"You had better wait in the hallway," he suggested. "I want to ask some questions, and it might embarrass Mr. Robinson if you were here."
The lads readily withdrew, and in the hallway they met Henry Robinson, the caretaker, and his son Perry. Mr. Robinson was calm but pale, and at the doorway he patted his son on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, son," he said. "It'll be all right." With that he entered the library.
Slim Robinson turned to his two chums.
"My dad is innocent!" he cried.
CHAPTER VIII
The Arrest
There was something in Perry Robinson's tone that made Frank and Joe extremely sorry for their chum, for it seemed that the boy realized that the case looked black against his father.
Although the Hardy lads realized that it was only natural that Perry should stand up for his father, they shared some of his conviction that Mr. Robinson was not guilty.
"Of course he's innocent," agreed Frank. "He'll be able to clear himself all right, Perry."