“I didn’t take it, I tell you,” muttered Andy Royce.  “You ain’t goin’ to get nothin’ out o’ me!  This is a put-up job!  I won’t stand for it!” And once again he tried to break away.  But each of the boys held him fast.

“I guess the best we can do is to call a policeman and have him locked up,” declared Tom, with a knowing look at his brother.  He had no intention of having the former gardener arrested, but thought the threat would frighten the fellow.  And this was just what it did.  At the mention of being locked up, Andy Royce’s courage seemed to leave him.

“No!  No!  Don’t you do it!  Please, gents, don’t have me locked up!” be whined.  “I didn’t take the ring!”

“But you know what became of it,” declared Tom, sternly.  “So if you didn’t take it, who did?”

“No—­ nobuddy took it,” stammered Andy Royce.

“But it’s gone,” came quickly from Sam.

“Well, if you’ve got to know the truth, I’ll tell you,” growled the man, staring unsteadily at the boys.  “It’s in Miss Harrow’s inkwell.”

“Miss Harrow’s inkwell!” repeated Tom, incredulously.

“Did you put it there?” questioned Sam.

“I did.”

“Well, why in the world did you do that?” asked Tom, and made no effort to conceal his wonder.

“Why did I do it?” mumbled the man, unsteadily.  “I did it to git Miss Harrow into trouble.  I knowed she was responsible for the ring.”

“Then you were in the office,” declared Sam.

“Sure, I was there!  If I wasn’t, how would I a-seen that ring?  I was told that Miss Harrow wanted to see me, an’ I went to the office just at the same time when she came down to the stables where me and two of the other men had had a quarrel.  It wasn’t my fault, that quarrel wasn’t, but them other fellers put it off on me and said ’twas because I had been drinkin’,” continued Andy Royce, with a whine.  “When I got to the office there wasn’t nobuddy around.  I saw that diamond ring layin’ on the desk, and I picked it up——­”

“You were going to steal it?” broke in Tom.

“No, I wasn’t, Mr. Rover.  I may drink a little now an’ then, but I ain’t no thief,” went on Andy Royce.  “I never stole anything in my life.  I knowed that ring, because I saw Miss Parsons wear it more than once.  I was mad at Miss Harrow for the way she treated me, an’ just out of mischief I took the ring an’ opened the inkwell an’ dropped it in.  It was in the inkwell that had red ink in it, an’ the ring went plumb out o’ sight.”

“And you left the ring in the inkwell?” queried Tom.

“Sure I did!  Then, not to be seen in the office, I slipped out in a hurry, an’ left the seminary by the back door an’ ran to the stables.  Miss Harrow was there.  She had told me that she was goin’ to discharge me if there was any more trouble, so I knowed wot was comin’.  Then I quit, an’ come away,” concluded Andy Royce.

“Well, of all the things I ever heard of, this takes the cake!” was Sam’s comment.