"I lost it in the Mile End Road on Saturday night, sir. My husband's wages was in it--twenty-four and sixpence. He see the advertisement in the paper, and sent me round to see. Leather it was--leastways, imitation--red, and the clasp was broken." "I am sorry to say that your description bears no kind of resemblance to the one which is in my possession." She looked at me for a moment, scrutinizingly, as if desirous of learning if what I said was credible; then, without another word, moved off. I had succeeded in closing the door just as there came another rap upon the knocker. I reopened it, to find myself confronted by another of the unemployed. "I ask your pardon, guv'nor, but seeing an advertisement about a purse as was found, I thought I'd just come round to see if it might happen to be mine. Mine wasn't a leather purse, nor yet it wasn't a shammy leather, nor yet it wasn't one of them sealskin kind of things." As soon as he said that I suspected that this was a friend of the other unemployed, from whom he had recently gathered certain data. "Mine was more one of them sort of bag kind." "What bag kind?" "Well----" He fixed me with his gaze. If he had been acquainted with the fact that images are photographed upon our eyes, I might have suspected him of an intent to decipher the image of the purse in mine. "Was this here purse you found tied round the top?" "Was yours?" He read the answer in my eyes. "No, I can't say as how mine was; but I thought as how this here one you found might have been--some purses are, you know." Unless I erred he was endeavouring to consider what sort of purse that purse might be, his knowledge of the varieties of that article being limited. He taxed my patience. "If you have lost a purse, my man, be so good as to describe it without delay. I can't stop here all the morning." "Well, as I was a-saying, it was one of them sort of bag kind." "Then it's not the one I found." Without more ado I slammed the door in his face. I went in to breakfast. As I was sitting down there came a single knock. Saunders turned to leave the room to answer it. "One moment, Saunders. I don't know if I mentioned to you that, the day before yesterday, I found a purse?" "No, sir." "Well, I did, and I'm beginning to wish that I hadn't. I've inserted an advertisement in to-day's papers to the effect that the owner may have it on applying to me. I've had five applicants within five minutes--three of them rank impostors. I'm rather inclined to think that the person who has just knocked is one of them come back again. I doubt if he ever had a purse in his life--he certainly never had the one I've found. Tell him if he doesn't take himself away at once I'll send for the police."