“You say that with sixty dollars in the bank!”
“I shouldn’t have it there long, if I played pool every evening.”
Grayson whispered some words in the ear of the next player and he laughed rather derisively. Ben thought he caught the word “miser.” At any rate he had had enough of pool playing, and soon after left the hall.
He did not feel very cordial towards Grayson, but the latter made friendly advances, and as he said no more about pool Ben gradually admitted him to companionship.
Two or three times he asked Grayson the street and number of the business firm which employed him, but only received an evasive answer.
There came a dull time, so far as news was concerned, and Ben found that the sale of papers fell off, so that he was no longer able to earn seventy-five cents a day. This was the very smallest sum on which he could live even with the strictest economy, and, reluctant as he was to do it, he found that he must draw some money from the savings bank.
During Ben’s career as an actor he had increased his stock of underclothing, and, having only a gripsack, had invested in a small sized trunk, which he found much more convenient.
In the tray of this trunk he had placed his savings bank book. He opened the trunk and looked confidently for the book. But to his surprise it was not to be found.
“Perhaps I put it in the lower part of the trunk,” he said to himself, though he felt sure it had been in the tray. He continued his search, but it proved to be vain.
Ben sat down before the open trunk and tried to recall all the incidents connected with the last time of opening it. But the more he thought the more puzzled he became.