BILLY DOO 31 



up little bills, the money for which I entrusted to 

 him, to give to the man waiting below, and for 

 which he brought up the receipt. My small cash 

 I kept in a locked drawer in my table. I was 

 very surprised once to miss some, thereby not being 

 able to balance my books, but concluded I had 

 omitted to enter some small bill that I had paid. 

 One day I placed a roll of four notes there, of 10 

 rupees each, after paying the wages ; then locked 

 the drawer and went downstairs, calling to Billy 

 Doo to bring my fan from my room. After dinner 

 I had occasion to go and get some of these said 

 notes. I unlocked the drawer with the keys in 

 my possession. To my surprise, no roll ! 



"Well, now," I thought, "I must sift this. I 

 am perfectly positive they were there, an hour ago, 

 and no one else has had the keys." 



So the two domestics, the sweeper and the 

 duster, who had attended to the room, were brought 

 and interviewed, and acquainted with the loss. 

 Then I observed that the corresponding drawer of 

 the table, which had had its key rusted in for years, 

 not able to be turned one way or the other, looked 

 clean. I took it out, tried it, and it opened my 



