Herbert listened to them for a moment;
then he thought of his dear mother and father, of his home, his own
comfortable bed.

A stray tear now stole down his cheeks, and then another. The poor boy
was overcome, and he gave way to a sudden outburst of grief. Then he
rested his head in his hand, and tried to think again. But his mind was
wearied to exhaustion.

"My mother, my mother and father! Oh, how I wish I could see them! What
would they do if they only knew where I am?"

He paused after this utterance; and now his thoughts suddenly ceased
their weary wanderings. All was quiet, and the long measured breathing
gave evidence that our young hero slept.

CHAPTER XII.

BOB'S BRILLIANT MOVE.

"But I say, Bob, I don't jest see how we are goin' to get into that
den," said Tom Flannery, thoughtfully, as he and his companion hurried
along towards old Gunwagner's.

"Don't you?" replied Bob, carelessly, as if the matter was of trivial
importance.

"No, I don't. Do you, Bob?"

"Do you think, Tom Flannery, that a detective is goin' to tell all he
knows--is goin' to give away the game before it's played?" said Bob,
with feigned displeasure.

He asked this question to evade the one put to him.

"I thought they always told them as was in the secret, don't they?"

"Well, I must say you have some of the ignorantest ideas of any boy I
ever see," said Bob, with assumed surprise.

Young Flannery looked sad, and made no reply.

"The trouble with you, Tom, is that you worry too much," continued the
juvenile detective.

"I ain't worryin', Bob. What made you think that? I only wanted to know
what's the racket, an' what I've got to do."

"Well, you s'pose I bro't you up here to do somethin', don't you?"

"Of course you did, Bob. But what is it? That's what I want to know."

"You ask more questions than any feller I ever see, Tom Flannery. Now
you jest tell me what any detective would do, on a case like this one
is, and tell me what he'd want you to do, an' then I'll tell you what I
want you to do."

Tom looked grave, and tried hard to think.

The fact of the matter is that Bob himself hardly knew what step to take
next, in order to carry out the plan he had formed. But his reputation
was at stake. He thought he must make a good showing before Tom, though
the matter of gaining an entrance to Gunwagner's was far from clear to
him. He therefore wanted Tom's opinion, but it would not do to ask him
for it, so he ad