ng. His rooms should be carefully examined."

"You are right," answered Ferris, "and I have my duplicate keys.
Let us drive up there, you and I; we will take a look and then seal
them up till the detectives examine them. We are getting at facts
here; we are awaiting now to hear from Hugh. As you knew Clayton
at college, I'd like to have you represent the fair thing at the
searching of the rooms, particularly as I lived with him. But he
has not been there since Saturday morning, and the money is gone.
That tells the whole story. It's impossible to keep it quiet now,
and I wash my hands of the whole thing. It occurred three days
before I took charge."

The two young men silently made their way to the street. As they
seated themselves in the first carriage they saw idle, Witherspoon
calmly remarked, "If I know Worthington's mind, he will make very
radical changes here now. Do you suspect any collusion?"

Ferris shook his head. "Poor old Somers has Clayton's tag receipts
for the currency and cheques as usual. I'm sorry for the old
man. We'll retire him, at any rate, pension or no pension. It was
Wade's silly system, to trace all our money down with two sets of
custodians, and then send it to bank by ONE man!"

"You don't think Clayton can have been made away with? Followed
by those who have accidentally dropped on his secrets, or some one
informed by some member of your office staff?"

"No; that's all far-fetched and speculative," gruffly said Ferris.
"But the whole damned lot, from old Wade down, are under secret
espionage now. I ordered that on at once. Besides, the Fidelity
Company have their own people at work."

"Ah! There was a bond?" questioned Witherspoon. "Fifty thousand,
only," growled Ferris, "and they probably will only pay a half.
They'll make us prove our loss in open court, and you know we don't
care to haul out our books. But the recovery goes really to old
Hugh; he paid all the dues on Clayton's bond."

They halted in a watchful silence at the fashionable apartment-house,
and Ferris, calling the janitor as a witness, using his own keys,
opened the vacant rooms. At the door he paused to give a few sharp
directions to the watchers, and so Jack Witherspoon stepped into
the room first. By a mere accident he felt a small object under
his foot, and then quickly secured it in his hand, having carelessly
dropped his hat. He felt a little card-case in the hand which
remained thrust idly in his pocket.