“It wouldn’t have been a hard thing to do,” said Tom. “He knew you were both on the ice, there aren’t many fellows around at half past three, say, and on a cold day like this most every fellow that is at home keeps his door closed. He might have walked in here, taken the cup, put it under his coat and walked out again, and no one would have seen him.”
“Suppose he did,” said Alf. “What do you think he would do with it? Hide it in his room?”
“Not likely, I guess,” answered Tom, “but still he might. There are plenty of places around the school he might have put it. If we were only certain he had taken it——”
“That’s the trouble,” growled Alf. “We can’t go to him and say, ‘Hiltz you stole the Pennimore Cup out of Dan’s room this afternoon and we want it back!’ After all, I don’t believe Hiltz is a thief.”
“I don’t suppose he is,” said Dan, “and he probably wouldn’t call it thieving. If he has taken it he’s done it just to make trouble for us and with no idea of keeping the cup himself. Probably he means to return it before the game, or leave it where it will be found.”
“It’s just the same as stealing,” exclaimed Gerald angrily, “and I’ll bet he did it! He knew I had it and he hates me like poison since I beat him in the cross-country, and more since I got into Cambridge. And he hates Dan for defeating him at the election.”
“Well, I’m inclined to think you’re right, Gerald,” said Alf. “But the question before the meeting is: What are we going to do? We’ve got to get hold of that cup before the game on Saturday, and to-morrow’s Friday. We’d look like a pretty lot of idiots if we had to tell Broadwood that we’d lost the cup! I wish we hadn’t gone and exhibited it in Proctor’s window.”
“Oh, we’ve got to get hold of it before Saturday,” said Dan. “What we’d better do, I guess, is to report it to Mr. Collins. On the face of it it’s a plain case of theft, and we’re not supposed to have any suspicions of Jake Hiltz.”
“That’s so, I guess,” agreed Alf. “Perhaps Collins can scare whoever took it into giving it back. Anyhow, I’ve got to go home and study. Suppose you and Gerald come over after study hour and we’ll find Collins and put it up to him.”