"I have a theory that the thief who took the Kirmenbach jewels may have been some person living in this locality."
"That is possible," Mr. Nichols agreed.
"In that case the toy lantern probably belonged to some child who may reside in or near Kendon."
"True."
"This is my idea," Penny explained. "Why not display the lantern in some prominent place where children will be likely to see it—for instance the candy department of Hunter's store. Take Mr. Hunter into your confidence and have him on the lookout for the original owner of the toy lantern. A child seeing it on the store shelf would be almost certain to identify the property as his."
Mr. Nichols did not laugh. Instead he remained thoughtfully silent for a moment.
"There may be something in your idea, Penny," he said gravely. "If we could locate the owner of the toy lantern it should prove fairly easy to trace the thief. But the chance that the right child would enter the store and recognize the toy is a very slim one."
"Would it do any harm to try?"
"No, we've nothing to lose," Mr. Nichols declared. "I've tried all the sensible ways of tracing the thief, and have met with no success. We may as well test out your theory."
"When will you see Mr. Hunter?" Penny asked eagerly.