“Why, that is the one thing I can do!” cried Richard,—­“in a rough fashion, of course,” he added, fearing he had overstated it.

“It is a rough fashion that will serve.  You must let me see some of your sketches.”

“I haven’t any, sir.  I had a hundred in my sea-chest, but that was lost,—­pencillings of old archways, cathedral spires, bits of frieze, and such odds and ends as took my fancy in the ports we touched at.  I recollect one bit.  I think I could do it for you now.  Shall I?”

Mr. Slocum nodded assent, smiling at the young fellow’s enthusiasm, and only partially suspecting his necessity.  Richard picked up a pen and began scratching on a letter sheet which lay on the desk.  He was five or six minutes at the work, during which the elder man watched him with an amused expression.

“It’s a section of cornice on the facade of the Hindoo College at Calcutta,” said Richard, handing him the paper,—­“no, it’s the custom-house.  I forget which; but it doesn’t matter.”

The amused look gradually passed out of Mr. Slocum’s countenance as he examined the sketch.  It was roughly but clearly drawn, and full of facility.  “Why, that’s very clever!” he said, holding it at arms’-length; and then, with great gravity, “I hope you are not a genius, Richard; that would be too much of a fine thing.  If you are not, you can be of service to me in my plans.”

Richard laughingly made haste to declare that to the best of his knowledge and belief he was not a genius, and it was decided on the spot that Richard should assist Mr. Simms, the bookkeeper, and presently try his hand at designing ornamental patterns for the carvers, Mr. Slocum allowing him apprentice wages until the quality of his work should be ascertained.

“It is very little,” said Mr. Slocum, “but it will pay your board, if you do not live at home.”

“I shall not remain at my cousin’s,” Richard replied, “if you call that home.”

“I can imagine it is not much of a home.  Your cousin, not to put too fine a point on it, is a wretch.”

“I am sorry to hear you say that, sir; he’s my only living kinsman.”

“You are fortunate in having but one, then.  However, I am wrong to abuse him to you; but I cannot speak of him with moderation, he has just played me such a despicable trick.  Look here.”

Mr. Slocum led Richard to the door, and pointing to a row of new workshops which extended the entire length of one side of the marble yard, said,—­

“I built these last spring.  After the shingles were on we discovered that the rear partition, for a distance of seventy-five feet, overlapped two inches on Shackford’s meadow.  I was ready to drop when I saw it, your cousin is such an unmanageable old fiend.  Of course I went to him immediately, and what do you think?  He demanded five hundred dollars for that strip of land!  Five hundred dollars for a few inches of swamp meadow not worth ten dollars