"Well," replied Worth, "I _was_ secretary, but have resigned. Where have
I met you--somewhere, I'm pretty certain. Was it in Washington? One is
apt to forget names, when meeting so many."

With a slight hesitancy the other answered: "My name is Thorne. I'm a
stranger here. Are you stopping here?" The young man was evidently
nervous, and spoke in an uneasy manner.

Job, pointing to a chair, said, quietly: "Shall we sit down? We are both
strangers." The invitation to be seated was rather reluctantly accepted,
and there was a shade of suspicion seen by Worth on Thorne's face.

"Where have we met, Mr. Thorne?" asked Worth again, as if still debating
that question. "Wherever it was, it must have been several years ago, if
it wasn't in Washington, as I was there three years ago."

The young man seemed to recover himself on hearing this, thinking at once
that Worth's residence in Washington had doubtless hindered him from
hearing of any occurrences near Land's End or in London, and replied:
"I'm an Englishman, like yourself. You may possibly have seen me, if you
have been much in London. I spent several years in Burrough Road School."

"Indeed!" interrupted Worth, "why, that is my old school; but I must have
left there before you entered, and I have only visited the institute once
since I graduated. It is really a pleasure to meet in this country one of
the boys of old Burrough Road. How long have you been in America?"

"I have been here about a year. I am looking around for an opportunity to
invest some money with which I have been intrusted, but am making haste
slowly in that respect," replied the other with a faint smile.