“Thank you, sir,” said Phil gratefully. “I shall be glad to call. I may need advice.”
“If you seek advice and follow it you will be an exception to the general rule,” said the president, smiling. “One thing more—you have met with a loss which, to you, is a serious one. Allow me to bear it, and accept this bill.”
“But, sir, it is not right that you should bear it,” commenced Phil. Then, looking at the bill, he said: “Haven't you made a mistake? This is a TEN-dollar bill.”
“I know it. Accept the other five as an evidence of my interest in you. By the way, I go to Philadelphia and Washington before my return to New York, and shall not return for three or four days. After that time you will find me at my office.
“I am in luck after all,” thought Phil cheerfully, “in spite of the mean trick of Mr. Lionel Lake.”
CHAPTER VI.
SIGNOR ORLANDO.
So Phil reached New York in very fair spirits. He found himself, thanks to the liberality of Mr. Grant, in a better financial position than when he left home.
As he left the depot and found himself in the streets of New York, he felt like a stranger upon the threshold of a new life. He knew almost nothing about the great city he had entered, and was at a loss where to seek for lodgings.