Not five feet away from an open transom, Andy could now look into a room containing three persons.

A motherly, dignified old woman sat in a big arm chair.  Near her was Andy’s aunt, smiling and simpering up at Dewey.  The latter, dressed “to kill,” was bowing like a French dancing master.

Dewey sat down.  The chaperone, who seemed to be the landlady, did not engage in a brief conversation that ensued within the room.

At its conclusion Andy saw his aunt hand Dewey a folded piece of paper.  The defaulting circus cashier gallantly bowed over her extended hand and came out of the room.

“Hold on, Mr. Sim Dewey,” spoke Andy, down the stairs in a flash, and seizing Dewey’s arm on the landing.

“Eh?  Hello—­Wildwood!”

“Yes, it’s me,” said Andy.  “A word with you, sir, as to what business you have with my aunt.  Then—­the stolen eleven thousand dollars, if you please.”

Dewey had turned deadly white.  He glared desperately at Andy, and tried to wrench his arm free.

“Shall I arouse the street?” demanded Andy sternly.  “It’s jail for you—­”

Crack!  The treacherous Dewey had slipped one hand behind him.  He had drawn a slung shot from his pocket.  It struck Andy’s head, and he went down with a sense of sickening giddiness.

“Stop him!” shouted Andy, half-blinded, crawling across the landing.

Dewey made a leap of four steps at a time.

“Out of my way!” he yelled at some obstacle.

“Hold on, mister!”

Andy arose to his feet with difficulty.  He clung to the banister, descending the stairs as a frightful clatter rang out.

A boy about his own age, coming up the stairs, had collided with Dewey. 
Both tripped up and rolled to the front entry.

The boy got up, unhurt.  Dewey, groaning, half-arose, fell back, and lay prostrate, one limb bent up under him.

Andy was still weak and dizzy-headed, but he acted promptly for the occasion.

He saw that Dewey had broken a limb, and was practically helpless.  He glanced out at the driver of the cab.  He was an honest-faced old fellow.  Andy ran out to him and spoke a few quick words.

With Dewey writhing, moaning and resisting, this man, Andy and the strange boy carried him to the cab.  Andy directed the boy to get up with the driver, He got inside the cab with Dewey.

A hysterical shriek rang out at the street doorway.  Andy saw his aunt wildly wringing her hands.  The maiden lady was held back from pursuing the cab by the landlady.

Within ten minutes the cab delivered Dewey at a police station, and Andy told his story to the precinct captain.

They found in a secret pocket on the defaulting cashier certificates of deposit to the amount of ten thousand dollars, issued in a false name.  The amount was a part of the stolen circus funds.

In another pocket was discovered a draft for three thousand dollars, made over to the same false name by Miss Lavinia Talcott on the bank at Fairview.