is house or office with his property."

A flush of embarrassment suffused the face of the officer.

"Maybe you would like to come with us, Donovan," added Mr. Tolman, who
instantly interpreted the man's confusion.

"I hate to be dogging your footsteps, sir, in this fashion," Mr. Donovan
answered, with obvious sincerity. "Still, I--"

"You have your orders, no doubt."

"Well, yes, sir," admitted the plain-clothes man with reluctance. "I
have."

"You were to keep your eye on us until the pocketbook reached its
owner."

"That's about it, sir. Not that I personally have the least suspicion
that a gentleman like you would--"

"That is all right, my man. I perfectly understand your position," Mr.
Tolman cut in. "After all, you have your duty to do and business is
business. We'll just telephone Mr. Ackerman that we are coming so that
we shall be sure of catching him, and then we will go right up there."

"Very well, sir."

Stephen's father started toward the telephone and then, as if struck by
a sudden thought, paused and turned.

"Steve," he said, "I believe you are the person to communicate with Mr.
Ackerman. Call him up and tell him you have found his purse and that you
and your father would like to come up to his house, if it will be
convenient, and return it."

"All right, Dad."

"You will find his number on this slip of paper, sonny," the detective
added, handing the lad a card. "He is not at his office. He went home to
lunch in the hope that he had left the pocketbook there."

After some delay Stephen succeeded in getting the number written on the
card. A servant answered the summons.

"May I speak to Mr. Ackerman, please?" inquired the lad. "He is at
luncheon? No, it would not do the least good for me to tell you my name
for he would not know who it was. Just tell him that the boy who sat
beside him this morning on the Fifth Avenue bus--" there was a little
chuckle. "Oh, he will be here directly, will he? I thought perhaps he
would."

A moment later a cheery voice which Steve at once recognized to be that
of the steamboat man came over the wire:

"Well, sonny?"

"I found your bill book, Mr. Ackerman, and my father and I would like to
bring it up to you."

"Well, well! that is fine news!" cried the man at the other end of the
line. "How did you know who it belonged to?"

"Oh, I--we--found out--my father and I," stammered the lad. "May we come
up to your house with it now?"

"You would much b