“I guess you know well enough, Caven,” said Tom.  “You bad better come back to the Hall with us and have a talk with Captain Putnam.”

“I won’t go with you.  This is —­ is a —­ a plot against me,” stammered the slim youth.

“You will go back!” cried Dick, and caught Caven by the arm.  But with a jerk the seared boy freed himself and ran down the road at the top of his speed.

Sam and Dick pursued him on their bicycles, while some of the others came after on foot.  Seeing this, Jim Caven took to the woods just as Dan Baxter had done, and the boys found it impossible to track him any further.

“I wonder if he’ll come back tonight?” said Dick, as the party returned to where they had left Seth Dickerson and Tom.

“I don’t think he will,” answered Sam.  “I declare, he must be almost as bad as the Baxters!”

The farm wagon soon reached the Hall, and Dick ushered Seth Dickerson into Captain Putnam’s office.  The captain looked surprised at the unexpected visitor, but listened with deep concern to all the farmer and the Rover boys had to say.

“This certainly looks black for Caven,” he said at last.  “I did not think I had such a bad boy here.  And you say he got away from you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“It is a question if he will come back —­ providing he is really guilty.  I will have his trunk and bag searched without delay.  But if he is guilty how did that ruby stud and the watch come into Alexander Pop’s possession?”

“He was down on Aleck,” replied Tom, who had hobbled in after the others.  “And, besides, he thought if Aleck was arrested the search for the criminal would go no further.”

“Perhaps you are right, Thomas.  It is a sad state of affairs at the best.”

The party ascended to the dormitory which Jim Caven occupied with several smaller boy.  His trunk was found locked, but Captain Putnam took upon himself the responsibility of hunting up a key to fit the box.  Once open the trunk was found to contain, among other things, a bit of heavy cloth tied with a piece of strong cord.

“Here we are, sure enough!” cried the captain, as he undid the package and brought to light several of the missing watches and also some of the jewelry.  “I guess it is a clear case against Caven, and Pop is innocent.”

“I wish we could tell Pop of it,” put in Dick.

“He must feel awfully bad.”

“I will do what I can for the negro, Rover.  I am very sorry indeed, now, that I suspected him,” said Captain Putnam, with a slow shake of his head.

At the bottom of the trunk was a pocketbook containing nearly all of the money which had been stolen.  A footing-up revealed the fact that two watches and three gold shirt studs were still missing.

“And those were pawned in Auburn,” said Sam.  “Just wait and see if I am not right.”

A party was organized to hunt for Caven, and the captain himself went to Auburn that very evening.  The hunt for the missing boy proved unsuccessful, and it may be added here that he never turned up at Putnam Hall again nor at his home in Middletown, having run away to the West.