out the presence of Fred Ripley. That haughty young man

lever can hatch a whole lot of mischief. This Dick

doors were locked. In the boys' basement were lockers A and B. Each locker wa

rescott was at presen

the monitor of that locker went to the basement with him, unlocking the door

he safety of hats, coats, umbrellas, overshoes, etc., that

p the stairs, a worried look on his face. He went straight to the principal'

ds?" asked the pri

happen to me, or to my overcoat, if you pr

as gone

rcoat pockets, a package containing a jeweled pin that had been repaired for my mo

oroughly on the

hunted th

n with you," propo

tudent searched thor

nd, was still there,

ornton, did any student have admitta

answered Di

r. Edwards, that you left the litt

of it, Dr.

it startles me," admit

sed Edwards, grimly, "to think what

n no theft. The door is locked, and the only two keys to it are the one carried by the monitor and

, sir," insisted the dismayed Edwards. "And that is a rather valuabl

lanation of the mystery before long," repli

isheartened, but there was no

e investigation further, but absolutely

Frank Thompson who ca

I've seen the last of my watch. It's one that father carried for a good many years,

the principal, looking up over

ch in the little change pocket in my reefer in order to be able to look at it frequently. I reached the locker just i

"It begins to look like an assured fact that there is some

t. He's no thief," pu

o be mixed up in anything dishonest. Yet something is wrong--very wrong. For

t at the moment. He went out to the remainder of his recess, f

students was questioned in the general as

ve nothing of value in their coats in the locker rooms. And while nothing distressing, has yet happened in

gh he did not imagine that anyone suspected him of

very simple reason that no one left

nted two eyes that did not show any signs of having been damaged. Fred himself offered no comment on his absence.

n on. He sat at his desk studying. Presently as permitted unde

oed down the aisle to the desk. The p

t the locker room thefts, and so I'm uneasy. Just as the bell rang I was having trouble with the pearl and diamond scarf-pin that I o

, in view of all that has happened, I think we shall do well to go down and c

r. Thornton thrust his head into the physics laboratory

, won't you, doct

barred door, Dick inserted the key, then threw open the door.

it's gone!"

nto the locker room. He himself expl

" muttered the bew

appened in this locker,

suspic

they were," admi

g from the othe

thi

te to suggest anything of the sort. But--er--but--has the monitor

et yourself!" cri

k, in the same breath, turning

t seeming reluctance, "but that pin is a cos