These words made young Mortimer wince, and his nerve palpably weakened. He muttered some unintelligible reply—whether a threat or not none present knew.
“How came you to overhear this conversation between the old fence and this fellow?” asked Mr. Goldwin of Bob Hunter.
young randolph and bob hunter confront felix mortimer and charge him with his villainy.
The young detective here related the whole story, telling why he suspected Mortimer, how he saw him at the bank in Herbert’s place, how he shadowed him up Broadway—told of the bootblacking scene, in which he got the essential facts from Peter Smartweed and Mortimer; related his manner of gaining admittance to the fence, and told of the trick he played upon the old man and Felix—the trick that enabled him to carry out to success his scheme for liberating Herbert Randolph.
“And you did all of this alone?” asked the banker, with genuine astonishment.
“Yes, sir,” replied Bob, carelessly, as if it didn’t amount to much.
“I cannot realize it,” said Mr. Goldwin, admiringly. “A professional detective could not have done better, and probably would have fallen far short of doing as well.”
“I didn’t think nothin’ of it,” returned Bob. “’Twas easy enough, and ’twas kinder of excitin’, too.”