He looked at us doubtfully, and shook his head again. The other man—he was the tall, silent one, who had led me along the road- opened the last cell on the right and told Ed Mason and me to go in. Mr. Daddles and Jimmy were put in a cell across the corridor. The tall man vanished upstairs, leaving us all locked in. Justin was turning down the light.
"Look here, old sport," said the banjo-player, "just let me have that, will you?"
He pointed toward the banjo. Justin's jaw dropped, and he raised his hands in horror.
"Let yer have that? Holy Cats! Why, Eb would skin me alive—an' you too—if you was to play on that thing down here!"
"I don't want to play on it," replied the man, "but the strings will get damp, and break, out there. Just let me have it in here, —that's a good fellow. I can let the strings down a bit. No good spoiling 'em. I won't play a note on it. Honest Injun!"
"Sure about it?" asked Justin.
"Sure. Honest, I won't."
"Well, all right, then. Mind what yer promised, now!"
He took a key down from a hook under the lamp, unlocked the cell door, and passed in the banjo. After locking the door with great care, and replacing the key on its hook, he bade us all good night, and went upstairs.
"Burglary? Is that what the Czar has run you in for?" This from the stranger with the banjo.