"I'll work my seven days," Ned replied, trying to hide the tears that would persist in coming into his eyes. As he labored away the stock certificate, in his inside pocket, rustled. All his trouble dated from the acquisition of that, he reflected bitterly, and it was a dearly bought bit of experience. All that afternoon Ned worked away, his heart like lead. He longed for a sight of the faces of his chums, and he wanted to hear from his father. It seemed a very long time since he had left Darewell so happy and filled with expectations of the pleasures he and his friends would enjoy in New York. "I wonder if the boys came?" Ned thought. "I wonder what my father must think? Oh, I've a good notion to write to him and ask him what to do! I can't stand it any longer!" Ned was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He had stood about all he could, and with the poor food and the bad sleeping places, which were all he could afford, his health was in danger. "Come now, no loafing!" exclaimed Cassidy's coarse voice, as Ned paused a moment in his scrubbing. "When I pay a dollar and a half a day I expect good, quick work. We don't want any idlers around here." Wearily Ned began to move the wet broom over the dirty boards. There were a number of unkempt men engaged in the same occupation. "If my chums should see me now," thought Ned. He expected to be allowed to go to bed early as he was tired, but when Cassidy had sent him to a near-by, cheap restaurant, in company with one of the other porters, for supper, Ned found, on his return, that he was expected to clean out the office. "Ten o'clock's time enough to go to bed," Cassidy told him. "The work got behind when my other man left and it's got to be made up. I don't want the Board of Health here, condemning the place." Even with all the cleaning that was done, it looked as if the Board should take some action, Ned thought. Meanwhile William and Bart had, that same evening, visited several lodging houses. They met with no success, though the proprietors described boys who bore a resemblance to Ned, but who had only stopped one night and had then disappeared. "We'll find him," said William, more cheerfully than he felt. The two boys were walking down a side street, approaching a lodging-house they intended to visit. It was one they had not yet inspected. It was about eight o'clock and was blowing up cold. There was a feeling of snow in the air, and the boys buttoned their coats closely around them. "Hope Ned doesn't have to stay out in the storm like I did," said William. "So do I," chimed in Bart. "I hate to think about it." "We'll try this place," William went on, as they reached the entrance to the lodging house. In the hallway a gas jet burned, and, as the lads started up the stairs, they met a red moustached man coming down. At the sight of him William cried out: "There he is!" "Who?" asked Bart. "The man who took Ned away!"