om Thornton lives when he is at home. I may find out something there."

"But how will you get to New York?"

"My plan was to run up the creek, and take the train at the Adieno
station; but Tom Thornton has gone over that way, and I am afraid he
will have somebody stationed there and at Cannondale to stop us. If you
could help me, Bob--"

"Help you! certainly I'll help you!" interposed he, warmly. "What shall
I do?"

"If you could get a team and drive us over to Romer, which is about ten
miles, we could take the train there without danger."

"I'll do it."

"And, Bob, you may tell your father the whole story, and then he won't
blame you," I added, not wishing to get him into a scrape.

"My father is away; but don't worry about me. You are clearly in the
right, and I will do all I can for you, whatever happens to me."

"Thank you, Bob. The time will come when I shall stand on my feet, and
then it will be all right with you."

I ran the Splash up a small creek on the edge of the town, and landed
Bob. He was to procure a horse and covered wagon, and take Kate and
myself at the cottage; for, now that Tom and my uncle were away, it
seemed to be the safest place to land. Besides, I had another object in
view in choosing this locality.

For an hour I cruised about the upper end of the lake, until I saw Bob
wave his handkerchief from the wagon, near the cottage. I ran the Splash
into the mouth of the brook, which was the only place where the water
was deep enough to permit our landing. I lowered the sails, and fastened
the painter to a tree. I directed Kate to run through the grove to the
road, where she would find the wagon, and promised to join her in a few
moments. Trembling with fear, she ran up the hill, and I hastened to the
cottage. My uncle was away, and I was determined to look at the papers
in the safe again, for I was convinced that I could not find my mother
without more information than I possessed.

[Illustration: ERNEST SURPRISED BY HIS UNCLE.--Page 139.]

I went directly to the bay window where I had entered the library
before, and effected an entrance without any difficulty. I found the
key of the safe under the cushion, where I had left it, and opened the
door. Eagerly I seized the pile of papers I had seen before, and began
to examine them. Most of them were unintelligible to me, and apparently
had no connection with my father's affairs; but there were several
letters dated at London, which I thru