"You remember us, don't you?" asked Frank politely. "We're Mr. Hardy's sons."
"Fenton Hardy, the detective? Are you his boys?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, what do you want?"
"We'd like to take a look through the old tower, if you don't mind. We've got a new clue about the robbery you had here a while ago."
"Want to look through the old tower? Of all the impudence! What do you want to look through the tower for? And what has that got to do with the robbery?"
"We have evidence that leads us to believe the jewels and bonds were hidden in the tower by the thief."
"Oh! You have evidence, have you?" The old man peered at them very closely. "It's that rascal Robinson, I'll warrant. He hid the stuff there, and now he's put you up to going and finding it, just to clear himself."
The Hardy boys had not considered the affair in this light, and they gazed at Mr. Applegate in consternation. At last Joe found his tongue.
"Mr. Robinson isn't mixed up in this at all," he said. "The real thief was found. He said the stuff was hidden in the old tower. If you will just let us take a look around, we'll find it for you."