t seeing
much of it. Besides, nearly all my schoolmates had come from places more
or less distant; and, being of an inquiring mind, I had "pumped" many of
them dry.

With what I had read, with what I had learned from pictures, maps, and
diagrams, and with what my friends had told me while we were sailing in
the Splash, I had a tolerably correct idea of the city of New York. I
was very much surprised, when I arrived there, to find how familiar the
streets were to me. I had pored for hours at a time over the street
maps of the cities in Colton's Atlas; I had walked in imagination
through the streets of London and Paris; and I had read the
encyclopaedia, and all the books of travel which came in my way.

After this course of study, I was not burdened with "greenness." I felt
at home; and, though I looked with interest upon scenes and objects that
were new to me, I did not keep my mouth wide open, or stare like an
idiot. I take all this pains to prove that I was not green, because I
had an especial horror of verdancy in general, and verdant boys in
particular. I kept myself cool and self-possessed, and I was delighted
to find that no one looked at me, or appeared to think I was ill at
ease.

I was dressed in my best clothes, and though they were made by a
provincial tailor, Parkville was progressive enough to boast of a
genuine artist in this line. There was nothing about my companion, any
more than myself, to attract attention. Doubtless most of the people
thought we were brother and sister, or that some elderly gentleman and
lady, seated in another part of the car, would claim us when we reached
our destination. I suppose I thought of all these things because I
feared that some one was looking at me, and because I had an especial
dread of being noticed at that time.

Even Bob Hale, partial as he was, and sympathizing with me to the
fullest extent, could not deny that I had been guilty of what he called
"technical theft." In the very worst possible phase in which it could be
viewed, I had robbed my uncle's safe of nearly fifteen hundred dollars,
and I had the money in my pocket. I was liable, therefore, to be
arrested at any moment when the intelligence of my constructive crime
should be forwarded to the proper officers, or whenever a deputy sheriff
from Parkville could overtake me.

My conscience did not then, and it does not now, accuse me of the crime
of theft. That money was really mine, though, if it had been ap