Nevertheless the high school boys parted, going their various directions, after having agreed to meet by seven o’clock.  All wanted to be on hand when Prescott got back to town.

After supper Greg had not been out of the house five minutes when Mr. Hibbert appeared at the gate of the Holmes cottage, and passed inside.  The caller inquired for Greg’s father, met that gentleman, and the two remained in private conversation for some five minutes.

Ere the first minute was over, however, Greg’s father might have been heard, from the sidewalk, laughing uproariously.  Finally Mrs. Holmes was called into the conference.  She came forth again, looking somewhat amused.

From that meeting Hibbert went back to Main Street, where he fell in with Tom Colquitt.

“Are you satisfied, now?” demanded the latter.

“I’m puzzled,” replied Hibbert, with the air and tone of a man who hates to give up a delusion.

Colquitt and Hibbert had not gone a block and a half ere they encountered Dave, Tom and the others, only Dick being absent from the gathering of the chums.  Curiously, too, the meeting took place before the same ice cream shop.

“Just in time to have some more cream, boys,” suggested young Mr. Hibbert.

“And we’d enjoy it, too, thank you,” responded Tom courteously, “but there is a point, sir, past which it would be imposition to go.  So we are going to content ourselves with enjoying a very pleasant recollection of the good time we had with you this afternoon.”

“Better come inside with us,” urged Mr. Colquitt.  “I notice a table, away over in the corner, where we can be by ourselves.  You see, boys, after what Hibbert said to one of your number this afternoon, we feel that an explanation is due to you.  We can explain inside much better than we could on a street corner.”

That crowbar of curiosity wedged the boys away from their fear that they were accepting too much from strangers.  So they followed their mysterious conductors inside.  Young Mr. Hibbert ordered ices similar to those that had been enjoyed that afternoon.  Then Mr. Colquitt, with a brisk air, began: 

“Concerning that suspicion that young Holmes might be the missing heir to a large sum of money, I’ll tell you how Mr. Hibbert got his idea.”

Then, as though fearing that he had made too great a promise, Mr. Colquitt paused.

“It’s this way,” he went on, at last.  “Many years ago there was a railway wreck in this part of the state.  A good many passengers were killed.  Among them was the wife of a wealthy man.  The husband escaped with his life, but he was so badly hurt that, for a year or so, his mind suffered.  He had to be taken abroad.  There were a few babies among those killed in the wreck, and the infant son of the couple was supposed to be one of them.  The father is now well and healthy, but a very lonely man.  Within the last few weeks this father has had some reason to believe that his son didn’t perish in the wreck, but that other people, believing both parents had been killed, took charge of the infant.