I sprang to his aid, but in a second four stout fellows,
darting out of invisible corners, grappled us, and before we could make
any effective resistance, they had our arms firmly bound behind our
backs! Jack exerted all his exceptional strength to break loose, but in
vain.
"I tried to stop you, Jack--" I began, in a tone of annoyance, but
immediately he cut me off:
"This is on _me_, Peter; don't you worry. _You_ haven't done anything."
"I'm afraid it's on all of us," I replied. "The whole party, Edmund and
all, may have to suffer for our heedlessness."
"Fiddlesticks," he returned. "I haven't got his old ornament, but he's
got my coin. This looks like a skin game to me. What in thunder did he
hang the things up for if he didn't want to sell 'em?"
"But I told you this wasn't a shop."
"No, I see it isn't; it's a trap for suckers, I guess."
Jack's indignation grew hotter as we were dragged out into the street,
and followed by a crush of people drawn to the scene, were hurried along,
we knew not whither. In fact, his indignation swallowed up the alarm
which he ought to have experienced, and which I felt in full force.
Pages:
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217