uld I get any more money?"

"I don't know, I'm sure. Lucky you! As for me there's nobody to replace
my five dollars, so far as I know."

"Oh! come on. Don't let's stand moping. I'll tell you. Let's begin right
here at this spot. You go one side this lower place, all along that
passage beside the engine-rooms and things and I'll go the other. Then
if we don't see him anywhere here we'll meet at the foot of the stairs
and search the upper floor just the same way. Out on both ends of the
boat, poke into closets and barber-shop and captain's office--everywhere
there is a chance a man, a passenger man, might be."

It seemed a fine scheme and they promptly separated to put it into
execution. But when they met at the foot of the stairway, leading to the
upper saloon, neither had any success to report. Nor did they meet with
any better fortune when they had made a prolonged examination of the
whole steamer, even climbing to the hurricane deck and questioning the
officer upon the bridge.

As they slowly descended to the place where Miss Greatorex awaited them,
alarmed by their absence and equally afraid to move from the spot lest
somebody else should confiscate their three comfortable camp-chairs and,
possibly, their hand luggage, Dorothy suggested:

"Let's write it. That'll save other people, strangers, from hearing.
Miss G. always carries a pad and pencil with her and I'll do it myself,
since you think I'm most to blame. But I'm afraid even my writing won't
stop her talking when she finds out! Oh! dear! I wish Alfy Babcock had
never come on this boat! Then I shouldn't have gone to watch her and
seen him."

"Huh! I don't think it's quite fair to blame poor Alfy for our own
fault. We'd no business to be so careless, either one of us. I had a
bright notion that maybe that stewardess or some official had picked up
the pocket-books, so I asked every single one of them, big and little,
black and white, and not a soul knew a thing about it. No, Dolly
Doodles, the blame's our own and--the man's," said Molly, with
conviction.

Miss Greatorex was vastly relieved to see her charges returning to her
side. She had become anxious over their prolonged absence and in her
nervousness had imagined all sorts of accidents which might have
befallen them. Yet the same nervousness had prevented her questioning
any employee of the steamer, who had come near, she shrinking from the
observation this would attract to her deafness.

Therefore,