Dick judged that he whistled softly and received no answer. In a minute or two he whistled again, when the door was opened partly, and he appeared to be talking to some one inside. "That must be Jim," thought Dick. "I suppose they are making some arrangement; but it’s odd the other fellow doesn’t show himself." Presently Curly took what appeared to be a scrap of newspaper from his pocket, and in order to see it better, Jim came right outside. Then, almost imperceptibly, Curly began to edge away till he manoeuvred Jim from the doorway to the front of the shop. The movement was so natural and performed so dexterously that even the suspicious Dick thought nothing of it. But the instant the coast was clear, a dark figure glided swiftly through the open door and disappeared in the shop. Dick rubbed his eyes and looked at Jim. His head was bent over the paper, and, whether by accident or design, Curly kept him engaged in animated conversation. What was to be done? Should he rush over and give the alarm? For once in his life he could not decide what to do, and while he hesitated the opportunity was lost. Jim was still talking earnestly when the dark figure reappeared in the doorway, stole away with cat-like stealth by the side of the wall, and vanished. The next moment some one coughed loudly; Jim looked up with a start, returned the paper to Curly, and, with a parting word, went back to the shop door. A dozen yards away Bryant waited for his companion. There was not sufficient light for Dick to see what took place, but in a minute or two Curly ran back quickly to where Jim was still standing. This time Curly did not speak so quietly, and so Dick was able to hear brief snatches of the conversation, such as, "Awfully sorry—wouldn’t do you—now we’re square, aren’t we?" "Yes," replied Jim, slipping something into his pocket, "and it comes in very handy just now." "All right," said Curly, walking away; and raising his voice, he added, "You’ll be sure to come, won’t you? We’ll have a rattling good time. So long." Dick was on the horns of a dilemma. He felt eager to tell his chum what he had seen, yet he had a vague idea that he ought to keep an eye on the other two. "I’ll follow them up," he said, "and then come back to meet Jim. Unless I’ve been dreaming with my eyes open, there’s something very rotten in the state of Denmark." Meanwhile, Jim remained at the door till the errand-boy returned, then he went in and sat down at the desk. He had finished his lessons, and was in the midst of a very exciting story, but somehow he did not find much pleasure in it. As a matter of fact he was getting very tired of Curly Peters and Company. He knew quite well they were doing him no food. On more than one occasion they had forced him to lie to his employer and to do other things of which he was heartily ashamed.