CHAPTER XII
A MISFORTUNE.
The queen's birthday proved to be an unfortunate day for Rollo, for hemet with quite a serious misfortune in the evening while he and Mr.George were out looking at the illuminations. The case was this:--
Rollo had formed a plan for going with Mr. George in the evening to thehotel where his father and mother were lodging, to get Jennie to go outwith them to see the illuminations. They had learned from their landladythat the best place to see them was along a certain street called PallMall, where there were a great many club houses and other publicbuildings, which were usually illuminated in a very brilliant manner.[F]
[F] These club houses are very large and splendid mansions belonging toassociations of gentlemen called _clubs_. Some of the clubs contain morethan a thousand members. The houses are fitted up in the most luxuriousmanner, with reading rooms, libraries, dining rooms, apartments forconversation, and for all sorts of games, and every thing else requisiteto make them agreeable places of resort for the members. The annualexpenditure in many of them is from thirty to fifty thousand dollars.
It was after eight o'clock when Mr. George and Rollo went out; and assoon as they came into the street at Trafalgar Square, they saw allaround them the indications of an extraordinary and general excitement.The streets were full of people; and in every direction, and atdifferent distances from them, they could see lights gleaming in theair, over the roofs of the houses, or shining brightly upon the heads ofthe crowd in the street below, in some open space, or at some prominentand conspicuous corner. The current seemed to be setting to the west,towards the region of the club houses and palaces. The lights were morebrilliant, too, in that direction. So Rollo, taking hold of his uncle'shand and hurrying him along, said,--
"Come, uncle George! This is the way! They are all lighted up! See!"
For a moment Rollo forgot his cousin Jennie; though the direction inwhich he was going led, in fact, towards the hotel where she was.
The sidewalk soon became so full that it was impossible to go on anyfaster than the crowd itself was advancing; and at length, when Mr.George and Rollo got fairly into Pall Mall, and were in the midst of agreat blaze of illuminations, which were shining with intense splendorall around them, they were for a moment, in passing round a corner,completely wedged up by the crowd, so that they could scarcely move handor foot. In this jam Rollo felt a pressure upon his side near the regionof his pocket, which reminded him of his purse; and it immediatelyoccurred to him that it was not quite safe to have money about hisperson in such a crowd, and that it would be better to give it to hisuncle George to keep for him until he should get home.
So he put his hand into his pantaloons pocket to take out his purse;but, to his great dismay, he found that it was gone.
"Uncle George!" said he, in a tone of great consternation, "I have lostmy wallet!"
"Are you sure?" said Mr. George, quietly.
Mr. George knew very well that four times out of five, when people thinkthey have lost a purse, or a ring, or a pin, or any other valuable, itproves to be a false alarm.
Rollo, without answering his uncle's question, immediately began to feelin all his other pockets as well as he could in the crowd whichsurrounded him and pressed upon him so closely. His wallet was nowhereto be found.
"How much was there in it?" asked Mr. George.
"Two pounds and two pennies," said Rollo, "and your due bill for fourshillings."
"Are you sure you did not leave it at home?" asked Mr. George.
"Yes," said Rollo. "I have not taken it out since this morning. I lookedit over this morning and saw all the money, and I have not had it outsince."
"Some people think they are sure when they are not," said Mr. George. "Ithink you will find it when you go home."
Rollo was then anxious to go home at once and ascertain if his purse wasthere. All his interest in seeing the illumination was entirely gone.Mr. George made no objection to this; and so, turning off into a sidestreet in order to escape from the crowd, they directed their steps,somewhat hurriedly, towards their lodgings.
"I _know_ we shall not find it there," said Rollo, "for I am sure I hadit in my pocket."
"It is possible that we may find it," said Mr. George. "Boys deceivethemselves very often about being sure of things. It is one of the mostdifficult things in the world to know when we are sure. You may haveleft it in your other pocket, or put it in your trunk, or in somedrawer."
"No," said Rollo; "I am sure I put it in this pocket. Besides, I think Ifelt the robber's hand when he took it. I felt something there, at anyrate; and that reminded me of my purse; and I thought it would be bestfor me to give it to you. But when I went to feel for it, it was gone."
Mr. George had strong hopes, notwithstanding what Rollo said, that thepurse would be found at home; but these hopes were destined to bedisappointed. They searched every where when they got home; but thepurse was nowhere to be found. They looked in the drawers, in thepockets of other clothes, in the trunk, and all about the rooms. Mr.George was at length obliged to give it up, and to admit that the moneywas really gone.