His huge voice came booming, weightily impressive.
"Why not?" he questioned. "It's a fair gamble. And, besides, I
like the boy's nerve."
Dick seized on the admission eagerly.
"And you'll agree?" he cried.
"Yes, I'll agree," the Inspector answered.
"Thank you," Dick said quietly.
But the father was not content. On the contrary, he went toward
the two hurriedly, with a gesture of reproval.
"You shall not go, Dick," he declared, imperiously.
The Inspector shot a word of warning to Gilder in an aside that
Dick could not hear.
"Keep still," he replied. "It's all right."
Dick went on speaking with a seriousness suited to the magnitude
of his interests.
"You give me your word, Inspector," he said, "that you won't
notify the police in Chicago until I've been there twenty-four
hours?"
"You're on," Burke replied genially. "They won't get a whisper
out of me until the time is up." He swung about to face the
father, and there was a complete change in his manner. "Now,
then, Mr. Gilder," he said briskly, "I want to talk to you about
another little matter----"
Dick caught the suggestion, and interrupted quickly.
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