‘I should send him a medical certificate,’ said Cordell, his friend of old.

‘Nonsense,’ said Eames.

’I don’t see that it is nonsense at all.  They can’t get over a medical certificate from a respectable man; and everybody has got something the matter with him of some kind.’

‘I should go and let him do his worst,’ said Fisher, who was another clerk.  ’It wouldn’t be more than putting you down a place or two.  As to losing your present berth you don’t mind that, and they would never think of dismissing you.’

‘But I do mind being put down a place or two,’ said Johnny, who could not forget that were he so put down his friend Fisher would gain the step which he would lose.

’I should give him a barrel of oysters, and talk to him about the Chancellor of the Exchequer,’ said Fit Howard, who had been private secretary before Eames, and might therefore be supposed to know the man.

’That might have done very well if I had not asked him, and been refused first,’ said John Eames.  ’I’ll tell what I’ll do.  I’ll write a long letter on a sheet of foolscap paper, with a regular margin, so that it must come before the Board, and perhaps that will frighten him.’

When he mentioned his difficulty on that evening to Mr Toogood, the lawyer begged him to give up his journey.  ’It will only be sending a clerk, and it won’t cost so very much after all,’ said Toogood.  But Johnny’s pride could not allow him to give way.  ’I’m not going to be done about it,’ said he.  ’I’m not going to resign, but I will go even though he may dismiss me.  I don’t think it will come to that, but if it does it must.’  His uncle begged him not to think of such an alternative; but this discussion took place after dinner, and away from the office, and Eames would not submit to bow his neck to authority.  ’If it comes to that,’ said he, ’a fellow might as well be a slave at once.  And what is the use of a fellow having a little money if it does not make him independent?  You may be sure of one thing, I shall go;’ and that on the day fixed.

On the next morning John Eames was very silent when he went into Sir Raffle’s room at the office.  There was now only this day and another before that fixed for his departure, and it was of course very necessary that matters should be arranged.  But he said nothing to Sir Raffle during the morning.  The great man himself was condescending and endeavouring to be kind.  He knew that his stern refusal had greatly irritated his private secretary, and was anxious to show that, though in the cause of public duty he was obliged to be stern, he was quite willing to forget his sternness when the necessity for it had passed away.  On this morning, therefore, he was very cheery.  But in the afternoon, when most of the men had left the office, Johnny appeared before the chairman for the last time that day with a very long face.  He was dressed in black, and had changed his ordinary morning coat for a frock, which gave him an appearance altogether unlike that which was customary to him.  And he spoke almost in a whisper, very slowly; and when Sir Raffle joked—­and Sir Raffle often would joke—­he not only did not laugh, but he absolutely sighed.  ’Is there anything the matter with you, Eames?’ asked Sir Raffle.