The youths found Mr. Passmore in a protected corner of a side porch, smoking. Most of the storm was now over, but it still rained.
"Tired of bowling, eh?" said Bert's father, who was a wholesale dealer in rugs.
"Mr. Passmore, we want to ask you some questions," said Roger. "Do you know an elderly gentleman here by the name of Fordham?"
"Fordham? Yes, I've met him. Nice man, too, but rather feeble."
"Is he alone here?" asked Dave.
"Practically. He has a son that comes to see him once in a while. Did you want to see him?"
"We have seen him, and we were wondering if we hadn't better have a talk with him," explained Dave.
"We'll tell you how it is," put in Roger, who knew Mr. Passmore well. And then he and Dave related the particulars of what they had seen, and told something of what Job Haskers was.
"Hum! This might be worth looking into," mused the rug dealer. "Of course, these stocks may be all right. But it looks rather fishy to me. Years ago I bought some stocks like that and they proved to be utterly worthless. It certainly won't do any harm to tell old Mr. Fordham what you know about this man Haskers."
"I'd hate to get into a row——" commenced Roger.