Mr. Roberts walked over to Broadway and down it a few blocks to a liquor saloon, which he entered.  Pete was turning it over in his sharp brains how he could contrive to follow him in there without attracting his attention, when he suddenly came out again and walked briskly up Broadway.

Pete reasoned that he had not been in there long enough to get a drink, and he was just reproaching himself for not having followed him into the saloon, when Mr. Roberts drew a letter out of the side pocket of his sack coat, and with a preliminary glance around, read it, and then thrust it back into his pocket and showed relief in every movement.

He was no longer in a hurry, but sauntered along in leisurely fashion, and was no further concerned, apparently, as to whether or not he was followed.

Pete turned this over in his mind and came to a conclusion.  The letter was the thing that had had the sudden soothing effect on the man; then the letter was probably about the child Andy was hunting for.  If so, it was only necessary to get the letter and give it to Andy and the matter would be ended.

Andy would have despaired of getting the letter, if he had been near enough to observe all that had taken place, and so would most other persons; but Pete had had a training which, fortunately, most persons have not had, and it was a comparatively small matter to him to obtain the letter.

He turned his sleeve up, so that his hand and wrist were clear and free, and then quickened his pace and drew nearer to where Mr. Roberts was sauntering along.  He kept close behind him for a block or more, walking as if he had not a thing on his mind.

Presently there was one of those sudden gatherings of people on the sidewalk, such as are of common occurrence in every large city.

Then Pete pressed close to the side of Mr. Roberts, taking care to be on the side where the pocket containing the letter was.  Mr. Roberts did not know it—­you would not have seen it had you been there—­but the grimy hand of Pete went in and out of that side pocket like a flash of lightning, and it held the letter when it came out.

What would Andy say to that way of obtaining the letter?  That was the very question Pete put to himself after the missive was safe in his pocket.

He had had an example of Andy’s notions of honesty, and it spoke volumes for Andy’s influence on him that he did not propose to let his “pardner” know how he had obtained the letter.

“I’ll bet a quarter,” said Pete to himself, as he fell back to where he knew Andy would be, “that he’d be jest fool ernough ter give the chump the letter back ag’in.”

When he was where he could beckon Andy he did so, and the latter hastened up to him.

“Here’s a letter,” explained Pete.  “He dropped it.  Mebbe it has somethin’ in ter tell yer what yer want ter know.”

“Dropped it?” said Andy, taking the letter doubtfully, but not suspecting the way in which it had been obtained.