that he was about to reprove my unauthorized
familiarity, I mentioned my name.

"It is no wonder you don't recollect me," said I; "I have met with the
rubbers, and must have greatly changed since you saw me last. Indeed,
I am now rather hard up. Nothing to do, and not a cent in my pocket. It
rejoices me to meet an old acquaintance."

The smile of recognition with which Robinson received the announcement
of my name, vanished like a torch quenched in the ocean when he heard of
my penniless condition. He nevertheless put a tolerably good face on the
matter, invited me into his store, said he had lived in New York about
nine months, asked me several commonplace questions, and at last,
turning away as if he had more important business to attend to, desired
me to drop in and see him occasionally.

Not dreaming that he would be otherwise than delighted to see me at his
house, I bluntly asked him where he lived.

"O," said he, in a careless manner, "I LIVE away up in the Bowery, but
my place of business is HERE; and when you have nothing better to do,
give me a call, I shall always be glad to see you!"

And my cold-hearted, calculating friend, who feared I should make an
appeal to his pockets, gave me quite a polite bow, and thus taught me
a lesson in the fashionable accomplishment of bowing a troublesome
acquaintance into the street!

A few days after this, as I was walking in Broadway, musing on my
condition, and convinced of the truth of the saying that "there is
no solitude so complete as in the midst of a great city," but firmly
believing that something would soon "turn up," I saw on the sidewalk an
elegant and costly breastpin, which must have belonged to a fashionable
lady. I gladly seized the glittering prize and bore it away, exulting
in my good fortune. Although I intended to spare no pains to find
the owner, I trusted the incident might in some way contribute to my
advantage. I showed the pin in triumph to the wife of my landlord,
a shrewd woman, not over-scrupulous, and well skilled in the art of
turning little events to her own profit, and explained the circumstances
under which it came into my possession.

"This is indeed wonderful!" she exclaimed, holding up her hands. "How
fortunate that you, of all persons, should have found this costly
ornament! It belongs to Mrs. Johnson, a dear friend of mine, who lives
just over the way! It must be it is the same. I know it. I have seen it
a thousand times. She was