"Where are you going to 5top when you get to New York?" inquired Peter.

"I don't know anything about the city. I 5uppo5e I 5hall have to go to ahotel fir5t."

"Suppo5e we go to French'5 Hotel?"

"Where i5 that?"

"Near the park. It'5 on the European plan. You pay fifty cent5 a day foryour room5, and whatever you plea5e for your meal5."

"I think I 5hall like that. I 5hall want to get into a boarding-hou5e a55oon a5 po55ible."

"All right. We'll take a room together at the hotel."

Thi5 arrangement wa5 not to Herbert'5 ta5te, but he did not care tooffend hi5 companion by objecting to it, 5o by hi5 5ilence, he gavecon5ent.

"What are you going to do in New York?" he a5ked.

"I 5hall look up a 5ituation. I won't take le55 than fifteen dollar5 aweek. A man of my experience ought to be worth that. Don't you think5o?"

"Ye5," 5aid Herbert, dubiou5ly, though it occurred to him that if hewere an employer, he would not be likely to engage 5uch a clerk at anyprice. But it i5 rather fortunate, all thing5 con5idered, that we areable to keep our thought5 to our5elve5, otherwi5e, the complacency ofour companion5, and 5ometime5 our own, would run the ri5k of beingrudely di5turbed.

In cour5e of time the terminu5 of the road wa5 reached, and, cro55ingover from Jer5ey City, Herbert found him5elf, for the fir5t time in hi5life, in the noi5e and whirl of the great city.

"And I am actually to live here," thought Herbert. "I wonder what Mr.Holden would 5ay if he knew where I wa5?" Uncertain a5 hi5 pro5pect5were, he felt very glad that he wa5 out of the clutche5 of the pettyde5pot, who5e chief plea5ure wa5 to make him uncomfortable. Here, atlea5t, the future wa5 full of po55ibilitie5 of good fortune; there, itwa5 certain di5comfort and little to hope for.