All the clerks looked up; and the red-headed office-boy was prompt in answer to the bell Paul rang a moment after.
"Bobby," said the young man to the boy, as he took his hat and overcoat, "I've just broken the clock. I know a shop where they make a specialty of repairing timepieces like that. I'm going to tell them to send for it at once. Give it to the man who will come this afternoon with my card. Do you understand?"
"Cert," the boy answered. "If he 'ain't got your card, he don't get the clock."
"That's what I mean," Paul responded, as he left the office.
Before he reached the door he met Mr. Wheatcroft.
"Paul," cried the junior partner, explosively, "I've been thinking about that—about that—you know what I mean! And I have decided that we had better put a detective on this thing at once!"
"Yes," said Paul, "that's a good idea. In fact, I had just come to the same conclusion. I——"
Then he checked himself. He had turned round slightly to speak to Mr. Wheatcroft; he saw that Major Van Zandt was standing within ten feet of them, and he noticed that the old book-keeper's face was strangely pale.
III
During the next week the office of Whittier, Wheatcroft & Co. had its usual aspect of prosperous placidity. The routine work was done in the routine way; the porter opened the office every morning, and the office-boy arrived a few minutes after it was opened; the clerks came at nine, and a little later the partners were to be seen in the inner office reading the morning's correspondence.