“I found the chair very comfortable,” I returned, trying to determine what would be best to say in regard to the robbery.

“Why didn’t you go to bed?”

“I didn’t get a chance. I—”

“Never mind with your excuses. Have you got breakfast ready?”

“No, sir; but I soon will have.”

Mr. Norton took a pull from the flask he always kept in his pocket, and then got out his pipe and fell to smoking.

I set the table in silence and started to make the coffee.

I noticed he was very uneasy, and looked at me half a dozen times rather curiously.

Presently his eye wandered over to where his valise had stood and he noticed that the bag was missing.