“It is my opinion that you would miss him,” chuckled the colonel. “Shall we see you in the morning?”
Tom said yes, and, after good-nights were said, the Overlanders started for their camp. Grace halted as they reached the rear of the hotel and pointed to the rear veranda.
“Suppose we have a look at the roof of the veranda to-morrow morning, Tom,” she suggested. “My intuition tells me that the thieves made their entry by the way of the veranda roof.”
“Leave that to others,” answered Tom.
“If they don’t think it worthwhile to take a look at the roof of the veranda, what then?” laughed Grace.
“Have your own way, my dear. You will, anyway. If you must, however, ask Hippy to accompany you. He is a better sleuth than I am, and, besides, I have work to do in the morning.”
“Oh, thank you, Tom. You are always such a dear, but you know I am a dutiful wife and never oppose my husband,” added Grace demurely. A short time after that the girls were pouring the tale of the robbery into Lieutenant Wingate’s ear. Hippy put down his saddle and gave close attention to the story.
“I am sorry about that,” he said. “The colonel’s friends appear to be very fine people. How do they think the robbery was committed?”
“Someone said it was believed that one of the servants did the job,” Elfreda Briggs informed Hippy.
After the party had broken up into groups, Tom told Lieutenant Wingate that Grace had the crazy idea that she knew where the robbers had entered the hotel.