Two youthful pairs of ears pricked up, two hands were arrested as they conveyed two cakes towards two mouths. A five-pound note changed for a boy from the school! This was exciting! "I can cash it for you myself," the man said; "I have just been paid my month's money." "I shall be obliged," said Brown. And then followed the ringing sound of money being counted out; the man picked up the note, glanced at it and put it into his pocket. "I will look in as I return," he said to Brown; and away he went. "I say! Think we can get out of Brown who changed that note?" said Tinkle to Green. "It's jolly funny, after what took place to-day!" "I don't know," answered Green thoughtfully. "Fact is, Tinkle, old man, I don't know that I am anxious to do it. It is awkward to know too much sometimes. There is the chance of having to split on some chap you are friendly with. If you don't know you can't say." "And if you don't say, some one may stay wrongly suspected," was the retort of Tinkle. And then, the shop-bell sounding again, necessitated another going to peep through the blind. "Oh, I say!" gasped Tinkle, as he looked through a hole; "if it isn't Elgert himself this time, and his crony Dobson is with him!" [Illustration: "'OH, I SAY,' GASPED TINKLE; 'IF IT ISN'T ELGERT HIMSELF THIS TIME.'" p. 172] "Well, they won't split," was the philosophic reply. "They will only want to go shares. I know 'em both." "Eat cakes while we pay; and Dobson is such a greedy beast!" And Tinkle groaned to himself. "Perhaps they are not going to stop," whispered Green. "They may only be going to take something back with them." It seemed like it; for the two boys outside made no attempt to enter the inner room. They both seemed rather flustered and out of breath, and as Brown came forward to attend to their wants Dobson panted out-- "Oh--er--I say, Brown. That--that note I changed the other day. I should like--that is--I mean----" "We want it back!" put in Elgert impatiently, pushing his companion aside. "We cannot explain why, but we are very anxious to get hold of it!" "Fact is, we fancy that it is bad, and we don't want you to be the loser, you see," added Dobson. And Brown smiled slightly and nodded. "That's very good of you young gentlemen--very good and honourable. But you have no occasion to worry; the note was good enough. I saw to that." "Well, good or bad," Elgert said, "I want to get hold of it! And, as you know, I am always willing to pay for what I want. I will give you six pounds for that note, Brown!" The man glanced at him shrewdly. What did this mean? Why had they invented that lie about the note being bad; and why were they willing to give a pound extra to get it into their hands again? "I am very sorry, sir," he said slowly, "but the fact is, I have parted with that note. I changed it only a short time ago."