 said Herbert, »let the near prospect of our separation -
for it is very near - be my justification for troubling you about yourself. Have
you thought of your future?«
    »No, for I have been afraid to think of any future.«
    »But yours cannot be dismissed; indeed, my dear, dear Handel, it must not be
dismissed. I wish you would enter on it now, as far as a few friendly words go,
with me.«
    »I will,« said I.
    »In this branch house of ours, Handel, we must have a -«
    I saw that his delicacy was avoiding the right word, so I said, »A clerk.«
    »A clerk. And I hope it is not at all unlikely that he may expand (as a
clerk of your acquaintance has expanded) into a partner. Now, Handel -- in
short, my dear boy, will you come to me?«
    There was something charmingly cordial and engaging in the manner in which
after saying, »Now, Handel,« as if it were the grave beginning of a portentous
business exordium, he had suddenly given up that tone, stretched out his honest
hand, and spoken like a schoolboy.
    »Clara and I have talked about it again and again,« Herbert pursued, »and
the dear little thing begged me only this evening, with tears in her eyes, to
say to you that if you will live with us when we come together, she will do her
best to make you happy, and to convince her husband's friend that he is her
friend too. We should get on so well, Handel!«
    I thanked her heartily, and I thanked him heartily, but said I could not yet
make sure of joining him as he so kindly offered. Firstly, my mind was too
preoccupied to be able to take in the subject clearly. Secondly - Yes! Secondly,
there was a vague something lingering in my thoughts that will come out very
near the end of this slight narrative.
    »But if you thought, Herbert, that you could, without doing any injury to
your business, leave the question open for a little while -«
    »For any while,« cried Herbert. »Six months, a year!«
    »Not so long as that,« said I. »Two or three months at most.«
    Herbert was highly delighted when we shook hands on this arrangement, and
said he could now take courage to tell me that he believed he must go away at
the end of the
