"That's just what I thought," exclaimed the boy, with a great sigh of relief.
Mr. Cowles stared. "Mr. Loving," he added, "was curious to find out my object in inquiring; but I told him I only sought information for a friend."
"'Hold,' said he, 'I'll inquire of Clement, next door. He's booked up in all those matters.' In about five minutes he returned and said it was Kilby, a rich man from the West somewhere."
"Yes, it's L. F. Kilby," repeated the boy, turning to go. "Well, I've found out so much."
"What's in the wind, my lad?" asked the good man.
"You'll know soon," was the reply.
All that afternoon Harrison worked as if for his life. Since the sickness of the accountant, his competency to fill the vacancy had been discovered, and his employer, who had noticed his redoubled exertion, supposed that he was trying to obtain the place, for the sake of the higher wages. He smiled as he advanced, and looking over the shoulder of the lad, saw him neatly and accurately copy the accounts from the day-book into the journal, little imagining that, as soon as his back was turned, another set of accounts, totally unlike these, were drawn from beneath the book and copied with a rapid hand.
At length the boy's arduous, self-imposed task was completed. He had worked at it early and late, mostly when the store was empty, while Mr. Grant and the greater part of the men had gone to their meals, and now he considered that enough had been accomplished to serve his purpose. At noon, before he left the store, he sought the head clerk, from whom he generally received orders, and said, "I should like to be absent this afternoon, sir."
"Well, you do look rather used up," replied the man, glancing at his pallid countenance. "Hope you ain't going to be sick; can't spare you."
"I've had to work very hard for a mouth, doing double duty," replied Harrison, fixing his clear, keen eye upon the other. "Can I have leave of absence?"