"Very well, indeed! I have just made the last payment on mother's machine, and now we owe nothing, except, perhaps, for the rent, and only a week has gone by on the new month."
"You seem to be a good manager, Luke. You succeed in keeping your money, while I have not always found it easy. Yesterday, for instance, I lost sixty-five dollars."
"How was that?" inquired Luke, with interest.
"The drawer in which I keep a pocketbook was unlocked, and this, with its contents, was stolen."
"Don't you suspect anyone?"
"I did, but he has cleared himself, in my opinion. It is possible it was one of the servants."
At this moment Luke pulled his handkerchief from his side pocket and with it came the morocco pocketbook, which fell on the carpet.
Mrs. Merton uttered an exclamation of surprise.
"Why, that is the very pocketbook!" she said.
Luke stooped and picked it up, with an expression of bewilderment on his face.