"I charge you with being sons of James Darrow, the notorious English anarchist!" cried the little man, pointing his finger at the boys, "and I accuse you of trying to kill Lord Peckham with a bomb, the explosion of which set fire to the hotel!" For a moment the surprising charge so astonished every one that not a word was said. Then the little man, advancing toward the boys went on: "I arrest you in the name of His Royal Highness, Edward VII, King of England, Scotland and Wales." He threw back the lapel of his coat and showed a badge. "King of England, Scotland and Wales, is it!" exclaimed the doorman with a twinkle in his eye. "An' why didn't ye say Ireland into the bargain." "Ireland, of course," went on the little man. "I'm an officer of His Most Gracious Majesty," he added, "and I demand the assistance of the United States authorities in general and the police of Easton in particular in taking these desperate criminals into custody!" "Hold your horses," advised the desk-sergeant. "Those boys are not liable to run away. They're to stay here over night, and if you have any charge to make against them why you'll have to come and see the judge in the morning." "But they are sons of an anarchist! They are anarchists themselves!" exclaimed the man, "I must arrest them!" "You're not going to arrest anybody," said the sergeant, "until you get a warrant from the judge. This isn't England." "Then I'm going to stay with these boys the rest of the night," insisted the man. "I can't take any chances on their giving me the slip." "This place is going to be crowded with people from the burned hotel," objected the sergeant. "There will be no room for you. Besides, how do I know these boys are anarchists?" "Look in their valise," cried the stranger. "It is filled with bombs." "You can't look in this satchel," exclaimed Jack, for he remembered the valise contained parts of the professor's secret machines. "What did I tell you?" cried the Englishman with triumph in his tones. "They are the guilty ones. They are afraid to open their valise." "We are, but not because it has bombs in it," said Mark. "It has parts of an unpatented machine and the owner does not want any one to see them," for Mark remembered Mr. Henderson's strict injunctions to let no one but the mechanist to whom they had gone catch a glimpse of the parts that were to be duplicated. The machinist was sworn to secrecy. "It's none of our affair," said the sergeant, though he seemed a little impressed by the Englishman's words and the reluctance Mark and Jack showed to letting the valise be opened. "The boys will be here until morning, and then you can see the judge. Now you'll have to get out. You boys get to bed." Muttering threats, the stranger went from the station house, and Mark and Jack, in response to a nod from the doorman, followed him upstairs to a part of the police station used to detain witnesses. They were shown to a small room with a single bed.