n."

"That may be, and now you speak of it, I remember he said, the morning
we were all waiting to see you, that if he failed to get this place he
had another position in view that he could get, and that it would pay
him five dollars a week."

Young Mortimer told this falsehood with the ease of a veteran. His
manner could not have been more impressive had he been telling the
truth.

"Five dollars a week!" exclaimed Mr. Goldwin. "And he came here for
three. I don't see what his motive was."

"Perhaps he had a motive," suggested Mortimer.

"I don't understand you," replied the banker.

Felix shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you mean? Do you know anything about him?" pursued Mr. Goldwin,
his suspicions aroused.

"No, sir--er--not much."

"Speak up, young man. Tell me what you know about this young Vermonter."

"Vermonter?" repeated Felix, with a rising inflection; and he smiled
suggestively.

"Yes, Vermonter. Do you know anything to the contrary?"

"You know I was an applicant for this position, Mr. Goldwin, so I do not
like to answer your question. I hope you will excuse me."

"I appreciate your sense of honor, young man," said Mr. Goldwin; "but it
is to my interest to know the facts. If there is anything against him, I
should be informed of it. Tell me what you know, and you will lose
nothing by doing so."

With apparent reluctance, Felix yielded to the persuasion, and said:

"I was on Broadway with a friend of mine, at the close of business
hours, the day that you hired this young fellow. We were walking along
by the Herald building when he came up Broadway and stopped to read
the news on the _Telegram_ bulletin board. I said to my friend, with
surprise, 'There is the fellow I told you about--the one that beat me
this morning in getting the position at Goldwin's.' He looked at me
incredulously and said: 'Why, you told me he was a country boy--from
Vermont.'

"'So he is,' I replied. 'Stuff,' said he. 'I know him well. That was a
clever dodge to play the country act.' I protested, but he convinced me
that he was right. He is in a lawyer's office, so he has to be in court
more or less, and he said he saw him up before Judge Duffy only a few
days ago, charged with stealing a pocket book. The suspicion was strong
against him, but there wasn't proof enough to fix the theft upon him.
The Court came near sending him to the Island, though, for he had been
arrested twice before, so my friend said."

"The y