“Yes, paying a visit long promised my friends,” I explained.
“And you left town—”
“On the 5th of July by way of the Hamburg-American Line.”
“Sorry I didn’t know it,” said Whiteley, with a laugh.
“I felt no discomfort at missing your bon voyage,” said I, joining in the laugh. “But seriously, colonel, I can’t just realize why you were so anxious to get your hooks on me. I got that money fairly through my Broad Street office. I sold ten bonds to a customer, and he gave me ten thousand in new money for them. I don’t know why I should suffer all this inconvenience.”
“Miles is right, Whiteley,” put in the ex-judge.
“But why did you get out of the country?” inquired the colonel.
“For a reason—I wanted to avoid trouble. My man Meriam was arrested—wrongfully, and I didn’t want to get in the same box. There’s no telling what you United States fellows will do to a man, once you get him in your toils.”
“Well, you gave us a good chase, Miles,” said Whiteley. “I had two hundred men looking for you, and it was lucky that you kept out of sight.”
“But you see I came back to you, colonel; that doesn’t look so bad in me, does it?”