its sense of duty. She urged upon him the necessity of walking stoutly in the fear of God and in the path of honesty, to be ashamed of nothing which was upright and true, and never to allow his sense of right to be turned aside by the laugh of the unthinking or the sneer of the worldly-minded. A few words of grateful thanks and regards, by way of a message to Mrs Warkup, at the end of the letter, brought tears into the eyes of that worthy woman, when Guy, in the evening, read them over to her.

And how swiftly that evening sped by in comparison with the two others which had preceded it! The hours seemed by some curious process to have become only half, nay, a quarter their usual length; and Guy found himself, when it struck eleven, expressing an opinion that he was sure it could only be nine o'clock, and that Miles must be in a wonderful hurry to be wanting to shut up so early.

How false would be our measurements of time if they were to be taken by human sensations!

CHAPTER XIV.

PUNCTUALITY -THE PORTER AND THE APPRENTICEGUY'S FIRST ENTRY INTO BUSINESS.

°F Guy Rivers was true to his time on the

J

former occasion when paying his visit to Mr

Bindwell, the reader may be sure that he was not behindhand now, when he was about to become a member of the establishment. Nay, so desirous was he of retaining the character for punctuality to which he fancied the bookseller's praise entitled him, that he started off from Miles within a couple of hundred yards of the shop, because he heard an impatient neighbouring clock commence the chimes of the hour a minute or two before it had indeed any right to do so.

Miles, who was perspiring with the heat of the weather, and the exertion consequent upon wheeling Guy's trunk all the way from the Kent Road, could not forbear smiling at the youth's ardour, and ruminating, in his own mind, about how long it was to last.

"You see we're in good time, Master Guy," he said, as he came up to the door at which our young friend was standing,-for Mr Bindwell and his clerk

were engaged in the office with a country customer, and the porter only was there when Guy went in. "Oh, yes; quite in time," answered Guy-" only, you know, I didn't like to be late. Our schoolmas

ter used to be very strict with us about time, and

he got me, I suppose, into the way."

"And a very good way, too," said Miles, lifting the box out of his truck, and carrying it into the shop. "Only, when you get as old as me," he continued, taking off his battered hat, and wiping his forehead with his apron, "you won't, perhaps, be running to meet it as you do now, but will be after letting it catch up to you. Is there anything else

I can be after doing for you, Master Guy?"

"No, thank you," said Guy; "here I am, you know, now, and I must wait myself for orders. So good-bye, Miles. My love at home, and I hope to see you soon."

"Good-bye to you, young gen'leman, and God bless you!" exclaimed the old man; murmuring to himself, as he turned upon his heel, "It was in this very truck, and about this time in the morning, I wheeled the chest of my missus' son down to the wharf when he started for his place, poor fellow! I hope this youngster 'll find a pleasanter berth of it than he did."

And with his hat stuck on the hinder part of his head, and everything about him as usual streaming backwards, old Miles, with a more serious face than usual, rattled his truck homewards.

"What shall I do with my box?" asked Guy of the porter, who was only known by the name of Tom.

"You must wait till master comes out," answered the man, rather gruffly, and who, as he turned round, presented to the youth's gaze the unmistakable remains of a black eye.

His general appearance, Guy thought, was rather pugnacious than otherwise. On the top of a pair of brawny shoulders, and sunk a little between them, was a massive hairy throat, supporting a round head, with low forehead, high cheek-bones, a nose flat almost as a negro's, and a heavy jaw, displaying, when his mouth was open, the want of two front teeth, which somehow made one instantly think had disappeared in a pugilistic encounter.

The aspect of this man's face was so little inviting, that Guy asked him no more questions, but quietly sat down on his box to wait till Mr Bindwell should be disengaged.

His patience was not destined to be put to a long trial, for that gentleman and his customer shortly came out, and went talking to the street door; and as the latter took his leave, the lad, whom Guy had hitherto seen, also came in, having returned from some errand.

"So, you are here all right, eh!" said the bookseller, observing Guy. "Is that your box? Brand will help you up with it, and show you your room. When you come down, go into the office to Mr Ruggles, who'll set you to work."

Thus speaking, Mr Bindwell walked out.

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"Come along, old chap," said the lad, to whom the name of Brand belonged; you have to share my room, as the last fellow did, before he got spoony, and went into the country to die.”

With this consolatory mention of Guy's predecessor, the lad caught hold of one of the handles of Guy's trunk, and together they made towards a door, and up a flight of lead-covered stairs, which were behind it.

They were very narrow and steep, and it was with some difficulty the box could be persuaded to go up them.

"Don't make such a row," said the lad, after he had himself bumped the unyielding trunk many more times than Guy against the wainscoat and edges of the stairs.

Guy at that time answered nothing, but he resolved in his own mind, that if this young fellow intended to assume towards him an air of superiority, he would very soon find out his mistake.

The distance up appeared almost interminable, the more especially, as there were, so to speak, no special "landings" indicating the various floors of the house; this flight of stairs had evidently been an after thought, erected for convenience, and not contemplated by the original architect.

Long as the ascent was, it came to an end, and landed them at the top of the house, where a door on the right and another on the left became visible on their reaching the uppermost stair.