"Nice fellow you are, sir," he said severely; "I left you in charge for a few days, and you get up an affair like this ready for me when I come back."

"Uncle!" cried Tom indignantly.

Uncle Richard's countenance relaxed.

"Sit down, Tom," he said, "and let's talk like business men. That's right. You did well in keeping the matter perfectly private; but now let's have everything open and clear as the day. This was nothing more nor less than a burglary, and you surprised the burglar or burglars.

Which was it, singular or plural?"

"I only saw--I mean felt--one, uncle," said Tom uneasily; "but there must have been two."

"Why?"

"Because there must have been some one outside to lift the ladder up again."

"After you had laid it down. Of course."

"And I heard a whispering too."

"Must have been at least two then, Tom. Well, that's something. Now then for the next. You had a regular struggle with the burglar--a big strong fellow of course, or he would not have got the better of you."

"Oh no," said Tom quickly; "not very big or strong. I held my own with him pretty well, but he had the best of it."

"You could not see his face?"

"No, uncle."

"But you formed an idea of who it was?" Tom was silent.

"Some one who must have known the place, eh?"

"Yes, uncle, I think he must have known the place."

"Such a fellow as our amiable young poaching friend, Pete Warboys, eh?"

"David says he is sure that it was Pete."

"Why does he say that?"

"Because Pete would know where the ladder was kept, and get it into the yard."

"To be sure; no one more likely," said Uncle Richard, watching his nephew keenly, and then opening and shutting two or three of the drawers as if waiting for Tom to go on speaking.

But Tom remained silent.

"But you don't think it was Pete Warboys, eh?"

Tom still remained silent, and his uncle drew out the drawer in which the deeds had been placed.

"Come, my boy, I must cross-examine you," continued Uncle Richard. "Out with it. There is always to be perfect confidence between us two."

"Yes, uncle," cried Tom pa.s.sionately, "but don't make me speak. It is only a suspicion, and I may be wrong."

"I'll tell you if you are, Tom, my boy. You heard what I said--there must be perfect confidence between us two. When that ceases, which I think will never be, you and I will part."

"But it seems so hard, so brutal to say such a thing when perhaps it is all imagination, and due perhaps to one's not liking some one else."

"True, Tom," said Uncle Richard gravely; "but we must have out the truth. Come, I'll help you, for I'm afraid I think as you do--you fancy it was your cousin Sam?"

Tom nodded quickly.

"Why?"

Tom tightened his lips as if saying, "I won't speak," but his uncle's eyes were searching him, and in a slow, faltering way he said--

"I don't think Pete Warboys would break in here to steal valuable papers, uncle."

"No; it hardly seems likely, Tom. Go on."

"And--and I thought--must I go on, uncle?"

"Yes, boy, to the bitter end," said his uncle sternly.

"I thought, uncle, that as Uncle James had given me those papers, which made me rich instead of him, my cousin Sam had felt disappointed, and come down here at night, asked Pete Warboys to help him--"

"But he did not know Pete Warboys."

"Only a little, uncle; he had seen him. He might have asked him to get him the ladder."

"Might, Tom; but that looks doubtful. Well?"

"And then, as I could not find out that anything else was stolen--or taken," said Tom, correcting himself, "except those papers, I thought that it must have been Cousin Sam."

"Nothing else stolen but those papers?--you mean the packet you saw me put in the drawer here?"

"Yes, uncle, in the big envelope. There was nothing else taken but them, and some of the other papers."

"Sure, Tom?"

"Yes, quite sure, uncle; and this made me think that n.o.body else was likely to take them--n.o.body else would care to do such a thing. But, uncle--"

"Yes."

"I don't think I mind much. I never expected to have any money, except what I could earn for myself; and if it was Sam--"

"What, who came and broke open this bureau like any burglar would?"

"Yes, uncle," said Tom sadly; "if you too really think it was Sam."

"Stop a moment, boy. Had your cousin any notion as to what was kept in that bureau?"