Reginald gave an almost unconscious sigh of relief. Within that embrace he felt that he was safe.
“Now what is all this about?” said Sydney, in his business-like tone, addressing the officer. “It seems you have arrested my brother here for breaking a Chinaman’s windows. Did you see him throw the stone?”
“No, but a gentleman did,” replied the officer.
“Where’s that gentleman now?”
He was not to be found. He had dropped out of the procession before it reached Chestnut Street.
“He was a bystander. He is not here now,” answered the policeman. “I didn’t think the boy did it myself, but he admits that he was running when the alarm was given.”
“That amounts to nothing. Do you arrest everybody that runs in the street? Explain why you were running, Rex.”
Rex did so, as he had already done.
“This fellow who told you that there was a runaway coming for you,” went on Sydney; “had you seen him before?”
“Yes; he came up and spoke to me while I was looking in a store window at some bicycles.”