"Don't you think a policeman is good enough to marry?" she asked. "Oh, yes!" replied Ingham, "and your Charlie seems to be a fine fellow." "Well, he is awfully fond of me," she continued, "and he spends all his time off duty with me; but I don't know whether I care to marry him. What do you think about it, Mr. Ingham?" "You ought not to be in any hurry about it," he replied, "for you might see some one whom you would like better." "Oh! I have had a number of offers lately," she said, laughing. "I have had to work hard for a living, and have saved up quite a good sum; and, besides that, my father sent me two thousand dollars a short time ago, so that I have a snug little fortune. But Charlie doesn't know anything about it, and I shan't tell him until after we are married." After some further conversation, she said that she was hungry, and wished she had someone to go to the nearest restaurant with. Ingham volunteered to act as her escort, and they went out together. While eating supper, she suddenly asked whether government bonds were good property to invest in. Ingham replied that they were very good indeed, since the interest was payable in gold, and there were no taxes to pay upon them. "Well, suppose you should lose them," she queried; "could any one who found them make use of them without being discovered?" "Yes, I think so," said Ingham. "There is no means of learning how they came into the bearer's possession." "Did you ever own any?" she inquired. "No, but I used to cash the coupons for my employer in Louisville, and I know a good deal about them." "What business were you in there?" she asked, with a considerable show of interest. "I was bookkeeper for a wholesale liquor firm, and the senior partner used to put all his money into government bonds." "Why did you leave Louisville?" she continued, seemingly desirous of learning as much as possible of his history. "Oh! well, I got hard up," he replied, evasively, "and there was some mistake in my accounts which I couldn't explain satisfactorily, so I thought best to go out of town for awhile. You know we are all liable to mistakes when we are hard up." "Yes, indeed, I understand," she replied, in a satisfied tone of voice. "What are you going to do here?" "Well, I can't tell yet. I have a small job of closing up a set of books for the year, and when that is done I shall look around for something else. I'm not particular what I do, if it pays well." "Perhaps you could get employment from the Relief and Aid Society," she said, "and then you could get lots of nice things for me. This man, Graves, whose room you are to have, is employed there, and he steals enough to keep the woman who is with him in good style." "Why, aren't they married?" asked Ingham. "No, I don't believe they are married," she replied, "and I've given them notice to leave. Mr. Graves gets hardly any pay, but he brings her all kinds of presents, and she sells them to the pawnbrokers."