All at once it flashed upon him, and
he jumped up eagerly and rushed to the door. He tried in vain to
open it.
"I am regularly trapped!" he thought, with a feeling of mingled
anger and vexation. "What a fool I was to let myself be swindled
so easily! I wonder how long I have been lying here insensible?"
Paul was not a boy to give up easily. He meant to get back the
ring if it was a possible thing. The first thing was, of course,
to get out of his present confinement. He was not used to hotel
arrangements and never thought of the bell, but, as the only
thing he could think of, began to pound upon the door. But it so
happened that at this time there were no servants on that floor,
and his appeals for help were not heard. Every moment that he
had to wait seemed at least five, for no doubt the man who had
swindled him was improving the time to escape to a place of
safety. Finding that his blows upon the door produced no effect,
he began to jump up and down upon the floor, making, in his heavy
boots, a considerable noise.
The room directly under No. 237 was occupied by an old gentleman
of a very nervous and irascible temper, Mr. Samuel Piper, a
country merchant, who, having occasion to be in the city on
business for a few days, had put up at Lovejoy's Hotel.
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