John Hooper, Esquire, barrister-at-law, of Fountain Court, Inner Temple, was the employer of Mr. Eustace Gibb, who was the brother of Miss Gibb. It is not easy to define the relation which Mr. Gibb occupied with regard to Mr. Hooper. Mr. Hooper, although, presumably, learned in the law, had never held a brief in his life, and, to be frank, did not particularly want one; only his uncle worried. He had a small income of his own, and great expectations from his uncle; as his always exceeded his income, he regarded it as of the first importance that he should continue to stand in what he called his uncle's "good books," since he looked to that gentleman for sufficient financial assistance to enable him to what he termed "rub along." To please his uncle, who appeared to think he ought, very shortly, to be sitting on the woolsack, since he could get no briefs of his own he worked on those of other people; in other words he devilled for a gentleman who was always to do more work than, as he knew very well, he could do, and who, therefore, allowed Mr. Hooper, among others, to do some of the work which he was paid to do, but for which he paid Mr. Hooper nothing; there was not so much of this as Mr. Hooper chose to allow his uncle to imagine; still, from his point of view, there was emphatically enough.  
What position Mr. Gibb filled in his he himself occasionally wondered. To those whom he wished to impress with his legal he of him as his clerk; to those whom it was impossible to impress, and they were many, as his office boy; while in his own circle of intimates, which was of rather a kind, he generally referred to him as King Solomon. Mr. Gibb generally referred to himself as Mr. Hooper's right-hand man.
 
"I'm his right hand man, that's what I am," he was to tell any one who showed interest in the subject; whereat the listener whistled, or did worse, and wondered, if he stopped at that. His duties appeared chiefly to consist in sitting, if Mr. Hooper was in his chambers, in a sort of lobby, which opened on to the staircase, which he called his office, and where he did nothing; or if Mr. Hooper was not in his chambers, he went out, as far out as he thought was , and did nothing there. Sometimes when, as was not infrequently the case, both employer and employed had nothing to do, Mr. Hooper would summon Mr. Gibb into his inner room, and would talk to him--and Mr. Gibb would talk to him. It was the words of wisdom which Mr. Gibb would let drop in the course of these conversations which induced Mr. Hooper to to him, in the privacy of his own circle, as King Solomon; the barrister declared that it was worth his while to pay Mr. Gibb ten shillings a week, which he with difficulty did, merely on account of the benefit which he from hearing him talk.
 
It was during one of these conversations that Mr. Gibb touched on a subject which was foremost both in his heart and head. He had taken a part in the family endeavours to find for Miss Lindsay some employment by means of which she could at least provide herself with the wherewithal to keep herself alive. He had entered on the search with . Apart from any feeling which he might himself entertain for the lady he felt that his reputation was at stake. He had pledged himself to find for her at least half-a-dozen ways of earning a living in a ridiculously short space of time; and as yet he had not found her one; and she herself still searched. He was aware of the visits to Mr. Thompson; they troubled him nearly as much as they troubled Nora; he felt almost as if he was himself responsible for their continuation. He knew that any day another might have to be paid; the knowledge made him desperate. He had had, for some time, a vague intention of speaking to his employer on the matter; but he was aware that Mr. Hooper did not always take him seriously, and he was to have Miss Lindsay made the subject of that gentleman's . Yet the thought of that further visit pressed heavily on his mind; so that presently the barrister perceived that in his air there was something singular.
 
"You're not up to your usual mark, Mr. Gibb; those pearls of wisdom which I love to cherish as they drop from your lips don't seem dropping; stock run out?"
 
Mr. Gibb looked up at the ceiling, then down to Mr. Hooper.
 
"The fact is, sir, I've got something on my mind."
 
"Is it possible? My good Mr. Gibb, do I ever allow anything to stop on my mind? Get it off!"
 
"It's easy to talk, sir, but I don't seem as though I can."
 
"Perhaps it would do your mind good to tell me what's on it; I have known that work a cure. Give your mind its head, Mr. Gibb, let her go."
 
Mr. Gibb hesitated; he was trying to find fitting words in which to express what he had to say.
 
"It's like this, sir; I know somebody who very much wants to find the means of earning a living."
 
"Not an character, Mr. Gibb. I suppose there are the usual requirements, large salary wanted, and very little work."
 
"Not at all, sir, not in this case. The person to whom I'm would be only too glad to do any amount of work, for very little wages."
 
"That is unusual; I fear an effort has been made to impose upon your . Who's the gentleman?"
 
"It's not a gentleman, sir, it's a lady."
 
"A lady? I say, Mr. Gibb! warnings out all along that coast; if at this period of your existence you get yourself mixed up with a lady, especially one who is on the look out for means of earning a living, your whole career may be . She may look upon you as her living, and then where are you?"
 
"No fear of that, sir; this is a lady born and bred; she's as high as the heavens above me."
 
"Is she? Then she's tallish. Old?"
 
"No, sir; in her early prime."
 
"Meaning?"
 
"I couldn't say exactly, sir; I should say somewhere about twenty. You could tell better than me.
 
"What on earth do you mean?"
 
"If you saw her."
 
"If I saw her! Look here, Mr. Gibb, have you got anything at the back of your head?" Mr. Gibb sighed.............