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ready as though to greet an old friend who had long been absent, the three lads advanced to the middle of the room in the semi-darkness. Louder ticked the clock, and it was like music to their ears. Tom snapped on the electric lights, and the gaze of our three heroes went together toward the mantle shelf.

Then there came three simultaneous gasps of astonishment, a starting back in surprise, a catching of breaths.

"The clock!" spoke Tom, aghast.

"It isn't ours!" added Phil, gaspingly.

"They've brought back the wrong one!" exclaimed Sid.

Then, as they looked at the new timepiece, a smart one in a new and dull-polished mahogany case—an expensive clock—one they never would have thought of possessing, as they looked at it, there was a musical tinkle of a bell, and five strokes rang out as if in welcome.