He had evidently checked himself just in time to keep back some important knowledge.
"Where have they gone ?" repeated the superintendent, bursting with impatience.
But Jack Hansell was himself again--sullen and insolent as ever.

He had an intense dislike of his employer--a dislike that had deepened within the past few days.

He slowly sat down and smoked a full minute before making reply to Harvey, who felt like throttling him.
"I told you I didn't know," he finally said, looking into the embers and speaking as if to the glowing coals.
"But you do know." "So I do, but I know another thing as well, and that is that there ain't any reason why I should tell you if I don't choose to." It took a great effort of the will for Harvey to hold himself from doing violence to the man who said he was not bound to tell what he preferred to keep to himself: but the superintendent saw that nothing could be gained by violence.

The man who can keep cool during a dispute has ten-fold the advantage over one who does not restrain himself.
After all, Jack Hansell was of small account.

It was O'Hara, his master, and mayhap his companion, whom Harvey Bradley must see.