place
from a rather dreary attic into a theatre. It then occurred to Johnny
that Mrs. Green might object to such a plan, and he hastened
down-stairs to consult with her at once. After considerable argument,
during which he set forth as prominently as possible the enormous
amount of money that could be earned, of which she should have a fair
share, Johnny succeeded in gaining Mrs. Green's consent to the plan.
After that the boys went to bed, almost too much excited at the
prospect of being managers and proprietors of a theatre to be able to
sleep.

CHAPTER V.

MESSRS. TREAT, JONES, WESTON & DOWD.

The particular circle of society in which Ben and Johnny moved was
shaken to its very centre by the news which was whispered from one to
the other on the day after those young gentlemen and Paul had taken up
their abode at Mrs. Green's.

Early that morning the most exciting topic of conversation had been
Master Spry's misfortune and Tim Dooley's perfidy; and that had hardly
begun to be commented upon when the news spread that Ben and Johnny,
since the coming of their guest, who was evidently a suspicious sort
of a person, as was shown by his clothes and his entire ignorance of
the slang of the street, were no longer proud of their neat little bit
of real estate, but had made a change which would probably be the
means of their financial ruin. That they had been so extravagant as to
engage rooms at a regular boarding-house, where they were to spend
their substance on three square meals each day, seemed like a reckless
disregard of money; and the price which they were to pay for board
was stated at various sums from five to ten dollars per week. But that
was not the only bit of wonderful news.

Jimmy Sullivan stated--and he was supported by several others as the
time wore on--that Johnny himself had told him that they were to start
a regular theatre, and had already engaged a hall, which would be
converted into a first-class place of amusement as soon as possible.
This would have been regarded simply as a rumor started for the
purpose of injuring the credit of these young gentlemen, had it not
come so directly from one of the parties concerned, and must therefore
be true.

Business was in a great measure suspended for that day, and little
knots of boys gathered at the street corners, eagerly discussing the
news which threatened to destroy the credit, for a time at least, of
two merchants who were well known in boo