Friday, Mrs. Martin for once did not need anything at the store. Of
course she had a big order for Saturday morning. So much that she
thought of taking the car, with Jerry going along to help with the
carrying, but Jerry said he could manage perfectly well with his cart.

"No sense wasting gas when you have me to go to the store for you," he
said.

"Are you sure you're feeling all right?" asked his mother. "I can't
think what has gotten in to you to be so obliging. But it's nice to
have a boy so willing to run errands," she said, giving Jerry the
grocery list. "Sure you can manage?"

Jerry was sure.

When he stopped by at the Bullfinches' on his way back from the
store--he had to get change from a twenty this time--Mr. Bullfinch was
getting ready to go to an auction out in Rockville.

"How'd you like to come with me?" he invited Jerry. Mr. Bullfinch had
been especially cordial to him lately as if to make up for having
suspected him of housebreaking. "If you've never been to an auction
you might find it interesting."

Jerry liked the idea. He said he would be right back as soon as he
took the groceries home and asked his mother if he could go.

"Fine. Hope you can go. I'll be glad of your company," said Mr.
Bullfinch.

Ten minutes later Jerry and Mr. Bullfinch were on their way to
Rockville. Jerry had never ridden in Mr. Bullfinch's car before. It
was not the car that was jerky, Jerry discovered, but Mr. Bullfinch.
Still, he was a careful driver except when he got to talking. Then he
seemed to forget his was not the only car on the road and the other
cars honked at him. Yet Mr. Bullfinch was good at missing the other
cars. At the very edge of collision he was a marvelous driver. Jerry
held on to the door pull most of the time.

It was not a long drive to Rockville. They made it by five after ten,
Jerry noticed by a clock over a bank near where Mr. Bullfinch parked
the car.

"This is one of the smaller auction houses," explained Mr. Bullfinch,
as he led the way into a place that looked to Jerry like a secondhand
furniture store. "But sometimes the most interesting items are put up
at small auctions."

Jerry jingled the small change in his pocket. His entire wealth at the
moment was forty-seven cents, hardly enough to buy either a usual or
unusual item. He noticed that Mr. Bullfinch looked less calm and
dignified than usual. There was a gleam of excitement in his eyes, an
intensity in his voice. Jerry could