continued. "See!" he added, holding the gold-piece before him where
the light struck full upon it, "you perceive this coin is marked," and
he pointed out some vertical scratches which had been made just inside
the margin. "I made those marks myself."

"Can that be possible!" exclaimed his companion, astonished.

"Yes. This very piece of money was in my possession as late as five
o'clock last Saturday afternoon."

"I cannot understand," said Mr. Knowles, looking mystified.

"Let me explain," returned Mr. Bryant. "I owed my copyist exactly five
dollars, and, having nothing smaller in bills than tens, I was obliged
to pay her with this coin. While she was getting ready to leave the
office, I sat toying with it and scratched it, as you see, with the
point of my penknife; then I gave it to Miss Allandale, and thought
no more about the matter. But just before you came in this morning, I
received a note from her saying she had been arrested for passing the
coin with which I had paid her, it having been declared counterfeit,
and she begged me to come at once to her assistance and try to prove
her innocence. I was just on the point of doing so when you called."

"What a very singular circumstance," Mr. Knowles remarked,
reflectively. "It appears all the more so to me from the fact that I
also received this piece of money no later than seven o'clock on last
Saturday evening."

"You amaze me!" exclaimed Mr. Bryant. "Pray explain to me how you came
by it--it may help to solve this very perplexing mystery, for I am
confident that the coin is genuine, in spite of the trouble it has
brought upon Miss Allandale."

"Yes, I will be frank with you," his companion returned, but flushing
again, "and tell you that, in order to make this payment to you, I was
obliged to borrow the money and gave, as security, a valuable mantel
clock, which was one of my wife's wedding gifts. In other words, I
pawned it. It goes against my pride to confess it; but the idea of
debt is horrible to me: and, having been in very straitened
circumstances of late, from sickness in my family and other causes, I
had no other means of meeting my obligations to you, while I hoped to
be able to redeem the clock before the time allotted should expire."

"Mr. Knowles, I thank you heartily for telling me this, while, at the
same time, I am deeply pained," gravely returned Royal Bryant. "I
would not have had you so pressed for a great deal; my claim against
you can