Under the Great Bear | Page 4

have accepted it
and declined Thorpe's invitation; but his guardian had merely asked
him to recommend some one else.
"Which shows," thought Cabot bitterly, "what he thinks of me, and of
my fitness for any position of importance. He is right, too, for if ever a
fellow threw away opportunities, I have done so during the past four
years. And now I am deliberately going to spend another, squandering
my last dollar, in company with a chap who will have no further use for
me when it is gone. It really begins to look as though I were about the
biggest fool of my acquaintance."
It was in this frame of mind that our young engineer made a second
visit to his guardian's office on the following morning. There he was
received by Mr. Hepburn with the same business-like abruptness that
had marked their interview of the day before.
"Good-morning, Cabot," he said. "I see you are promptly on hand, and,
I suppose, anxious to be off. Well, I don't blame you, for a pleasure trip
around the world isn't offered to every young fellow, and I wish I were
in a position to take such a one myself. I have had prepared a letter of
credit for the balance of your property remaining in our hands, and
while it probably is not as large a sum as your friend Walling will carry,
it is enough to see you through very comfortably, if you exercise a
reasonable economy. I have also written letters of introduction to our
agents in several foreign cities that may prove useful. Let me hear from
you occasionally, and I trust you will have fully as good a time as you
anticipate."
"Thank you, sir," said Cabot. "You are very kind."
"Not at all. I am only striving to carry out your father's instructions, and
do what he paid to have done. Now, how about the young man you
were to recommend? Have you thought of one?"
"No, sir, I haven't. You see, all the fellows who graduated with honours
found places waiting for them, and as I knew you would only want one
of the best, I can't think of one whom I can recommend for your

purpose. I am very sorry, but----"
"I fear I did not make our requirements quite clear," interrupted Mr.
Hepburn, "since I did not mean to convey the impression that we would
employ none but an honour man. It often happens that he who ranks
highest as a student fails of success in the business world; and under
certain conditions I would employ the man who graduated lowest in his
class rather than him who stood at its head."
Cabot's face expressed his amazement at this statement, and noting it,
Mr. Hepburn smiled as he continued:
"The mere fact that a young man has graduated from your Institute,
even though it be with low rank, insures his possession of technical
knowledge sufficient for our purpose. If, at the same time, he is a
gentleman endowed with the faculty of making friends, as well as an
athlete willing to meet and able to overcome physical difficulties, I
would employ him in preference to a more studious person who lacked
any of these qualifications. If you, for instance, had not already decided
upon a plan for spending the ensuing year, I should not hesitate to offer
you the position we desire to fill."
Cabot trembled with excitement. "I--Mr. Hepburn!" he exclaimed.
"Would you really have offered it to me?"
"Certainly I would. I desired you to meet me here for that very purpose;
but when I found you had made other arrangements that might prove
equally advantageous, I believed I was meeting your father's wishes by
helping you carry them out."
"Is the place still open, and can I have it?" asked Cabot eagerly.
"Not if you are going around the world; for, although the duties of the
position will include a certain amount of travel, it will not be in that
direction."
"But I don't want to go around the world, and would rather take the
position you have to offer than do anything else I know of," declared

Cabot.
"Without knowing its requirements, what hardships it may present, nor
in what direction it may lead you?" inquired the other.
"Yes, sir. So long as you offer it I would accept it without question,
even though it should be a commission to discover the North Pole."
"My dear boy," said Mr. Hepburn, in an entirely different tone from
that he had hitherto used, "I trust I may never forfeit nor abuse the
confidence implied by these words. Although you did not know it, I
have carefully watched every step of your career during the past five
years, and while you have done