im, here served him in good stead, as it made him
ashamed to do a dishonest act.

Ben rightly judged that the money would be needed as soon as possible,
and, as the distance was great, he resolved to ride, trusting to Mr.
Sampson's liberality to pay him for the expense which he would thus
incur in addition to the compensation allowed for his services.

He once more made his way to the station of the Fourth Avenue cars, and
jumped aboard one just ready to start.

The car gradually filled, and they commenced their progress up town.

Ben took a seat in the corner next to the door. Next to him was a man
with black hair and black whiskers. He wore a tall felt hat with a bell
crown, and a long cloak. Ben took no particular notice of him, being too
much in the habit of seeing strange faces to observe them minutely. The
letter he put in the side pocket of his coat, on the side nearest the
stranger. He took it out once to look at it. It was addressed to Mrs.
Abercrombie, at her residence, and in one corner Mr. Sampson had written
"Money enclosed."

Now it chanced, though Ben did not suspect it, that the man at his side
was a member of the swell mob, and his main business was picking
pockets. He observed the two words, already quoted, on the envelope when
Ben took it in his hand, and he made up his mind to get possession of
it. This was comparatively easy, for Ben's pocket was on the side
towards him. Our hero was rather careless, it must be owned, but it
happened that the inside pocket of his coat had been torn away, which
left him no other receptacle for the letter. Besides, Ben had never been
in a situation to have much fear of pick pockets, and under ordinary
circumstances he would hardly have been selected as worth plundering.
But the discovery that the letter contained money altered the case.

While Ben was looking out from the opposite window across the street,
the stranger dexterously inserted his hand in his pocket, and withdrew
the letter. They were at that moment just opposite the Tombs.

Having gained possession of the letter, of course it was his interest to
get out of the car as soon as possible, since Ben was liable at any
moment to discover his loss.

He touched the conductor, who was just returning from the other end of
the car, after collecting the fares.

"I'll get out here," he said.

The conductor accordingly pulled the strap, and the car stopped.

The stranger gathered his cloak about him, and, s