"Are you green enough to think you'll find him?" sneered the man in charge.
"Perhaps not; but I shouldn't be surprised if I did. If I guess right, he'll find it worth his while to keep his promise."
When they returned to the place where the thief had first effected his escape, our hero was found quietly sitting on a wooden step.
"So you've got him," said Ben, advancing to meet the officer with evident satisfaction.
"He's got you too," growled the pickpocket. "Why didn't you run away, you little fool?"
"I didn't have anything to run for," answered Ben. "Besides, I want my money back."
"Then you'll have to go with me to the station-house," said the officer.
"I wish I could go to Mr. Abercrombie's office first to tell Mr. Sampson what's happened."
"I can't let you do that; but you may write a letter from the station-house."
"All right," said Ben, cheerfully; and he voluntarily placed himself on the other side of the officer, and accompanied him to the station-house.
"I thought you was guilty at first," said the officer; "but I guess your story is correct. If it isn't, you're about the coolest chap I ever saw, and I've seen some cool ones in my day."
"It's just as I said," said Ben. "It'll all come right in the morning."
They soon reached the station-house. Ben obtained the privilege of writing a letter to Mr. Sampson, for which the officer undertook to procure a messenger. In fact he began to feel quite interested for our hero, feeling fully convinced that the other party was the real offender.
Ben found some difficulty in writing his letter. When he first came to the city, he could have written one with considerable ease, but he had scarcely touched a pen, or formed a letter, for six years, and of course this made an important difference. However he finally managed to write these few lines with a lead-pencil:--
"MR. SAMPSON: I am sory I can't cary that leter til to-morrow; but it was took from my pokit by a thefe wen I was ridin' in the cars, and as he sed I took it from him, the 'copp' has brort us both to the stashun-house, whare I hope you wil come and tel them how it was, and that you give me the leter to cary, for the other man says it is his The 'copp' took the leter
It will be observed that Ben's spelling had suffered; but this will not excite surprise, considering how long it was since he had attended school. It will also be noticed that he did not sign his real name, but used the same which he had communicated to Charles Marston. More than ever, till he was out of his present difficulty, he desired to conceal his identity from his relations.