“I did not: he found an accomplice in Dory Dornwood, who helped him to escape,” replied the prisoner doggedly; and, as he had no knowledge of what had transpired at the store, he was not prepared to admit any thing.
“But how does it happen that I find you a prisoner, bound hand and foot?” asked the merchant.
“I am the victim of an outrage. I had some difficulty with the engineer in the night, and he
joined forces with Dory against me. By taking me unawares, they succeeded in making me a prisoner. I had some money with me, and dropped my pocket-book on the floor near the wheel. When I found it, the money was taken out, and its place filled with a piece of newspaper.” This statement also confirmed that of Dory.
“How much money did you happen to have with you?” inquired his employer.
“About a hundred dollars. Of course I knew that the engineer had done this, for no one but Greeze and myself had been on board of the steamer.”
“Are you sure of that?”
“As sure as I can be of any thing in this world,” persisted Lingerwell.
“Are you correct about the amount of money in your pocket-book?”
“I would not say there was just a hundred dollars in it, but about that amount.”