Phil nodded.
"What time did he return from the lot?"
"He was here when I went on deck. He came to the boat directly after the performance."
"You are sure of this?"
"I am."
"You are a very shrewd young man, sir," said Mr. Sparling, with a mirthless smile. "However, these guilty men must be found and punished. You think their first efforts will be directed toward the net?"
"Yes, according to what I overheard. I have an idea, however, that they will not do so at once, fearing they may have been recognized, or at any rate that their plans are known to someone else."
"Do you think they recognized you?"
"I do not. I did not speak. I was on the point of doing so, then checked myself."
"Right! You are one in a hundred. I will have a watch kept on the net, and an examination made of it before every performance."