Then the inquisitor asked when he had left Cherryfield to attend the school at Hartford; and the date he gave placed him there at the very time when Flint had been the master of the school for four months.

On the question of locality, he could place the church, the schoolhouse and the hotel; and he seemed to have no further knowledge of the town.

When asked where his father lived, he described a white house next to the church; but Flint knew that this had been owned and occupied by the minister for many years.
"This man is a humbug," was the next sentence the first lieutenant wrote, but he passed it to the captain.

Christy wrote under it: "Tell him that we are perfectly satisfied with his replies, and thank him for his attendance;" which was done at once, and the captain smiled upon him as though he had conducted himself with distinguished ability.
"Mulgrum has been in Cherryfield; but he could not have remained there more than a day or two," said Flint, when the door had closed behind the deaf mute.
The captain made a gesture to impose silence upon his companion.
"Mulgrum is all right in every respect," said he in a loud tone, so that if the subject of the examination had stopped at the keyhole of the door, he would not be made any the wiser for what he heard there.
"He knows Cherryfield as well as he knows the deck of the Bronx, and as you say, Captain Passford, he is all right in every respect," added the first lieutenant in the same loud tone.

"Mulgrum is a well educated man, captain, and you will have a great deal of writing to do: I suggest that you bring him into your cabin, and make him your clerk." "That is a capital idea, Mr.Flint, and I shall consider it," returned the commander, making sure that the man at the door should hear him, if Mulgrum lingered there.