"Here are two letters," he said, "which you may answer. I have noted on each instructions which you will follow. The wording of the letters I leave to you."
"I will try to satisfy you sir," said Frank.
Our hero was a good writer for his age. Moreover, he had been well trained at school and did not shrink from the task assigned him.
He read carefully the instruction of his employer, and composed the letters in strict accordance with them.
Mr. Percival awaited with some interest the result of his experiment. If Frank proved competent to the task assigned him, his own daily labor would be considerably abridged.
"Here are the letters, sir," said our hero, passing the drafts to Mr. Percival.
The old gentleman examined them carefully. As he did so, his face expressed his satisfaction.
"Upon my word, Frank," he said, familiarly, "you have done your work exceedingly well. They are brief, concise and yet comprehensive. I feared that you would use too many words."
"I am glad you are pleased, sir. Dr. Brush trained us to write letters, and he cut down our essays when they were too diffuse."
"Then I feel indebted to Dr. Brush for providing me with so competent a young secretary. You will be able to assist me even more than I anticipated. I shall, of course, read over your letters before they are sent, to make sure that you have fully comprehended and carried out my instructions, but I don't expect they will need much correction."