“I said, ‘Yes. I found the key. Is this it?’ And I showed him that skeleton key. He said it was. I asked him if he was sure.
“‘I certainly am,’ he replied.
“‘Well,’ I said, ‘that’s exactly what I want to know, because that key fits Mr. King’s desk and was used to open his desk the day his papers were stolen.’ You should have seen him when I told him that, Mr. King. He wilted like a lily in a hot room. Then he began to bluster, and try to bluff it out; but I told him it was no use to lie about it and that we had him dead to rights. So in the end he confessed everything. He still has the papers, and I told him that if he would return the papers we would try to get him off as easy as possible.”
Mr. King wheeled in his chair and faced his former office boy. “So that’s the kind of boy you are, eh?” he said. “It’s too bad Mr. Sheridan made such a promise to you. You are more than a thief. I fully believe that you would have allowed my new office boy to go to prison when you were the guilty one yourself. I suppose I am bound by Mr. Sheridan’s promise. But let me tell you that if you do not come across with those papers at once, and if you do not do everything in your power to make amends to Willie, I won’t consider that I am bound by it. I’ll do my best to see that you get the maximum instead of the minimum punishment.”
Then Mr. King turned to Sheridan. “Take him out of here as quick as you can get him out,” he said. “I’m getting madder every minute.”
Sheridan hustled his sullen prisoner out of the office. No sooner had they crossed the threshold than the buzzer rang violently. Willie fairly flew to his Chief’s desk. For a moment Mr. King was silent. Then he held out his hand.
“Willie,” he said, “shake hands. The boy that just left this office is the thief that stole my papers. Your honesty is absolutely proved. I want to congratulate you. You have borne yourself splendidly during this ordeal. You will reap your reward, for you now have my absolute confidence.”
CHAPTER XV
A WATCH ON A DIAMOND SMUGGLER
Relieved of the last shadow of suspicion, and with the confidence of his superior made plainer every day, Willie applied himself with increased energy to his tasks. Again it was fortunate for Willie that there were no other boys in the office. His feeling during the first few days after the arrest of Tom Smith was one of exultation, of almost irrepressible joy. He wanted to shout and whistle and express his feelings in noise and physical action. But there was no one to share his feelings with him. The office force consisted wholly of grown men, mostly of staid and sober habits. Of necessity, Willie had to repress his spirits in some way. The only outlet appeared to be in work. So Willie worked harder than ever.
Perhaps it was fortunate for him that the office force was so crowded with work. There were innumerable tasks that rightfully belonged to the office boy. Willie had to run errands, carry papers, make trips to the Appraisers’ Stores, send wireless messages for his Chief, meet visitors at the gate, and do many other things, in the course of his regular work. But Willie was quick in his movements, and still quicker in thought. He was continually studying how to save time, and as a result he saved time. So, despite all the regular tasks that fell to his lot, he was able to do some that could by no possibility have been considered part of an office boy’s work.