"I did not."
"They robbed me and ran away."
"Saints preserve us! Robbed ye? Of phat?"
"Of everything I had. Sure you didn't see 'em?"
"Not since this marnin'."
"Well, they must have just gone out," said Dick, and ran down the stairs and to the office. Here he found the place deserted, the clerk having gone down to the dining room for his supper, and nobody else being on duty. The clerk listened to his story with small interest and shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't see what I can do," he said. "We ain't responsible for our guests. You had better go and see the police. I hope you catch them, for such rascals give hotels bad reputations."
"Do you know the men at all?"
"No, never set eyes on 'em until a couple of days ago. Then they came in, hired that room, and came and went to suit themselves. One was named Brown and the other Smith—at least that's the names on the register."
"Those were fake names. Then you won't help me to catch them?"