Page:Conflict (1927).pdf/175

 Felix had been in the sales department of the big manufacturing concern. There was little written on good salesmanship that Sheilah didn't read out loud to him, night after night, during their first months in Boston. Also, night after night, she had set him to work writing test business letters (for the new position required a limited amount of simple correspondence), which she corrected afterward. Felix used to fall asleep sometimes, from sheer exhaustion, while she was explaining the correct use of certain business terms and phrases. He never complained, however. He was too anxious for the promised reward.

But Sheilah had been mistaken about that. There wasn't a future for Felix in that business after all. One Saturday afternoon Felix's employer sent for him and told him so; and added that as soon as he was able to place himself elsewhere it would not inconvenience the concern to let him go at any moment.

Felix had been placing himself elsewhere (or else Sheilah had been placing him) half-a-dozen times since then, and always each new position had been a little further down the ladder than the one before.

Felix didn't work evenings at all now. That is, he didn't work at books and letters. He worked at his