“You cannot fail to attract attention if you enter that place, old man, and you know it.”
“Why not?”
“Your appearance is somewhat different from the customers who patronize this joint, I rather think.”
“But you must remember that I have a way of making myself appear at home almost anywhere.”
“But you wear a ring, a scarf-pin, and you have a watch-chain in view.”
“I shall remove the scarf-pin, take off the ring, and button my coat over my vest.”
“That will not hide your clothes, and you will be conspicuous amid a lot of sailors and bums.”
“Still, I believe I can go in there without attracting much attention to myself. If we go in together, we are far more likely to be noticed by Hooker.”
“If you were to go in there and find out that Hooker really was up to something crooked, what would you do?”
“Get out quietly, and give Hooker the throw-down at the first opportunity. Never fear, Bart, if I discover that you are right about the fellow—if I satisfy myself beyond a doubt that he is what you believe him to be—I shall treat him as I would any other rascal.”