60 Fred the Apprentice.

solid, respectable party. If it is, as I suspect
(forgive me for writing so), somebody not a hun-
dred miles off: from Mr. Kartmann, if not Mr.
Kartmann himself, from rumours in the trade
which I had heard before the receipt of your
letter, I and my partners will have additional
pleasure in acting in this matter, and putting
everything to rights on easy terms of payment,
to suit his convenience.’

Fred thought for a moment that this good
news must be an empty dream. Could it be
possible that he, once a poor, ignorant, almost
penniless boy, could now have influence to obtain
credit for Mr. Kartmann for thousands of pounds
sterling? But he checked himself. ‘Let me not
forget God, nor be ungrateful to Him,’ said he
tohimself. ‘I have never been friendless. There
is a Friend, as God’s word tells us, that sticketh
closer than a brother (Prov. xviii. 24); and, in
the darkest periods of my struggling life, this
Friend, the blessed Saviour, has cared for me,
and He will do so to the end.’

With these consoling thoughts, he hurried to
the room of Mr. Kartmann.

‘Read this, sir!’ exclaimed he, holding out
the letter to his employer. ‘You will see that,
by the blessing of God, my expectations have