“His watch!” cried Mercer, giving quite a jump. “Oh!”
“Yes; he left it in his waistcoat in the tent when he stripped for his innings, and when he felt for it some time after, it was gone.”
“Then he didn’t miss it directly?” I said.
“No, not till a little while ago. A lot of the fellows are up in the field searching for it. Haven’t either of you seen it, have you?”
“No,” I said, and Mercer shook his head.
“Come on and help look for it,” cried Hodson; and we went up to the field, where the tent was still standing, it being understood that the men were to come and take it down in the morning.
“Lucky they were not here,” I said, “or some of them might have been suspected of taking it.”
“Yes, it would be ugly for them,” assented Hodson. “You see, nobody but our boys and the Hastings chaps went into the tent, except the servants to lay the tables, and of course they wouldn’t have taken it.”
“But they may have found it,” I said. “He is sure to have dropped it somewhere in the grass.”
“Of course,” cried Mercer; “and some one has put his foot on it and smashed the glass.”