“That’s tough luck. But he’ll be able to get another job somewhere.”
“I’m not so sure about that. People aren’t likely to employ a man that’s been suspected of stealing. Dad tried two or three places this afternoon, but he was turned down.”
The Hardy boys were silent. They were sorry for the Robinsons, for they knew only too well that the family were badly off financially and that in view of the robbery it would indeed be difficult for Mr. Robinson to get another position.
“We’ve rented a small house just outside the city,” went on Slim. “It is cheap, and we’ll have to get along.” There was no false pride about Perry Robinson. He faced the facts as they came, and made the best of them. “But if Dad doesn’t get a job it will mean that I’ll have to go to work.”
“But, Slim—you’d have to quit school!”
“I can’t help that. I wouldn’t want to, for you know I was trying for the class medal this year. But—oh, well—”
The Hardy boys realized how much it would mean to their chum to leave school at this stage. Perry Robinson was an ambitious boy and one of the cleverest in his class. He had always wanted to continue his studies, go to a university, and his teachers had predicted a brilliant career for him. Now it seemed that all his ambitions would have to be thrown overboard because of this misfortune.
“Don’t worry, Slim,” comforted Frank. “Joe and I are going to plug away at this affair until we get at the bottom of it.”
“It’s mighty good of you, fellows,” said Slim gratefully. “I won’t forget it in a hurry. You’ve been pretty white to me all through this—”
“Aw, shucks!” muttered Frank, embarrassed. “It’s the reward we’re after. Applegate is offering a thousand dollars.”
“Oh, I know it isn’t altogether the reward. You would do it to help us anyway, and you know it. Look what you’ve already done!”
“Well, we’re going to get busy,” Joe said hastily. “See you later, Slim. Don’t worry too much. I think everything will be all right.”
Slim tried to smile, but it was evident that he was deeply worried, and when he walked away it was not with the light, springy, carefree step his chums had previously known.
“What’s the first move, Frank?”
“We had better get a full description of those jewels. Perhaps the thief tried to pawn them. We can call at all the pawnshops and see what we can find out. Then we may be able to get a line on the thief. You know, he might pawn something here—if he had to have money with which to get out of town.”
“Good idea! Do you think Applegate will give us a list?”
“We won’t have to ask him. Dad should have all that information.”
“Let’s go and ask him right now.”
But when the lads returned home and asked their father for a description of the jewels, they met with a disappointment.
“I’m quite willing to give you all that information,” said Fenton Hardy; “but I don’t think it will be much use. Furthermore, I’ll bet I can tell just what you are going to do.”
“What?”
“You’re going to make the rounds of the pawnshops and see if any of the jewels have been turned in.”
The Hardy boys looked at one another in consternation.
“How did you ever guess that?” asked Frank.
Their father smiled.
“Because it is just what I have already done. Not an hour after I was called in on the case I had a full description of all those jewels in every pawnshop in the city. More than that, the description has been sent to jewelry firms and pawnshops in other cities near here, and also to the New York police. Here’s a duplicate list if you want it, but you’ll just be wasting time by going around to the shops. They are all on the lookout for the stuff.”
Mechanically, Frank took the list.
“And I thought it was such a bright idea!”
“It is a bright idea. But it has been used before. Most jewel robberies are solved in just this manner—by tracing the thief when he tries to get rid of the gems.”
“Well,” said Joe gloomily, “I guess that plan is all shot to pieces. Come on, Frank. We’ll think of something else.”
“Out after the reward, eh?” said Mr. Hardy shrewdly.
“Yes; and we’ll get it, too!”
“I hope you do. But you can’t ask me to help you any more than I’ve done. It’s my case too, remember. So from now on, you are part of my opposition.”
“It’s a go!”
“More power to you, then,” and Mr. Hardy returned to his desk. He had a sheaf of reports from shops and agencies in various parts of the State, through which he had been trying to trace the stolen jewels and securities, but in every case the report was the same. There had been no trace of the gems or bonds taken from Tower Mansion.
When the boys left their father’s study they went outside and sat on the back steps, silently regarding their motorcycles.
“What shall we do now?” asked Joe.
“I don’t know. Dad sure took the wind out of our sails that time, didn’t he?”
“I’ll say he did. But it was just as well. Saved us a lot of trouble.”
“We might have been going around to all the pawnshops in the city and not getting anywhere.”
“Looks as if Dad has the inside track on the case, anyway. If any of the jewels are turned in he will be the first to hear of it. What chance have we?”
“I’m hanged if I’ll give up!” declared Frank, with determination. “We know that there was a strange man hanging around Tower Mansion and we know that there was a redheaded crook in town. Perhaps those two facts aren’t connected, but I think they are. And we know he stole Chet’s roadster.”
“And left it in the woods.”
“Yes—and say, Joe! We didn’t take much time
