"But—but——" Our hero was so staggered he could not continue for the moment.
"This Hamilton Dart—or whatever he calls himself—is a first-class swindler."
"A swindler!" Nat fell up against the doorway. "I—I—then my money is gone?"
"More than likely."
"Oh, what a fool I've been! And I thought he was such a gentleman."
"He has fooled lots of folks besides you, young man," said one of the men, kindly, for he saw that Nat was hard hit.
"He isn't a business man at all?"
"He is a confidence man from Chicago."
By this time, feeling certain something was wrong, Harry Bray and Oliver Ripple came below.
"What do you mean by confidence man?" asked Nat, doubtfully.