Henry picked up the slip of paper and read the numbers and letters aloud: “I’ll wager that I could repeat that a week from to-night!” “I’ll take that bet; you have a good memory, but I think not quite equal to that; however I’ll put this out of your sight, so that you cannot study it;” answered she teasingly, as she hid the paper. He left the house an hour or so later, and nothing further was said on the subject. After he reached home the letters and figures kept repeating themselves over and over in his mind, until he heartily tired of them; even after he retired they continued to dance before his mental vision, until he angrily exclaimed aloud: “Oh, confound the things! Small chance of my forgetting them!” He had barely reached his office the next morning when the telephone bell ran sharply; Aunt Hattie answered his, “Hello!” “Hello! Henry, is that you?” “Yes; what is the trouble? Anything wrong up there?” “No—that is—nothing in particular. Say, Henry, did you take that money last night?” “Aunt Hattie! Why should you think that I would take your money?” he cried indignantly. “I thought that perhaps you did it to tease me; can’t you come to the house for a few minutes?” “Certainly,” he replied. He had been very busy all the morning, and had not once thought of the combination, but no sooner was he on his way to the house than, with tantalizing pertinacity, it began repeating itself over, again and again. Marjy met him at the door, she had evidently been weeping; he caught her hands: “Why, Marjy, what is the matter? Have you been crying over the loss of that money?” he asked in astonishment. She raised her eyes to his face, a troubled questioning in their depths, “Did you not take it, Henry?” He drew back in hurt surprise: “What do you mean, Marjy? Do you think that I would take your aunt’s money?” he asked indignantly. Marjy burst into tears: “Auntie—Auntie—” she stammered, and there she stopped, unable to proceed. He finished the sentence for her; “Thinks me a thief,” he said grimly. She hung her head and sobbed: “You—you are the only person—beside auntie and me, who knew the combination, you know!” she paused, then continued desperately, “You remember that you boasted that you could repeat it a week from that day——” “I should think so! I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind for one minute since; but what has that to do with your aunt’s money?” “No other person knew anything about it,” she said naïvely. “That explains your strange look when you hid the paper; you suspected that I would steal the money.” “Oh, Henry! I had no thought of such a thing!” “Perhaps not, but you looked it!” he replied hotly. She drew herself up angrily: “I tell you that there was no such thought in my mind; it must have had birth in your own consciousness; you remember the old adage about ‘fleeing when no man pursueth.’” She tossed her pretty head high in the air, and walked into the sitting room; he followed sullenly behind.