The speaker evidently thought that Andy knew all about this, while in reality Andy only guessed it.
“Oh, I’m responsible for that, too, am I?” observed Andy.
“Yes, you are. You left me in the lurch, and while Gus was off with a customer some one robbed the money drawer. I was mad and accused Gus of taking it. Gus got mad and left home.”
“What did I have to do with that?”
“Why, if you’d stayed where you belonged it wouldn’t have happened, would it?”
Andy actually laughed outright at this strange reasoning.
“What!” he cried. “Me, the firebug, me, the thief you accuse me of being!”
“Well, anyhow, you’ve been a lot of expense and trouble to me. Now you’re in a hard fix. You are dead sure to go to the reformatory until you are twenty-one years of age, unless some one steps in and saves you.”
“You think so, do you, Mr. Talbot?”
“I am certain of it.”