his once, that her cousin might go with her to the
Bible-class when the fine weather was over.

The steamboat was crowded, and there was a good deal of pushing and
squeezing when they reached Greenwich Pier, where most of the
passengers were landed.

"All tickets ready! all tickets ready!" called the man at the end of
the landing-board, while another took each passenger's scrap of paper
as they passed out. Kate had put her ticket in her purse for safety;
and now put her hand into her pocket to get it; but to her dismay she
found her pocket empty. "Oh, stop a minute, wait for me, Marion, I
must have dropped my purse!" and Kate began to elbow her way through
the crowd back to where she had been sitting. The place was vacant
now, and she hunted all round, but no purse could be seen. "Oh, what
shall I do, what shall I do!" she exclaimed, bursting into tears.

"What is it, why don't you come?" said Marion, who had now come back
for her.

"My purse, my purse, I've lost it!" sobbed poor Kate.

"Lost your purse!" exclaimed Marion. "Did you drop it?"

Kate shook her head. "I don't know; I thought I put it into my
pocket," she said.

The two were looking under the seats, and all round as they talked, but
now they heard Bella and their companions calling to them from the pier
to make haste, as the steamboat was about to leave, so they had to give
up the search and run ashore.

"Tickets, Miss, tickets," said the man, as they were hastening past to
join their friends. Marion gave up hers, but Kate could only repeat,
"What shall I do, what shall I do!"

"Have you had a purse given to you that was found on board the boat?"
asked Marion.

The man laughed at the question. "I suppose you have lost one," he
said.

"Yes, and my steamboat ticket was in it. Did anyone give it to you?"
asked Kate anxiously.

"Oh, no! my dear, I've seen no purse. You must pay again, that's all I
can say."

"But how can I pay, all my money was in my purse," sobbed Kate.

"What is it, what's the row?" asked one of the young men, who had come
back for them.

"This young lady's lost her purse, that's all," said the man. "Are you
one of her friends?" he suddenly added.

"Yes, I am!" said the young man.

"Ah, well then, the matter can soon be settled. You see her ticket was
in the purse, and we can't be expected to lose that."

"Precious mean of you then," grumbled the friend, putting his hand into
his pocket and counting out Kat