have called on your parents?"

"Yes."

"I think," said the adventurer, "that will be sufficient to convince you
that I am what I appear."

It was hard to doubt, in the face of such evidence. Ephraim Young was so
unmistakably from the rural districts that it would have been absurd to
suspect him of being an artful city rogue. Besides, Mr. Barnes himself
was got up so naturally that all the clerk's doubts vanished at once. He
concluded that the customer who had questioned his genuineness must be
very much mistaken.

"I ought to apologize to you, sir," he said, "for doubting your word.
But in a city like this you know one has to be very careful."

"Of course," said the adventurer, blandly, "I do not blame you in the
least. You only did your duty, though it might have cost me some trouble
and inconvenience."

"I am sorry, sir."

"No apologies, I beg. It has all turned out right, and your mistake
was a natural one. If you will kindly return me the ring, I will defer
selling it, I think, till another day."

The clerk brought the ring, which he handed back to Mr. Montgomery. The
latter received it with so much the more satisfaction, as he had made
up his mind at one time that it was gone irrevocably, and put it away in
his waistcoat pocket.

"I had intended to buy some silver spoons," he said, "but it will be
necessary to wait until I have disposed of the ring. However, I may as
well look at some, eh, Mrs. Barnes?"

"If you like," assented the lady.

So the pair examined some spoons, and fixed upon a dozen, which they
said they would return and buy on the next day, and then, with a
polite good-by, went out of the store, leaving behind, on the whole, a
favorable impression.

Ephraim Young accompanied them out, and walked along beside them in the
street. He, too, was in good spirits, for had not his companion promised
him five dollars for his services, which he had faithfully rendered?
Five dollars to the young man from the rural districts was a very
considerable sum of money--quite a nugget, in fact--and he already
enjoyed in advance the pleasure which he anticipated of telling his
friends at home how easily he had earned such a sum in "York." He walked
along beside the adventurer, expecting that he would say something about
paying him, but no allusion was made by the adventurer to his
promise. Indeed, five dollars was considerably more than he had in his
possession. When they reached Amity street, for they wer