Mr. Brooks was so delighted that he could hardly contain himself, and insisted that Leonard should go with him and his family next day to the mountains. To this Leonard demurred, for he knew that fashionable people resorted there, and he had not, he said, a proper suit of clothes. He was having some made preparatory to going to college, but they were not done. Mr. Brooks gently laughed at this; told him he was well enough dressed now; that it was not his clothes, but him, that he wanted with him.
But it was finally arranged that Leonard should visit Boston, and provide himself with a ready-made suit, and follow the family in two or three days. Mr. Brooks, knowing a certain clothing-house in Boston, told Leonard to go there, and nowhere else; and after Leonard had selected his suit, judge of his surprise, when the clerk, asking his name, in order to make out the bill, presented it to Leonard, subscribed, "Payment received in full," as Leonard was drawing his wallet to pay for the goods.
"But what does this mean?" said Leonard, as, taking the bill, he handed the clerk the money, which was refused.
"I am not able to tell you more than that I had orders to hand you the bill receipted, and to refuse any money you might offer," said the clerk, as he started to go to do something needing then to be done.
"But stop, sir," said Leonard; "I cannot receive this compliment from your house. I must know what it means."
At this point one of the proprietors, seeing that Leonard was confounded, stepped up, motioned the clerk away to his duties, and said,—
"Allow me to ask what is the trouble?"
"No 'trouble' indeed," said Leonard, "but this: I've bought a suit of clothes, for which I wish to pay, and the clerk won't let me, and has given me the receipted bill."
The proprietor reached out his hand for it, looked at it for an instant, and said,—
"Is this your name?"