“Yes, that was where Tom made a mistake.  I guess he’s ready to admit that himself,” and Bert paced the room.  “I wish he’d come, so we could tell him,” he added.  “Do you know where he is?”

“No, except that he said he was going off alone to take a walk, as he’s done several times of late.  I offered to go along, but he said he wanted to be by himself, so I didn’t urge it.”

“Off getting clews, I expect.”

“Yes,” assented Jack.

The two chums sat silent in the room, waiting for the lad whom they both loved even better than a brother.  The past days had been trying on all of them—­on every one in Elmwood Hall—­from the most lordly Senior, or calm post-graduate, to the “fuzziest” Freshman, who thought he bore the weight of the whole school on his narrow shoulders.

For one and all felt the stigma that rested upon the institution—­Tom most of all.  True, as it happened, the affair was not as serious as had at first seemed.  Only one of the farmer’s horses died, and that was not a very valuable beast.  The others had been very sick, though.

Fortunately, however, most of the fall crops were in, and the fact of not having his steeds to work for him did not seriously inconvenience Mr. Appleby.  His neighbors helped him with the loan of their horses.

Still the farmer was a vindictive man, and he determined to have punished, if possible, the guilty person.  That it was Tom, with whom he had quarreled, he had no doubt.

And, it might be added, though most of the students bore in mind the injunction of Dr. Meredith not to talk about the matter, and make useless accusations, Sam Heller and his cronies, did not observe that silence.  Indeed, Sam even went to the trouble of repeating to Mr. Appleby all the evidence he had discovered against our hero.

“Oh, I know he’s guilty!” the vindictive farmer had said, when Sam and his crony called at the house one day, ostensibly to ask for a drink of water, but in reality to talk of Tom.  “I know he’s guilty, but my lawyer won’t let me have him up on charges.  He says I might get sued.”

“Oh, I guess you could win the case,” asserted Sam.  He was aching to see Tom humiliated further.  But the farmer shook his head.

“I’ve lost a heap of money already,” he complained, “an’ I ain’t a-goin’ t’ lose no more!”

And thus the case stood when Jack had his inspiration, as he sat in the gloaming with his chum Bert.

“Here he comes!” exclaimed the latter, as a footfall was heard in the corridor.

“Yes, that’s Tom.  Now to tell him.”

“Well, Tom, how goes it?” asked Jack, as he arose to open the door in response to the code knock.  “Anything new?”

“I don’t know, yet, but I think—­why, what’s up?” he asked quickly, surprised at the looks on the faces of his chums.

“You tell him, Jack,” insisted Bert generously.  “You thought of it.”