“Mr. Black, may I look around here a bit?” he requested.
“Look around? What for?”
“To see if I cannot find something to help solve this mystery,” responded Jack, not wishing directly to suggest that the manager had overlooked the box.
“So you keep to it that you know nothing, eh? Well, go ahead,” said the manager shortly, turning back to his desk.
Jack’s hopes were quickly shattered. Neither on the desk, nor a table beside the safe, was there anything which could have concealed the missing box.
Stooping, he glanced under the table. Something white, a newspaper, leaning against the wall, caught his eye. With a flutter of hope he reached beneath and threw it aside. There was nothing behind it.
Disappointedly he caught the newspaper up and tossed it into the waste-basket. Suddenly, on a thought, he recovered the paper, and opened it. On discovering it was the “Bulletin,” a paper he knew Mr. Black seldom read, the idea took definite shape. And, yes, it was of yesterday’s date!
“Mr. Black,” exclaimed Jack, “this is not your paper, is it?”
Somewhat impatiently the manager glanced up. “The ‘Bulletin’? No.”
“Were you reading it yesterday, sir?”