ckpocket, however, being recognized by the judge as one who had been
up before him some months before, charged with a similar offence, was
sentenced to a term of imprisonment, considerably to his
dissatisfaction.

Ben left the court-room well pleased with the result. His innocence had
been established, and he had proved that he could be trusted, or rather,
he had not proved faithless to his trust, and he felt that with his
present plans and hopes he could not afford to lose his character for
honesty. He knew that he had plenty of faults, but at any rate he was
not a thief.

While he stood on the steps of the Tombs, in which the trial had taken
place, Mr. Sampson advanced towards him, and touched him on the
shoulder.

"Well, my lad," he said, in a friendly manner, "so you're all right once
more?"

"Yes," said Ben; "I knew it would all be right in the morning."

"I owe you something for the inconvenience you have suffered while in my
employ. Here is a ten-dollar bill. I hope you will save it till you need
it, and won't spend it foolishly."

"Thank you," said Ben, joyfully. "I'll put it in the bank."

"That will be a good plan. Good-morning; when you need a friend, you
will know where to find me."

He shook Ben's hand in a friendly way and left him.

"He's a trump," thought Ben. "If my father'd treated me like that, I'd
never have wanted to run away from home."

CHAPTER XXI.

IN A NEW LINE.

"Ten dollars!" said Ben to himself, with exultation. "That's pretty good
pay for a few hours in the station-house. I'd like to board there a week
on the same terms."

Ben's capital now amounted to eleven dollars; but of this sum he decided
to retain one dollar as a reserve to fall back upon in case of need. The
ten dollars he determined to deposit at once in a savings-bank. He
accordingly bent his steps towards one in the course of the forenoon.
The business was quickly transacted, and Ben left the building with a
bank-book containing an entry of his first deposit.

This was a very good beginning, so Ben thought. Fifty dollars, as he had
estimated, would enable him to carry out the plan which he proposed, and
he had already one-fifth of the sum. But the accumulation of the other
forty dollars would no doubt take him a considerable time. The business
of a "baggage-smasher," as Ben knew from experience, is precarious, the
amount of gains depending partly upon luck. He had sometimes haunted the
steamboat landing