‘I may as well tell you, Semple, I’ve made up my mind not to go. But I’m “between the deil and the deep sea.” I don’t know what else I am to do.’ ‘What would you like to do?’ asked Semple. Secretly he was overjoyed at hearing of this resolution, and he determined to further it by every means in his power. ‘What I would like to do would be to go to London, and enter the office of a good firm of solicitors. Between ourselves, Semple, I mean to go to the bar; but I can’t begin to study in the regular way, because I’ve no money. I have heard that it’s not a bad plan to go into a solicitor’s office for awhile, to begin with, to learn the practice. But I know no one in London--no one in the profession, at least.’ ‘Perhaps I could help you there, Alec,’ said the other, after a pause. ‘I wish you could,’ said Alec earnestly. ‘Do you remember a fellow called Beattie? I think he was at College while you were there.’ ‘We didn’t go to the same classes. He was two or three years in advance of me; but I remember his name very well. A clever fellow, wasn’t he?’ ‘Plenty of brains, certainly,’ answered Semple. ‘Well, he had very much the same ideas as yourself. He went to London, and got into the office of a firm of solicitors--Hatchett, Small, and Hatchett; and now he is one of their managing clerks, though I believe he has never got his articles. Well, we are clients of Hatchetts’. They are carrying on a big lawsuit for us just now, and I dare say it will be a thousand pounds in their pocket. I should think they would oblige me in a thing of that sort; and Beattie, I know, will do what he can for you.’ ‘But the difficulty is, they wouldn’t pay me any salary.’ ‘I should think they would give you something. You would very soon be of use to them. They paid Beattie, I know, almost from the first. But why don’t you go straight to Uncle James, and ask him to give you something to start you in life?’ Alec shook his head. ‘I’ll see if I can’t manage that for you. He’s a regular old screw. Five hundred pounds would be nothing to him.’ ‘It would make a considerable difference to me,’ said Alec, with a laugh. ‘You know, Semple, it’s awfully good of you to trouble yourself about my affairs.’ ‘Oh no; not at all.’ ‘Yes, it is. It’s exceedingly kind of you. I shall never forget it as long as I live.’ Semple was rather amused than embarrassed by his cousin’s expressions of gratitude. ‘If he had tried his best, he couldn’t have suited my book better,’ said he to himself. ‘But I must see what I can do with the old man.’