"Yet you retain the boy, sir?"

"For the present. It is not fair to a.s.sume that he is guilty till we have demonstrated it beyond a doubt."

"I think there will be no difficulty about that, Mr. Reynolds," said Willis Ford, well pleased at these words.

"I sincerely hope that his innocence may be proved."

Soon afterward Mr. Reynolds went to the Stock Exchange, and Willis Ford returned to his routine duties.

"With the testimony of Jim Morrison I shall be able to fix you, my young friend," he said to himself, as Grant returned from the post-office.

No further allusion was made to the matter during the day. Grant and Willis Ford were both looking forward to the evening, but for different reasons. Grant expected to be vindicated, while Ford hoped he could convince the broker of the boy's guilt.

CHAPTER XXI -- THE THIEF IS DISCOVERED

Willis Ford ascended the steps of the broker's residence with a jaunty step. The servant admitted him, but he met Grant in the hall.

"Won't you come upstairs, Mr. Ford?" he said.

Willis Ford nodded superciliously.

"Your stay in the house will be short, young man," he thought. "You had better make the most of it."

He was ushered not into the housekeeper's room, but into a sitting-room on the second floor. He found Mr. Reynolds and his stepmother there already. Both greeted him, the broker gravely, but his stepmother cordially. Grant did not come in.

"I have come as you requested, Mr. Reynolds," he said. "I suppose it's about the bonds. May I ask if you have discovered anything new?"

"I think I have," answered the broker, slowly.

The housekeeper looked surprised. If anything new had been discovered, she at least had not heard it.

"May I ask what it is?" Ford inquired, carelessly.

"You shall know in good time. Let me, however, return the question.

Have you heard anything calculated to throw light on the mystery?"

"No, sir, I can't say I have. To my mind there is no mystery at all about the affair."

"I presume I understand what you mean. Still I will ask you to explain yourself."

"Everything seems to throw suspicion upon that boy, Grant Thornton.

n.o.body saw him take the bonds, to be sure, but he has had every opportunity of doing so, living in the same house, as he does.

Again, a key has been found in his pocket, which will open the bureau drawer in which the bonds were kept; and, thirdly, I can testify, and the boy admits, that he presented them at our office for sale, and received the money for them. I think, sir, that any jury would consider this acc.u.mulation of proof conclusive."

"It does seem rather strong," said the broker, gravely. "I compliment you on the way you have summed up, Mr. Ford."

Willis Ford looked much gratified. He was susceptible to flattery, and he was additionally pleased, because, as he thought, Mr.

Reynolds was impressed by the weight of evidence.

"I have sometimes thought," he said, complacently, "that I ought to have become a lawyer. I always had a liking for the profession."

"Still," said the broker, deliberately, "we ought to consider Grant's explanation of the matter. He says that the bonds were intrusted to him for sale by a third party."

"Of course he would say something like that," returned Willis, shrugging his shoulders. "He can hardly expect anyone to be taken in by such a statement as that."

"You think, then, that he had no dealings with this Morrison?"

"I don't say that, sir," said Ford, remembering the story which he and Morrison had agreed upon. It may be stated here that he had been anxious to meet Morrison before meeting the coming appointment, in order to ascertain what had pa.s.sed between him and Grant. With this object in view, he had gone to the usual haunts of the gambler, but had been unable to catch sight of him. However, as he had seen him the evening previous, and agreed upon the story to be told, he contented himself with that.

"You think, then, that Morrison may have given Grant the bonds?"

said Mr. Reynolds.

"No, sir; that is not my idea."

"Have you any other notion?"

"I think the boy may have been owing him money, and took this method of raising it."

"But how should he owe him money?" asked the broker, curiously.

"I don't wish to say anything against Morrison, but I have been told that he is a gambler. Grant may have lost money to him at play."

"Or you," thought the broker; but he said:

"Your suggestion is worth considering, but I don't think Grant has had any opportunity to lose money in that way, as he spends his evenings usually at home."

"It wouldn't take long to lose a great deal of money, sir."

"That explains it," said the housekeeper, speaking for the first time. "I have no doubt Willis is right, and the boy gambles."

"I presume, Mr. Ford," said the broker, with a peculiar look, "that you do not approve of gambling?"

"Most certainly not, sir," said Ford, his face expressing the horror which a so-well-conducted young man must naturally feel for so pernicious a habit.

"I am glad to hear it. Will you excuse me a moment?"

After the broker had left the room, Mrs. Estabrook turned to Willis and said: "You are pretty sharp, Willis. You have found out this wretched boy, and now I think we shall get rid of him."

"I flatter myself, mother," said Willis, complacently, "that I have given the old man some new ideas as to the character of his favorite. I don't think we shall see him in the office again."

As he spoke, his ears caught the sound of ascending footsteps on the stairs without. He was rather puzzled. He conjectured that Grant had been summoned to confront his accuser, but there seemed, from the sound, to be more than two approaching. When the door opened, and the broker gravely ushered in Jim Morrison and Tom Calder, both looking ill at ease, followed by Grant Thornton, he looked amazed and perplexed.

"I believe you know these gentlemen," said Mr. Reynolds, gravely. "I have thought it best to make our present investigation thorough and complete."

"I have met the gentlemen before," said Ford, uncomfortably.