Then he followed Oliva, and Stuyvesant got up.
“That was Oliva’s mistake,” he remarked. “I saw where you were leading him and you put the questions well. Now, however, you’ll have to take on his duties until we get another man.”
They left the testing-house, and as Bethune and Dick walked up the valley the former said: “It’s my opinion that you were imprudent in one respect. You showed the fellows that it was you who found them out. It might have been better if you had, so to speak, divided the responsibility.”
“They’ve gone, and that’s the most important thing,” Dick rejoined.
“From the works. It doesn’t follow that they’ll quit Santa Brigida. Payne, the storekeeper, is of course an American tough, but I don’t think he’ll make trouble. He’d have robbed us cheerfully, but I expect he’ll take his being found out as a risk of the game; besides, Stuyvesant will have to ship him home if he asks for his passage. But I didn’t like the look Oliva gave you. These dago half-breeds are a revengeful lot.”
“I’m not in the town often and I’ll be careful if I go there after dark. To tell the truth, I didn’t want to interfere, but I couldn’t let the rogues go on with their stealing.”
“I suppose not,” Bethune agreed. “The trouble about doing your duty is that it often costs you something.”