f fifty-dollar bills in his
pocket, and hastened over to Captain Patterdale's house.

"When people come to my house, and I'm not at home, I don't like to have
them talk to my servants about my affairs," blustered the strange man.

"I don't think we meddled with your affairs any further than to ask if
Laud Cavendish had the use of the Juno for taking care of her,"
explained Captain Patterdale.

"It don't concern you. Laud Cavendish does have the use of the Juno for
taking care of her."

"Indeed!" exclaimed the good nabob, glancing at Donald.

"Indeed!" sneered the wicked nabob. "You needn't _indeed_ anything I
say. I can speak the truth better than you psalm-singers."

"I am very glad you can, Captain Shivernock, for that is what we are in
need of just now," laughed the good nabob. "And since we have meddled
with your affairs in your absence, it is no more than right that we
should explain the reason for doing so. A tin box, containing nearly
fourteen hundred dollars in bills, and many valuable papers, was stolen
from this room. Three persons, Jacob Hasbrook, Laud Cavendish, and Don
John here, passed through the library when they left the house."

"Hasbrook stole it; he is the biggest scoundrel of the three," added the
wicked nabob.

"Perhaps not," continued the good nabob. "A bill which I can identify
came back to me the other day. Don John paid it to Mr. Leach, and he to
me. Don John says Laud Cavendish paid him the bill."

"And so he did," protested Donald, as the captain glanced at him.

"And I gave it to Laud Cavendish," added Captain Shivernock; thus
carrying out the programme which had been agreed upon the night before
he went on his journey.

Possibly, if Mr. Laud Cavendish had known that the wicked nabob had
returned, he would have hastened to see him, and inform him of the
change he had made in the programme. If he had done so, their stories
might have agreed better. Captain Patterdale, Mr. Beardsley, and Donald
were astonished at this admission.

"For what did you pay it to him?" asked the good nabob.

"None of your business what I paid it to him for. That's my affair,"
bluffed the wicked nabob.

"But this bill was in the box."

"But how do you know it was? I suppose you will say next that I stole
the box."

"I hope you will assist me in tracing out this matter," said the good
nabob, as he produced the mended bill. "This is the one; I call it the
white cross of Denmark."

Captain Shiverno