At the mention of money Betty started.  The others looked at her.

“How did it happen?” asked Betty, and then of a sudden she stared at the young man.  “Excuse me, but, but—­haven’t we met before?” she stammered.

“Sure!” he answered, readily.  “You young ladies were kind enough to share your lunch with me one day.”

“Oh!” cried Mollie.  “But you—­you looked different then!”

“You had a mustache and long hair,” murmured Amy.

“That’s right, so I did.  But I had my hair cut day before yesterday and the mustache taken off.  Changes me quite a lot; doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” replied Betty.  “But you were saying something about losing money on this line,” she added, quickly.

“Well, I was on my way to New York, expecting to complete a business deal.  I fell asleep in the car, for I was quite tired, and I guess I had been thinking pretty hard on that business matter.  You see a fellow offered me an option on a small, but good, concern, for four hundred dollars.  I knew if I could clinch the deal, and get the option, that some friends of mine would invest in it, and I’d have a good thing for myself.

“Well, as I say, I fell asleep.  Then I dreamed someone was trying to get my pocketbook.  It was a sort of nightmare, and I guess I struggled with the dream-robber.  Then, all of a sudden, I woke up, and—­”

“Was your pocketbook gone?” asked Mollie.

“No, but my money was.  And that was the funny part of it.  How anyone could get the money without taking the pocketbook I couldn’t see.  And there wasn’t anyone in the car with me but a boy—­a peddler, I think he was.”

The girls looked at each other.  Matters were beginning to fit together most strangely.

“I didn’t know what to do,” the young man went on.  “I didn’t want to say anything that would seem as if I accused the boy, and I felt the same about the trainmen.  I knew if I said the money had been taken and the pocketbook left they would only laugh at me.  I was all knocked out, and hardly knew what I was doing.  I jumped off the train, and went back over the line, thinking the bill might have blown out of the window.  But—­”

“That is just what did happen!” cried Betty.

“What’s that?” the man exclaimed, excitedly.

“I say that is exactly what happened!” went on the Little Captain.  “At least, that is how I account for it.”

“What sort of a bill did you lose?” asked Mollie, trying not to get excited.

“It was one of five hundred dollars, and—­”

“Did it have a—­anything pinned to it?” exclaimed Betty.

“It did—­a note.  Wait, I can tell you what it said on it.”  He hesitated a moment and then repeated word for word the writing on the note pinned to the bill the girls had picked up.  “But I don’t see how you know this!” he added, wonderingly.

“We know—­because we found your five hundred dollar bill!” exclaimed Betty.