he was disappointed. Like most cowardly men, he backed down readily when confronted with opposition. Grumbling to himself, he turned away and crossed the street.
The Hardy boys went on toward school.
"That'll give him something to think about," remarked Frank.
"You hit the right note when you said he must have something on his conscience or he wouldn't have thought we were following him."
"I'm sure he has. A man with a clear conscience would never suspect he was being trailed. There's something mighty fishy about Gus Montrose and his queer-looking friend."
"Too bad he saw us. He'll be on his guard against us now."
"That doesn't matter. We can keep an eye on him just the same. I'd give a farm to know what the pair of them were talking about."
"And I'd give a five-dollar bill just to know if he put that fishing pole in the car up at the Dodds' and got Jack into trouble."
"So would I."
The boys were greatly puzzled. They were convinced that Gus Montrose was up to no good and this conviction had only been strengthened by their encounter. They reasoned that a law-abiding man would scarcely have shown such resentment as Montrose had evidenced.
"Well, whether he's one of the thieving
