“It looks exactly like him, and I suppose it would be as easy for him to take the name Keeler as any other alias.”
“But there is a Charles Keeler,” went on Roy, “I didn’t know these men would dare masquerade around the country as such famous people. They would be sure to be found out.”
“What are you going to do about it?” asked Rex.
It was characteristic of him that, though he had himself invited Keeler to the house, he was now putting all the responsibility on his brother.
“Let’s sit down and talk it over calmly,” replied Roy. “I’ve been thinking the thing over and I can’t see what harm it can do to let Mr. Keeler stay.”
“What, a confidence man!” exclaimed Rex and Jess in a breath.
“He may have reformed,” continued Roy. “He didn’t plan deliberately to come to this house, nothing he has said or done since he has been here has made us suspect him of being anything else than what he claimed to be.”
“But if he has reformed what would he be going around pretending to be what he wasn’t for?” interrupted Jess, “You don’t suppose that Martin Blakesley and Charles Keeler, the author, are one and the same person, do you?”
Roy did not answer for a minute. He had plainly not thought of this side of the matter.
“Ugh! it makes me creep,” went on Jess, “to feel that a man who has been in state’s prison twice is in this very house and going to stay here all night. I’m going to stay up until morning. I think I’ll sit down here and read the lives of these criminals. It will be an appropriate occupation.”