# Chet Morton — The Secret of the Old Mill character guide > Chet Morton in The Secret of the Old Mill by Franklin W. Dixon. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Chet **First appearance:** 0002-iii-the-hardy-boys-at-school ## Snapshot The Hardys' loyal, perpetually hungry friend, whose blunt questions about milling prices poke a hole in the mill men's cover story. ## Who they are Chet tags along on the hike to the old mill and, with the cheerful persistence of a farmer's son, asks about grain and milling rates the strangers clearly never expected. His innocent questions draw out prices so absurdly high they amount to a refusal of trade, and the awkwardness that follows tells Frank everything. Chet matters because his ordinary curiosity exposes how little the mill's story holds together. ## Relationships ### [Con Riley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/con_riley) _friendship_ Friends and fellow amateur sleuths who often assist the Hardy boys. ### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/frank_hardy) _friendship_ Loyal friend who often joins the Hardy boys on adventures, despite his cautious nature. ### [Jerry Gilroy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/jerry_gilroy) _friendship_ Friends and fellow members of the local youth group, often seen together. ### [Fenton Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/fenton_hardy) _social_ Acquaintance and occasional helper, with Chet respecting Fenton's detective authority. ### [Con Riley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/con_riley) _friendship_ Friends and fellow amateur sleuths who often assist the Hardy boys. ### [Jerry Gilroy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/jerry_gilroy) _friendship_ Friends and fellow members of the local youth group, often seen together. ### [Fenton Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/fenton_hardy) _social_ Acquaintance and occasional helper, with Chet respecting Fenton's detective authority. ### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/frank_hardy) _friendship_ Loyal friend who often joins the Hardy boys on adventures, despite his cautious nature. ### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/frank_hardy) _friendship_ Loyal friend who often joins the Hardy boys on adventures, despite his cautious nature. ### [Jerry Gilroy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/jerry_gilroy) _friendship_ Friends and fellow members of the local youth group, often seen together. ### [Con Riley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/con_riley) _friendship_ Friends and fellow amateur sleuths who often assist the Hardy boys. ## In the story ### [The Hardy Boys at School](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/iii-the-hardy-boys-at-school) Leads the teasing with a fake hundred-dollar bill and a magnifying glass; later orchestrates a prank on Jerry Gilroy. ### [V: Curing the Joker](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/v-curing-the-joker) Plays a pepper-filled apple prank on Jerry and later becomes the victim of the group's revenge. ### [The Old Mill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/vi-the-old-mill) Joins the group after retrieving his belongings, enthusiastic about the mill. ### [In the Mill Race](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/vii-in-the-mill-race) Comments on the boy's difficult life and offers to use his father's farming as a cover story. ### [VIII: Joe's Courage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/viii-joe-s-courage) Restrains Frank from diving in and accompanies him to the mill to get a rope. ### [The Rescue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/ix-the-rescue) Chet shouts encouragement and helps pull Joe ashore, then questions the mill men about their prices. ### [XIV: Con Riley Guards a Package](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/xiv-con-riley-guards-a-package) Chet orchestrates the prank, flattering Riley and giving him a package containing an alarm clock, then watches the ensuing chaos. ### [The Chase](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/xv-the-chase) Chet wisely stays behind to avoid weighing down Tony's boat and suggests alerting Barmet village. ### [XX: A Note of Warning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/xx-a-note-of-warning) Goes cruising with the boys earlier; falls into the bay during an acrobatic attempt on the motorboat. ### [The Reckoning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/chapters/xxv-the-reckoning) Chet jokes about checking the reward money for counterfeits and celebrates with the boys. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters/chet_morton - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_mill_se/characters