nd Morris left the train after robbing Joshua Bascom, as
described in the first chapter, he was in excellent spirits. He had
effected his purpose, and got off scot free. He walked briskly away
from the station at which he got out, and didn't stop to examine the
wallet till he had got half a mile away.

When he discovered that it contained only ten dollars, he was filled
with disgust.

"What could the fellow mean by coming to the city with only ten dollars
in his pocketbook?" he muttered. "It's a regular imposition. It wasn't
worth taking. Here I am, stranded in the country, and my ticket of no
value, for only ten dollars! I should like to see my rural friend's
wo-begone look when he discovers the loss of his wallet, though."

This thought helped to reconcile Morris to the situation. The picture
which he had conjured up tickled his fancy, and he laughed heartily.
But his merriment was short-lived. Incidentally he noticed the loss of
the ring, and his countenance changed.

"My ring gone!" he exclaimed. "What can have become of it? It was worth
fifty dollars at least. I must have dropped it into that fellow's
pocket when I took his wallet. That's a pretty bad exchange. What an
unlucky chap I am! I am about forty dollars out of pocket."

The satisfaction of Mr. Morris was quite destroyed. There seemed little
hope of his recovering the ring, for he could not make known its loss
without betraying himself.

"I may as well be going back to New York," he said moodily. "If I meet
that fellow again, I must get up some scheme for recovering the ring
from him. He is a countryman and I can frighten him into giving it to
me. The worst of it is, the ring is not mine, and the owner will make a
fuss about it. She is inclined to be suspicious, and I shall find it
hard work to explain."

In a house on Lexington Avenue lived a maiden lady, close upon forty
years of age, though she called herself thirty-one. Miss Josephine
Harden had been left independent through the will of an aunt who had
left her the sum of thirty-five thousand dollars. She had been for
eight years an humble attendant, subject to the numerous whims and
caprices of her relative, but two years since had been repaid by a
legacy. Ever since Miss Marden had been looking about for a suitable
matrimonial partner. There were some difficulties in the way, for she
was thin, long-nosed, and with a yellow complexion. Three impecunious
bachelors, lured by her money, had paid h