HUGH REACHES HIS GOAL Thad Stevens looked as though any one could knock him down with a feather.

The astonishing fact that the old lady who made a fad of collecting souvenir spoons, had failed to recognize the one which he had purloined from Owen's den "struck him all in a heap," as he afterwards expressed it.

Why, that would seem to indicate Owen must be entirely innocent, so far as proof went.
Hugh, on his part, was quicker to recover.

Although he felt a spasm of sincere satisfaction pass through him at the result of his chum's test, at the same time he realized that there was no necessity for making "mountains out of molehills." Madame Pangborn had instantly surmised that there was more connected with that odd little silver spoon than she had as yet grasped.

Indeed, having good eyesight, she could hardly have failed to notice the strange actions of Thad.
"Tell me what it all means, please, Thad," she besought him; "for I am certain you must have some deeper motive in fetching that souvenir spoon to show me than appears on the surface.