"What in the world is the matter, father?" asked Nellie.
"No, certainly not; I was just going over to tell her what had happened to Michael, when you came down."
"I don't know that anybody has. I haven't seen any one. What's the matter, father? what in the world has happened?"
"I left my tin box here when I went out to see to Michael, and now it is gone," answered Captain Patterdale, anxiously. "I didn't know but that your mother had come in and taken care of it."
"The tin box gone?" exclaimed Nellie. "Why, what can have become of it?"
"That is just what I should like to know," added the captain, as he renewed his search in the room for the treasure chest.
It was not in the library, and then he looked in the great hall and in the little hall, in the drawing-room, the sitting-room, and the dining-room; but it was not in any of these. He knew he had left it on the chair near where he was sitting when he went out of the room. Then he examined the spring-lock on the door of the library which led into the side street. It was closed and securely fastened. The door shut itself with a patent invention, and when shut it locked itself, so that anybody could get out, but no one could get in unless admitted.
"Where were you when I was up stairs, Nellie?" asked Captain Patterdale, as he seated himself in his arm-chair, to take a cool view of the whole subject.
"I was in the hall most of the time," she replied.
"Let me see; Laud Cavendish came down first, and went out through the library."
The captain rubbed his bald head, and seemed to be asking himself whether it was possible for Mr. Laud Cavendish to do so wicked a deed as stealing that tin box. He did not believe the young swell had the baseness or the daring to commit so great a crime. It might be, but he could not think so.
"Who else has been in here?" he inquired, when he had hastily considered all he knew about the moral character of Laud.
"That other man who was with you--I don't know his name--the one that was here when I came in with Don John."
"He went out through the library. I thought he looked real ugly too," added Nellie. "He kept fidgeting about all the time I was here."
"And all the time he was here himself. He went out through the library--did he?"