Spooner was the next man summoned, and the contractor passed the most uncomfortable hour of his life under Mr. Penton's shrewd questioning. Spooner had been a miner and his contracting was of only recent date. When he saw that the superintendent was in possession of all the facts, he admitted that he had been receiving pay for many tons a day more than he had delivered to the company. Mr. Penton considered the matter for some moments, while the contractor stood before him twisting his hat nervously between his hands, now and then shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "What do you think I ought to do with a rascal like you?" finally demanded the superintendent. "I'll give up my contract and go back to working in the drift." "You will do nothing of the sort! You will keep on with your contract until you have paid back what you have robbed the company of, you and your partner in crime, Marvin. You are a fine pair. By rights I ought to send both of you to jail. Perhaps I may do that yet, but that will depend upon what officials higher up order me to do. For the present, however, you will engage to pay back what you have stolen; that is, unless you prefer to hand over the money in a lump." "I haven't that much money--I have no money." "I thought not; therefore two thirds of the amount will be deducted from the money due you each week and one third from the wages of the tally-man." Spooner essayed to speak, but the words seemed to stick in his throat. Finally he managed to mumble: "All--all right, sir." "But, mind you, no more of your thieving tricks, or I'll have you in the cooler before you realize it." "All right, sir. I--I'd like to ask a question." "Ask it." "Who was the man who gave me away?" "You ought to know better than to ask me that question. Frankly, it is none of your concern. We have been looking for this leak for some time, and we have found it. Had you possessed a grain of common sense you would have known that, sooner or later, you would have been checked up. You're checked. The interview is ended. Go back to work." "I'll _find_ the man!" growled Spooner. "I'll find him if it takes all the rest of my life to do it, and when I do----" "What then?" interrupted the superintendent, fixing stern eyes on the man before him. "I'll tell him what I think of him," answered the contractor lamely, as he left the room. All the other contract drifts had been found to be working regularly, so it was reasonable that the entire shortage might be charged to Spooner. As a matter of fact, this shortage tallied very closely with the figures that the tally-man had given to the superintendent.