And then they went and had some supper—real chops, at a real supper-room—and it was twelve o’clock before they got home. George whistled ‘Cheer, boys, cheer’ all the way through the street, and would have whistled all the way upstairs, had not a loud snore proclaimed the fact that sleep was upon the tired eyelids of the inmates. So George took off his boots and pretended to be a burglar, and Bess was obliged to giggle out loud when he tumbled over the coal-scuttle on the landing and said half a naughty word. The next morning, punctually at ten o’clock, George arrived at the address given him, and ascended to the third floor, as he had been directed. There on a door he found a paper pasted with ‘Smith & Co.’ upon it, in a bold round hand. He knocked, and the familiar voice of A. B. bade him enter. ‘Good-morning, Mr. Smith,’ said that gentleman. ‘Glad to see you so punctual.’ George took off his overcoat and put it on a chair in the corner. Then he looked round. It wasn’t much of an office, certainly, and had evidently been taken ready furnished. There was a table and two old chairs, a desk that had been a good deal used, and a couple of office stools. ‘This is only a branch office of our firm,’ said Mr. Brooks, for such was his name, he informed George. ‘We have offices all over London.’ Mr. Brooks waved his hands to the four points of the compass. ‘I see,’ said George. ‘Now, your duty will be to meet me here at ten, and execute the various commissions that lie within this radius.’ George didn’t quite understand, but he said, ‘Certainly, sir,’ and sat himself down on a stool. ‘The correspondence this morning is not heavy, and there are no commissions, so you can open this ledger. Do you know how to open a ledger?’ ‘Certainly,’ said George. How could the old gentleman think him such a fool as not to know how to open a book! George took the ledger and opened it. The old gentleman smiled. ‘You can write a name at the top of each page.’ ‘What name?’ ‘What name?—well—ah! Look here, take the City Directory lying on the desk, and write the top name of each page.’ George thought it singular that the firm should do business with the top name on each page of a directory, but he knew how ignorant he was of business matters, and thought he’d better say nothing, or he might be found out. While he was writing a gentleman came in to see Mr. Brooks. He looked at George and then at the old gentleman. ‘Mr. Smith,’ said Mr. Brooks, ‘kindly go as far as Cannon Street Station, and inquire at the parcel office if there is a box for Smith & Co., from Dublin.’ George went on his errand, and the old gentleman and his visitor were left alone. ‘Well,’ said the visitor, ‘will he do?’ ‘Prime,’ answered the old gentleman. ‘Green as grass. Phew, these things make me jolly hot.’