"And here I am. Why ain't it him?" asked Timothy, also standing by the press and reaching up.
"They do look alike when their backs are turned toward us," observed Captain Sinclair.
"Only the keeper said the one he saw had whiskers, and there are Timothy's," remarked Thomas.
Dave wore only a moustache. Thomas's remark called the attention of everybody to Timothy's whiskers, projecting like wings from his cheeks. These wings were red, but their colour was not as vivid as that of Timothy's face.
"Besides," continued Thomas, "Dave wasn't here. He can prove an alibi. He was over at Pudding P'int; came to get a fish from me."
"Why," said Timothy indignantly, "I was--two miles away."
"I saw you round the shore myself; and here is your pocket-book that Dave found at the foot of the light-tower that very morning."
Timothy opened his eyes, swelled up his cheeks, puffed, declared he didn't see how that was, "and--and--"
Here Bart interrupted his stammering, and said,--
"And I saw you up at our shed that evening. I thought it was Dave Fletcher, taking a back view; but when I called 'Dave!' there was no answer to it;--and, Dave, you'd speak if I called, wouldn't you?"