Mike looked at him, not feeling quite certain whether he was in earnest, but Rodney was perfectly serious.

“You’re better off than me,” said Mike, when they reached the street.  “If I had a trunk I wouldn’t have anything to put into it.”

“I’ll see if I can’t rig you out, Mike.  I’ve got a good many clothes, bought when I was rich.  You and I are about the same size.  I’ll give you a suit of clothes to wear on Sundays.”

“Will you?” exclaimed Mike, his face showing pleasure.  “I’d like to see how I look in good clo’es.  I never wore any yet.  It wouldn’t do no good in my business.”

“You won’t want to wear them when at work.  But wouldn’t you like to change your business?”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever tried?”

“What’d be the use of tryin’?  They’d know I was a bootblack in these clo’es.”

“When you wear a better suit you can go round and try your luck.”

“I’d like to,” said Mike wistfully.  “I don’t want you to tell at the store that you room with a bootblack.”

“It isn’t that I think of, Mike.  I want you to do better.  I’m going to make a man of you.”

“I hope you are.  Sometimes I’ve thought I’d have to be a bootblack always.  When do you think you’ll get the clo’es?”

“I shall write to the principal of the boarding school at once, asking him to forward my trunk by express.  I want to economize a little this week, and shall have to pay the express charges.”

“I’ll pay up my part of the rent, Rodney, a quarter a day.”

Rodney had advanced the whole sum, as Mike was not in funds.

“If you can’t pay a dollar a week I will pay a little more than half.”

“There ain’t no need.  I’ll pay my half and be glad to have a nice room.”

“I’ve got three or four pictures at the school, and some books.  I’ll send for them later on, and we’ll fix up the room.”

“Will you?  We’ll have a reg’lar bang up place.  I tell you that’ll be better than livin’ at the Lodge.”

“Still that seems a very neat place.  It is lucky for poor boys that they can get lodging so cheap.”

“But it isn’t like havin’ a room of your own, Rodney.  I say, when we’re all fixed I’ll ask some of me friends to come in some evenin’ and take a look at us.  They’ll be s’prised.”

“Certainly, Mike.  I shall be glad to see any of your friends.”

It may seem strange that Rodney, carefully as he had been brought up, should have made a companion of Mike, but he recognized in the warm hearted Irish boy, illiterate as he was, sterling qualities, and he felt desirous of helping to educate him.  He knew that he could always depend on his devoted friendship, and looked forward with pleasure to their more intimate companionship.

After selecting their room and making arrangements to take possession of it, the boys went down town.  Rodney stepped into the reading room at the Astor House and wrote the following letter to Dr. Sampson: