beckoned to his son; and all four of the boys went in.

They found half a dozen men present, including the members of the
firm, a detective, and the bookkeeper, a young man named
Fredericks.

"You are the only one who had the combination besides ourselves,
Fredericks," Charles Rush was saying to the bookkeeper. "I hate
to suspect you, but -"

"Mr. Rush, you can't think I took that money and those
securities!" gasped the bookkeeper, and fell back as if about to
faint.

"I don't know what to think."

"I can give you my word I was not near the offices from four
o'clock yesterday afternoon until I came this morning, after
you."

"Have you spoken of the safe combination to anybody?"

"No, sir."

"Did you put the combination down in writing?" asked Mr. Wilder.

"No, I never did anything of that sort. The combination was an
unusually easy one, as you know."

"Yes, far too easy for our good," groaned Mr. Rush. Then he