"It's packed, young lady," returned Professor Spink, with a sneer. "I shall send a man for it from the hotel in town."
"Well, _that's_ all right," quoth the girl, warmly. "You've paid your board in advance, and I cannot complain. But I would like to have you explain what your actions last night mean?"
"I don't know what you are talking about. I heard people moving about the house and--naturally--I went to see----"
"Ha! I can see that you have both made up your minds not to believe me," said the odd boarder, haughtily. "Good-morning!"
"I honestly believe we ought to get a warrant out and have him arrested," observed the older girl, thoughtfully.
"What for? I don't believe he took anything," said 'Phemie.
"Well! he was trying to break into grandfather's desk, just the same," said Lyddy, and then Harris Colesworth joined them.
Now, Lyddy believed that this young man was altogether too prone to meddle with other people's affairs; yet ever since the Widow Harrison's vendue she had been more friendly with Harris.
And now when he began to talk about the professor and his strange actions over night, she could only thank the young chemist for his assistance.
"Of course, we have no idea that that man took anything," she concluded.
"But you know that he is after _something_. There is a mystery about his actions--both here at the house and up there in the rocks," said Harris.
"I have been talking to father about it. Father has seen him wandering about there so much. His anxiety not to be seen has piqued father's curiosity, too. To tell the truth, that is what has kept father so much interested in getting specimens up yonder," and the young man laughed.
"He tells me that he is sure there can be no great mineral wealth on the farm; yet Spink has found, or is trying to find, some deposit of value here----"
"Do tell him about the bottles, Lyd!" cried 'Phemie.
"What bottles?" demanded Harris, quickly. "Come on, girls, why not take me fully into your confidence? I might be of some use, you know."
"But they were nothing but bottles of water," objected Lyddy.
"Bottles of water?" repeated the young chemist, slowly. "Who had them?"
She told him how they had watched the professor with his inexplicable water bottles.