"You can make it succeed if any one can," replied Meredith, to whom his partner had given a full account of his connection with the _New England Courant_ in Boston. They canvassed the subject until it was decided to start a weekly paper as soon as their pecuniary condition would permit. Just then the Oxford student, whose time Keimer had bought, called upon Benjamin. "Will you employ me as journeyman printer?" he asked. "Employ you?" responded Benjamin with much surprise. "I thought your time was Keimer's for four years." "It was; but it is not now; I have bought it back." "I am glad to hear that; you will be more of a man for it; and, before long, I think we should like your work; just now we are not in want of more help." "Your work is increasing, I suppose?" said Webb; "hope I shall not have to wait long." "If you can keep a secret, Webb, I will let you into it," continued Benjamin. "I expect to start a weekly paper before many weeks have passed; and then I shall have plenty of work." "How long shall I have to wait?" "I can't say. It is possible I may want you before I start the newspaper; work is coming in very well. But you must not let Keimer know about the paper. When it starts I want it should be a surprise to him and the public." "I will not divulge your secret," was Webb's ready promise. Nevertheless, Webb did disclose the secret to Keimer himself, who proceeded to start a paper of his own, called the _Pennsylvania Gazette_, and he hired Webb, at good wages, to work on it. It proved to be a miserable affair, without ability or intelligent enterprise, so that a sharp, witty young man like Benjamin could readily make it a "laughing-stock." "I will show up his ignorance and conceit in the _Mercury_" (name of the paper already published by Bradford), he said to Meredith. "See if I don't." "A good idea, Ben; go ahead; it will create a sensation. Bradford will be glad to publish any thing you may write." "I will see him at once." And Benjamin hastened to the office of the _Mercury_, made known his purpose to Bradford, who caught at it at once." "Just the thing I want," responded Bradford. "Let me have something for the next issue." "Certainly; you shall have the first article to-morrow morning."