he
(Trumps) was free to make himself scarce.

CHAPTER TEN.

DETECTIVE DOINGS.

For a considerable time the boy prowled about the house of Mr Spivin in
the hope of seeing David Laidlaw go out or in; but our Scot did not
appear. At last a servant-girl came to the open door with a broom in
her hand to survey the aspect of things in general. Tommy walked
smartly up to her, despite the stern gaze of a suspicious policeman on
the opposite side of the street.

"My sweet gal," he said affably touching his cap, "is Capting Laidlaw
within?"

"There's no _Captain_ Laidlaw here," answered the girl sharply; "there
_was_ a Daivid Laidlaw, but--"

"Da-a-a-vid, my dear, not Daivid. The gen'l'm'n hisself told me, and
surely 'e knows 'ow to prenounce 'is own name best."

"You've a deal of cheek, boy--anyway, Laidlaw 'as bin took up, an' 'e's
now in prison."

The sudden look of consternation on the boy's face caused the girl to
laugh.

"D'ee know w'ere they've took 'im to?"

"No, I don't."

"But surely you don't b'lieve 'e's guilty?" said the boy, forgetting
even his humorous tendencies in his anxiety about his friend.

"No, I don't" said the girl, becoming suddenly earnest, "for Mary an' me
saw--"

"Martha-a-a!" shouted a female voice from the interior of the house at
that moment.

The girl ran in. At the same time the suspicious policeman came up
with, "Now then, youngster, move on."

"Move off you mean, bobby. Hain't you been to school yet, stoopid?"
cried the boy, applying his thumb to his nose and moving his fingers in
what he styled a thumbetrical manner as he ran away.

But poor Tommy Splint was in no jesting mood. He had been impressed
with the idea from infancy--rightly or wrongly--that once in the
clutches of the law it was no easy matter to escape from them; and he
was now utterly incapable of deciding what his next step should be. In
this difficulty he was about to return disconsolate to Cherub Court when
it occurred to him that it might be worth while to pay a visit to the
good ship _Seacow_, and obtain the opinion of Sam Blake.

Although it was broad day and the sun was glowing gloriously in an
unclouded sky, he found Sam down in a dark hole, which he styled his
bunk, fast asleep.

Sam did not move when Tommy shook and woke him. He merely opened his
eyes quietly and said, "All right, my lad; what's up?" After hearing
the boy's story to the end he merely said, "Mind your helm--clear out!