?

"I had very good intentions when I started," continued Mr. Ellis, trying
very hard to make his voice sound pleasant, "but when I saw you counting
that money I became excited. As I told you, sums of money have been
stolen from me of late, and I cannot account for their loss. This was
one of the things I wanted to talk to you about, and to get you to help
me find the thief. When I saw you with that money, I naturally supposed
that you had been helping yourselves occasionally."

"You thought we couldn't have come by it honestly, because you never
gave us anything," suggested Clyde, who could not refrain from giving
his uncle this sly dig.

Mr. Ellis smiled a dismal smile.

"But I find I am mistaken," he went on, not attempting to reply to the
bit of sarcasm. "I am glad to know that you made that money honestly,
for I shall take your word for it."

This was so much more than either of the boys had expected that they
began to look upon their uncle as an enigma hard to solve.

"There is one thing that I would like to speak of," added Mr. Ellis; and
Clyde thought that his face suddenly became whiter, and that his fingers
twitched even more nervously than before. "May I sit down?"

"Why, certainly," replied the boy, amazed at this mark of politeness.
"Excuse me for not offering you a chair. Take this rocker."

And he dragged up his favorite chair and offered it to his guardian with
a bow.

Mr. Ellis accepted it.

"You made some reference when I was in here--in here before," continued
the latter, "to a certain ten thousand dollars. Will you tell me what
you meant?"

It was Clyde's turn now to become nervous. He would have liked to have
escaped that, but he was in for it now.

"I--I didn't mean to say what I did," he pleaded.

"Yes, but you did say it, and I would like to have it explained."

And Mr. Ellis clutched the arm of his chair with his right hand, and
hung on to it, while he tried to push the chair into a gentle rock with
one of his feet.

Clyde looked his uncle straight in the eye. The latter avoided the
glance, and turned his attention to the floor.

"To be perfectly plain with you, uncle," said Clyde, "I must tell you
that you have never cared to enlighten us about the property you hold in
trust. But I know all about it now, and I have discovered that something
like ten thousand dollars is missing."

It was a bold speech, and Clyde was doubtful how it would be received.
But it did not bring ou