“He is, if that sheriff doesn’t find him,” said the merchant doubtfully.
“I’ll risk that,” responded Caleb, who had vast confidence in Brandon’s ability to take care of himself.
But Adoniram shook his head.
“New York is a bad place for a boy to be alone in. Where will he go?”
“Down to the pier, I reckon, and hide aboard the steamer. I’ll agree to put him away there so that no measly faced sheriff like that fellow can find him.”
“It’s a bad business,” declared Mr. Pepper, shaking his head slowly. “If he hadn’t run off there might have been some way of fixing it up so that he wouldn’t have had to go back to Rhode Island, and thus delay the sailing of the steamer. We might have scared the uncle out of prosecuting him. He was badly frightened as it was.”
Caleb gazed at his friend for several moments with a quizzical smile upon his face.
“Do you know, Adoniram,” he said at length, “I b’lieve you’re too innocent for this wicked world.”
“How do you mean?” asked the merchant, flushing a little, yet smiling.
“Well, you don’t seem to see anything fishy in all this.”