“Your cousin?” echoed Fenn.
“Yes,” answered the man whose life Bart had saved. “He is one of the greatest collectors of turtles in the world,” and again he winked.
“That’s what I am!” exclaimed William Lang, proudly, and he seemed to lose some of his fear. Still Bart could not help thinking that his manner was very strange. “But I haven’t any diamond bracelet,” went on the odd individual. “I know you boys think I have it, and you’ve been chasing me for it, and trying to have me arrested, but I haven’t got it. I tried to keep out of your way, but I couldn’t seem to. You were always after me, even when I was only collecting turtles. I know about the bracelet, though.”
“What do you know about it?” asked Bart, eagerly.
“Why, I read in the papers that it was stolen,” said William Lang, simply. “It was taken the same night I went to the school to look at Professor Long’s turtles. He didn’t want me to see ’em, but I did all right. I got in when he wasn’t there, and fooled him. He was so mysterious about ’em, that I thought he had a rare kind. But he didn’t have at all. Anyway I saw ’em, and he doesn’t know it, even to this day. I got in at the dead of night,” and the man’s voice sunk to a whisper, and his face took on a cunning look.
“Then you were the man we saw enter the school that night!” exclaimed Bart.
“Did you see me? Did you see me?” gasped the lineman’s cousin, in great alarm. “Oh, yes, I remember now, I ran!”
“Sure we saw you,” answered Fenn. “We were——”
Bart gave his chum a warning look.
“I didn’t mean any harm,” cried William Lang. “I only went in to see the turtles. I’m a great collector of them,” he added. “I heard about Professor Long’s collection, and once I called on him at the school. I wanted to see his reptiles, but for some reason he wouldn’t let me. But I made up my mind I would see ’em. I knew he was trying to deceive me—Professor Long was—so one night I took a false key I had, and I got in the school. I had a dark lantern and I saw the turtles. I got ahead of Professor Long that time,” and the man laughed excitedly. “But come in, and I’ll show you my collection,” he added.