Listen!" He hurriedly recounted his experience of the preceding night to the astonished Stacy.

"No, the fire was an afterthought and revenge," he added sternly.
"But you say you cut the robber in the hand; there would be no difficulty in identifying him by that." "I wounded only a HAND," said Demorest.

"But there was a HEAD in that attempt that I never saw." He then revealed his own half-suspicions, but how they were apparently refuted by the bravado of Steptoe and Whiskey Dick.
"Then that was the reason THEY didn't gather at the fire," said Stacy quickly.
"Ah!" said Demorest, "then YOU too suspected them ?" Stacy hesitated, and then said abruptly, "Yes." Demorest was silent for a moment.
"Why didn't you tell me this this morning ?" he said gently.
Stacy pointed to the distant Barker.

"I didn't want you to tell him.

I thought it better for one partner to keep a secret from two than for the two to keep it from one.