Chapter 7

Uncle Ellis Cools Down.

The moment that Clyde had locked the door on his uncle, he felt sorry for it. It was a mistake to push his uncle. True, it was a gentle push, and Mr. Ellis would probably have reeled through the doorway of his own accord, but, for all that, it was an act of defiance.

It was the first time that the boy had ever rebelled. He had stood much from Mr. Ellis, and taken it all as a matter-of-course, but, for once, his anger had got the better of him.

It was a blunder, also, to throw out that insinuation about the ten thousand dollars. Clyde realized this perfectly. He wished now that he not done it, and would have recalled his hasty words had it been possible. But the deed had been done, and the consequences of it, whatever they might be, were sure to come.

What was to be done now? Clyde asked himself this question as he stood there before the bolted door, flushed with excitement. He looked at his brother, who was almost as excited as he was, and had started to his feet, only to remain there mute and motionless. It was all a mystery to Ray, who now heard the reference to the ten thousand dollars for the first time.

But there was little time for thought. Uncle Ellis quickly recovered his self control, and, a moment after the door had been bolted on him, was knocking vigorously for admittance.

His demand was not immediately obeyed, but it aroused Clyde to action, if it did nothing else. The money was still lying on the table. What was to be done with it?

"Here, you rascals, let me in! Do you hear?" thundered the angry man.

There was a vicious thump upon the door, which threatened serious results if repeated many times.

"Open this door, or I will break it down!"

Clyde knew that his uncle could do this, if he made up his mind to it, and the knowledge did not tend to increase his feeling of security. But that money!

He looked around the room hastily for a hiding place. The house was heated in the winter by a furnace, and there was a register in the boys' room. This would offer a safe depository.

Quickly sweeping the money into his handkerchief, he tied the four corners of it with a piece of twine that he carried in his pocket, and, lifting the iron register from its bed, hung the little bundle in the hole.

It was the work of but an instant to make the twine fast so that money and all would not roll down the tin pipe. There was little chance that the hiding-place would be discovered.

"I say! Are you going to let me in, or shall I break down the door?" demanded the man on the outside again.

Clyde did not know what to say, and so he said nothing. This perhaps proved to be the wisest plan, for, after another vigorous thump at the door, Uncle Ellis suddenly changed his policy. He no longer demanded admittance; he asked it.

"See here, you boys," he said, and his voice sunk from its high and angry tones to a softer and lower key. "See here, you boys; I don't want to hurt you. This is a mistake. I can come in there in about one minute if I want to; and if I do have to break this door down, some one will have to suffer for it. But if you will open it peacefully I will promise not to touch you. I didn't intend to do that, anyway."

Clyde looked at Ray, who was still mystified by the proceedings, and as yet unable to comprehend why his uncle had so suddenly collapsed.

"I think we shall have to do it, won't we?" he asked.

Ray nodded his acquiescence.

Clyde advanced cautiously to the door, and turned the key gingerly, as if he still doubted his uncle's promise. Then he retreated quickly to the table and sat down in a chair. Mr. Ellis opened the door and walked in quietly. His face was still very pale, and Clyde noticed that his fingers twitched nervously. It was evident that he was having a hard time to control his feelings.

"I did not expect this treatment when I came up here this evening," he began. "I came up merely to see you, and to find out how you were getting along. I thought perhaps I had been neglecting you boys of late."

Clyde looked at his brother in astonishment, and Ray returned his glance with something like a smile playing around his lips. Such talk from Uncle Ellis was unheard of.

The younger brother did not pretend to account for it, but Clyde quickly got an idea. Lycurgus Sharp, the lawyer, had advised Mr. Ellis to treat the boys kindly, in order to get their forgiveness, should the guardian prove to be short in his accounts. Could it be possible that the harsh uncle had determined to adopt this plan?

"I had very good intentions when I started," continued Mr. Ellis, trying very hard to make his voice sound pleasant, "but when I saw you counting that money I became excited. As I told you, sums of money have been stolen from me of late, and I cannot account for their loss. This was one of the things I wanted to talk to you about, and to get you to help me find the thief. When I saw you with that money, I naturally supposed that you had been helping yourselves occasionally."

"You thought we couldn't have come by it honestly, because you never gave us anything," suggested Clyde, who could not refrain from giving his uncle this sly dig.

Mr. Ellis smiled a dismal smile.

"But I find I am mistaken," he went on, not attempting to reply to the bit of sarcasm. "I am glad to know that you made that money honestly, for I shall take your word for it."

