e war."

"Wal, I had no objections," replied Mrs. Ducklow. "I always thought he
ought to have the money eventooally. And, as Miss Beswick said, no doubt
it would 'a' been ten times the comfort to him now it would be a number
o' years from now. But you didn't seem willing."

"I don't know! 'twas you that wasn't willin'!"

And they expatiated on Reuben's merits, and their benevolent intentions
towards him, and, in imagination, endowed him with the price of the
bonds over and over again: so easy is it to be generous with lost money!

"But it's no use talkin'!" said Ducklow. "I've not the least idee we
shall ever see the color o' them bonds again. If they was stole to the
bank, I can't prove anything."

"It does seem strange to me," Mrs. Ducklow replied, "that you should
have had no more gumption than to trust the bonds with strangers, when
they told you in so many words they wouldn't be responsible."

"If you have flung that in my teeth once, you have fifty times!" And
Ducklow lashed the old mare, as if she, and not Mrs. Ducklow, had
exasperated him.

"Wal," said the lady, "I don't see how we're going to work to find 'em,
now they're lost, without making inquiries; and we can't make inquiries
without letting it be known we had bought."

"I been thinkin' about that," said her husband. "Oh, dear!" with a
groan; "I wish the pesky cowpon bonds had never been invented!"

They drove first to the bank, where they were of course told that the
envelope had not been untied there. "Besides, it was sealed, wasn't
it?" said the cashier. "Indeed!" He expressed great surprise, when
informed that it was not. "It should have been: I supposed any child
would know enough to look out for that!"

And this was all the consolation Ducklow could obtain.

"Just as I expected," said Mrs. Ducklow, as they resumed their journey.
"I just as much believe that man stole your bonds as that you trusted
'em in his hands in an unsealed wrapper! Beats all, how you could be so
careless!"

"Wal, wal! I s'pose I never shall hear the last on 't!"

And again the poor old mare had to suffer for Mrs. Ducklow's offences.

They had but one hope now,--that perhaps Taddy had tampered with the
envelope, and that the bonds might be found somewhere about the house.
But this hope was quickly extinguished on their arrival. Taddy, being
accused, protested his innocence with a vehemence which convinced even
Mr. Ducklow that the cashier was probably the guilty