h of money as you," sneered
Luke.

"I suppose it looks so," said Harry; "but it isn't true."

"Everybody says you are a miser."

"I have good reasons for not going."

"If you would come, it would make the expense lighter for the rest of us
and you would have a jolly time."

This conversation took place as they were walking home from the store in
the evening. Harry pulled out his handkerchief suddenly from his pocket
and with it came his pocketbook, containing all his savings. He didn't
hear if fall; but Luke did, and the latter, moreover, suspected what it
was. He did not call Harry's attention to it, but, falling back, said:
"I've got to go back to the store. I forgot something. Good night!"

"Good night!" said Harry, unsuspiciously.

Luke stooped swiftly while our hero's back was turned, and picked up
the pocketbook. He slipped it into his own pocket, and, instead of
going back to the store, went to his own room, locked the door, and then
eagerly pulled out the pocketbook and counted the contents.

"Thirty-three dollars! What a miser that fellow is! It serves him right
to lose his money."

CHAPTER XIX. AN UNWELCOME VISITOR

Luke Harrison had picked up Harry's pocketbook, and, though knowing it
to be his, concealed the discovery upon the impulse of the moment.

"What I find is mine," he said to himself. "Of course it is. Harry
Walton deserves to lose his money."

It will be seen that he had already decided to keep the money. It looked
so tempting to him, as his eyes rested on the thick roll of bills--for,
though insignificant in amount, the bills were ones and twos, and twenty
in number--that he could not make up his mind to return it.

Luke was fond of new clothes. He wanted to reestablish his credit with
Merrill, for he was in want of a new coat and knew that it would be
useless to order one unless he had some money to pay on account. He
decided to use a part of Harry's money for this purpose. It would be
better, however, he thought, to wait a day or two, as the news of
the loss would undoubtedly spread abroad, and his order might excite
suspicion, particularly as he had been in Harry's company at the time
the money disappeared. He therefore put the pocketbook into his trunk,
and carefully locked it. Then he went to bed.

Meanwhile, Harry reached Mr. Leavitt's unconscious of the serious
misfortune which had befallen him. He went into the sitting room and
talked a while with Mr. Leavitt, and