"Mr. Goldwin is very busy," replied the man at the counter.

"Very well, I will wait," said Felix; and he seated himself in a chair in the outer office.

In a little while Mr. Goldwin came out of his private room, and, seeing young Mortimer there, recognized him.

"Good morning, young man," said he, kindly.

"Good morning," returned Felix, deferentially.

"Have you come to tell us what has become of young Randolph?" asked the banker.

"I don't understand you," said Felix, innocently. "I came because you asked me to do so."

"Yes, yes, I remember; but I referred to the disappearance of the boy I engaged at the time you applied for the position."

"Why, isn't he here?" asked Mortimer, feigning surprise.

"No, he hasn't been here today."

"What do you imagine is the trouble?"

"I do not know, unless, like so many other boys, he has got tired of the work, and has left it for some other position."

"That may be, and now you speak of it, I remember he said, the morning we were all waiting to see you, that if he failed to get this place he had another position in view that he could get, and that it would pay him five dollars a week."

Young Mortimer told this falsehood with the ease of a veteran. His manner could not have been more impressive had he been telling the truth.

"Five dollars a week!" exclaimed Mr. Goldwin. "And he came here for three. I don't see what his motive was."

"Perhaps he had a motive," suggested Mortimer.

"I don't understand you," replied the banker.

Felix shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you mean? Do you know anything about him?" pursued Mr. Goldwin, his suspicions aroused.

"No, sir--er--not much."

"Speak up, young man. Tell me what you know about this young Vermonter."

"Vermonter?" repeated Felix, with a rising inflection; and he smiled suggestively.

"Yes, Vermonter. Do you know anything to the contrary?"

"You know I was an applicant for this position, Mr. Goldwin, so I do not like to answer your question. I hope you will excuse me."

"I appreciate your sense of honor, young man," said Mr. Goldwin; "but it is to my interest to know the facts. If there is anything against him, I should be informed of it. Tell me what you know, and you will lose nothing by doing so."

With apparent reluctance, Felix yielded to the persuasion, and said:

"I was on Broadway with a friend of mine, at the close of business hours, the day that you hired this young fellow. We were walking along by the Herald building when he came up Broadway and stopped to read the news on the _Telegram_ bulletin board. I said to my friend, with surprise, 'There is the fellow I told you about--the one that beat me this morning in getting the position at Goldwin's.' He looked at me incredulously and said: 'Why, you told me he was a country boy--from Vermont.'

"'So he is,' I replied. 'Stuff,' said he. 'I know him well. That was a clever dodge to play the country act.' I protested, but he convinced me that he was right. He is in a lawyer's office, so he has to be in court more or less, and he said he saw him up before Judge Duffy only a few days ago, charged with stealing a pocket book. The suspicion was strong against him, but there wasn't proof enough to fix the theft upon him.

The Court came near sending him to the Island, though, for he had been arrested twice before, so my friend said."

"The young villain!" said the banker, when Felix had finished this black falsehood, which he told so glibly, and with such seeming reluctance, that Mr. Goldwin accepted it as all truth. "I am sorry I ever took him into my office," he continued. "I must have the bank carefully looked over, to see if he misappropriated anything, as he very likely did."

Felix said nothing, but seemed to look sorry for Herbert.

"Well," said Mr. Goldwin, after a pause, "is it too late to get you?"

"I don't know," answered Mortimer, hesitatingly. "I would like to work for you, but would not feel right to take the position away from this Vermonter."

Felix laid a special stress upon the word "Vermonter."

"Take it away from him!" replied the banker, scornfully. "He cannot enter this bank again."

"But you see I would feel that I am the means of keeping him out of the position. You wouldn't have known about his deception if I hadn't told you."

Felix now used the word "deception" flippantly, and with no further apparent apology for applying it to our hero.

"That is all right," replied Mr. Goldwin; "I am glad to see you sensitive about injuring another. It is much to your credit that you feel as you do about it."

"Thank you," was the modest reply. "Then if you think it would look right, and you really want me, I will take the position."

"Of course we can get hundreds and thousands of boys, but I have taken a liking to you. When can you commence?"

"I can commence this morning, if you wish me to," said Felix.

"Very well, I wish you would--er, that is if you feel able. I notice your face is swollen, and perhaps you are not feeling well."

"Oh, that will not bother me," replied Mortimer, coolly. "I had a tooth filled yesterday, and have got cold in my jaw."

"You must suffer with it. It is swollen badly and looks red and angry,"

said the banker sympathetically.

"It does hurt a good deal, but will not trouble me about my work."

"It looks as if the skin had been injured--more like a bruise, as if you had received a heavy blow on your jaw," said Mr. Goldwin, examining the swelling more closely.

Felix colored perceptibly, but immediately rallied, and said the poulticing had given it that appearance.

Could Mr. Goldwin have known the truth about this injured jaw, he would have been paralyzed at the bold falsehood of the young villain before him.

He had succeeded admirably in blackening our young hero's reputation.

Mr. Goldwin now looked upon Herbert with ill favor, and even disgust.

And this change was all caused by the cunning and falsehoods of young Mortimer. He had poisoned Mr. Goldwin's mind, and thus succeeded in establishing himself in the banker's good opinion and securing the coveted position.