d with theft through the weakness
of the accuser. Nothing is easier or more common than for money or a
missing jewel or a book to be hastily looked upon as stolen when the one
has been spent and forgotten, the others in the same way been placed
elsewhere for security."

"Yes, sir," cried Glyn excitedly, "and I don't want to go against Singh
here; but I have known him do stupid things like that.--Look here,
Singhy," he continued hotly, "did you properly search the box?"

"Yes," cried Singh. "When I found the case wasn't there where I put it,
I turned it upside down, and the contents are lying all over the floor."

"And what about your drawers? Did you look in them?"

"You know I never kept it in my drawers," cried Singh.

"Yes, but you might have put it in one of them."

"Shouldn't I have remembered that I did?" snapped out the boy.

"You might," replied Glyn quietly; "but I have put away things sometimes
and forgotten where, and when I found them afterwards I have wondered
how they got there."

"Ex--actly, Mr Severn," said the Doctor; "and so have I, especially in
the case of books."

"I am sure it's been stolen," cried Singh passionately.

"Well, I am sure you're wrong," said Glyn, "for there's nobody here who
could do such a thing, though you always were very stupid about your
keys."

"What's that?" said the Doctor sharply.

"Oh, I have found his keys left in his box or drawers, sir, more than
once."

"Well," cried Singh, in the same excited tone, and he literally glared
at his companion, "suppose, when I was busy, sir, or in a hurry, I did
leave them in the lock! Was I to think that some thief was waiting to
go in and take that case away? Why, when my father was alive, if one of
his people had done such a thing as steal anything he would have been
given over to the guards, killed at once, and his body thrown into the
river."

"Ah, yes," said the Doctor quietly. "But that was in India, my young
friend, and matters are different here. Now, if you please," he went on
gravely, as he replaced the reading-glass in the drawer, "you will be
good enough to smooth your countenance and hold your tongue. Have you
told any one else of this?"

"No, sir," cried the boy. "I ran down directly to come and tell you."

"Here! What are you going to do?" said the Doctor, as Singh moved
quickly towards the fireplace.

"Ring for the police to be fetched," cried Singh.

"Stop!" said the Doctor sternly. "And