"No, sir, but I did to-night."
He looked at her for a further explanation, and Jennie, who never liked to tell of her own exploits, was obliged to go on.
"They telephoned me about it from Leicester, sir," she said, briefly.
"Did they tell you to shut the gate?"
"No, sir; the telephone stopped before they got as far as that; these men cut the wire, and I had to think for myself what I should do."
"And you thought of that?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," she said, modestly.
"Well," he said, "you are a thoughtful little girl. You've saved me a great deal of money to-night, and I'll never forget it."
And he never did. The directors of the bank passed a vote of thanks, at their next meeting, to Miss Jennie Bartlett "for her prompt and efficient services in arresting the burglars who feloniously entered the bank building on the evening of September —, and abstracted the valuable contents of its vault"; and more than that, sent her a purse of money, with which she was able that winter to carry out her long-cherished plan of going to school. It was a disagreeable experience to go through, but Jennie will always date whatever success she has in the world from that night at the Barrington toll-gate.