"Well, it is all I can think of just now."
"Hm-m! A desperate pair, eh? McNaughton, I thought you were a better judge of human nature than that."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"I mean, with all due respect to you, that I don't believe a word of this. What did the boys say—what excuse did they offer?"
"Denied it, of course."
"Tell me exactly what Foley and Kalinski said in making their charges."
Mr. McNaughton did so. There was a slight flush on his cheeks, brought there by the sharp answers of the general superintendent.
As he finished, Ignatz suddenly came to life again.
"All lies!" he exclaimed, waving his arms over his head, after which he subsided.
"That will do, Brodsky!" commanded Mr. Keating sternly, while his division superintendent flushed violently. "There is something more to this affair than you seem to have learned. These boys came to me with the highest recommendations from President Carrhart. They held responsible positions in the mines and they came here to learn the steel business after having followed the ore all the way down. There is some mistake; depend upon that."