Mr. Tenant, as usual with papas, was a good deal surprised. He had not
thought of Emma's marrying--considered her still little else than a
school girl, and so on--well--he supposed it must come sooner or later.
He knew very little about the young man, but what he did know was
certainly in his favor.
To cut the story short, the whole matter was soon pleasantly settled,
and Hiram established as the accepted of Miss Tenant.
In a subsequent interview with Mr. Tenant, our hero quite won his heart.
That gentleman was an old-fashioned merchant; the senior member of a
house known as one of the most honorable in the city. I say senior
member, for the 'Allwise' whose name stood first was a son of the
original partner through whose capacity mainly it had been built up and
made strong. Mr. Tenant, I repeat, was a merchant of the old school,
high minded and of strict integrity, not specially remarkable for
ability, but possessing good sense and a single mind. The house once on
the right track, with its credit and its correspondents established, he
had only to keep the wheel revolving in the old routine, and all was
well.
Mr. Tenant was quite carried away by Hiram's conversation. The latter
was so shrewd and capable, yet so good and honest withal. He first
recounted to his prospective father-in-law a little history of his whole
life. He portrayed in feeling terms how God had never forsaken, but on
the contrary had always sustained and supported him--in his infancy, at
school, through various vicissitudes--had conducted him to New York, to
Dr.
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