"What did you do with it?" Mr. Tolman inquired with no great warmth of interest. "Gave it to the conductor, I suppose."
The boy shook his head.
"No, I didn't," was the answer. "I was afraid he might not turn it in, and as I liked the man who lost it I wanted to be sure he got it, so I brought it back with me."
"And where is it now?" demanded Mr. Tolman, now all attention. "I hope you were not so careless as to leave it upstairs in our room."
"No. I didn't leave it in the room," returned the lad. "It is out in my coat pocket. I meant to take it out and see what was in it; but so many things happened that I forgot about it until this very minute."
"You don't mean that you left it in your ulster pocket and let them hang it out there on the rack?"
"Yes."
"You checked your coat and left it there?"
"Why—yes," came the faltering reply.
Mr. Tolman was on his feet.