They looked as they had not slept regularly for a week, and when they did, seemed to have made any old place their resting-spot. Their faces bore marks of dissipation.
Their whole bearing indicated that the money they had recently come into had helped them down the road of idleness and crime.
"We've come back to the Junction specially to see you," observed Bemis, sinking upon a sofa opposite their helpless prisoner.
"Yes, unfinished business, ha! ha!" jeered Ike Slump, looking mightily bad and vicious as he proceeded to light a cigarette. "We owe you one, as you'll perhaps remember. You put the police onto me."
Ralph had not done this. As the reader knows, it was the act of Van Sherwin. Ralph, however, did not care to enlighten his captors as to the real facts of the case.
"And you stole my job from me," added Mort Bemis savagely. "You've put Young Slavin up to queer us, too."
"So," resumed Slump, "seeing we did one good job for a certain liberal gentleman in Stanley Junction, we'll try and please him in another. At the same time, we get good and even with you for ourselves."
"I can easily guess you might please Gasper Farrington with anything that means harm to me, if that is what you are getting at," observed Ralph pointedly.
"Who mentioned Farrington?" demanded Slump.
"He went on your bond. It is pretty easy to guess you are in cahoots with him in some way," bluntly retorted Ralph.