Clifford looked at the boys curiously. "Are you the boys that Mr. Varney spoke about?"
"I suppose we are," said Harry.
"His story interested me very much. I learn that you have a regular manufacturing town here, and that you built all these things without any outside help, before you communicated with the outside world."
"Yes; and we had a glorious time doing it, too, but we owe everything to the Professor and John."
"That is really commendable to hear you say so.[p. 220] But you said, Mr. Varney, that Walter told you Clifford limped, and it was on account of this peculiarity you were led to believe that the dead man on Venture Island was Clifford?"
"One of the three men with Walter, was lame."
"Then it must have been one of his party that was murdered?"
"But Walter was explicit to tell us that one of your legs was shorter than the other. I early learned that such was not the case, and that is what confused me in identifying you. But there is also another thing which I could not understand."
"What is that?"
"Ephraim Wilmar."