“You—did—not, sir!” cried Aleck, fiercely.
“Well, then, it must ha’ been somebody else’s, sir; that’s all I can say.”
“Whose, pray?” cried Aleck. “Who would dare to do such a thing as that? Stop!” he cried, as a sudden idea flashed through his brain. “I saw two lads in a boat sculling away from the pier as hard as they could go.”
“You see that, Master Aleck?”
“Yes, when I came down from High Street.”
“Where was they going, sir?” cried the man, staring hard.
“Towards the curing sheds.”
“Could you see who they was, sir?”
“No; they seemed to be two big lads, just about the same as the rest.”
“Where was they going from?” asked Tom, excitedly.