"Did he not have a son?"
"Yes; but, as I told you, he died."
"He only disappeared. He was carried away, for what object, you can tell."
"You are dealing in mysteries. I don't know what you are talking about." Mr. Grey said this, but his troubled look showed that he did not feel as unconcerned as he pretended.
Gilbert continued:
"The man who carried me off was a clerk in your employ. His name was Jacob Morton."
"So he took you to Australia, did he? That's a likely story."
"Yes. He was supplied with money by you for the purpose. But he did not like Australia. After awhile he returned to New York, and there I was brought up in the streets, suffering every privation, while you were enjoying the property my father left."
"Well, have you got anything more to say? The tale does great credit to your invention."
"Three years ago—a little more, perhaps—I saw you in New York. I brushed your boots on the steps of the Astor House."