“What do you mean?”I asked.
“Look here, boys,”Tom went on. “When George Simpson told me there had been an explosion down this way, it came into my head all at once that Yetmore or Long John—probably Long John—had heard that I was out at work to-night, and not knowing that you were staying the night with me, had come and wrecked my house.”
“But why should they?”Joe asked.
“So as to prevent my raising money on it, and so keep me tied up in town while they skipped out to look for that vein of galena. I’m glad to find I was wrong. I did ’em an in——”
He stopped short, and following his gaze, we saw that he was staring at the second window.
“When did you put that in?”he cried.
“Just after you left. We finished by nine o’clock.”
“How soon did you go to bed?”
“Just after ten.”
“Come with me!”cried Tom, springing from his chair and seizing the lantern. “I know what’s happened now!”