"Oh, I just do! I don't care if he is my cousin; he's as mean--!" "Well, suspecting him won't do any good," said Roy. "We can't see into the trunk. And, anyhow, maybe he didn't bring the sweater back at all." "Yes, he did too," answered Harry. "Don't you see he'd want to put it back again so that you couldn't say that someone had taken it and worn it? It's there, in his trunk." "And I guess it'll stay there," said Roy hopelessly. "He won't be fool enough to take it out now." "Couldn't you make him open his trunk?" "I don't see how. I couldn't go and tell him I suspected him of having stolen my sweater; not without more proof than I've got now." "I suppose not," answered Harry thoughtfully, her chin in her hand and the heel of one small shoe beating a restless tattoo on the wall. "You might--" she lowered her voice and looked about guiltily--"you might break it open!" "And supposing it wasn't there?" "But it is there!" cried Harry. "I know it is!" "Wish I did," grunted Roy. "Well, we'll just have to think of a way," said Harry presently, arousing herself from her reverie. "And now I must go on, because I promised to play tennis with Jack Rogers. I'm sorry." "That's all right," answered Roy. "I--I've got some studying to do, anyhow." Harry turned upon him with alarm in her face. "Now don't you go doing anything desperate, Roy Porter!" she commanded. "You just sit still and hold tight and--and it'll come out all right. You leave it to me!" CHAPTER XXIV SID'S "POPULAR PROTEST"--AND WHAT FOLLOWED Harry and Jack played one set of tennis, which resulted, owing largely to Harry's evident preoccupation, in an easy win for Jack, 6--3. "Look here, Harry, you don't really want to play tennis, do you?" asked Jack. Harry started and flushed guiltily. "Do you mind?" she asked. "Not a bit," he answered. "What's bothering you? Methuselah got a headache? Or has Lady Grey eaten one of the white mice?" Harry shook her head. "I wish I could tell you, Jack, but it's not my secret," she answered regretfully and a trifle importantly. "Do you--would you mind taking a walk?" "No; where to?" "Over to the Mercers'." Jack thought he could guess then what Harry was troubled about, but he said nothing, and they cut across the orchard, in which a few trees of early apples were already beginning to ripen their fruit, and headed for Farmer Mercer's. Harry was a great favorite with Mrs. Mercer and was cordially greeted. They had root beer and vanilla cookies on the front porch, and then, leaving Jack and Mrs. Mercer to entertain each other, Harry ran off to the barn to find the farmer. She was back again in a few minutes and she and Jack took their leave. "Well, did you discover anything?" asked Jack when they were once more on the road hurrying homeward. Harry shot a startled glance at him. Jack was smiling. "No," she answered disappointedly. "How'd you know?" "Oh, I just guessed."