ality."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"I will tell you what made me suspect the woman of whom I have spoken.
First, the name. She calls herself Mrs. Philip Montgomery. It sounds
like a fictitious name. Again, she is a stout, rather common-looking
woman, with a florid complexion and larger features. Now Montgomery is
an aristocratic name. Again, she says she is from Buffalo. Swindlers
generally hail from some distant city. Then again, it is rather
suspicious that she should be in such haste.

"The purchase is an important one, and the amount to be paid--she
herself fixed the approximate value--is considerable. You would think
she would wish to inspect my stock carefully before making a selection.
Instead of this she only asked to have two rings sent up to her of the
value of three or four hundred dollars, and she would make choice of one
of them."

"It does look rather suspicious, sir."

Mr. Swan gave Mark some further directions, and the latter started up
town on the Eighth Avenue horse cars, which he took on the lower side of
the Astor House.

"This is new business to me," thought Mark. "I feel an interest to see
this Mrs. Montgomery. If she is planning to entrap me, she won't make as
much as she anticipates."

Mark had the rings, each in a little morocco case, carefully laid away
in the inside pocket of his coat.

When they reached Canal Street, to Mark's surprise, his cousin Edgar
entered the car. He did not recognize Mark at first, the latter no
longer wearing the messenger's uniform.

"How do you do, Cousin Edgar?" said Mark.

Edgar turned sharply around.

"Oh, it's you, is it?" he said. "Please don't call me cousin."

"I am just as much ashamed of the relationship as you are," responded
Mark with a comical smile.

"That is impertinent. Besides it isn't true. Have you been discharged
from the telegraph service?"

"No; what makes you think so?"

"Because you are not wearing the uniform."

"I am working for a party that doesn't want me to wear it while in his
service."

"Who is it?"

"I don't feel at liberty to tell."

"Oh, just as you like. Isn't that a new suit?"

"Yes."

"Where did you get it?"

"I bought it."

"Business seems to be pretty good with you. How much did it cost?"

"Eighteen dollars."

"Is it paid for?"

"Of course it is."

"I didn't know but you might have bought it in installments."

"I don't have to do that."

"Yet you pretended a little while since tha