document in
particular attracted my attention, on which my uncle gazed much longer
than on any other, and then laid it down, apart from the others, on the
bottom of the safe. While I was watching his motions with breathless
interest, I heard the front door slammed violently. My uncle was
startled. He hastily closed the door of the safe, locked it, and put
the key under the cushion of his arm-chair. Taking the lamp in his hand,
he hastened out of the room.

"Thomas!" I heard him call, after he had passed into his chamber.

In a moment he returned to the library, followed by Tom, who had in his
hand a heavy stick taken from the wood-pile.

"What are you going to do?" demanded my uncle, as he glanced at the club
in Tom's hand.

"I am going to make that boy tell me where the girl is," replied Tom.

"With that stick?"

"Yes, with this stick."

"You will never find the girl in that way," said my uncle, shaking his
head. "Throw your stick away."

"But the rascal insulted me with almost every word he spoke," growled
Tom.

"I told you to handle him gently. You can't drive him."

"But he must tell me where the girl is."

"He will not, of course. If he thinks the girl has been abused, he is
just foolish enough to take her part, and would be pounded to a jelly
before he would tell you a word about her. If you are careful you can
find out where the girl is. Probably he carried her off in the boat. You
say it must have been nearly dark when he left Cannondale. He could not
have gone far with her. Either she is at Mr. Hale's in Parkville, or she
is concealed somewhere in this vicinity."

Uncle Amos appeared to gasp with the mighty effort this long speech had
cost him.

"The young rascal shall tell me where she is, or I will break his head.
I will teach him that he can't trifle with me, if he can with you,"
replied Tom, in snappish tones.

"You will defeat your own purposes. Where is Ernest now?"

"In his room; and I locked him in," answered Tom, with a kind of
chuckle, indicating that he thought he had done a big thing.

"Locked him in!" exclaimed my uncle. "How long do you suppose he will
stay there?"

"Till I choose to let him out," said Tom, who still appeared to be very
well satisfied with himself.

"I think not. There are two windows in the room, and when he gets ready
to leave he will do so. You seem to think the boy is a fool. Very likely
he has taken the alarm by this time, and has gone off to look out