some one had been prowling around and had locked the window. Then they saw our windows open and decided to climb up by the ivy. Elk says they hoped we'd be asleep. If we waked up they meant to tell us and ask us to keep mum. Jim climbed up first and made it all right, but Elk had hurt his wrist when the car struck the hydrant, and he had a hard time of it. They didn't either of them know that Cornish had seen them. For that matter, he only saw one, I guess, and that one was probably Elk, for he says it took him two or three minutes to get to the window because his wrist hurt him so. Seems that Jim left the hall door open after him, but the draft closed it, and that's what woke us up, I guess. Well, what Elk came for was to say that neither of them knew they'd been seen and that they hadn't meant to throw suspicion on us. He says if they'd known that Cornish was prowling around they wouldn't have entered our window. He was very particular about making that clear. Guess he thought you might think he had done it on purpose to get even with you. And that's that, old son."
Laurie nodded thoughtfully. "Kind of too
