“Don’t know as I do; it must be a rare specimen,” said Mr. Fowler, dryly. “Better let me know the kind it is; perhaps it will counterbalance the kind I have for you this morning; confound it!”
Seeing that Mr. Fowler was really disturbed about something, Mr. Reeve dropped his bantering tone, and went to serious matters. He then learned that the bookkeeper whom Mr. Fowler had engaged for the new line of business, and who would also act as his confidential clerk and office manager, would be unable to accept the position, as he was called to England by the death of his father, and would in future make his home there. This was a serious loss to Mr. Fowler, for he had known this man for years, and felt deep satisfaction at the thought of having such an efficient assistant.
“And now,” he said, when he had told Mr. Reeve all the facts, “who under heavens am I to find to fill his place at such short notice, I’d like to know? Such men are not to be picked up at every corner.”
“Read that letter,” was all Mr. Reeve said, and handed him Toinette’s letter.
Mr. Fowler took the letter, and began reading with a very mystified expression, as though he could not for the life of him understand what a letter from Mr. Reeve’s daughter had to do with his private affairs. But, as he read, his expression changed, and when he came to the end he said: “Well, it may be Kismet; can’t say. Funnier things have happened. Look into it, will you, Clayton? I’m sick and tired of the thing, particularly when I thought all important details settled.”
And Clayton Reeve did “look into it” very thoroughly, leaving no stone unturned which would help him to learn all that it was necessary to know about Mr. Burgess, and nothing could possibly have been more gratifying than what he learned. As a result of it, Mr. Burgess was offered the position from June first, and the salary offered with it seemed a princely one to him as compared to the one he had received as clerk in the bank in Montcliff. It would be hard to understand the happiness which that schoolgirl letter brought to one family, or how the writing of it changed two lives very materially, and a third completely.