"You were once contented."
"I beg you pardon; if I had been, I would have remained in business."
"And been a much more contented man than you are now."
"I am not sure of that."
"I am, then. Why, Parker, when I met you last you had a cheerful air about you. Whenever I came into your shop, I found you singing as cheerfully as a bird. But now you do not even smile; your brows have fallen half an inch lower than they were then. In fact, the whole expression of your face has changed. I will lay a wager that you have grown captious, fretful, and disposed to take trouble on interest. Every thing about you declares this. A year has changed you for the worse, and me for the better."
"How you for the better, Mr. Steele!"
"I have gone into business."
"I hope no misfortune has overtaken you?"
"I have lost more than half my property, but I trust this will not prove in the end a misfortune."
"Really, Mr. Steele, I am pained to hear that reverses have driven you to the necessity of going into business."