"When Joe had finished speaking, I turned to the villain who was
trying if possible to scare the poor lad's reason away.
"'The threat you hold over this boy is worthless' I said. 'You have
no power to deliver him up to his old master. I believe it can be
very clearly proved that he was stolen, and in that case the man who
stole him is liable to heavy punishment. So much I know. You cannot
touch the lad, and you shall not with my leave. Now as to the rest of
the tale, there is an easy way of finding out which of you is
speaking the truth. I shall adopt that easy plan. I shall give the
purse to neither of you, but take it myself to the little girl who
intrusted it to me. I can go to her by train to-morrow morning. I had
meant to give myself a holiday, and this trip will just suit me to
perfection. If the boy likes to accompany me to his mother, I will
pay his fare third-class. Should the old woman turn out not to be his
mother and his story prove false, I shall have nothing more to say to
him. As to you, Anton, if that is your name, I don't think I need
have any further words with you. If you like to go back to the little
girl, you can find your own way back to her. I shall certainly give
to neither of you the purse.
"My dear," continued Miss Smith, "after this, and seeing that he was
completely foiled, and that his little game was hopeless, that bad
man, Anton, took it upon him to abuse me a good deal, and he might,
it is just possible, he _might_ have proceeded to worse, had not
this same Joe taken him quietly by the shoulders and put him not only
out of the room, but out of the door.
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