"The boy has no suspicion of his origin, I suppose?" "Not the slightest." "Then why need you be troubled?" "Because my uncle was with me, and he, too, noticed the extraordinary resemblance of the boy-rider to his son. Ever since he has been restless, and now he insists upon my seeking out the boy, and bringing him here to live with him." Fitzgerald whistled. "That would make a dark lookout for you, Mr. Hugo," he said. "Of course it would. Besides, if the boy knew anything of his past history, my uncle would be readily convinced that it was really his grandson, and I would be set aside as the heir to Chestnutwood." "I see." "Now tell me, Fitzgerald, how does it happen that the boy has been trained up to such a career?" "I can't tell positively. I gave a tramp a sum of money to take charge of him and carry him about, passing him off as his own son. I suppose the man died and the boy fell in with some circus people, who saw that they could make use of him." "That seems plausible enough," said Hugo, thoughtfully. "At any rate our concern is not with the past, but with the future. I suppose you are not exactly prosperous?" Fitzgerald drew a purse from his pocket, and extracted a twenty-five cent coin. "That is all the money I have," he answered. "Do you feel like going into my employment again?" "Yes." "Then we will see if between us we cannot stave off this danger which threatens my prospects." There was a lengthened conference, into the particulars of which we need not enter, stating only that Robert was the subject of it. Fitzgerald left Chestnutwood that same evening, plentifully supplied with money. CHAPTER XVI. THE CANVAS MAN. Carden, the canvas man, though discharged from the circus, did not leave town. He hoped to be reinstated in his old position, and made a personal appeal to the manager. But the latter returned a decided negative. "Don't I do my work well?" asked Carden. "I have no fault to find with you on that score." "Then why do you discharge me?" "You know well enough." "Is it because that boy Robert Rudd has lied about me?" "Robert Rudd would not lie about anybody. I have perfect confidence in him. As for you, Carden, you may as well make up your mind to leave the town and seek employment elsewhere. As long as I am manager of this circus I will never again employ you in any capacity." Carden's face grew dark and lowering. He saw that the manager was in earnest, and he said no more, but went away muttering something to himself in a low voice which the manager could not understand. "That is a bad fellow!" thought Mr. Coleman. "We are well rid of him. He looks as if he could do something worse than steal."