In the end his thoughts left all these things, and came back to Miss Gladys. After all, what counted but that? She loved him! She was his! And like a swiftly spreading fire there came over him the memory of what he had done to her; he walked on, trembling with wonder and fear. It was a kind of madness in his blood. It had taken possession of his whole being--he would never again be the same! He stretched out his arms as he walked down the street, because his emotions were greater than he could bear. Then suddenly, in the midst of the turmoil, a sight met his eyes which brought him back to the world. Approaching him, about to pass him, was an old man with a gray beard, stooping as he walked and carrying a peddler's basket. The disguise was excellent, but it did not deceive Samuel for an instant. He stood stock-still and cried in amazement: “Charlie Swift!” The peddler shot a quick glance at him. “Shut up!” he muttered; and then he passed on, and left Samuel staring. So with a sudden rush, a new set of emotions overwhelmed the boy. He was only a week away from the burglary; and yet it was an age. And how terrible it seemed--how almost incredible! And here was he, about to marry the daughter of a millionaire--while his friend and confederate was still skulking in the shadows, hiding from the police. Of all the distressed people whom Samuel had met in the course of his adventures, Charlie Swift was the only one whom he had not benefited. And simply to set eyes upon him was to hear in his soul a new call. How could he pursue his own gratifications while Charlie was left a prey to wickedness? The figure almost passed from sight while Samuel stood wrestling with the problem. He shrunk from the task before him; he was afraid of Charlie Swift, afraid of his cynical smile, and of his merciless sneering. But his duty was clear before him--as clear as that of any soldier, who in the midst of love and pleasure hears the bugle call. He might not be able to do anything for Charlie. But he must try! And so he turned and followed the old peddler to his home. CHAPTER XX “So you've let them turn you into a mission stiff!” said Charlie Swift, when the two were seated in his room. “A what?” exclaimed Samuel perplexed. “A mission stiff,” repeated the other. “One of the guys that gets repentance!” Samuel experienced a sudden chilling of the ardor with which he had come into the room. The old grin was upon the other's face; and the boy realized with a sudden sinking of the heart how hard and savage he was. Finnegan was a babe in arms compared with Charlie Swift. To convert him would be a real task, a test of one's fervor and vision. Samuel resolved suddenly upon diplomacy. “They've been very good to me,” he said. “I dare say,” responded the other indifferently. “And Dr. Vince is really a very good man,” he went on. “Humph!” commented the burglar; and then he added quickly, “You haven't been telling him anything about me?”