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 never before heard his father speak of his former clerk in just that tone.

The morning brought him a return of courage. After all, fortune was too much to expect at one stroke. He attended church, went for a long walk, and came back to dinner in a more cheerful frame of mind. There were signs that he had learned to read, and one of these was his father's face. Just now his father's mouth told him that something was again amiss. After dinner Mr. Quinby followed him out of the dining room.

"Bert, what's this? I found it in the hall upstairs."

It was Old Man Clud's card.

"He gave it to me last night," the boy said.

"Why did he give it to you?"

"I don't know; he forced it into my hand."

"Have you done any business with this man?"

"No, sir."

Mr. Quinby, with an angry twist of his hands, tore the card into pieces. "The vultures gather before the feast," he exclaimed.

Bert, from his reading, knew something of the habits of vultures. His cheeks flushed. "You're not very encouraging," he said.

This time it was the man who flushed. "I shouldn't have said that, Bert. But keep away from Clud. Mind that. Take a word of advice for once in your life. Keep away from Clud."

Next day, when Bert reached the store, Sam