INCREASE OF SALARY. 
and he had to go to the very top of the hill. He 
knew very well one bottle of beer was not enough 
fot* two, and if he took a glass — what if Mr. C. 
should ask for another bottle ! So he practised a 
little self-denial, told a harmless fib, and said he 
‘‘preferred tea. ” Mr. C. made a mental note of 
this preference ; really Mr, Brown was a very sensi- 
ble fellow. After breakfast, Mr. C. settled him. 
self on the three-legged chair, stretched out his legs, 
and lighted a cigar. Mr. B. balanced himself on 
the window-sill and smoked a pipe. There was 
silence for some time : it was broken by a remark 
from Mr. C. : — “If your calculation of coffee in 
store is correct, you seem to have secured rather 
more crop than we expected. ” After this remark, 
Mr. Brown took courage. He stated he had been 
now some time on the estate, that his pay was small, 
quite insufficient for any little luxury : in fact, it 
was all he could do to make ends meet ; and that 
the firm, when they engaged him, had held forth 
prospects of a rise of pay. Mr. C. knocked the 
ash off the end of his cigar, on the toe of his 
boot, coughed, threw the end of his cigar away, 
rose up, and said : — “The estate is very weedy.” He 
then looked out, and feared it was going to rain. He 
ordered his man to bring round his horse. When 
the horse was at the door, he shook hands with Mr. 
Brown, and said : — “ On my return to Colombo, I 
will consult wdth Messrs. A. and B. as to your 
request for an increase of pay, and will let you know. 
Get down those weeds as fast as you can” — and Mr, 
C. went on his way. 
After the lapse of a week or two, the tin box again 
delivered up a letter from Messrs, A, B, C. & Co. : 
it just hinted in the usual business stjde at our Mr,. 
C. s visit to the estate, and that Mr, Browffis request; 
for an increase of pay had been fully considered, the 
result of which was that, from the 1st proximo, he 
might put his monthly salary down at £10, and they 
hoped the weeds were now well down. Mr. Brown 
crushed up the letter in his hand, went into the 
house, and lay down at full length on the couch on 
his back, with his hands under his head. He lay 
thus, motionless, for a considerable time ; he then got 
up and walked up and down the verandah muttering 
to himself : — “They might have done it handsomely 
when they were about it : they might — they might 
have made it £12 10s. Tliey might have said 
£ 150 .” After half- an -hour’s walking up and 
down tbe verandah, he quite cooled down on the 
subject for he said : — “They might have given me the 
sack for those weeds : at all events I am better 
