"Seems to me we are mighty mysterious," commented Ward, laughing. "Oh, well; anything to accommodate. Now, where are the spondulicks?" "Can you change a twenty-dollar bill?" asked Percy. "Whew! you are wealthy," said Ward, in surprise. "Let me see!" and he opened his pocket book. "Much as ever," he replied, after investigating the contents. "Here is a five, a two, a silver dollar, and I think I can make up two dollars in small change. It'll take up about all I've got." "Then perhaps you'd rather wait till I have a chance to get the bill changed," suggested Percy. "Not much," returned Reginald, with a crafty smile. "'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,' as somebody says. I am willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of getting the debt paid." "Oh, well; just as you say," rejoined Percy, secretly glad to get the tell-tale bill out of his possession, and to replace it in his pocket with the smaller bills and silver which Ward proposed to give him. When the transfer was made, Ward asked, "Where did you raise the twenty, Percy?" Now it was that Percy looked embarrassed. "It is some money I had given to me a long while ago," he answered with hesitation. "Oh!" exclaimed Ward, evidently incredulous. "I promised not to use it, but to keep it saved up," continued Percy, "and I meant to; but you wanted me to pay what I owed you, and so----" "You acted like an honest young man," said Ward, finishing his sentence for him. "Yes." There was a peculiar smile on Reginald Ward's face, but he did not think it best to question Percy's statement. His money had been paid him, and that was all he cared for. "Percy's found it in his father's desk, I reckon," he said to himself, "but that doesn't concern me. I've got my money and that's more than I expected." "By the way, Reg," said Percy hurriedly, "don't mention to any one my paying you this money." "Why not?" "It would be found out that I had been playing cards for money, and there'd be no end of a row. Besides, then it would come out that I had parted with this bill." "All right, Percy. I'll keep mum. Won't you go down and have a game of billiards?" "Not to-night. I'm rather tired." "That boy's got something on his mind," thought Reginald Ward. CHAPTER XIV. BERT STANDS TRIAL. Percy went to bed early, and heard nothing of Bert's arrest for the theft which he had himself committed till at the breakfast table the next morning his father said: "Well, young Barton has got into a bad scrape." "What is it, father?" asked Percy, pricking up his ears. "He is charged with stealing a twenty-dollar bill from Mr. Jones, the store-keeper." This was certainly amazing, and Percy, in his agitation, nearly choked with some coffee that went the wrong way. "Be more careful, Percy!" said his mother sharply. "I was so surprised, mother, at what father told me," apologized Percy. "I don't know why you need be surprised," said Mrs. Marlowe. "I never had a very good opinion of the boy."