“But they’re so cute!” pleaded Dot.
“No!” and Ruth was firm about it.
“I’ll carry ’em up, and I won’t spill ’em!” offered Sammy.
“Children, go right upstairs!” ordered Ruth, and they thought it best to obey.
“And so, after all, we haven’t found out anything,” remarked Agnes, as they all trailed up after the youngsters. “The mystery is as deep as ever.”
“Yes,” agreed Ruth. “And I don’t know what we are going to do about it. I think we ought at least to tell Mr. Howbridge—that is, if you think we shouldn’t notify the police?” she said to Luke.
“Tell your guardian, by all means,” he quickly agreed. “As for the police, I don’t see what they could do at this time. If they had been here when that fellow gave me a blow over the head with his club they might have gotten after him. But as for picking up clews on a cold trail, I don’t believe they can do it as well as we can.”
“Not so well,” declared Neale. “And what I propose is that we start now and make a systematic search of this whole house, including the cellar, to see if there is any treasure hidden in it.”
“You seem to side with the children,” observed Hal.
“Well, I think there is something queer around here,” asserted Neale. “Those men didn’t come in to inspect water pipes without an object. That Chinese didn’t write those queer notes for nothing. What it’s all about we have to find out.”