He opened the door softly, and stepped into the place. In front of the counter stood a man who seemed to be bargaining with the pawnbroker over the amount to be loaned on an article. They were so occupied with their business that they did not notice the young reporter’s entrance. “You ought to give me more than twenty dollars,” the customer was saying. “Fifteen is all; take it or leave it,” was the pawnbroker’s answer. “It is a cheap ring.” “But the diamond in the tail is worth more than that,” the man went on, “and the rubies in the eyes are worth twice as much. Come on, now, Isaacs, let me have twenty dollars, that’s a good fellow. I’m hard up, and the gang is up against bad luck.” Something seemed to tell Larry he was on the track of those whom he sought, but for an instant he could not fathom what it was. There seemed to be a clew in the mention of a diamond in the tail and rubies in the eyes. “I know!” the young reporter thought, almost exclaiming aloud in his excitement. “It’s the ring Mr. Reynolds told me about. The one that was stolen from him, and which he wished to recover because it was an heirloom.” He drew a little closer to where the man was standing, hoping to get a look at the jewel. Nor was he disappointed. The pawnbroker, who had apparently made his last offer, handed something to the customer. The latter’s hand shook so he dropped the article on the floor, and it rolled almost to Larry’s feet. The lad picked it up. He saw that it was a ring, made in the shape of a snake, with three coils. In the end of the tail was a diamond, and the eyes were formed of rubies. It was exactly like the ornament Mr. Reynolds had described. Larry’s heart was beating so he was afraid the men would hear it. However, he managed to hand the ring back to the customer, who was too much engrossed in the transaction to notice Larry. “Well, Isaacs,” the man remarked, handing the ring over to the pawnbroker, “I’ll take the fifteen dollars, but it’s little enough. I’ll be getting it out again in a few days. Make out the ticket.” Larry walked back to the door while the broker was concluding the transaction. He wondered what he had better do. Here was a chance to get on the track of the Reynolds jewel robbers, but to accomplish this he would have to give up, for a time, the search after his brother. “Unless the two gangs should prove to be one and the same,” thought Larry, with a sudden inspiration. “I wonder if that couldn’t be so. The safe-robbers and the kidnappers are all together; why not the jewel thieves? I think I’ll chance it, anyhow. I’ll follow this man, and see if I can’t find out where he stays. I can find out about the Rising Sun place later.” With this in mind, Larry softly slipped out of the door, and stationed himself in a nearby hallway, to stay until the man came from the pawn-shop. He had not long to wait, for in a few minutes the man emerged, and the young reporter set off after him.