"I'm glad that I met him," thought the boy. "It may be the luckiest
thing yet. I'm sure if he finds an opening for me it will be the right
thing to take hold of."
Under the turn of affairs Richard decided to get the sailor's letters,
if there were any, and return to the Watch Below at once. It was after
one o'clock, leaving him about an hour and a half before going to the
merchant's place of business.
"I must be prompt," he said to himself. "It will count, I'm sure."
Watching his chance among the score of street cars which pass the post-
office corner every minute, the boy dived through the crowd and reached
the opposite side of Park Bow.
The newspaper office was but a few steps away, and in a second he was
inside.
Quite a number of people were in the counting-room. They were mostly
of the poorer class, and were either looking over the want columns of
the papers on file or else waiting for answers to advertisements which
they had inserted.
Richard joined the line of the latter, and in due turn found himself
at the window, slip in hand.
The clerk glanced at the slip and then looked over some letters in a
certain box.
"Here you are," he said, and handed back the slip, accompanied by two
letters.
"Two answers!" exclaimed Richard as he moved away.
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