w it?'

'We guessed it,' said Sydney, thinking it was time he put a spoke in the
wheel; 'and now, if you will give it up to us, without making any fuss
about it, we won't give you in charge.'

'Very kind of you, I am sure,' replied the thief. 'How am I to reward
you for your goodness?'

'Oh, Father is going to give us the reward!' cried Charlie, very pleased
with himself. 'It's twenty pounds, you know.'

'Is it, indeed?' said the young man, looking rather mystified. 'Tell me
all about it, and what you are going to do with the money?'

There was something so winning about this innocent-looking criminal that
the boys grew quite confidential, telling him the history of the whole
morning.

'Dan said you had too honest a face for a thief,' said Sydney, at the
close of the recital. 'I wonder what made you do it?'

The stranger was nearly doubled up with laughter, which he turned away
to hide. 'Well, you see,' he replied, as gravely as he could, 'Lady
Winterton left it about so temptingly that I really couldn't help it.
It's my first offence, though.'

'Yes, so I should say,' Charlie's voice was eager as he spoke, 'and we
should like you to get off, awfully. You are much too nice to go to
prison.'

'Thanks, old chap, you're very kind,' said the thief; 'if you really
mean to let me off scot-free I will be making a move. Take this
case'--here drawing forth from his satchel a small package--'to Lady
Winterton, with my regrets and apologies.'

* * * * *

'We have got the necklace!' So cried Charlie, as with flushed,
triumphant faces the boys entered the dining-room, where the whole
family party was assembled together.

'My dear boy, that's impossible,' replied Lady Winterton, 'for I found
it myself, only ten minutes ago, behind a chest of drawers.'

'Then what is this?' cried poor Charlie, looking very surprised. He then
told his story, which was certainly a very strange one. However, the
mystery was soon cleared up. The case contained nothing but photographs,
one of which was a portrait of Lady Winterton taken with her daughter,
Alice. Clearly this was the theft to which the stranger (a wealthy, if
somewhat eccentric, young American) alluded. He was Alice Winterton's
accepted lover, and, half in earnest, half in jest, had taken the
photograph for his own use.

The reward was not paid, after all. But when Mr. Hereford and Lady
Winterton heard, from Charlie's story, of the blacksmith