"Thank you, Ben. You see, therefore, that it is essential for me to keep my presence here secret till the steamer sails. I will go down-stairs now and watch."
Ben delivered his parcel, left the steamer, and did not mention that he had met any one whom he knew. He felt bound to respect Squire Archer's secret.
In the afternoon he was walking up Washington Street with the bookkeeper, when the latter bought the Evening Transcript. He glanced at the first page and then turned to Ben.
"Do you know Archer living in Milltown?"
"Certainly; he is the superintendent of the mill there."
"Well, here is a paragraph about him. It seems he has left the town, with fifty thousand dollars belonging to the corporation. His flight has made a great sensation. The police are on his track, and it is thought that he will be arrested and brought back."
"I saw Squire Archer this morning, on the Cunard steamer. He told me not to mention having seen him till after the steamer had started."
"Is it possible?" exclaimed young Porter.
"Yes; he said he was looking out for a man who owed money to the mill, whom he suspected of taking secret passage for Europe."