With a little shiver she blew out her candle and crept into bed. For long she lay sleepless, but presently a compassionate angel, in the course of her flight over the Dark City, entered the little room, and, touching the girl's eyelids with her cool finger-tips, led her away to Dreamland.
Harold Jefferson was as good as his word, for, shortly before lunch time on the following day, Mr Maybury was informed that the head of the firm wished to see him in his private room. Mr Maybury at once obeyed the summons, concluding that it must have something to do with his daughter's engagement to Harold. Possibly the elder Jefferson objected to the match, and a curious feeling of elation took possession of Mr Maybury as it occurred to him that this might be the case.
Mr Jefferson was a stout, rather apoplectic-looking man of some sixty years--quite unlike his son in appearance. There was nothing of the keen, lean stockbroker about him; indeed, his ponderous manner and measured speech reminded one of an old-fashioned type of merchant that is now almost extinct.
"Ha! sit down, Mr Maybury. A pleasant change after the muggy weather we have been experiencing lately! Ahem! yes, I wanted to see you on a little matter--quite a little matter--ahem! You have been with us now----"
"Three years, sir," said the other quietly.
"Three years? So long! Well, well--time flies, time flies. But to business. I--er--I have--er--asked my manager, Mr Jacobs, to recommend such persons in--er--in my employ as he considers deserving of an increase in salary. The new year is close at hand, and it appears to me an--er--an appropriate season for such--er--recommendations. Your name, Mr Maybury, comes first on the list. I am assured that you are most punctilious in--er--in the discharge of your duties, and that you are a man to be implicitly trusted in all respects. I gather, in short, that you are in all respects a most satisfactory servant of the--er--firm. I have decided, therefore, to make a substantial addition to your present salary. You are now paid--er--you receive----"
"One hundred and fifty pounds a year, sir."
"One hundred and fifty? Well, well,--that is hardly adequate remuneration for a man of your integrity and ability. A good man is--er--is worth good pay. I shall have much pleasure, therefore, Mr Maybury, in raising your salary to--er--three hundred pounds a year."
Three hundred a year! The amount had a refreshing, satisfying sound! It would mean a very different state of things at No. 9, would three hundred a year.
"I am deeply grateful to you, sir----" began Mr Maybury.