They hurried out into the corridor, and started down it, armed with the fire irons. Though they had talked rather loudly, and were under considerable excitement, no attention had been attracted to them. Most of the rooms on that floor were not occupied just then, and if there were students in the others they did not come out to see what was taking place.

"Say, it would be great if we could capture the thief!" said Dunk.

"Yes, and end the quadrangle mystery," added Andy.

"I don't care so much about ending the mystery as I do about getting back my tennis cup and the book," spoke Frank.

"What sort of a book was it?" Andy inquired.

"A reference work on inorganic chemistry," answered Frank. "Cost me ten plunks, too. I can't afford to lose it for I need it in my work."

"Some book!" murmured Andy, as the three hastened on.

They tried door after door as they pa.s.sed, but most of them were locked.

One or two opened to disclose students dressing or shaving, and to the rather indignant inquiries as to what was wanted, Dunk would exclaim hastily:

"Oh, we are looking for a fellow--that's all."

"Hazing?" sometimes would be inquired.

"Sort of," Dunk would answer. "No use telling 'em what it is until we've got something to show," he added to his companions. They agreed with him.

They had now reached the turn of corridor where a short pa.s.sage, making an L, branched off. So far they had seen no trace of the thief.

"There's a big closet, or storeroom, at the end," explained Andy. "The fellow may be hiding in there."

An examination of the few rooms remaining on this short turn of the pa.s.sage did not disclose the youth they sought. All of the doors were locked.

"He may be hiding in one of them," suggested Dunk.

"If he is all we'll have to do will be to wait down at the other end, if we don't find him in the store room," spoke Andy. "He'll have to come out some time, and it's too high up for him to jump."

"It's queer we didn't hear him run past our room," remarked Dunk.

"He had on rubber shoes--that's why," explained Frank. "He went out of my room like a shadow. At first I didn't realize what it was, but when I found my stuff had vanished I woke up."

"Rubber shoes, eh?" said Andy. "He's an up-to-date burglar all right."

"Well, let's try the storeroom," suggested Dunk, as they neared it. They were rather nervous, in spite of the fact that their forces outnumbered the enemy three to one. With shovel, tongs and poker held in readiness, they advanced. The door of the big closet was closed, and, just as Andy was about to put his hand on the k.n.o.b, the portal swung open, and out stepped--Mortimer Gaffington.

"Why--er--why--you--you----!" stammered Andy.

"Did you--have you----?" This was what Dunk tried to say.

"Is he in there?" Frank wanted to know.

Mortimer looked coolly at the three.

"I say," he drawled, "what's up? Are you looking for a rat?"

"No, the quadrangle thief!" exclaimed Andy. "He went in Frank's room and took his book and silver cup, and lit out. Came down here and we're after him! Have you seen him?"

"No," replied Mortimer, slowly. "I came up here to get Charley Taylor's mushroom bat. He said he stuck it in here when the season was over, and he told me I could have it if I could fish it out. I had the d.i.c.kens of a time in there, pawing over a lot of old stuff."

"Did you get the bat?" asked Dunk.

"No. I don't believe it's there. If it is I'd have to haul everything out to get at it. I'm going to give it up."

As he spoke he threw open the closet door. An electric light was burning inside, and there was revealed to the eyes of Andy and his chums a confused ma.s.s of material. Most of it was of a sporting character, and belonged to the students on that floor, they using the store room for the acc.u.mulation that could not be crowded into their own apartments.

"A regular junk heap," commented Frank. "But where the mischief did that fellow go who was in my room?"

"It _is_ sort of queer," admitted Andy, as he looked down. Without intending to do so he noticed that Mortimer did not wear rubber-soled shoes, but had on a heavy pair that would have made noise enough down the corridor had he hurried along the pa.s.sage.

"Maybe you dreamed it," suggested Mortimer. "I didn't see anything of anyone coming down here, and I was in that closet some time, rummaging away."

"Must have been pretty warm in there--with the door closed," suggested Dunk.

"It was hot. The door swung shut when I was away back in a corner trying to fish out that bat, and I didn't want to climb back and open it. Well, I guess I'll go clean up. I'm all dust."

Truth to tell, he was rather disheveled, his clothes being spotted in several places with dust and cobwebs, while his face and hands were also soiled.

"Well, I guess he fooled us," commented Andy. "I can't understand it, though. We came down this hall right after him, and there's no stairway going up or down from this end. How could he give us the slip?"

"Easily enough," said Mortimer. "He could have slid into some empty room, locked the door on the inside and waited until you fellows rushed past. Then he could come out and go down the stairs behind you without you seeing him."

"That's what he did then, all right," decided Dunk. "We might as well give it up. Report your loss, Frank."

"Yes, I will. Whew! Another quadrangle robbery to add to the list. I wonder when this thing will stop?"

No one could answer him. Mortimer switched off the light in the store room, remarking that he'd have another look for the bat later. Then he accompanied Andy and the others on their way back down the corridor.

Gaffington departed to his own dormitory, while Frank went to report to the Dean, and Andy and Dunk turned into their room.

"Well, what do you think of it?" asked Andy.

"I don't know," responded his roommate. "Mortimer's explanation seems to cover it."

"All the same we'll leave our door open, on the chance that the thief may still be hiding in some empty room, and will try to sneak out,"

suggested Andy.

"Sure, that's good enough."

But, though they watched for some time, no one came down the corridor past their room but the regular students.

And so the theft of the book and silver cup pa.s.sed into history with the other mysteries. Further search was made, and the private detective agency, that had been engaged by the Dean, sent some active men scouting around, but nothing came of it.

The Christmas vacation was at hand and Andy went home to spend it in Dunmore. Chet, Ben and his other school chums were on hand, and as Andy remarked concerning the occasion, "a jolly time was had by all."

Chet and Ben were with Andy most of the time, and when Andy told of the doings at Yale, Chet responded with an account of the fun at Harvard, while Ben related the doings of the Jersey Tiger.