house opened, and a tall
boy, with spindly legs, came slily out. He stopped to turn a key in the
lock. Then, as he wheeled, it was to find himself facing two fellows who
were probably the very last boys in Stanhope he expected to see.

"Just in time to explain how you came to think of that clever little
fishing dodge of yours, Scissors," remarked Paul; "and to give back all
those old coins you've been raking in so smartly. Thought it lots of fun,
didn't you? And meant to twist my chum up so he'd think one of his own
crowd had been taking them?"

"Yes," Jack said, in turn, looking as angry as he could; "and if you
don't turn every blessed copper piece over to me right away, there's
going to be trouble at your house, understand that, Scissors?"

The guilty one turned red in the face. Then he laughed as though he
wanted to consider it a joke.

"Oh! come off!" he exclaimed, with a gesture of disgust; "can't you take
a little fun, Jack? Of course I meant to give 'em all back again, after
I'd had my sport out of the game, and got the last coin. They're upstairs
here, right now. Come along in, and I'll show you. The slick trick is
gone up in smoke now, anyway; since you got on to my curves. But I
wouldn't make such a big fuss over nothing."

"It wasn't the coins, because they don't count for much; but just think
how I felt at even suspecting that some fellow who was my friend had been
taking them," said Jack, as he and Paul followed Scissors into the empty
house.

And from the sneer on the other's face as he looked back, Paul was
inclined to believe that this was just what he had been doing the thing
for. He disliked Jack as much now as he had once cared for him; and would
probably enjoy nothing better than to see him turn on some friend,
perhaps even his best chum.

The coins were found, as he had said, in a marble-bag in the attic. While
Jack was counting them, Paul knelt at the window, and experimented with
the long fishing rod he found on the floor. He discovered that he could
manage to tilt the little box on the table quite easily, though it needed
some labor before he brought one of the coins across the open space,
glued to the pitch at the point of the rod.

"All there, ain't they?" demanded Scissors.

"Yes," replied Jack; "though so sticky I'll have to wash them in
something like benzine. Perhaps you did do it for a lark, Scissors; but
I'll make sure that a screen is in that window whenever it's open after
t