ust through some remark that Father
happened to make. It's queer we never thought of it before. There's a
real-estate agent over the other side of the town--Mr. Wade--and he
ought to know everything about all the property here. That's his
business. Let's go to his office and ask him about the old house. He
doesn't know us, and won't suspect anything. We'll go this afternoon,
right after school!"

"But there's a meeting of the Sigma Sigma Society this afternoon,"
Cynthia remonstrated, "and they're going to give that little play. I'm
crazy to see it!"

"I don't care!" cried Joyce, recklessly. "What's the meeting of an old
literary society compared to an important thing like this?"

"But we could do it just as well to-morrow."

"I can't wait till to-morrow, Cynthia Sprague!" And that settled the
matter. They started on their expedition that very afternoon.

It was a bleak, raw day, and they found Mr. Wade huddled over a red-hot
stove in his little office. He stared at them in some surprise as they
entered.

"Pardon me," began Joyce, always the spokesman, "but I'd like to ask a
question or two about the old boarded-up house on Orchard Avenue." Now
the agent was apparently not in the best of spirits that day. Business
had been very dull, he had two children at home sick with measles, and
he himself was in the first stage of a cold.

"I don't know anything about it!" he mumbled crossly. "It ain't in the
market--never was!"

"Oh, we don't want to _buy_ it or _rent_ it!" explained Joyce, politely.
"We only wanted to know if you knew the owners, where they live and what
their names are."

"No, I don't!" he reiterated. "Tried to find out once. It's some estate.
Business all transacted through lawyers in New York, and they won't
open their heads about it. Plain as told me it was none of my affairs!"

"Then perhaps you could tell us--" Joyce was persisting, when the agent
suddenly interrupted, turning on her suspiciously:

"Say, what do you want to know all this for? What's the old place to
you, anyhow?"

"Oh, nothing--nothing at all!" protested Joyce, alarmed lest their
precious secret was about to be discovered. "We only asked out of
curiosity. Good day, sir!" And the two girls fled precipitately from the
office.

"I was going to ask him the name of the lawyers," Joyce explained as
they hurried away. "But it wouldn't do any good, I guess, if we knew. We
couldn't go and question _them_, for it's plain from what th