"Really, that is more than I can do," said the lawyer, laughing.
"My name is Henry Martin," said Henry, who was perfectly self-possessed.
"Mine is Sam Barker," said the young outlaw.
"Shall I send you some soup, Mr. Martin?"
"Yes, thank you."
"And you, Mr. Barker?"
Sam stared and wanted to laugh. It seemed so droll to be called "Mr.
Barker," but he managed to answer properly.
Mr. Chester was a man of some humor, and he enjoyed Sam's evident embarrassment. He took pains to be ceremoniously polite. Sam, who was used to the free and easy ways of a restaurant, hardly knew how to act. Henry Martin, though now thrown upon his own exertions, had been well brought up, and betrayed no awkwardness.
At the close of the meal, to which Sam, despite his bashfulness, did full justice, Mr. Chester opened his pocket-book and produced twenty-five dollars in bills.
"Is this to be divided between you?" he inquired.
"No, sir," said Henry; "Sam found the ring. It is all for him."
"Allow me to offer you five dollars, also," said the lawyer, who was pleased with Henry's manner.
"Thank you, sir, I would rather not take it."
"At all events, if I can ever be of any service to you, let me know."
"Thank you, sir."
Soon afterward the boys left the house.
CHAPTER X.
SAM'S INVESTMENT.
"What a fool you were not to take the money he offered you!" said Sam when they were in the street.
"Why should I? I didn't find the ring. I had no claim to it."
"No matter, if he was willing to give it to you. He can afford it."
"I have no doubt of it; but I didn't want to take it."
"You ain't much like me, Henry. You wouldn't catch me refusing."
"I presume not," said Henry, smiling.
"I say, wasn't that a tiptop dinner?" said Sam, smacking his lips as he thought of it. "It beats the restaurant all hollow. We'd have had to pay a dollar apiece for such a lot of things, and then they wouldn't have been so good."
"That's so, Sam. We can't expect to live like that every day."
"There's one thing seems funny, Henry--them bowls of water they bring on at the end to wash your hands in. I was just goin' to drink mine when I saw Mr. Chester wash his fingers in his. It don't seem nice to have wash bowls on the dinner-table."
"We never have been much into fashionable society, Sam. I've no doubt there are a good many things that would seem strange to us if we did."
"When I am rich, I'll live just like Mr. Chester," said Sam, enthusiastically.
"We have never been much into fashionable society, Sam. I've no doubt there are a good many things that would seem strange to us if we did."
"When I am rich, I'll live just like Mr. Chester," said Sam, enthusiastically.
"If you ever want to be rich, you must save up money."
"I can't now."
"Why can't you save up part of these twenty-five dollars?"
"I owe part of it to you."
"Only about five dollars."
"I've got to get along till the end of the week."
"You ought to be able to save fifteen dollars, at any rate. I'll go with you to the savings-bank, and you can put it in to-night, I know a bank that keeps open till eight o'clock."
Sam hesitated, and looked reluctant.
"I guess I'll wait and see how much I need to carry me through the week," he said.
"At any rate, pay me what you owe me, and I'll deposit a part of it on my own account."
Settlement was made, and Henry, accompanied by Sam, went round to the Sixpenny Savings-Bank, then established on Astor Place, in a part of the Mercantile Library Building. It is kept open every day in the week from 10 A. M. till 8 P. M., thus affording better accommodation to depositors than most institutions of the kind. Sam had never been in a savings-bank before, and he looked about him with curiosity.
Henry took the five-dollar bill which Sam had paid him, and handed it with his bankbook to the receiving clerk, saying: "I want to deposit three dollars of this."
An entry was made in the book, which was returned to him, with two dollars change.
Henry turned away.
"Is that all?" asked Sam.
"Yes, that is all."
"Supposin' you wanted to draw out money, what would you do, then?"