It is impossible for such large articles as a saw and a brace to be mislaid or lost on such small premises as these, and I trust that before this evening you will report to me that the things have been found.

I have purposely allowed the key of the shed to remain in your own possession, feeling certain that your behaviour as regards each other's property would be in accordance with the treatment which one gentleman expects to receive from another.

You may go." There was little in the nature of a scolding in this address, and yet something in it caused every one to leave the room in a state of great excitement.

Acton and Jack Vance especially fairly boiled with wrath.
"What old Welsby says is quite right," remarked the latter; "and until those things are found, we may all be looked upon as thieves." The search, however, proved fruitless; and, what was worse, in turning over the contents of the shed, Acton discovered that a bull's-eye lantern belonging to himself had disappeared from the shelf on which it usually stood; while Mugford declared that a box of compasses, which he had brought down a few days before to draw a pattern on a piece of board, was also missing.
Directly after tea Acton button-holed Diggory, and taking him aside said, "Look here, I'm in an awful rage about these thing's being prigged, because, of course, I've got the key of the shed; and didn't you hear what old Welsby said about it?
It looks uncommonly as if I were the thief.

You remember what you said the other night when we had that feed, about seeing that man?
D'you think there _is_ any one who comes here at night and steals things ?" "Well, I'm certain I saw some one in the playground when I told you.
It was a man; but whether he comes regularly and goes into the shed I don't know, but I think we ought to be able to find out." "How ?" "Oh, some way or other; I'll tell you to-morrow." That night, long after the rest of the house were asleep, the Triple Alliance lay awake engaged in earnest conversation; and in the morning, as the boys were assembling for breakfast, Diggory touched Acton on the shoulder and whispered,-- "I say, we've thought of a plan to find out if any one goes into the shed at night." "Who's 'we' ?" "Why, the Triple Alliance; we thought it out between us.