"That's what Teddy didn't know. He said Sam flashed up 'bout an hour ago lookin' as chipper as you please, an' with cash in his pocket. He's tumbled to our racket, an' is promenadin' 'round town sayin' he'll catch Jip Collins before to-morrow night."
The three boys gazed at each other in perplexity, and fully a moment elapsed before the almost painful silence was broken.
Then Seth said interrogatively:
"Of course Teddy knew what he was talkin' 'bout?"
"Oh yes, he hasn't made any mistake, 'cause he saw Sam and heard him blow 'bout what a swell time he had in Philadelphy."
"He couldn't have been there very long."
"I don't understand it," and Bill plunged his hands deep in his pocket as he looked gloomily around. "I thought when we shipped him off that we'd settled the detective business, an' now it ain't any dead certain thing he won't run right across Jip Collins, 'cause the poor feller thinks Sam's so far away there's no danger of meetin' him."
"Where's Teddy?" Dan asked.
"Down on the sidewalk."
"What's he waitin' for?"