"Belle?"

"What, dear?"

"I must--go to--sleep!"

"Then I must stay awake. Some one has to watch!"

CHAPTER VII

THE SEARCH

The spoons were gone!

Nettie discovered this very early the next morning, for the truth was,
the maid did not return to sleep after the escape of the burglar from
the Robinson cottage.

The fact that she had been intrusted with the care of the table silver,
during the absence of Mrs. Robinson, gave the girl grave anxiety, and,
although Bess was willing to say it was partly her fault that the
silver had not been brought upstairs that night, Nettie felt none the
less guilty.

The boys, Ed and Jack, were around at the cottage before the tired
girls had a chance to collect themselves after breakfast.

"We have got to make a quiet search first," said Jack, after hearing
the story. "No use putting the officers on until we get a look over
the neighborhood. From Cora's version of the affair he could not have
gone very far."

This was considered good advice, and accordingly Jack went back to the
bungalow for Walter, so that all three chums might start out together.

"Did you really get a look at him?" Ed asked Cora.

"Not exactly a look," replied Cora, "but I noticed when he jumped up
into the window that he wore a beard--he looked almost like a wild man."

"Naturally he would look to you that way, under the circumstances,"
said Ed, "but what stumps me is how you expected him--how you had the
gun loaded and all that."

"Well, didn't he prowl around the very first day we came in from
leaving mother at the train? He seemed to know we would be alone,"
declared Belle. "I hope he is so badly hurt that he had to----"

"Give up prowling," finished Cora. "Well, I hope he is not badly hurt.
It is not pleasant to feel that one has really injured another, even if
he be a bold, bad burglar."

"Don't let that worry you," encouraged Ed. "I rather guess his legs
are used to balls and bullets. But here come the fellows. So long,
girls," as he started off to meet Walter and Jack. "If we don't get
the spoons we will get something."

"Where are they going?" asked Bess.

"Oh, I am so nervous and tired out this morning!" and Belle's white
face corroborated that statement. "I feel I will have to go back to
bed."

"It's the best thing you can do," advised Cora, for, indeed, the
dainty, nervous Belle was easily overcome. "I might say, though, go
out on the porch and rest in the h