fference" in the mess of work he had gone through, he put it up.
But it worried him. He could not afford even so small a loss, for he
was in debt as it was. His father had sent him a remittance, but he
had sent it back, saying: "If I can't keep myself by this time, I'd
better give it up as a bad job." He was too game, when writing home,
to put blame for failure on the bank, so he took it himself. But he
would not take money.

Locking-up time came late that market day, for the hucksters' list was
enormous. The teller had paid out five hundred dollars in small bills
and silver. He yawned as he packed away the filthy money in his tin
box, and yawned as he carried it into the vault.

Henty and Filter were preparing to go up to supper.

"Wait, fellows," said Evan, "I'll go with you."

Penton sat in his office as the boys passed out. He had not initialed
the teller's book, but had watched him lock the cash in the safe.

"I suppose you'll be back to-night," said the manager, not looking at
any of the boys in particular.

"No," said Evan, "I won't. My head aches already."

But he did come back an hour later, and his head ached worse than ever,
for he was worrying about the bag of silver he had forgotten to take
from under the cage-table and lock up in the safe.

There it was, tied up, and how and where he had left it. With a sigh
of relief he picked it up and locked it in the vault. Only Evan and
Filter had the vault combination. Penton said he preferred not to have
it, as he did not want to accommodate farmers after hours; it had never
been done in the M---- Bank, where he had received his training.

It is customary for a manager to check the teller's cash once in a
while. He is supposed to do it irregularly so as to keep the teller in
constant suspense. Market day at Banfield was Tuesday. Wednesday
afternoon Penton came round to count Nelson's cash. In the morning,
first thing, the bag of silver had been locked in the safe, inside the
vault.

There were two compartments in the safe; in one of them the "treasury"
(a sort of local rest fund) and certain documents were kept; in the
other, the cash box and bags of specie.

Penton first checked the bills and silver in the teller's drawer and
tin box, then got the treasury notes and found them right.

"How much gold have you on hand?" he asked the teller.

Evan told him.

"I guess it's all right, but I'll count it, anyway."

He did, and found it cor