"I guess I thought he
might sit down on it and the glass would go bang! That would have been
funny."

"I take it that Walter didn't discover the lantern in his pocket?"

"No, he went off in a hurry and I couldn't even get my toy back."

"This puts an entirely different light on the matter," said Mr.
Nichols, speaking slowly. "If Perry is telling the truth, then
probably Jay Kline went off without suspecting that the lantern was in
his coat. He may have pulled the Kirmenbach job."

"And the toy lantern probably fell from his pocket while he was working
at the wall safe," Penny added eagerly. "Can we prove it, Dad?"

"It may be possible to make Kline confess," the detective replied.
"I'll go down to Kendon right away and question him."

With Herman Crocker in custody there was no one to look after Perry, so
Penny took the lad back to her cottage. He was tucked into bed with no
inkling of the unfortunate fate which had befallen his grandfather.

Penny and Susan sat up until late awaiting the return of Mr. Nichols
from Kendon. He came in around midnight and the girls saw at once that
he was highly elated.

"Well, Penny, you've won the reward!" he called out gaily.

"Not really!" exclaimed Penny.

"Yes, the case is closed," Mr. Nichols declared, "and Kirmenbach's
reward will go to you."

"Tell us all about it," pleaded Penny eagerly.

"Jay Kline broke down and admitted everything. He committed the
Kirmenbach robbery and several others as well. However, it was a shock
to him when he learned that his conviction came about through Perry's
toy lantern. He never dreamed it was in his coat."

"What will become of Herman Crocker?" Penny inquired.

"He has agreed to turn over the major part of his estate to the
rightful heir--Michael."

"Will he be sent to prison, Dad?"

"That hasn't been determined, but I imagine he may escape a sentence.
However, in any case, Perry is to be taken from him and turned over to
someone who will give him better care."

"I'm glad of that," said Penny. "Did Herman offer any reason for doing
what he did?"

"Only that he hoped to keep the fortune for himself. Then too, it
seems he wished to pass it on to his own grandson, Perry. You remember
he was the child of Herman's daughter, Ella--the only person whom the
old man ever loved."

"Yet he mistreated Perry."

"In a way, yes, but he probably thought more of the boy than any other
living person."

"And what is to becom