Page:Guy Boothby--A Bid for Fortune.djvu/32

22 them. "What do you mean by stopping this lady? Let her go instantly, and you my friend, just hand over that purse."

The man addressed looked at me as if he were taking my measure, and were wondering what sort of chance he'd have against me in a fight. But I suppose my height must have rather scared him, for he changed his tone and began to whine.

"I haven't got the lady's purse, s'help me, I ain't! I was only asking of 'er the time, I'll take me davy I was!"

"Hand over that purse," I said sternly, approaching a step nearer to him.

One of the others here intervened.—

"Let's stowch 'im, Dog! There ain't a copper in sight!"

With that they began to close upon me. But, as the saying goes, "I'd been there before." I'd not been knocking about the rough side of the world for nearly fifteen years without learning how to take care of myself. When they had had about enough of it, which was most likely more than they had bargained for, I took the purse and went down the path to where the innocent cause of it all was standing. She was looking very white and scared, but she plucked up courage enough to thank me prettily.

Bless you! I can see her now, standing there looking into my face with big tears in her pretty blue eyes. She was a girl of about twenty-one or two, I should think—tall but slenderly built, with a pretty oval face, bright brown hair, and the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen in my life. She was dressed in some dark green material, wore a fawn jacket, and because the afternoon was cold, had a boa of marten fur round her neck. I