"Thank you, sir."
"I suppose you don't always expect to be a train boy?"
"I think I shall have to retire by the time I reach fifty, sir; I can't very well pass for a boy then."
"Ho, ho!" laughed the old gentleman, appreciating the joke. "I should say not. And what are you looking to do in place of it?"
"I should like to get a place in a counting-room or store," said Paul; "but at present I couldn't afford to take such a situation."
"It would lead to more."
"Yes, sir; but I could not expect at first to earn more than half as much as I do on the train. While I have my mother and sister to support, I do not dare to make a change."
"Very true," said the old gentleman, thoughtfully.
Remaining silent, Paul was about to move on, when Mr. Bradford called him back.
"Stay, my young friend," he said; "I haven't made a purchase yet."