ced Israelite, who was the only occupant of the place, and
whose keen black eyes glittered with mingled admiration and cupidity
as they fastened themselves upon the lovely face before him.

With an air of quiet dignity the girl lifted her glance to his, as she
produced a ticket from the well-worn purse which she carried in her
hand.

"I have come, sir, to redeem the watch upon which you loaned me three
dollars last week," she remarked, as she laid the ticket upon the
counter before him.

"Aha! an' so, miss, you vishes to redeem de vatch!" remarked the man,
with a crafty smile, as he took up the ticket under pretense of
examining it to make sure that it was the same that he had issued to
her the week previous.

"Yes, sir."

"An' vat vill you redeem 'im mit?" he pursued, with a disagreeable
leer.

"With the same amount that you advanced me, of course," gravely
responded the girl.

"Ah! ve vill zee--ve vill zee! Vhere ish de money?" and the man
extended a huge soiled hand to her.

"I have a five-dollar gold-piece here," she returned, as she took it
from her purse and deposited it also upon the counter; for she shrank
from coming in contact with that repulsive, unwashed hand.

The pawnbroker seized the coin greedily, his eyes gleaming hungrily at
the sight of the yellow gold, while he examined it carefully to assure
himself that it was genuine.

"So! so! you vill vant de vatch," he at length observed, in a sullen
tone, as if he did not relish the idea of returning the valuable
time-piece upon which he had advanced the paltry sum of three dollars.
"Vell!" and irritably pulling out a drawer as he spoke, he dropped the
coin into it. "Ah!" he cried, with a sudden start and an angry frown,
as it dropped with a ringing sound upon the wood, "vat you mean? You
would sheat me!--you vould rob me! De money ish not goot--de coin ish
counterfeit! I vill send for de officer--you shall pe arrested--you
von little meek-faced robber! Ah!" he concluded, in a shrill tone of
well-simulated anger, as he shook his fist menacingly before his
companion.

The fair girl regarded him in frightened astonishment as he poured
forth this torrent of wrathful abuse upon her, while her beautiful
blue eyes dilated and her delicate lips quivered with repressed
excitement.

"I do not understand you!--what do you mean, sir?" she at length
demanded, when she could find voice for speech.

"You play de innocence very vell!" he sneered; then adde