However, up he went with a stout heart, and after some five minutes of a struggle, that reminded him forcibly of climbing the ladders of a Cornish mine, he arrived at a little door right at the very top of the house on which was painted "Mr.John Short, solicitor." Eustace knocked and the door was opened by a small boy, so like the small boy he had seen at Mr.James Short's at the temple that he fairly started.

Afterwards the mystery was explained.

Like their masters, the two small boys were brothers.
Mr.John Short was within, and Eustace was ushered into his presence.
To all appearance he was consulting a voluminous mass of correspondence written on large sheets of brief paper; but when he looked at it closely, it seemed to Eustace that the edges of the paper were very yellow, and the ink was much faded.

This, however, was not to be wondered at, seeing that Mr.John Short had taken them over with the other fixtures of the office..