The doctor was right about Thorndyke’s “hanging on.” It seemed as if, aside from the thought of the Prince Royal, he lived and moved in the doctor and Aleck; and as for Nelly, she had never come to seem quite like a real person yet, always the beautiful vision of the flower window. The doctor was first of all, of course; Thorndyke watched his every movement as if it were food for his eyes, no matter how engrossed they might be with any work. But still, it only seemed wonderful that he had them all; he could not make it seem anything that really belonged to him; only a grace from day to day.
But poor Tom! He was sure he was having trouble somehow, and to see any one in trouble was always trouble itself to Thorndyke; what could he do? How could he make things seem any better? If he could only get Tom over to Halliday’s, with Aleck! But that would be throwing away the years he had been working and waiting for promotion at Fenimore’s.
CHAPTER XXII.
Tom was too busy just then to be thinking of promotion, or of woes by the way; the busy season was coming on, and he had just been advanced to the wholesale room; quite a step, and he couldn’t help liking it, though Hal was in the same department. Hal was a good fellow enough when he didn’t happen to feel like saying anything disagreeable, and when he did—pshaw! would Tom never get over being a goose?
Hal was busy in his turn; a customer had just come in whom the junior partner had turned over to him with the whisper that it was especially important he should be pleased, and Hal had been sharpening his business wits to capture him. But it seemed for some time as if he would not be caught; he knew precisely what he wanted and would not be taken in any other net. But if he knew what he wanted it would only be the more of a failure if Fenimore & Co. couldn’t suit him, and Hal redoubled his energies, and called every resource into requisition.
At last it seemed as if triumph were at hand. The customer caught sight of a lot of goods and stopped suddenly before them.
“There!” he exclaimed, “there’s something I should like, if they’re what they seem to be;” and he stooped to examine them.
Hal caught a look from the junior partner which said, “Don’t have any difficulty there; push your advantage,” and he waited anxiously for what should come next.