Arthur, with a yawn, "but you cannot wonder at that, for of course all the work is strange to me."
"But you don't mind it?" queried Molly.
"Mind it! Why, a fellow has got to conquer his distaste for close work if ever he is to do anything in the world. Dr. Robinson has often told me that my failing was want of application, and if ever I wanted to be successful, I must make up my mind to stick to work, whatever it may be, and I mean to do it too," added Arthur resolutely.
Molly looked at him admiringly. "I do hope you will succeed," she said in a low, earnest tone.
"Well, I mean to have a good try for it, I can tell you. Andrews seemed to think I had a very good chance at Brading's. Mind you, the work is stiff, and Mr. Bristow, the chief accountant, is very particular."
"Of course he would have to be," interrupted Molly, "for I suppose the figures now mean real money, and if you got any part of the sum wrong, it would mean loss of money to Mr. Brading, or else that he would cheat somebody. Oh, Arthur, I do see how particular you have to be! It is quite different from what it was at school, when, if you got a sum wrong, it only meant the loss of a mark to yourself. Now your sums mean the loss of money to other people."
"Well done, Molly! That was just what I was thinking when I was dressing this morning, but I don't think I could have explained it so clearly."