Teddy spoke so sternly that Carrots was forced to obey; and, walking slowly and mournfully to City Hall Park, he washed his face in the basin of the fountain, drying it as well as he could with the sleeve of his coat, for Teddy no longer carried his newspaper valise since he had a dwelling-place in which to leave it.
As a matter of course, Carrots's friends, who chanced to be in the vicinity, insisted on knowing exactly what had happened, and, on being informed of the outrage, denounced the perpetrator of the villainy in no measured terms.
"He'll get hisself into trouble if he keeps on this way very long," one of the listeners said when the story had been told in all its details. "I've got tired seein' him tryin' to run the whole town, an' it strikes me there oughter be enough other fellers that feel the same way to set down on him."
More than one expressed the same opinion, and Teddy was made happy by hearing suggestions as to what should be done to curb Master Jellison's ambitions; but, although very much advice was given, no one volunteered anything in the way of assistance toward righting the wrong that had been done.
Vain threats and denunciations would not bring back the stolen money, and, to Teddy, this was more important than "squaring himself" with Skip. Therefore, after having waited for Carrots to talk with his friends as long as he thought absolutely necessary, he whispered:
"Now, see here, old man, I've got to go to work. We mustn't fool any more time away. Let's earn what we can the rest of the day, an' to-night we'll fix up some kind of a plan."
Carrots would have been better pleased to remain with his friends; but his partner was so peremptory that he could not refuse to go to work, and, half an hour later, the business associates were industriously engaged either in selling papers or blacking boots, according to the demands of their customers.