ngs much--not of late," he answered lamely.

"I reckoned not. He don't keep 'em in his strong-box?"

"He hasn't one."

"In his chest?"

"Maybe."

"But he don't. He's left 'em with Mr Rogers from the first, or I'm
mistaken. I used to see the two bundles, his and yours, lyin' side by
side on the upper shelf o' the safe when the old man sent me to unlock
it an' fetch something he wanted--which wasn't often. Then, about six
months back, I noticed as one was gone. I mentioned it to him, and he
said as 'twas all his scrip--that was his word--made up in a parcel an'
docketed by you, and that some time afterwards you'd taken it away."

"Quite correct, missy. And t'other one is 'Bias's, as I know. I had
'em in my hands together when I opened the safe as Mr Rogers told me to
do, givin' me the key. I took out the two, not knowing t'other from
which, made sure, docketed mine careful--to take away--and put 'Bias's
back in the safe afore lockin' it. That would be back sometime in
October last."

Fancy nodded. "That's what he told me: and up to this mornin' I
reckoned Cap'n Hunken's bonds was still there, though it must be a month
since I opened the safe. This mornin' I had a talk with Dad--he doesn't
know the half about the master's affairs, nor how they've been these two
years, and I didn' let on: but I allowed as we ought to look into things
and call in Peter Benny--knowin' that Peter Benny was made execlator, if
anything happened. So we agreed, and called him in: and I told Peter
Benny enough to let him see that things were serious. In the end I
fetched the keys, and he unlocked the safe. There was a good few papers
in it, which he overhauled. But there wasn' no parcel 'pon the top
shelf where I'd seen it last."

"Then you may depend he'd given it to 'Bias unbeknown to you, same as he
handed mine over to me. Wasn' that Benny's opinion?"

"Oh, you make me tired!" exclaimed the wise child frankly. "As if I'd
no more sense than to go there an' then an' frighten him--an' him with
all those papers to look over!"

"Then if you're so shy about worriting Benny--and I don't blame you--why
be in such a hurry to worrit yourself? 'Bias has the papers--that you
may lay to."

Fancy tapped her small foot on the floor, which it just reached.
"As if I should be wastin' time, botherin' you! On my way here I ran
against Cap'n Hunken, and of course he wanted to hear the latest of
master--said he was on his way to inqu