There is always something at the back of it
which furnishes a key to the whole. Practically, a man's lot is
of his own making. He may fail, for a while undeservedly, or he
may succeed undeservedly, but, in the long run, time brings its
revenges and its rewards.
As it did to Donald Boyd. He has not been taken into the house
of Bethune & Co., as a partner; and it was long before he became
even a clerk--at least with anything like a high salary. For Mr.
Bethune, so far from being an old bachelor, had a large family to
provide for, and was bringing up several of his sons to his own
business, so there was little room for a stranger. But a young
man who deserves to find room generally does find it, or make it.
And though Donald started at the lowest rung of the ladder, he
may climb to the top yet.
He had "a fair field, and no favor." Indeed, he neither wished
nor asked favor. He determined to stand on his own feet from the
first. He had hard work and few holidays, made mistakes, found
them out and corrected them, got sharp words and bore them,
learnt his own weak points and--not so easily--his strong ones.
Still he did learn them; for, unless you can trust yourself, be
sure nobody else will trust you.
This was Donald's great point. HE WAS TRUSTED. People soon
found out that they might trust him; that he always told the
truth, and never pretended to do more than he could do; but that
which he could do, they might depend upon his doing, punctually,
accurately, carefully, and never leaving off till it was done.
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