looked confused.
“I think I can guess how it was,” said Mr. Long at length. “You were all four after my collection, and – ”
“Not all four!” interrupted Bart. “Fenn wasn’t there. You see we were playing a joke on him,” the lad went on, in a burst of confidence, realizing that it was useless to try to shoulder all the blame. “Ned, Frank and I came in here Friday night and got the things. I knew I had lost Ned’s knife, but I didn’t think I’d dropped it here. But Fenn wasn’t along. We took the things to his house, and put them in the pen with his reptiles. He is making a collection.”
“So I understand,” remarked Mr. Long. “Therefor I have a proposal to make. It is barely possible that in gathering up the toads, alligators and turtles from my cabinet that you boys picked up the bracelet with them. You may have dropped it in the place where Fenn keeps his collection. Perhaps if you go there and look you will find it, and also the missing turtle, which I value highly. But, of course, the bracelet is more valuable, and as it was a birthday present to Mrs. Long she will feel the loss very much. Will you kindly go and look? I am sure Mr. McCloud will excuse you.”
“I’ll be glad to make a search!” exclaimed Bart, eagerly. “Perhaps if Ned and Frank – ”
“Just what I was about to propose,” interrupted the instructor. “I’ll request the principal to let you four boys leave your classes this morning, to make a hunt for the missing bracelet – and the turtle. Don’t forget that.”
“I’m – I’m very sorry – sorry we disturbed your collection, Professor Long,” stammered Bart, “but I know we never touched, or saw, the diamond bracelet.”
“I know you didn’t mean to take the bracelet,” went on Mr. Long, a bit stiffly. “Of course it was a foolish, and, at the same time, a risky trick to play, and, while I believe you had no intention of keeping the bracelet, I cannot but believe that in some way you removed it from the cabinet, either in catching up one of the reptiles hurriedly, or otherwise. I shall be glad to talk with Ned and Frank. But now I suggest that you go to Fenn’s house and make a search.”
“We never took or saw the bracelet, Professor!” declared Bart, with great earnestness. He felt, somehow, just as he did the time the unjust accusation of blowing up the school tower was made against him and his chums, as related in a former volume of this series.
“Well,” remarked the teacher, “I can only say that you boys were the only ones in the school after the closing hours Friday. Some time between then and this morning, the reptiles were taken and returned – that is all but one large turtle – and the diamond bracelet belonging to my wife. There can be but one conclusion, and I – ”
“We were not the only ones in the school between Friday night and this morning!” exclaimed Bart, and instantly his thoughts reverted to the stranger who had acted so mysteriously.
“What do you mean?” asked the instructor, quickly.
“I mean – the janitor,” replied Bart, with a sudden change in his tone. He had started to mention the man, but concluded not to. He had several reasons for this, as will develop presently.
“There is where you are mistaken,” declared Professor Long. “The janitor, and two assistants whom he hired, cleaned out the school late Friday afternoon. I know, for I remained here to go over some of my class records. It was late when I left, and the janitor had finished before I was ready to go. I know this because Riggs asked me to be sure and close the front door and put the spring lock on when I came out. I was the last person to leave the school Friday night, and I locked the door. Riggs had gone. The reason why he did his cleaning work Friday night, and not Saturday, as is usual, was because he wanted to go away over Sunday. He did go, I understand, so you see you boys were the only ones in the school.”
“And did you lock the front door after you?” asked Bart with a sudden suspicion in his mind, as he thought of the mysterious man.
“I did, certainly. Why do you ask?”
“Oh – nothing – only I thought – I – ” Again Bart was about to speak of the midnight visitor to the school, and again he refrained.
“By the way, how did you boys get in the school?” asked Professor Long, suddenly.
“I – er – we – that is – ”
“Never mind,” hastily interrupted the instructor, “I should not have asked that. I have no wish to pry further into this matter than is necessary. Believe me, I appreciate your motive in making a clean breast of it. I do not care to know all the details. Boys will be boys, I suppose. Only get me back the diamond bracelet and the turtle. I will see Mr. McCloud at once, and I’m sure he will let you make a search at Fenn’s house.”
Bart’s opportunity had passed. If he only had mentioned the fact that he and his chums found the front door open, and had seen a mysterious man enter the school, things might have turned out differently, and much trouble have been averted. But now it was too late. Mr. Long hurried to the office of the principal, and returned shortly with permission for the four chums to go and make a search.
“But why didn’t you tell him about the man we saw?” asked Ned, as they were on their way to Fenn’s house.
“Because,” answered Bart.
“That’s a regular girl’s reason,” objected Frank.
“Well,” answered Bart desperately, somewhat weary and nervous over the ordeal through which he had gone, “the chief reason was that if I told that, I’d have to tell why we didn’t notify the police. That’s where we made a mistake. If that fellow was a thief, and took the bracelet, we should have called the police.”
“We didn’t know he was a thief – we don’t know it yet,” declared Frank.
“No, but when we saw a stranger sneaking into the school, we should have had gumption enough to notify the authorities,” insisted Bart. “That’s where we were slow. I didn’t want to make it any worse. If we find the bracelet, all right; we won’t have to tell how silly we were.”
“And if we don’t find it – which is very likely to be the case – what then?” asked Fenn.
“Well, we didn’t take it, that’s certain,” decided Frank. “Neither by accident nor intentionally – did we take that bracelet.”
“Then the man we saw, did,” said Ned.
“Yes, and he’s far enough off by now,” observed Frank. “Fellows, I’ll bet he was the thief!”
“How could he be?” asked Bart. “He didn’t know the bracelet was in the cabinet. Besides, no ordinary person would think of looking among a lot of reptiles for anything valuable.”
“Well, if we don’t find it I think we’d better tell about the man,” was Fenn’s opinion.
“It will be too late then,” insisted Bart.
“Too late? Why?” Frank wanted to know.
“Because if we come back without the missing turtle and bracelet, and tell about having seen a mysterious man enter the school just before we did, on Friday night, every one will say we made up the story to shield ourselves. No, the best way, if we can’t find that diamond ornament, is to keep mum about the man.”
“And
