"Why not?" demanded Jess and Bobby together.
"Did you ever notice Professor Dimp"s feet?" asked Mother Wit.
"Horrors! No. Never saw him barefooted," said Bobby.
"Miss Smartie! His shoes, then?" proceeded the unruffled Laura.
"I--I----Why, no," admitted Bobby.
"Look at them now. He"s not a big man, but he has plentiful understandings," chuckled Laura. "See?"
"Plain!" exclaimed Jess, peering through the branches.
"And those footprints we followed were of a person who wears a narrow, small boot. Small for a man, I mean. I don"t believe the old Prof.
ever _could_ get into such shoes."
"Hurrah for Mother Wit--the lady detective!" cheered Bobby, under her breath.
"I am going to ask him----"
"What?" demanded Jess, half frightened as Laura started to press through the fringe of bushes.
"If he knows anything about that young man."
"What young man?" demanded the startled Jess.
"The young man who scared Liz last evening in the storm. The same young man who took the things from our camp--and left the ten dollar bill."
"The kleptomaniantic!" breathed Bobby, tagging close behind.
"Then it"s the man who has been fishing with the professor?" gasped Jess.
"You"ve guessed it," said Laura. "They are together. This is a camp for two. You can see the fish-heads lying about. There are two tin-plates and two empty cups."
"Are you sure the--the old Prof was one of those fishermen we saw in the boat?" asked Bobby.
"I recognize that old coat and hat," said Laura, firmly. "I do not see why I did not recognize Professor Dimp, in spite of his disguise, before."
"Well!" sighed Jess. "I am thankful one of our fellow-inhabitants of the island is n.o.body worse than Professor Dimp."
"But _why_?" demanded Bobby, wonderingly.
"We"ll find out what it means," said Laura, with more confidence than she really felt. Of course, she was not afraid of any physical violence. But the old professor was so terribly stern and strict that it took some courage to walk across the glade, where Barnacle was chewing fish-heads, and face the shabby old gentleman.
"What, what, what?" snapped Professor Dimp, rising up from the log on which he had been sitting. "Girls from Central High, eh? Ha! Miss Belding--yes; Miss Morse--yes; Miss Hargrew--yes. Well! what do you want?"
He seemed grayer than ever. His outing in the woods (if he had been here ever since school broke up) had done him little good, for he was wrinkled and troubled looking. His thin lips actually trembled as he greeted the three girls in characteristic manner. His eyes, however, were as bright as ever--like steel points. He looked this way when the boys had been a trial to him in Latin cla.s.s and he was about to say something very sharp.
"We are sorry to disturb you, Professor Dimp," said Laura, bravely.
"But we are in a quandary."
"A quandary, Miss Belding?"
"Yes, sir. Our dog has been following a man who came to our camp last night and frightened us. The dog led us right here to this spot. Have you seen him?"
"Seen the dog?" demanded the old professor. "Do you think I am blind?"
"I mean the man," said Laura, humbly.
"What does he look like? Describe him," commanded the professor, without a change of expression.
Laura was balked right at the start. She had no idea what the young man looked like, whom she believed Liz Bean knew, and whom she believed had come to the camp at the other end of Acorn Island twice.
"I only know what his boots are like," she said, finally, and looking straight into the old professor"s face.
"Well, Miss?"
"I think _you_ can supply the rest of his description," said Mother Wit, firmly.
"What do you mean, Miss?" snapped the old professor.
"He wore narrow boots, and his footprints lead directly to this place," said Laura. "Surely you must have seen him."
"Why should I?" demanded the professor.
"Because you have had a companion here. Two men made this camp--have eaten more than one meal here. Where is your companion, sir?"
"Miss--Miss Belding!" exclaimed the professor in a tone of anger. "How dare you? What do you mean?"
"I don"t mean to offend you, sir," said Mother Wit, while Jess tugged at her sleeve and even Bobby stepped back toward the fringe of brush.
The old gentleman looked very terrible indeed.
"I don"t mean to offend you, sir," repeated Laura. "But that man has been twice to our camp. He has disturbed us. He was there again last night and frightened our little maid-of-all-work almost out of her wits. We have got to know what it means."
"You are beside yourself, girl!" gasped the old gentleman, and instantly turned his head aside so that they could not see his face.
"Liz calls him "Mr. Norman,"" Laura pursued. "If you do not tell me who he is, and what his visits to our camp mean, I shall find out more about him--_in Albany_!"
Professor Dimp did not favor them with another word. He walked away and left the trio of girls standing, amazed, in the empty camping place.
CHAPTER XVIII
AN EVENTFUL FISHING TRIP
Jess and Bobby were both disappointed and disturbed over the interview with Professor Dimp. Laura said so little about it that Jess was really suspicious.