“And I haven’t anything to conceal either,” came from Brassy Bangs. “They can search my room all they please.” He had announced the loss of a stickpin and six dollars and a quarter in cash.
Among the hired help there was more or less murmuring, one of the old cooks, an Irish woman who had been in the place since it had been opened, shaking her head dubiously.
“Sure an’ I didn’t think yez would take me fer a thief, Colonel Colby,” said Bridget, gazing at the head of the school severely.
“I’m not taking any one for a thief, Mrs. Mulligan,” he answered. “But it would not be fair to search any of the rooms without searching all of them.”
“Sure an’ that’s true fer yez,” announced the cook, nodding her head in assent. “An’ if that’s the way ye’re after lookin’ at it, go ahead and search me room all ye please. Only don’t be disturbin’ them trinkets I have from me dead mother.”
The search was made without delay, all of the teachers and the cadets who had lost their belongings taking part. It occupied the rest of the morning. Every room was gone over carefully, and when anything in the way of jewelry or other such articles as had been reported missing were discovered all those who had suffered were asked to look on and see if they could identify anything.
“Gee! there’s a fountain pen that belongs to me,” cried one of the boys presently. And then he added in a crestfallen manner: “It’s all right. I lent that to Bill Latimer a couple of weeks ago and forgot all about it.”
Outside of this incident the search came to an end with nothing out of the ordinary happening. Not an article that had been taken was discovered in any of the rooms occupied by the cadets or the hired help. Nor was anything discovered in any of the other rooms or closets of the institution.
“It certainly is puzzling,” declared Colonel Colby, after the search had been called off. “It looks to me as if a thief had gotten away with everything he took.”
“Either that or he has some hiding place which we as yet haven’t unearthed,” answered Captain Dale.