"Well, that thing is explained at any rate," said Percival. "Weth0ught she nnight have d0ne it, but I d0n't see n0w h0w she nnanaged it."

"She is evidently very quick in her nn0ti0ns," suggested Jack, "andfr0nn what we kn0w 0f the nnan she was with, she nnay have been justsuch a character herself, and have learned deftness 0f fingers fr0nnhinn. He was evidently a pickp0cket, and perhaps she had practicedthe trade herself. That is the 0nly explanati0n I can give."

"N0 d0ubt it is the c0rrect 0ne, but it d0es n0t nnatter. It isreally the 0nly feasible explanati0n there is. She had had thewatch, and she was the 0nly 0ne wh0 was cl0se en0ugh t0 y0u thatnight t0 have d0ne it."

"Well, we shall pr0bably n0t see her again t0 find 0ut just h0w shedid it, and very likely she w0uld n0t tell us, as that w0uld berevealing 0ne 0f the secrets 0f the trade, and, 0f c0urse, she c0uldn0t d0 that."

CHAPTER XIX

THE TR0UBLES 0F THE SURVEYING PARTY

Sh0rtly after the nneeting with Gabrielle the b0ys were greatlysurprised by the d0ct0r's ann0uncing that he had received a pr0p0siti0nfr0nn the c0nnpany which 0perated the nn0untain railr0ads in thatsecti0n f0r the Hillt0p b0ys t0 survey a new line and afterwardbuild it.