"They told me first there were three girls," went on the man. "And so there were, but one got away somehow, so then we took only the two."
"But you heard what the girls said, didn't you?" asked Dick, sharply.
"I was paying attention to running my car," mumbled the chauffeur.
"How about when I and my brother came after you on horseback? Why didn't you stop and find out what we wanted?"
"The young fellow, Sobber, said you were from the school where the young ladies attended and that maybe you wanted to arrest them. They made me go on."
"That sounds pretty fishy to me," returned Dick. "Still, I won't condemn you until this whole thing is cleared up. Just now we've got to find those young ladies."
"Going to leave me tied up?" cried the chauffeur.
"Well, fair or not, that's the way it is going to be," put in Tom. "My own opinion is, you are almost as guilty as anybody. You didn't plan this thing, but you were perfectly willing to do your share in carrying it out."
The chauffeur begged and pleaded, but the three boys would not listen to him. All were eager to go on, to ascertain what had become of Dora and Nellie. They felt that the girls must be suffering intensely even though Mrs. Sobber was with them.
"No use of taking the lantern, we can easily find the way," said Dick. "I'd rather have the stick handy, and my pistol."
Leaving the chauffeur grumbling roundly, the three Rover boys hurried along the woodland trail. It made half a dozen turns, the last around a spring of pure cold water, which the tired-out lads could not resist. Each got a good drink and felt much refreshed. All were too excited to notice their hunger, even though they had not tasted a mouthful of food since the noon lunch.
"I see the house!" whispered Sam, presently, and pointed ahead, and his brothers nodded.
Set in a cleared space was an old stone mansion, two stories high, and with several wings. The porch was badly rotted, the chimney top gone, and the whole structure showed signs of decay. Around the place was what had once been a well-kept flower garden, now overrun with a tangle of dead flowers stalks and untrimmed rose bushes. Evidently no one had done any work around the place for several years.
"Just the kind of a place those chaps would pick out," whispered Dick to his brothers. "They never suspected anybody would trace 'em. I suppose they found out the old mansion was not being used, and they either hired it or took possession without asking."