"God bless you, my dear!" he said softly. "So this little affair has regularly settled it all, eh? And you are to be John's wife. Well, well, well, my dear, I'm glad of it, very glad of it. John, my boy, I would my old partner were alive to see your choice; and as for you, my child, you've won a good man, and I hope your sister will be as fortunate." "I hope I shall, Mr Ruddle," said the other lady softly. "If I were not sixty, and you nineteen, my dear, I'd propose for you myself," he went on laughingly. "But come, come, I can't have you giddy girls coming to our works to settle your affairs. There, be off with you, and you dine with us on Tuesday next. The old lady says you are to come early. I'm afraid John Lister here won't be able to leave the office till twelve o'clock; but we can do without him, eh?" "Don't you mind what he says, Miriam," said Mr Lister. "But stop, here's the parcel. I'll send it on." "No, no. Please let that youth carry it for us," said Miss Carr. "Anything you wish," he whispered earnestly; and the next moment he was at the door. "You'll carry this parcel for these ladies," he said; "and to-morrow morning be here at ten o'clock, and we'll find you something to do." "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," I said eagerly; and taking the parcel, I followed the ladies into Holborn, and then along Oxford Street to a substantial row of houses near Cavendish Square, where the one I looked upon as my friend paused at a large door and held out her hand to me. "I shall hope to hear from Mr Lister that you have got on well at the office," she said in her sweet musical voice. "Recollect that you are my _protege_, and I hope you will do me credit. I shall not forget to ask about you. You will try, will you not?" "Oh yes," I said hoarsely, "so hard--so very hard!" "I believe you will," she said, taking the parcel from my hand; "and now good-bye." The next moment I was standing alone upon the pavement, feeling as if a cloudiness had come over the day, while, as I looked down into my hand, it was to see there a bright new sovereign. CHAPTER SIXTEEN. PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. I went straight back to Mr Revitts, and only when nearly there did I remember that I had not thought to ask about Mr Rowle. But I felt it did not matter now, for I had obtained a situation, and he could not be annoyed to find that I was coming to the same establishment. Mr Revitts was enjoying himself when I reached his room; that is to say, he was sitting in his dingy old red-flannel shirt and his blue uniform trousers, with his sleeves rolled well up above the elbow, reading the police news in a daily paper and smoking a short black pipe, with the wreaths of smoke floating out of the open window. "Here you are then, my lad," he said, "just in time. You and I will go out and have a bit o' something at the cookshop. Did you find your friend?" "No, sir--no Mr Revitts," I said, correcting myself, "I forgot to ask for him."