"Here, let me see that," said Mr. Schofield, peremptorily. He led Jack near the lamp, despite his protests that it was only a scratch, examined the cut, got out his handkerchief, dipped it in clean water, and washed the wound carefully. Then he took from his pocket a little case of court-plaster, drew the edges of the cut together, and stuck a sheet of the plaster over it. "There," he said, when the operation was finished, "that will soon be all right. And let me give you a piece of advice, Welsh, and you, too, Allan--never go about this world without a case of court-plaster in your pocket. Men, especially railroad men, are always getting little knocks and cuts, not worth considering in themselves, but which may become poisoned, if left open, and cause a great deal of trouble. A snip of court-plaster stops all chance of that. So take my advice--" There was a sudden movement behind them, and Jack hurled himself toward the door just in time to catch the other mud-bespattered figure as it was disappearing over the threshold. There was a moment's struggle, then Jack got his deadly neck-grip again, and walked his captive back into the room. "So ye thought ye'd git away, did ye?" he demanded, savagely. "Thought ye'd give me th' slip! Not after th' hard work I had gittin' ye here, me boy!" He closed the door with his disengaged hand, then led his prisoner up to the light. "Do ye know him?" he asked of Allan and the trainmaster, but neither of them saw anything familiar in the distorted and mud-grimed features which the rays of the lamp disclosed. They noticed, however, with what an agony of fear the prisoner stared at them with the single eye which was open. "Ye don't know him, hey?" said Jack, seeing their blank countenances. "Well, ye wouldn't know yer own father under such a layer o' mud. Let's wash him off. Then he'll look more nateral." He shoved the prisoner toward the bucket of water, in spite of his suddenly desperate struggles. Then, pinching his neck savagely, he bent him down toward the bucket, and with his free hand splashed the water over his face. Then he forced him up to the towel, rubbed his face vigorously, and finally spun him around toward the astonished onlookers. Allan gave a gasp of amazement. "Why, it's Nevins!" he said. "Nevins!" echoed Mr. Schofield, coming a step nearer. "Why, no--yes it is, too!" "And who may Nevins be?" demanded Jack. "Nevins is the day operator here," said Mr. Schofield. "Let him go, Jack; he can't escape." Jack reluctantly released his grip of the unlucky operator's neck. "I don't know," he said, dubiously. "If you'd chased him five mile, an' fought him at th' bottom of a ditch, an' had him hit you in th' head with a rock, mebbe you wouldn't be so sure o' that!" "But what has he done?" demanded Mr. Schofield. "Well, I don't exactly know," answered Jack, deliberately, moving again between the prisoner and the door, and sitting down there. "But it was some deviltry."