The Dugdale Millions — page 241: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A BURGLARY. 231 Dick could not avoid traveling to the city in the com- pany of Harold Pierson, though he tried not to do so. Bob had known of the brief conference between Mr. Hetlow and Mr. Stanton and Dick, without knowing its subject, but he surmised it had relation to the box. He was therefore persistent in clinging to Dick in the hope that he might elicit something. At first Dick avoided mention of the theft of the boxes, but the idea occurred to him that he might surprise Harold Pierson into some indication of a knowledge of it. ‘Springhill was entered by burglars last night,” he said abruptly, ‘“ By burglars?” repeated Bob incredulously. ‘The house was broken into, the shutters being pried open and the glass cut, and certain tin boxes, con- taining papers, stolen,” he added. Bob was now sincerely astonished. His face showed it. It was genuine and unmistakable; this was not according to the programme, He thought that Mrs. Stanton had failed and that Ransom, finding that the window was not prepared as promised, had entered by force and carried off all the bexes he could) find. Dick was misled. He thought Harold Pierson had no acquaintance with the act. He wondered if the young man could be the dupe of other men, for he had great faith in his theory. “Were these boxes of value—that is, their con- tents?’ asked Bob innocently. “ Two of them were of no value at all. The third only reached the house yesterday, and contained matters which might have gone to the proof of the heirship to the Dugdale estates,” said Dick, upon sudden im- pulse to test Bob. It failed, however, for Bob was busy with another thought. “The old woman has squealed,” he thought, “ but Ransom has got the box,” Comicloeo® S 3}