Ben had not gone far when he fell in with an acquaintance,--Barney Flynn. "Where you goin', Ben?" inquired Barney. "Goin' to get some grub," answered Ben. "I'm with you, then. I haven't eat anything since mornin', and I'm awful hungry." "Have you got any stamps?" "I've got a fifty." "So have I." "Where are you goin' for supper?" "To Pat's, I guess." "All right; I'll go with you." The establishment known as "Pat's" is located in a basement in Nassau Street, as the reader of "Mark, the Match Boy," will remember. It is, of coarse, a cheap restaurant, and is considerably frequented by the street boys, who here find themselves more welcome guests than at some of the more pretentious eating-houses. Ben and Barney entered, and gave their orders for a substantial repast. The style in which the meal was served differed considerably from the service at Delmonico's; but it is doubtful whether any of the guests at the famous up-town restaurant enjoyed their meal any better than the two street boys, each of whom was blest with a "healthy" appetite. Barney had eaten nothing since morning, and Ben's fast had only been broken by the eating of a two-cent apple, which had not been sufficient to satisfy his hunger. Notwithstanding the liberality of their orders, however, each of the boys found himself, at the end of the meal, the possessor of twenty-five cents. This was not a very large sum to sleep on, but it was long since either had waked up in the morning with so large a capital to commence operations upon. "What shall we do?" asked Ben. "Suppose we go to the Old Bowery," suggested Barney. "Or Tony Pastor's," amended Ben. "I like the Bowery best. There's a great fight, and a feller gets killed on the stage. It's a stunnin' old play." "Then let us go," said Ben, who, as well as his companion, liked the idea of witnessing a stage fight, which was all the more attractive on account of having a fatal termination. As the theatre tickets would cost but fifteen cents each, the boys felt justified in purchasing each a cheap cigar, which they smoked as they walked leisurely up Chatham Street. CHAPTER XV. THE ROOM UNDER THE WHARF. It was at a late hour when the boys left the theatre. The play had been of a highly sensational character, and had been greeted with enthusiastic applause on the part of the audience, particularly the occupants of the "pit." Now, as they emerged from the portals of the theatre, various characteristic remarks of a commendatory character were interchanged. "How'd you like it, Ben?" asked Barney. "Bully," said Ben. "I liked the fight best," said Barney. "Jones give it to him just about right." "Yes, that was good," said Ben; "but I liked it best where Alphonso says to Montmorency, 'Caitiff, beware, or, by the heavens above, my trusty sword shall drink thy foul heart's blood!'" Ben gave this with the stage emphasis, so far as he could imitate it. Barney listened admiringly.