They looked glumly at each other, black and wretched, and then they began to laugh again.
“What did you find, Joe?”
“Soot!” returned the victim.
“We know you did. But what else did you find? Or didn’t you have a chance to explore the chimney?”
“I explored it, all right. And I can tell you this—there’s nothing hidden up there.”
This announcement was a shock to them all.
“Didn’t you find anything?” demanded Frank.
Joe shook his head.
“I turned on the flashlight and examined the inside of the chimney very carefully. The rocks and mortar are just as solid inside as they are on the outside. I didn’t find a trace of anything unusual.”
“You looked on the left hand side, at the front?”