had some furniture,--four-post beds, wash-stands, and one or two
hair-cloth chairs. The bed in my room had a mattress and blankets,
but no other bed-clothes. Mr. Snider bade me good-night, tried to
shake hands with me--an attempt in which I foiled him--and softly
departed down stairs.

After I was in bed I could hear the murmur of his voice below, as
he talked with the Professor. Just as I was dropping off to sleep
the voices grew suddenly louder for a moment or two, as if a door
had opened somewhere.

"Maybe," I heard the Professor say, "but they'd never send a kid
like that."

Mr. Snider answered something,--I could not distinguish the words.

"Oh, rats!" said the Professor, "what could he have seen?"

Again Mr. Snider murmured.

"Oh, sure, sure," the Professor's voice came again, "I was for
keeping him, from the first. But just to be perfectly safe. We
want to keep him till the first crowd has gone, anyway,--and till
the second one has gone, if you say so. I don't care."

Another mutter from Snider; the Professor laughed and spoke again:

"It won't make a bit of difference. Bowditch has got all those
hayseeds hypnotised. That's where you come in,--with your pink
whiskers. ... Say, that door's open!"