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 street of the town. He had begun the work of undermining the man who had dared express to his face an unreserved opinion of him as a manager, and when he, Hutchinson, was finished, the so-called Tom Locke would be down and done for.

"I have your promise, Mr. King," said Hutch, "to say nothing concerning the source of your information. I was determined to know the truth about that man, but you can understand that the general public might not approve of my method of obtaining it."

Suddenly he brushed back one of the coarse lace curtains, and leaned forward to look out of the window.

"I declare," he said, without the slightest change in his voice, "if here isn't our man now, carrying a kid on his back; and, on my word, the young lady in question is with him."

King crossed the room, almost at a bound, snatching aside the curtains. True, Locke was passing on the opposite side of the street, bearing on his back a little boy, whose left foot was bound about with a bloodstained handkerchief. Janet walked beside him; the other children straggled along behind.

There was a roaring in Benton King's ears, and a reddish mist seemed to flow across his vision like