"How did you come to suspect who I was, you, little fool?" he
demanded. "The day you came to see me in the Hospital and stood
there saying, 'Oh, yes,' to everything I said--who put you on my
track, eh? Somebody was smart--thought I would never notice a
small boy, eh? ho did it?"

"Nobuddy put me on anybuddy's track," said Asa. "I just happened
around every time."

"Of course!" said the Wolf. "Of course! You just happened a
round. Funny, as you Americans say. And the letter in your
pocket--it happens that I lost that letter through the idiocy of
one of my servants. You happened to find that also, of course.
Where did you find it?"

Asa was silent. He determined not to tell.

"Now I want you to tell me the whole thing. If you tell me
everything, I shall give you a great sum of money and let you go.
Won't that be fine?"

He paused again, looking keenly at Asa.

"Come, come!" said the Wolf. "I do not like to be kept waiting.
You saw what I did to the little man down the street. I stabbed
him. I am not afraid to tell you. I shall not stab you. Oh,
no! You are a nice boy; you are going to tell me all about
everything. That little man is dead now, quite dead. You would
not like to be like that, would you? Well, you are going to get
a lot of money, and go free, so you can have a nice time spending