I shall be happy, however, to remain here until you have
found some one to take over my duties."
"Well, I am sorry it has come to this, and yet it may
be that you are right," said he, with an expression of
relief; "as to James, there need be no difficulty about
that, for Dr. Patterson could come in tomorrow morning."
"Then to-morrow morning let it be," I answered.
"Very good, Dr. Munro; I will see that you have your
cheque before you go."
So there was the end of all my fine dreams about
aristocratic practices and wonderful introductions! I
believe the only person in the whole house who regretted
me was Jimmy, who was quite downcast at the news. His
grief, however, did not prevent him from brushing my
new top-hat the wrong way on the morning that I left. I
did not notice it until I reached the station, and a most
undignified object I must have looked when I took my
departure.
So ends the history of a failure. I am, as you know,
inclined to fatalism, and do not believe that such a
thing as chance exists; so I am bound to think that this
experience was given to me for some end. It was a
preliminary canter for the big race, perhaps. My mother
was disappointed, but tried to show it as little as
possible. My father was a little sardonic over the
matter. I fear that the gap between us widens. By the
way, an extraordinary card arrived from Cullingworth
during my absence.
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