"Me keys, is it? What for should I be after givin' up the badge of me own office, I'd loike to know? Me and me keys are foriver togither. We're one and the same, now and foriver. What for should you be after axin' me such a question as that?"
Ward thought he perceived from the janitor's manner that he was rendered somewhat uneasy by the question, and resolving to chance all upon one question, he said:
"Mike, what did you let Jack Hobart have your keys for?"
"Jack Hobart have me keys? Is he that b'y they call 'Speck,' what has a room over in East Hall? Is he that same?"
"He is that same. Now tell me about your letting him have your keys."
"Indade, and Oi did not let him have me keys."
"All right then, Mike. That's all I wanted to know," and Ward made as if he were about to shut the door.
"Hold on a bit, will yez?" said Mike, evidently somewhat disturbed. "Oi did not let Speck have me keys, as Oi'm tellin' yez. But that's not sayin' as how I might not have lint them to the lad a bit of a minute is it?"
"You know what I meant, Mike," said Ward, his trouble all returning instantly. "When did you let him have them? How long did he keep them? Who was with him?"
"Listin to the lad, will yez. Jist listin to the quistions he can ask, faster nor any man can count 'em, and he the perfessor of dust and ashes at that. Now thin, I'll be after tellin' yez all about it," said the janitor more soberly and evidently troubled more than he cared to show. "Jack Hobart came to me and he sez, sez he, 'Me room's locked Mike and I can't git in,' which same is true. Sez I, 'Why don't yez take yer key then, and unlock the door, me bye.' 'That same's what I'd loike to do,' sez Jack, 'but I've lost me key and Jacob's gone to his dinner.' Ah, that's what comes of having a haything for a perfessor of dust and ashes instid of a white man loike mesilf. So whin the lad asked me to lind him the loan of me keys, I did that same. He didn't be after havin' 'em more nor tin minutes, and I shouldn't be surprised at all, at all, if he didn't have 'em a speck over nine. There's bin no harm done, Oi'm thinkin'?"