every one."

He took a slip of paper from the side pocket of his coat, but, instead
of handing it to the young lady, he remained staring at it with the
utmost astonishment upon his face.

"Well, I never!" he exclaimed. "Look here, Robert; what do you call
this?"

"Hold it to the light. Why, it's a fifty-pound Bank of England note.
Nothing remarkable about it that I can see."

"On the contrary. It's the queerest thing that ever happened to me. I
can't make head or tail of it."

"Come, then, Hector," cried Miss McIntyre with a challenge in her eyes.
"Something very queer happened to me also to-day. I'll bet a pair of
gloves that my adventure was more out of the common than yours, though I
have nothing so nice to show at the end of it."

"Come, I'll take that, and Robert here shall be the judge."

"State your cases." The young artist shut up his sketch-book, and
rested his head upon his hands with a face of mock solemnity.
"Ladies first! Go along Laura, though I think I know something
of your adventure already."

"It was this morning, Hector," she said. "Oh, by the way, the story will
make you wild. I had forgotten that. However, you mustn't mind,
because, really, the poor fellow was perfectly mad."