ck from there, and search."

"Why shouldn't I be the one? I'm not tired, only rather cross, and for
all you know, I may be in urgent need of the reward you mean to
offer."

"You must be satisfied with your virtue. I've my own reasons,
and--and I suppose I'm my own master?"

"By Jove!" I exclaimed, laughing. "Eton would have done you a lot of
good. You would have had some of your girly whims knocked out of you
there, my kid."

"I wonder if that _would_ have done me good?"

"It isn't too late to try. You haven't passed the age."

"I dare say travelling about with you will have much the same effect,"
said the Boy, suddenly become an imp again. "I think I'll just
'sample' that experiment first. But I _do_ want my bag."

"Dash your bag! I'll lend you some night things out of the mule-pack.
The lost treasure is sure to turn up again, like all bad pennies,
to-morrow."

We reached Orsieres and roused the people of the inn with comparative
ease. They could give us accommodation, but the man of the house
looked dubious when he heard that a runner must at once be found to
search for a travelling bag, lost nobody knew where.

"To-morrow morning, when it is light----" he began; but Boy cut him
short. "To-morrow morning may be too late. I will give five thousand
francs to whoever finds my bag, and brings it back with everything in
it undisturbed."

The man opened his eyes wide, and I formed my lips into a silent
whistle. I thought the Boy exceedingly foolish to name such a reward,
when the bag and its gold fittings could not have been worth more than
a hundred pounds, and an offer of three hundred francs would have been
ample. What could the strange little person have in his precious bag,
which he valued as the immediate jewel of his soul? and why would he
not let me be the one to find it, thus keeping his five thousand
francs in his pocket! He "had his reasons," forsooth! However, it was
not my business.

[Illustration: "LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDOW I SAW HIM IN
CONVERSATION".]

It must have been after three o'clock by the time I fell asleep in a
queer little room where you had but to sit up in bed and stretch out
your arm to reach anything you wanted. I dreamed of journeying through
the night with the Boy, but I forgot his lost bag: nor when I waked in
full morning light, did I recall its tragic disappearance. I found
that it was nearly eight, and bounded out of bed, performing my toilet
with maimed rites, since baths