I didn't think of his skin, and, for once in my life, I quite forgot I was black, and didn't remember it again till I got out on the street and heard a dirty little ragamuffin cry, 'Hi! hi! don't that nagur think himself foine ?' I suspect, in spite of my lameness, I had been holding up my head and walking like a man." In spite of his lameness he was holding up his head and walking like a man now; up and down and across the little room, trembling, excited, the words rushing in an eager flow from his mouth.

His mother sat quietly rocking herself and knitting.

She knew in this mood there was nothing to be said to him; and, indeed, what had she to say save that which would add fuel to the flame?
"Well!"-- a long sigh,--"after that Mr.Surrey doubled my wages, and was kinder to me than ever, and watched me, as I saw, quite closely; and that was the way he found out about Mr.Snipe.
"You see Mr.Snipe had been very careless about keeping the books; would come down late in the mornings, just before Mr.Surrey came in, and go away early in the afternoons, as soon as he had left.

Of course, the books got behindhand every month, and Mr.Snipe didn't want to stay and work overhours to make them up.

One day he found out, by something I said, that I understood bookkeeping, and tried me, and then got me to take them home at night and go over them.