"But I never seemed to be able to hook it on before," confided the lad
frankly. "Gee, but it makes me chesty! I'm pleased to death with
myself!"

To save himself the old Scotchman could not but chuckle at his
companion's naive satisfaction.

"Somehow it's a bit tough to get this linking-up idea just when I can't
do any more studying," added the boy a trifle wistfully.

"Oh, you will be back at school before long, son; and if you go back
more eager to learn will that not be a gain?"

"Sure it will! _Hora!_ Jove! I made a neat guess, didn't I? And that's
where that horologium you were talking about came from, too. I'm not so
worse. Miss Alden, my Latin teacher, would fall in a faint if she heard
me rolling out these Latin derivatives, I'll bet. I'm not often taken
this way. Say, Mr. McPhearson, I seem to be learning quite a lot if I'm
not in school. This is a darn pleasanter way to do it, too."

CHAPTER VI

CLOCKS THAT WERE GOOD AS PLAYS

By the end of two weeks, school with its games and its bells for
recitation had become a thing of the past and Christopher felt as much
at home in his father's shop as if his name was inscribed upon its
payroll.

Nevertheless, despite the lapse of time, no trace either of the missing
gems or of the two diamond robbers had been secured. Both Mr. Burton and
Mr. Norcross were beginning to be discouraged, and feared the culprits
would never be captured; even Christopher's hope of seeing his adventure
brought to a favorable climax was fading. As for poor Hollings, he was
another man altogether and it seemed as if he would never be able to
hold his head up again. A part of the value of the gems was, to be sure,
covered by burglar insurance, and therefore the loss to the firm would
not be great; rather it was the disgrace of the episode that bowed the
salesman to the ground. He was an old and trusted employee who took the
matter so hard that within the fortnight he aged visibly and his hair
actually seemed to whiten. Christopher pitied him and so did everybody
else, and by and by public sentiment was almost more concerned with his
unhappiness than with the tragedy that caused it.

"Dad doesn't harbor any grudge against you, Mr. Hollings!" repeated the
lad for the twentieth time, in a hope of consoling the unfortunate
clerk. "Neither does Mr. Norcross. I heard him tell my father so."

"That isn't the point, sonny," his listener responded dejectedly. "Of
course it's kind of t