This troubled Spike somewhat in his talk with Patsy, but, by some skillful lying, he got up a story that somebody had been fooling Lannigan with the tale that he and Morris were going to sell him out.
His cunning and, perhaps, fear of Lannigan, led him to deny the theft from Lannigan’s rooms.
“See here, Spike,” said Patsy, “you may lie as much as you want to, but I know that you got into Lannigan’s rooms and took those papers and models. I know when you did it, and I saw you coming away from there.”
Both the young crooks looked at Patsy curiously, but without replying.
They did not know how much Patsy really knew, and they had convinced themselves that they had made the entry into Lannigan’s rooms unknown to any one but themselves.
“Now,” continued Patsy, “you can keep up your lying if it will do you any good. You ain’t level with me when you don’t give me the game, after me putting you on. I’m going to know all about it, and you can’t stop me. The only thing is now, are you goin’ to throw me on the deal or not.”
“Goin’ to throw nothin’,” said Spike. “Say, how much do you t’ink I ought to strike de old dame for, if I can make de deal?”
Patsy could hardly restrain a smile, for in this question Spike was admitting what he had been denying, and that was the possession of the drawings and models. He did not appear to notice it, however, and replied:
“Strike her for twelve thousand dollars.”
“Gee whiz!” exclaimed both Spike and Bally in a breath.