oking for
something to do."

David turned red. It was unexpected friendliness for Harry Sears to
suggest coming for a walk with him. Harry usually never noticed David at
all, except to order him about at every possible opportunity.

But David was resolute. He particularly needed to be alone on this
afternoon. Besides his usual occupation, he must make up his mind how he
could go about restoring to the Prestons and Miss Taylor their stolen
property.

"I'm off on personal business, Mr. Sears," he returned politely. "I
can't let any one else come along."

"Well, you are a nice, sociable person, Brewster," sneered Harry. "Sorry
to have intruded. I might have known better."

David swung out of the yard without answering. It never occurred to him
to glance back to see what Sears and Bolling were doing.

"Let's go after the fellow, Bolling," proposed Harry. "We have nothing
else to do this afternoon. It would be rather good fun to find out what
knavery the chap is up to and to show him off before the girls. I
actually believe that Madge Morton and Phyllis Alden like the common
fellow. Maybe they think Brewster is a kind of hero; he is so silent,
dark and sullen, like the hero chap in a weepy sort of play."

Jack Bolling hesitated. "I don't think it is square of us to spy on
Brewster, no matter what he is doing," he argued.

"I _do_," returned Harry briefly. "If he isn't up to something he has no
business doing, what harm is there in our chancing to run across
him--quite by accident, of course? If he is up to some deviltry, it is
our business to find it out."

David had turned a corner in the road and had jumped over a low stone
fence into a field when the other two young men started after him.

Harry soon espied David, and he and Jack tramped after him cautiously,
always keeping at a safe distance.

But David Brewster was wholly unaware that he was being followed. He
hurried from one field to another until he came to a meadow that had
been left uncultivated for a number of years. It was uneven, running
into little hills and valleys, with big rocks jutting out of the earth.
One of these rocks formed a complete screen. David walked straight
toward this spot as though he were accustomed to going to it. He lay
down on the grass under the rock. On his way to his retreat he had made
up his mind how he should try to return the stolen goods to the rightful
owners, so there was nothing to keep him from his regular occupati