Then she began to get a little worried, and wondered if we were making a mistake. So she decided my salary for the first year should be higher than before. This was good sense, though it made me feel a little less sure than I had been that everything would work as we planned. However it gave me a good business idea, and told it to her without trying to hide anything.

'Portia, dear, would you mind going with me on the day when I confront those old gentlemen?'

She looked a little worried about this, but said 'N-o; if my being with you would make you happier. But - do you think that it would be good manners for me to come?'

'No, I don't think that it would - in fact, I'm afraid it wouldn't. But, you see, it's just so very important that-'

'Then I'll go anyway, whether it's good manners or not' she said, with a beautiful and generous enthusiasm. 'Oh, I shall be so happy to think I'm helping you!'

'You won't just be helping - you'll be doing it all. You're beautiful and so lovely that no-one can argue with you. With you there I can increase our salary till I break those good old fellows, and they'll never have the heart to struggle.'

Oh! You should have seen the blush on her face, and the shine in her happy eyes!