At Chatton, the station before Ronleigh, a man who had so far travelled with them got out, and the four boys were left alone.

Hardly had the train started again when Noaks put down his paper, and turning to his companions said,-- "That's a rum business about that old chap's house being robbed, isn't it ?" Something in the speaker's look and in the tone of his voice caused the three listeners to experience an unpleasant quickening of their pulses.
"Yes," answered Diggory, with a well-assumed air of indifference.
"I suppose they'll catch the thieves in time." "I suppose so," returned the other, "especially if they find the chap who owns that knife with the broken blade." The malignant look with which these words was accompanied showed at once that the speaker meant mischief.

The three friends looked at one another in horrified amazement.

Could it be possible that their visit to The Hermitage had already been discovered?
Noaks watched their faces for a moment, evidently well pleased with the effect which his remark had produced; then he burst out laughing.
"Look here," he continued, producing from his pocket a buck-handled clasp-knife: "I wonder if that's anything like it; I see the big blade's broken." The Triple Alliance recognized it in a moment as one of the articles that had been rescued from Mugford's sale at The Birches; in fact, the owner's name appeared plainly engraved on the small brass plate.
Diggory was the first to find his tongue.
"What d'you mean?
We didn't steal the coins!" "My dear fellow, I never said you did.

I only know that on Saturday I was looking over our wall, through an opening there happens to be in the shrubs, and saw you fellows climbing out of the old chap's window; and after you'd gone I noticed something lying in the path, and I hopped over, and picked up this knife." "Give it here; it's mine," said Mugford, holding out his hand.
"No fear," answered the other, calmly returning the piece of lost property to his own pocket.