“Come on, now, don’t crowd,” advised the officer, and the throng thinned out, while Ned and Frank, glad they had escaped any unpleasantness, emerged into Battery Park again.
“Did you see enough?” asked Frank.
“Sure. Now I’m ready for the next thing on the programme. Say, that sailor was a friendly chap all right, wasn’t he?”
“Too friendly,” Frank said. “I didn’t want him to get into a fight on our account.”
“I should say not. But maybe he meant all right.”
“Well, I’m not so sure of that. What time have you? It must be nearly one o’clock.”
Ned reached toward his vest, where he carried his father’s gold watch. He had chosen that as a memento of his dead parent, Frank taking a peculiar old ring that he valued highly. But instead of pulling out the watch it was the empty chain that dangled from Ned’s hand.
“Why—why—” he began, a blank look coming over his face. “Why, where’s dad’s watch? I never left it anywhere! I had it not an hour ago, when we went in there! Now it’s gone!”
Frank uttered an exclamation.
“You’ve been robbed, Ned!” he cried. “Those two fellows—I see it now! That was only a game! They—”