“Then where did you get them?”
The girls looked at one another. No one spoke. None wished to place the blame on the Tramp Club. The girls now began to understand the hurried departure of Captain Baker and his friends. Miss Elting saw that there was only one course to pursue under the circumstances.
“I can’t tell you where we got the melons, sir, but we didn’t steal them. How much are the melons worth?”
“Why?” queried the farmer, scenting a bargain.
“We intend to pay for them,” answered Harriet coldly.
“How many melons were there?” asked the farmer, more blandly.
“Two dozen,” Harriet replied.
“That’ll be about four-eighty,” nodded the farmer.
“But that’s——”
“It’s cheaper than the risk of going to jail,” broke in the farmer meaningly.