Then some of the girls were called upon to pass into the kitchen of the
farmhouse to start work at getting supper ready; though none of the
boys were allowed to accompany them, being told that they would only
interfere with the work.

It happened that among those who took this duty on themselves were both
Ivy and Sue, so that Hugh and Thad found they were without partners.
They were feeling a bit fatigued in the bargain, and following the
example of several other fellows who were in the same fix, they
strolled outside for a breath of cool air, taking care to pick up their
overcoats, as they were flushed from exercise.

Here Thad demanded that Hugh explain what his strange words meant with
reference to Owen Dugdale. He listened while the other told the story
in low tones; for while they believed themselves alone in the
moonlight, it was always possible that some other fellow might be
loitering close by, and thus overhear what was not intended for his
ears.

Thad of course was deeply interested by what he heard. He, too,
declared that it seemed preposterous to think that Owen could demean
himself so much as to deliberately steal what belonged to the queer old
French madame. At the same time Thad admitted he considered the
circumstantial evidence fairly strong.

"My father's a lawyer, you know, Hugh," he went on to say, "and I've
heard him say circumstantial evidence has hanged many an innocent man.
We ought to go mighty slow about believing Owen guilty without better
proof than his having been in the house on both occasions."