He had quite forgotten that part of the older man's counsel which referred to the dignity of work, even of that work which might be considered as menial.

If the truth must be told, it was his vanity alone which had been touched by the suggestion that in him might lay the possibility of reforming certain conditions around him.

He was willing, even anxious, to begin on Breen & Co., subjecting his uncle, if need be, to a vigorous overhauling.

Nothing he felt could daunt him in his present militant state, upheld, as he felt that he was, by the approval of Peter.

Not a very rational state of mind, the Scribe must confess, and only to be accounted for by the fact that Peter's talk, instead of clearing Jack's mind of old doubts, had really clouded it the more--quite as a bottle of mixture when shaken sends its insoluble particles whirling throughout the whole.
It was not until the following morning, indeed, that the sediment began to settle, and some of the sanity of Peter's wholesome prescription to produce a clarifying effect.