And while he spoke he held on to the boy’s hands.
“All I can say, Mr. Bird, is that I am glad I happened to be on hand,” said Jack, frankly. “I hope you won’t worry about what you owe me. I’d have done the same thing for anyone else under the same circumstances.”
“But I shall worry about it, young man, until I have done something for you to show my gratitude.”
“I don’t want you to do anything for me, sir. I’m perfectly satisfied with knowing that I saved you from doing a rash act.”
“But that won’t satisfy me.”
Jack was silent.
“Mr. Bishop told me that you are the boy who saved Mr. Atherton’s little niece from drowning yesterday morning. Most of the brokers have read about it in the papers this morning, and I have heard a score of them talking about you. And now this crazy act of mine is printed in all the afternoon editions, and I’ll bet if there is one there are a hundred men about the Street who are trying to get a chance to see what sort of a boy you look like. Nobody seems to know you as yet. How long have you been working for Atherton?”
“This is my first day,” replied Jack.
“Well, I thought you were new down here, else I had probably seen you before. I asked Hartz and his chief clerk about you, but they could tell me nothing more than that you came there from Atherton’s, and that was the only way I located you. Now I want you to call at my house to-night; will you? My wife will certainly insist on seeing you.”
“All right,” said Jack, who felt that it wouldn’t be polite to refuse the broker’s request.