for he had a
consciousness that the eyes of his "master" were on him. He could hardly
have guessed how completely his errand had been understood by the six
boys, or how closely Ford Foster had "hit it." Said he, in reply to an
angry remark from Dab Kinzer,--

"It's all humbug. They run this concern to make money, and they want
some of ours. Mr. Marigold'll be sent right back with our soup."

He was right; but, before they had eaten their way to the pie and
pudding, Ford was dignifiedly informed,--

"If you please, sah, my name isn't Mr. Marigold, sah, it is Mr.
Bellerington, sah; an' my first name isn't Coffee, sah, it's Augustus."

"You don't say," replied Ford: "well, Augustus, don't forget the little
remark I made about pie and the other things."

It was a capital dinner; and Ford was proud of it, for he had picked out
every item of it, from the soup to the macaroons. Dick Lee had enjoyed
it hugely, after he began to feel that his first social victory had been
fairly won for him. Still, he had doubts in his own mind as to whether
he would ever dare such another undertaking with less than five white
boys along to "see him through."

Joe and Fuz ate well; but their spirits were manifestly low, for they
were painfully conscious of having forever lost the good opinion of that
mulatto waiter.

"But for Dick Lee's being with us," they thought, "he and everybody else
would have known we were gentlemen. We'll never be caught in such a trap
again."

It is a very sad matter, no doubt, to lose the intelligent respect of
such gentlemen as Mr. Augustus Bellerington, but it sometimes has to be
done; that is, unless their good opinion is to be gained by some nice
little stroke of sneaking cowardice.

Joe and Fuz stood it out, indeed, mainly because they were in some way
more afraid of Dab and Ford and Frank than they were of even Augustus.

That, too, was strange; for they were older than either of the others,
and taller than any but Dabney himself.

The dinner was well eaten, and it was well paid for, as Dabney remarked
when he paid his share and half of Dick's; and then they were all in the
street again, marching along, and "sight-seeing," towards the Grand
Central Railroad Depot.

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE FIRST MORNING IN GRANTLEY, AND ANOTHER EXCELLENT JOKE.

Ford Foster was the only one of those six boys who had ever seen the
great railway-building, and he confessed that it looked a little large,
even to