Watson went out and closed the door, and Guy turned to the first visitor, saying:
“It must have been a mistake. He’s surely all right.”
“You’d ’ave sworn he was the man that entered your room, wouldn’t you?” asked Gunseyt.
“Almost. I was about as sure of it as I could be, I thought.”
“Then don’t you let him buffalo you. He’s as smooth and clever as they make ’em. He’s a crook dyed in the wool, and I know it. But you’re not at liberty to repeat this, because I can’t prove it any more than you can prove that he entered your stateroom while you were out. You know now what it means to know something without being able to back it up with evidence. But it’s nothing to me. I’m only telling you this to put you on your guard.”
CHAPTER X
The Voice with the “Squeak and Roar”
Next morning Guy went to Captain Harding and told him of the visit of Watson and the protest he had made. The master of the ship looked at the boy with a smile, half of concern, half of amusement, and replied:
“You surely have made a mistake, young man. I’ve known Mr. Watson for several years. He’s all right. I’ll give you my word as a man absolutely that he neither committed nor attempted to commit a burglary.”
“I’m satisfied now that I did him an injustice,” said Guy. “I’ll go and apologize to him. But I wonder who the burglar could ’ave been.”
“If I get further information on the subject, you’ll hear from me,” assured the captain. “We have a detective on board.”