"
"There are only two more details needed, as it appears to me," Tom remarked
quietly.
"Good! And what are they?" demanded the treasurer, wheeling around to look
keenly at the young chief engineer.
"The two details we now need," Reade continued, "are, first, who was the
negro? Second, who was behind the negro in this rascally work?"
"Only two points to be solved," suggested the treasurer mockingly, "but
pretty big points. Of course, the first point is---"
"To find that negro, and get him jailed," Tom declared incisively.
"Good enough!" nodded Mr. Prenter. "The detectives will find the negro."
"Will they?" Tom asked. "Then that will be something new, indeed. I've
seen detectives employed a good deal, Mr. Prenter, and generally all they
catch are severe colds and items to stick in on the expense account."
"Oh, there are some real detectives in this country," contended Mr.
Prenter. "We'll engage some of them, too."
"The expense of hiring detectives will be very large," murmured Mr.
Bascomb uneasily.
"Yes, it will," agreed the treasurer with a laugh. "But never mind. It's
always my task to find funds for the company, you know."
"Harry," Tom broke in, "just what did that negro look like?"
"About six-foot-three," answered Hazelton, slowly and thoughtfully.
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