was a reference to a travelling circus that had lately visited the
place and exhibited a young chimpanzee advertised as "the monkey-man,"
and Bill guffawed appreciatively.

The stranger was quite close and heard plainly, for indeed the youth at
the gate had made no special attempt to speak softly.

The boy was still laughing as he held out his hand for the ticket, and
the stranger gave it to him with one hand and at the same time shot out
a long arm, caught the boy--a well-grown lad of sixteen--by the middle
and, with as little apparent effort as though lifting a baby, swung him
into the air to the top of the gate-post, where he left him clinging
with arms and legs six feet from the ground.

"Hi, what are you a-doing of?" shouted the porter, running up, as the
amazed and frightened youth, clinging to his gate-post, emitted a dismal
howl.

"Teaching a cheeky boy manners," retorted the stranger with an angry
look and in a very gruff and harsh voice. "Do you want to go on top of
the other post to make a pair?"

The porter drew back hurriedly.

"You be off," he ordered as he retreated. "We don't want none of your
sort about here."

"I certainly have no intention of staying," retorted the other as
gruffly as before. "But I think you'll remember Bobbie Dunn next time I
come this way."

"Let me down; please let me down," wailed the boy, clinging desperately
to the gate-post on whose top he had been so unceremoniously deposited,
and Dunn laughed and walked away, leaving the porter to rescue his
youthful colleague and to cuff his ears soundly as soon as he had done
so, by way of a relief to his feelings.

"That will learn you to be a bit civil to folk, I hope," said the porter
severely. "But that there chap must have an amazing strong arm," he
added thoughtfully. "Lifting you up there all the same as you was a
bunch of radishes."

For some distance after leaving the station, Dunn walked on slowly.

He seemed to know the way well or else to be careless of the direction
he took, for he walked along deep in thought with his eyes fixed on the
ground and not looking in the least where he was going.

Abruptly, a small child appeared out of the darkness and spoke to him,
and he started violently and in a very nervous manner.

"What was that? What did you say, kiddy?" he asked, recovering himself
instantly and speaking this time not in the gruff and harsh tones he had
used before but in a singularly winning and pleasant