“You think it is the same man then?” said Roy.

“It looks exactly like him, and I suppose it would be as easy for him to take the name Keeler as any other alias.”

“But there is a Charles Keeler,” went on Roy, “I didn’t know these men would dare masquerade around the country as such famous people.  They would be sure to be found out.”

“What are you going to do about it?” asked Rex.

It was characteristic of him that, though he had himself invited Keeler to the house, he was now putting all the responsibility on his brother.

“Let’s sit down and talk it over calmly,” replied Roy.  “I’ve been thinking the thing over and I can’t see what harm it can do to let Mr. Keeler stay.”

“What, a confidence man!” exclaimed Rex and Jess in a breath.

“He may have reformed,” continued Roy.  “He didn’t plan deliberately to come to this house, nothing he has said or done since he has been here has made us suspect him of being anything else than what he claimed to be.”

“But if he has reformed what would he be going around pretending to be what he wasn’t for?” interrupted Jess, “You don’t suppose that Martin Blakesley and Charles Keeler, the author, are one and the same person, do you?”

Roy did not answer for a minute.  He had plainly not thought of this side of the matter.

“Ugh! it makes me creep,” went on Jess, “to feel that a man who has been in state’s prison twice is in this very house and going to stay here all night.  I’m going to stay up until morning.  I think I’ll sit down here and read the lives of these criminals.  It will be an appropriate occupation.”

“You girls needn’t stay up at all,” said Rex.  “Roy and I will stand guard.”

“Oh, I couldn’t sleep if I went to bed,” declared Jess.  “I don’t know as I can ever sleep again so long as we are in this house.  Think how he must know all the ins and outs of it by this time!”

“How silly you talk, Jess,” interposed Eva.  “One would think to hear you that Mr. Keeler was a common burglar.  As Roy says, he didn’t plan to come here, and like as not he’ll go away in the morning without having disturbed us in the least.”

“You’re standing up for him, are you, Eva?  Well, I thought his good looks were making an impression on you.”

“Jessie, you have no right to talk in that way.  I’m not standing up for him at all.  I’m only trying to get you to look at the facts of the case in a sensible way.”

“But there’s nothing sensible in inviting a jail bird to the house, and having him stay all night.  It isn’t the sort of thing you can prepare yourself to bear up under in dignified fashion.”

“Shall I go up to town and get the constable to come down and arrest him?” asked Rex.

“You can’t do that!” returned Roy promptly.  “He hasn’t committed any crime.”

“But if we wait till he does commit one, it will be like locking the stable door after the horse has been stolen.”