"Yes, my boy," Papa Pomme replied. "A man who goes about at night stealing vegetables from people's farms—a vegetable thief. I wish they could catch him. It is very hard for the poor farmers to have their produce stolen. This thief is a wicked man."
Philippe suddenly thought of his dark neighbor in the market place. Could it be——? Oh, no.
Still there were those stale vegetables. But Philippe refused to think of such a thing.
"Papa," he asked, "if this thief is caught, what will they do with him?"
"They will put him in prison, my son," answered Papa Pomme.
Chapter IV
ZELIE
Philippe did not know how nearly right he had been. He had wondered whether his neighbor in the market place could be the thief.
But Philippe did not like to think evil of people, so he drove away that thought. But the tall dark man was really the vegetable thief.