hich had already disgraced Hugo's, pressed heavily on both of
them. They knew that only one man could retrieve what had been lost and
avert irreparable disaster. Their faith in that man was undiminished,
and Simon at least was sure that he had been victimized by some immense
conspiracy.

'Why don't you find Mr. Hugo?' Lily demanded.

'I've looked everywhere. A letter was brought up to him about an hour
ago, and he went off instantly.'

'And where's the letter?'

'I expect it's in that drawer, where he throws all his private letters,'
said Simon, pointing to a drawer in the big writing-table on the
opposite side of the room from the piano.

'Is it locked--the drawer?'

'No.'

'Then open it.'

'It's the governor's private drawer,' said Simon. 'I've never--'

'Stuff!' Lily exclaimed, and she opened the drawer and drew out the
topmost letter.

It was on blue paper.

'Yes, that's it,' said Simon. 'The envelope was blue, I remember.'

'He must be in the Safe Deposit,' said Lily, perusing the letter with
flying glance.

And Simon, at length sufficiently emboldened, seized the letter and
read:

'SIR,

'Mr. Polycarp has just been here, and accidentally left behind him
keys of his vault, including safe of late Mr. Francis Tudor, etc.
In these peculiar circumstances I shall be glad to know what I am to
do.

'Yours respectfully,

'H. BROWN,

'Head Guardian,

'Hugo's Safe Deposit.'

'What on earth can Brown be thinking about?' muttered Simon. 'Hadn't he
got enough gumption to send a messenger after Mr. Polycarp, without
troubling the governor? He'll catch it.'

'Never mind that,' said Lily sharply. 'Run down to the Safe Deposit.
Run, Simon.'

It was as though a delay of minutes might mean ruin. Who could say what
was even then happening in the disorganized and masterless departments?

CHAPTER XII

SAFE DEPOSIT

The Safe Deposit at Hugo's was perhaps the most wonderful of all the
departments. Until Hugo thought of it, and paid a trinity of European
experts to design and devise it, there had existed no such thing as an
absolutely impregnable asylum for valuables. In Dakota a strong-room
alleged to be impregnable had been approached underground, tunnelled,
mined, and emptied by thieves with imagination. In the North of England
a safe, which its inventor had defied the whole universe of crime to
open, had been rifled by the aid of so simple a dodge as dupli