“Very well; see that you keep to it.”
He turned as though to go away, and, as he did so the boys saw two other men advancing up a woodland path toward the professor.
Mr. Skeel made a quick motion toward the men, exactly, as Bert said afterward, as though he wanted to warn them back. But either they did not see, or understand, the warning gestures, or else they chose to ignore them, for they came up the inclined snowy path, until they stood in full view of the four boys. At the sight of one of the men, Tom uttered an exclamation, that was echoed by his chums.
“Whalen!” he murmured, recognizing the discharged employee, for whose dismissal he was, in a great measure, responsible, since he had made a report of the man’s cruelty to a young student at Elmwood Hall.
“We were looking——” began Whalen, speaking to the professor, when he happened to recognize the four young hunters, whom he had evidently failed to notice, as they stood somewhat in the shadow of a big pine tree, and were well wrapped up from the cold.
“Never mind now,” said Mr. Skeel, quickly, as though to keep the man silent. “I was just going back to you. It seems we are on private grounds.”
“Well, what of that?” jeered the other man, who had not yet spoken. He had a brutal, evil face.
“Lots of it, if you’re not careful,” snapped Tom, who did not like the fellow’s tone, or manner.
“Oh, is that so, young feller? Well, I’d have you know——”
The man stopped suddenly, for Whalen had administered a quiet kick, and whispered something in his ear. What he said the boys could not hear, but they saw the warning and quieting chastisement.