"Shall I take you to see Jack Dixon?"
"No—at least, not for the present."
"But you may be missing the chance of your life."
"No, I'm no actor. I believe I was cut out for some office business and nothing else."
"Do you mean to say you would be content to sit on a high stool keeping books all your life? That wouldn't suit me."
"No, I don't mean that exactly. I would like to manage some large office business—after I had learned it thoroughly."
"Of course that is somewhat better."
At that moment the supper bell rang, and Palmer took his leave, to go to the theater for rehearsal. As Robert went down to the dining room of the boarding house he could not help but utter a short sigh.
"Poor Palmer," he mused. "He means well, but I'm afraid he will make an awful mess of it."
The evening was spent in his room reading a paper, for Robert was in no humor to go anywhere, even if he had felt like spending any money.