It was not till he sat down to an early breakfast that Fred thought of the package handed him by Mr. Lawrence at the Niagara Falls station. He opened it in some curiosity, and to his surprise discovered a roll of bills, accompanied by this note:
To FRED FENTON,
MY YOUNG FRIEND:—Though I have not yet had a chance to communicate with my uncle in Elmira, I feel authorized to act as his representative, and in his name ask you to accept the inclosed sum as an acknowledgment of your valuable assistance in bringing about the recovery of the securities stolen from his house, and incidentally as a recompense for the annoyance you experienced in being yourself suspected. Your conduct has been very creditable, and I feel that to you we are largely indebted for the recovery of the property and the conviction of the burglar. I infer that you are mainly dependent, on your earnings, which are probably limited, and I therefore take pleasure in handing you a substantial reward which I hope will be of service to you.
Yours sincerely,
EDMUND LAWRENCE.
Fred counted the bills, and alike to his surprise and gratification found that they amounted to two hundred dollars.
"Where did you get so much money, Fred?" asked his mother, entering the room as he completed his count.
"That letter will explain, mother," answered Fred radiant with delight.
"We are indeed rich!" said Mrs. Fenton joyfully. "This removes all anxiety for a long time to come."
"Yes, we can afford to snap our fingers at the landlord."
"I hope you are not going to carry all this money round with you, Fred. You might get robbed."