Part 22 (1/2)

If it hadn't been close on to midnight he would have gone home there and then. But now Harrington was well nigh helpless, and Rex knew nothing about New York. Where was he going to sleep that night?

Harrington was in no condition to have questions put to him now.

A fixed look came over Rex's face.

”I must go now,” he said, looking around for his hat and valise.

”What, you're not going off and leave Harrington, are you?” asked Atkins.

”I can't do anything more for him and I must get out of this place.

Perhaps I'll call in the morning to see how he is. Good night. I'm much obliged to you.”

”Well, I suppose you are better off out of here, but aren't you going to hire a room in the hotel?”

”No, I want to get as far away from the place as possible.”

Rex noticed that Stout was looking around at him. He shut the door quickly and hurried off. He breathed a great sigh of relief when he reached the open air.

He turned down a side street to collect his thoughts before deciding what to do. He wandered till he reached the middle of the block, then, finding his valise heavy, he set it down on the sidewalk to rest a minute.

It was after midnight and very quiet. Suddenly he felt something hit him in the face, and then for a minute or two all was a blank to him.

CHAPTER XIX

A MEMORABLE NIGHT

When Rex came to his senses again he found himself leaning against a brown stone stoop. His head felt very queer.

”I wonder if it can be the effect of that gla.s.s of punch I drank?” he asked himself.

Then he glanced down at the sidewalk and saw that his valise-- a handsome new one-- was missing. A terrible fear came to him.

He put his hand to the breast pocket of his coat. Yes, it was true. He had been a.s.saulted and robbed in the street.

His money, his return ticket to Philadelphia, were gone, to say nothing of his satchel and the clothes that were in it. He looked helplessly up and down the street.

All was quiet as it had been before. A man was coming toward him on the other side of the way. But that individual could have had nothing to do with robbing him.

No, the thief had made his escape long since, and it was hopeless to try to overtake him.

Rex had one thing with which to console himself. His watch-- a silver one Syd had recently given him-- had not been taken. He thrust his hands into his trousers pockets.

Yes, there was some loose change there. He took it out and anxiously counted it under a lamp. There were seventy-three cents all told.

And now the question arose, What was he to do? For one instant the expedient of returning to the hotel and throwing himself on the good will of those he had left there suggested itself to him. But only for an instant.

The recollection of the scene he had quitted came back with all its vividness. No, he would not go back there.

He deserved all that had befallen him. He had been a fool ever to take up with Harrington. The fellow had only encouraged him because it flattered his vanity to be looked up to the way Rex had looked up to the collegian.