“Well, the day is going to wind up with a rush,” thought Tom. “Whom did you wish?” he asked politely.
“I want to talk to Mr. Cutler,” spoke a woman’s voice.
“He is busy now. If you will hold the wire, I’ll let you speak to him as soon as he has finished.”
“Very well. Don’t forget it. It’s very important.”
“I’ll not. Just hold the wire.”
Then, as was his custom, when a party was waiting for one of the law-firm members who was already engaged on the wire, Tom depressed the cam which enabled him to hear whether Mr. Cutler and the speaker whose voice had so startled the boy, were finished. Tom, as he “cut in” heard Mr. Cutler saying:
“Yes, yes, I’ll attend to it for you. The plan ought to work, but you’ve got to be careful.”
Then, before he shut off the connection through his own instrument, he heard the man on the other end of the wire say:
“I’ve got the papers all right. The forgetful old dotard left them in his study, and my wife heard him and the boy talking about them. I’ve got ’em all right, and he’ll never remember anything about them. I guess they ought to be worth something, eh?”
“Yes, indeed,” Mr. Cutler replied. “The estate is a big one, and there’s no reason why you and I shouldn’t have a share. I guess we can work it without any one knowing anything about it. I’ll call you up in a few days Mr.——”