s easy enough
to guess where the colonel is going. If you want to speak to him
you'd better hurry. But there's another matter I want to call to your
attention. What about our business affairs? Have we money enough to go
on living here and keeping up our big winter house? We must think of
that, Viola."

"Yes, we must think of that," agreed the girl. "That's one of the
reasons why I wanted to come back. Father's affairs must be gone into
carefully. He left no will, and the lawyer says it will take quite a
while to find out just how things stand. If only Harry were here to
help. He's such a good business man."

"There are others," sniffed Miss Mary. "Why don't you ask the
colonel--or Captain Poland?"

"Captain Poland!" exclaimed Viola, startled. "Yes. He helped us out in
the matter of the bank when more collateral was asked for, and he'll be
glad to go over the affairs with us, I'm sure."

"I don't want him to!" snapped Viola. "Mr. Blossom is the proper one
to do that. He is the chief clerk, and since he was going to form a
partnership with father he will, most likely, know all the details.
We'll have him up here and ask him how matters stand."

"Perhaps that will be wise," agreed Miss Carwell. "But I can't forget
how careless LeGrand Blossom was in the matter of the loan your father
had from the bank. If he's that careless, his word won't be worth much,
I'm afraid."

"Oh, any one is likely to make a mistake," said Viola. "I'll telephone
to Mr. Blossom and ask him to come here and have a talk with us. It will
give me something to think about. Besides--"

She did not finish, but went to the instrument and was soon talking to
the chief clerk in the office Mr. Carwell maintained while at his summer
home.

"He'll be up within an hour," Viola reported. "Now I'm going to have a
talk with the colonel," and she hastened to the library.

The old detective was smoking a cigar, which he hastened to lay aside
when Viola made her entrance, but she raised a restraining hand.

"Smoke as much as you like," she said. "I am used to it."

"Thank you," and he pulled forward a chair for her.

"Oh, haven't you found out anything yet?" she burst out. "Can't you say
anything definite?"

Colonel Ashley shook his head in negation.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I'm just as sorry about it as you are.
But I have seldom had a case in which there were so many clews that lead
into blind allies. I was just trying to arrange a plan of pr