This was so much more than either of the boys had expected that they began to look upon their uncle as an enigma hard to solve.

"There is one thing that I would like to speak of," added Mr. Ellis; and Clyde thought that his face suddenly became whiter, and that his fingers twitched even more nervously than before. "May I sit down?"

"Why, certainly," replied the boy, amazed at this mark of politeness. "Excuse me for not offering you a chair. Take this rocker."

And he dragged up his favorite chair and offered it to his guardian with a bow.

Mr. Ellis accepted it.

"You made some reference when I was in here--in here before," continued the latter, "to a certain ten thousand dollars. Will you tell me what you meant?"

It was Clyde's turn now to become nervous. He would have liked to have escaped that, but he was in for it now.

"I--I didn't mean to say what I did," he pleaded.

"Yes, but you did say it, and I would like to have it explained."

And Mr. Ellis clutched the arm of his chair with his right hand, and hung on to it, while he tried to push the chair into a gentle rock with one of his feet.

Clyde looked his uncle straight in the eye. The latter avoided the glance, and turned his attention to the floor.

"To be perfectly plain with you, uncle," said Clyde, "I must tell you that you have never cared to enlighten us about the property you hold in trust. But I know all about it now, and I have discovered that something like ten thousand dollars is missing."

It was a bold speech, and Clyde was doubtful how it would be received. But it did not bring out the angry storm that might have been expected.

Instead, Mr. Ellis merely rose from his chair and began to pace the floor uneasily. He put his hand to his heart as if there was pain there that he wished to stifle. His steps were unsteady.

Meanwhile Ray looked on in perfect astonishment. He stared at his brother, then followed his uncle with open-mouthed wonder.

"You have discovered _that_, have you?" said the latter, pausing for a moment before the chair in which Clyde was sitting. "May I ask how such a sum could be missing?"

"When a man speculates in wheat, and buys for a rise in price, and the price suddenly falls, he loses money, sometimes as much as ten thousand dollars."

Uncle Ellis staggered into his chair, and sat there nervously clutching at the arms on both sides.

"Do you dare to charge me with losing in speculation ten thousand dollars that do not belong to me?" he gasped.

"I have not made any charges, have I?" asked Clyde.

He could not help pitying his uncle in spite of the fact that he detested him.

"I hope you _won't_ do it, either," and Mr. Ellis' voice sunk almost to a whisper. "It is not so. What enemy could have told you this lie? It certainly was not Mr. Sh--" Mr. Ellis cast a frightened glance at his nephew and stopped short. "This is a very serious thing," he added, impressively. "I trust you realize the enormity of what you are saying. Since your father was drowned, I have been a father to you and Ray. I have taken care of you in my house--"

"In _our_ house, you mean," corrected Clyde.

"Well, yes, have it so, if you like. I have tried to do my duty by you, and this is what I get for it. I have watched over your interests and have guarded the money left in trust with zealous care. This is unexpected. Some enemy has been poisoning your mind against me. Believe me, there is not a word of truth in it."

"Then the money is intact, is it?" questioned Clyde.

"Entirely so. See here; I will prove it to you. Since you have heard these dreadful stories, I must clear myself. Should I take you to my lawyer and let you read the will, show you just the amount of money left and then let you see with your own eyes that everything is safe, would you be satisfied?"

"Certainly I would, uncle."

"Very well; I shall do this to-morrow or next day. Meanwhile, you must promise me that you will not talk about this to anybody. It would ruin me should a whisper of such an outrageous charge get out. Will you promise not to say anything until you have seen with your own eyes that all is right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well; then you shall know all about it in a very little while."

Uncle Ellis looked much relieved. A bit of color was coming back to his cheek, and he rose to his feet with a little more steadiness.

"I shall rely on you both to protect my good name," he said, in parting. "Good-night." And he walked from the room.

Ray drew a long sigh when he had gone.

"Clyde, is it true," he asked, "that uncle has lost ten thousand dollars?"

"Yes, Ray. I wouldn't have believed it had I not heard him confess it with his own lips. He took it from the money that father left us and sunk it in speculating."

"One more thing, Clyde. Why did you want to count the money we have? You said it was for something very important."

"And so it is. Ray, you and I have got lots of work ahead of us. But I mustn't stop to tell you about it now. Uncle is not telling the truth, and is up to something, I am sure. I must find out what it is. He won't let the night pass without hatching up some scheme to pull the wool over my eyes. You stay around here and keep watch, and if he leaves the house I will follow him."