ly.

"Of course! I might have known you would lay it on me if there was a
shadow of a chance. I had nothing in the world to do with the losing of
that money."

"You ought to have got a cheque."

"Why in Heaven's name didn't you tell me to?"

All this while the two had been looking the room over, rummaging through
drawers, looking on whatnots, brackets, shelves, etc.

"Well, I can't keep the agent waiting any longer," said the doctor.
"I'll tell I him I'll bring the money round to him;" and he left the
room.

"What are you standing there for?" said Mrs. Lively, whirling sharply
on Napoleon. "Go, and look for that money."

"Where?"

"How do I know where? Look anywhere and everywhere. There's no telling
where your father lost it. Napoleon Lively," she exclaimed, a sudden
idea seeming to strike her, "what did you do with that money?"

"Nothing," answered the youth with cool indifference.

"Where did you hide it?"

"Didn't hide it."

His perfect nonchalance was irresistibly convincing.

"Have you found it?" said the doctor, re-entering the room.

"Found it!" Mrs. Lively snapped out the words, and then her lips shut
close together as if with the vehemence of the snapping.

"Perhaps the house was entered last night," suggested the doctor.

"I locked every door and window, and they were all locked this morning
when I got up," replied Mrs. Lively. "Perhaps you left the front door
open when you went out in the night. I'll warrant you did: it would be
just like you."

"I did _not_ leave the door open," replied the doctor. "I found it
locked when I got back, and opened it with my night-key. Besides, I was
not out of the house more than forty minutes, and you told me when I got
back that you hadn't been asleep."

"I told you I had scarcely been asleep," said Mrs. Lively.

All that day the Lively household was in extreme commotion. Every
bedstead was stripped naked, and each article of bedding was separately
shaken in the middle of the room; the contents of every drawer were
turned out; every piece of furniture was moved; every floor was
carefully swept. The house, in short, was turned inside out.
Advertisements were put in the papers; handsome rewards were offered;
the police were notified of the loss. The detectives were of opinion
that the house had been entered, but there was not the slightest clew to
the burglars.

It was Friday, the sixth of October, when the loss was discovered. On
the seventh the ho