Whatever may have been said in the private office, nothing came to me from either of the men in whom I was so deeply interested; and it often occurred to me, as the weeks passed by, that I was doing nothing to accomplish my great mission in Chicago. My father answered my letter, and advised me, if I had a good place, to keep it. I wrote to him every week, and received a letter from him as often. The eight weeks for which I had been engaged passed off, and I hinted to the junior partner that my time was out. "Very well; you can go on just as you have," said he. "I don't care about going on any farther at six dollars a week," I replied. "What do you want?" "Eight, sir." "I will speak to Mr. Collingsby." He did speak to him, and my salary was advanced to eight dollars a week for a year. I was satisfied I was earning that amount, and Mr. Whippleton intimated that he should require me to do more of the general book-keeping. CHAPTER VIII. IN WHICH PHIL TAKES A SAIL ON THE LAKE WITH MR. WHIPPLETON. "Phil, do you know anything about a boat?" asked Mr. Whippleton, one Saturday afternoon, at the close of the month of May. I was standing on the bank of the river, looking at his boat, which had been thoroughly repaired, painted, and rigged, and lay off the lumber-yard. She was a beautiful craft, and after we had shut up the counting-room, I paused to look at her. "I don't know anything about a sail-boat," I replied; "but I used to handle a row-boat on the upper Missouri." "You are used to boats, then?" "Yes, to row-boats." "If you are not in a hurry, you may go down the river with me; and I intend to take a little turn out in the lake," he continued, as he hauled the sail-boat up to the shore. "Thank you, sir; I should like to go very much," I replied. [Illustration: THE SAILING EXCURSION. Page 90.] The craft was called the Florina, though why she had what seemed to me such an odd name, I did not know at that time. I afterwards ascertained that he was engaged to a young lady who bore that interesting name, though, for reasons which will appear in the sequel, he never married her. I was delighted with the boat when I went on board of her, and glanced into her comfortable cabin, which was furnished like a parlor. He had evidently spent a good deal of money upon her, and I soon found that Miss Florina was an occasional guest on board.