“Then after that,” Hugh was saying to himself, “he sold a pair of his pet pigeons, and I reckon he thinks a heap of them, from all I’ve heard said.  Yes, Nick must have wanted my old skates worse than he ever did anything in all his life.  And when I refused to sell them to him he just thought he’d do the trading by himself.  It’s a queer way of doing business, and one the law wouldn’t recognize; but, after all, it was an upward step for Nick Lang, when he could have taken the skates, and kept the cash as well.  This certainly beats the Dutch!  What ought I to do about it, I wonder?  Of course, if I told the whole thing to mother, I suppose she’d let me have the new skates ahead of time; or I could borrow Kenneth Kinkaid’s, because, after breaking his leg that way in the running race he says he isn’t to be allowed to skate a bit this winter.  But ought I let the scamp keep my skates?”

He mused over it for several minutes, as if undecided.  Then the sound of voices outside caught his attention.  One seemed to be gruff and official, another whining.

Hugh jumped up and stepped to a window.  He could see down the street on which the Morgan home stood.  Three persons were in sight, and hurrying along toward the house.  One of these he recognized as his chum, Thad, who must have returned from Hobson’s mill-pond earlier than he had expected.  Another was the tall, attenuated Chief Wambold; and the party whom he was gripping by the arm—­yes, it was none other than Hugh’s late visitor, Nick Lang!

“Oh, they’ve caught him, it seems, just like those awful police did poor, wicked Jean Valjean,” Hugh muttered, thrilled by the sight; “and right now they’re fetching Nick back here, to ask me if he wasn’t lying when he said I’d sold or given him my skates!”

He realized that, undoubtedly, by some strange freak of fortune Thad must have seen the other gloating over his prize; and recognizing the skates, for they were well-known to him, he had beckoned to the policeman who happened to be near by, with the result that Nick was nabbed before he realized his peril.

Hugh had to decide quickly as to what he should do, for they were coming in through the gate even now.  Once again did the wonderful story he had been reading flash before his mind.

“I must try it out!” he exclaimed suddenly, gripped by the amazing coincidence between this case and that so aptly described by Hugo.  “I said I would if ever I had a chance.  It worked miracles in the story; perhaps it may in real life, Anyway, it’s going to be worth while, and give me a heap of enjoyment watching the result.  So here and now I say that I’ve sold my skates to Nick, and that they really belong to him at this minute.  But I reckon he’ll be scared pretty badly when he faces me again, expecting the worst.”

Thad knew how to get in by the side door that opened on the back stairs; so he did not waste any time in ringing the bell.  Now Hugh could hear heavy footsteps.  They were coming, and the great test was about to be made.