at Hardwick will say when he hears how it turned
out?"

The youth was compelled to smile to himself. The book-keeper would, no
doubt, be very angry.

"It was lucky I looked at the newspaper," Hal went on. "It was that
saved me, and nothing else. Ferris overreached himself. I wish I could
gain such an important point in that bond matter. It would be a great
feather in my cap to recover the tin box and its contents."

A little later Hal went down to supper. Ferris did not appear, and
nothing was said about the recent happening upstairs.

"Please keep it quiet," whispered Mrs. Ricket to him, as he was about to
leave the room. "It will only hurt my reputation to say anything."

The next morning, when Hal arrived at the office, he found Mr. Sumner
already there. This was most unusual, and the youth could not help but
show his surprise.

The elderly broker was pouring over the books, but as soon as Hal
appeared he put them away.

Hal had the inkstands and the pens in his overcoat pocket, and he at
once handed them over, much to Mr. Sumner's astonishment.

"Where did they come from?" he asked.

"I will explain later," replied Hal. "Please put them out of sight now,
for Mr. Hardwick is coming, and I wish he wouldn't see them."

Mr. Sumner promptly swept the things into his desk, and began to write a
letter.

When the book-keeper entered he was astonished to see Hal at work
cleaning up. He had fully expected that the youth would be arrested for
the robbery at Mrs. Ricket's, and that Hal was now in jail.

Then he looked back and saw Mr. Sumner at his desk, and his astonishment
increased.

"Why, really, Mr. Sumner----" he began.

"I'm early this morning, eh?" returned the broker. "Well, I wanted to
get this correspondence off my hands, and I seem to be able to do better
work early in the morning."

"You are a hard worker," commented Hardwick, and that was all he said.

When Hal was dusting near the rear Mr. Sumner looked up to see that the
book-keeper was not noticing, and then motioned to the youth.

"Don't say anything about my being at the books," whispered the broker,
in a low tone.

Hal nodded; and then he went on as if nothing had been said. But the
words set him to thinking deeply.

At the end of an hour Mr. Sumner arose.

"I am going out for a couple of hours," he said. "If Mr. Allen comes in
tell him to let that Wabash matter rest until to-morrow."

"I will," replied Hardwick.

"You may contin