The Yacht Club | Page 7

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?"
"Yes, sir."

Captain Patterdale mentally overhauled the character of Mr. Hasbrook.
It was unfortunate for his late debtor that his character was not first
class, and between him and Laud Cavendish the probabilities were
altogether against Hasbrook. He had evidently been vexed and angry
because he failed to carry his point, and his cupidity might have been
stimulated by revenge. But the captain was a fair and just man, and in a
matter of this kind, involving the reputation of any person, he kept his
suspicions to himself.
"Who else has been in the library, Nellie?" he asked.
"No one but Don John," replied she. And whatever Laud or Hasbrook
might have done in wickedness, Nellie had too much regard for her
friend and schoolmate to admit for one instant the possibility of his
doing anything wrong, much less his committing so gross a crime as
the stealing of the tin box and its valuable contents.
Captain Patterdale was hardly less confident of the integrity of Donald.
Certainly it was not necessary to suspect him when the possibilities of
guilt included two such persons as Laud and Hasbrook. Donald was
rather distinguished, in school and out, as a good boy, and he ought to
have the full benefit of his reputation.
"You don't think Don John took the box--do you, father?" asked Nellie,
as her father was meditating on the circumstances.
"Certainly not, Nellie," protested the captain, warmly; "I don't know
that anybody has taken it."
"I know Don John would not do such a thing."
"I don't believe he would."
"I know he would not."
Her father thought she was just a little more earnest in her uncalled-for
defence of the young man than was necessary, and for the first time in
his life it occurred to him that she was more interested in him than he

wished her to be; for, as Donald was only the son of a poor boat-builder,
such a strong friendship might be embarrassing in the future. However,
this was only the shadow of a passing thought, which divided his
attention only for a moment. The loss of the tin box was the question of
the hour, and "society" topics were not just then in order.
"I have no idea that Don John took the box," replied Captain Patterdale.
"I am more willing to believe either of the other two who were in the
library took it than that he did. But he was the last of the three who
went out through this room. He may be able to give me some
information, and I will go down and see him. He and his father were
going off in the new yacht--were they not?"
"Yes, sir."
"You need not say a word about the box to any one, Nellie, nor even
that it is lost," added the captain. "If I do not find it, I shall employ a
skilful detective to look it up, and he may prefer to work in the dark."
"I will not mention it, father," replied Nellie. "What was in the box?
Was it money?"
"I put thirteen hundred and fifty dollars into it, but I took out twenty to
pay the bill that Laud brought. It contains my deeds, leases, policies of
insurance, and my notes, and these papers are really more valuable to
me than the money. Luckily, my bonds and securities are in another
box, in the vault of the bank."
"Then you will lose over thirteen hundred dollars if you don't find the
box?"
"More than that, I am afraid, for I shall hardly be able to collect all the
money due on the notes if I lose them," replied the captain, as he left
the house.
He walked down to the boat shop of Mr. Ramsay. It was on the shore,
and near it was the house in which the boat-builder lived. Neither Don
John nor his father was at the shop, but a sloop yacht, half a mile out in

the bay, seemed to be the Sea Foam. She was headed towards the shore,
however, and Captain Patterdale seated himself in the shade of the shop
to await its arrival, though he hardly expected to obtain any information
in regard to the box from Donald. While he was sitting there, Mr. Laud
Cavendish appeared with a large basket in his hand. The
counter-jumper started when he turned the corner of the shop, and saw
the nabob seated there.
"Going a-fishing?" asked the captain.
"Yes, sir; I'm going over to Turtle Head to camp out over Sunday,"
replied Laud. "How is Michael, sir?"