"I suppose not," said Ted, but Dolly said, "Let us see it, anyway, can't you? Maybe Polly bent it up himself."
Old Joe went and searched through a lot of broken bits of metal tilings in a box on the table.
"Here it is," he said. "You see how it's worn out!"
"That's it!" cried Dolly. "Oh, Ted, THAT'S the earring! Hooray!"
"Is it? Hooray!" shouted Ted. "REALLY, oh, it's too good to be true!
Polly MUST have taken it, Joe."
"Yes, he must have done so, if Miss, here, says it's the one. But let me figger it out. I s'pose when Polly opened his cage door, the open window attracted him, and he flew out. Then as the other windows in the Forbes house were closed, he made for that one that was open. Was nobody in the room?"
"No," said Dolly, "not when the jewel was taken. I left it on a table, near the window, and—"
"Yes, Miss, I see! Polly was tempted by the glittering thing; he loves glitter, and he snatched it up and flew right back home with it. He hid it somewhere; that's his thievish nature, and when I came in here he was walking up and down the floor as innocent appearin' as a lamb! Oh, you wicked Polly!"
"Wick-ed Polly!" screeched the bird. "Naughty Polly!"
"Yes, very naughty Polly!" said Ted. "But a good Polly, after all, to get us out of our troubles!"