While Robert hesitated another officer came along, and then everybody was ordered back, and a rope was stretched across the street at either end of the block. Meanwhile the fire kept increasing until it was easy to see that the office building was doomed. "It's too bad," thought Robert, as he watched the progress of the flames. "This will upset Mr. Gray's business completely." Half an hour later, as the boy was moving around in the dense crowd, he ran across Livingston Palmer. "This will throw us out of employment, Livingston," he said. "It looks like it, Robert," answered the senior clerk. "Still, I can't say that I care so much." "You do not?" "No. You see, after we closed up Saturday night I met my friend Jack Dixon, of the Combination Comedy Company, and he has offered me a place to travel with the organization." "And you are going to accept?" "I certainly shall now. At first I was on the fence about it, for I wanted to get with a tragedy company. But I suppose this will do for a stepping stone to something better." Robert had his doubts about this, for Palmer had recited several times for him, and he had thought the recitations very poor. But the senior clerk was thoroughly stage-struck, and Robert felt that it would do no good to argue the matter with him. "Your leaving may throw Mr. Gray into a worse hole than ever," he ventured. "Oh, I guess not. He will have you to fall back on. I doubt if he will be able to resume business immediately." Livingston Palmer was right in the latter surmise. The next day Robert found his employer in an office on the opposite side of the street. "I am all upset, Frost," said Mr. Gray. "The safe has dropped to the bottom of the ruins and it will be a week or two before they can dig it out." "Shall you resume at once?" "I hardly think so. The fact is, I have telegraphed to my brother in New York about business there. It may be that I shall open up in that city instead of here." "Then I fancy I can consider myself disengaged for the present." "Yes. I am sorry for you, but you can see it cannot be helped." "I don't blame you in the least, Mr. Gray. I am sorry on your own account, as well as mine, that you have been burnt out. I hope you were fully insured." "I was, in a way. Yet I have lost valuable records which no amount of money can replace." When Robert left the office it was with a sober face. He was out of a position. What should he do next? "It's too bad," he mused. "And just after writing to mother that I was doing so nicely." All told he had saved up about twenty-five dollars, and he resolved to be very careful of this amount and not spend a cent more than was necessary, until another situation was secured. Feeling that no time was to be lost, he procured two of the morning papers and carefully read the want columns. There were several advertisements which seemed to promise well, and he made a note of these and then started to visit the addresses given.