And then he calmed down, for he realized that, aside from the ethics, or good taste of the matter, Boswell had as much right to present Ruth with a token as had he himself.
“I guess I’d better reason along a new line,” he told himself. “I’ll have to let the boys know about this, and——”
Then, like a flash something else occurred to him.
“No, I can’t do that,” he said. “Phil isn’t supposed to know that Ruth has lost her pin—that is, not yet. It would be too bad if the grandmother were to turn cranky, because of the loss of the brooch, and give her pearls to someone else—at least until I can buy Ruth some pearls myself—and that’s a long way off, I’m afraid,” thought Tom, ruefully.
“No, I’ve got to play this hand alone,” he went on. “I can’t bring the fellows in—just yet. And I must tell Ruth not to admit that she has lost her brooch—at least, not yet. I may be able to get it back for her. The idea of Boswell having it—at least, I think it’s the same one.
“And then by Jove! If Mendez had the brooch he has the other stuff that was in the jewelry box—the Boxer Hall cups and so on. Tom Parsons, you’ve stumbled on the solution of the mystery, I do believe. And you’ve got to work it out alone, for if you tell any of the fellows Ruth’s secret will come out. Now, how are you going to do it?”
He pondered on the matter, and the first thing he decided on was that Ruth must be warned not to admit her loss.
“I’ll attend to that right away,” murmured the lad.
“Why, Tom, is anything the matter?” asked Ruth, when he saw her, a little later, at the Tyler cottage.
“Well, yes, something, but——”