“Goodness! Must hurt,” jeered Merritt unsympathetically.
“No—that is, yes—no, I mean,” sputtered the fat boy. “Say, fellows, I heard this afternoon that Sam Phelps from Aquebogue told a fellow in the village that he had seen Freeman Hunt over there this morning.”
“You double-dyed chump,” exclaimed Rob, who was walking a way with them, “and you never said anything about it. If Freeman was there, I’ll bet his father was, too, and that’s where those two men have gone.”
“Gee whiz, if they have they must be there yet, then!” exclaimed Merritt, excitedly, “unless they left by automobile.”
“How’s that?” demanded Rob.
“It’s this way. There was no train after those chaps took the wallet, till almost eight o’clock. They must have hidden in the woods and caught it some place below, unless Si arrested them.”
“He’d have been at the house to get the reward if he had,” rejoined Rob.
“Very well, then. He didn’t catch them, and if the Hunts are at Aquebogue, that’s where they’ve gone.”
“Yes, but what’s to prevent them leaving there?”
“No train after nine-thirty till to-morrow morning, and the eight o’clock from here doesn’t get to Aquebogue till after that time; so they must be stranded there, unless they have a car.”