“How much money was in it?”
“Why did he do that?”
These were some of the questions shot at Charlie Sing when he had translated thus far in the strange story of Hop Wong. The student held up his hand for patience.
“I cannot tell you the reasons,” he said. “Hop Wong does not know them himself. All he knows is that Rother and Meggs were told by this old toper that Mr. Peter Stower had hidden a big iron box of money in the cellar.”
“That tlue! Them say so! Them know whele money is—Hop Wong not know!” broke in the laundryman. “Two men know—Hop Wong not know!”
He seemed pitifully eager that they should believe him.
CHAPTER XXII
ANOTHER ALARM
There was a pause. On the part of Charlie Sing and Hop Wong it was for breath, as they had been talking at a pretty steady rate. On the part of Luke, Neale, Ruth and Agnes the pause was welcome because so many ideas had crowded in on them that they wanted time, as Neale said afterward, to untangle their thoughts.
The pause gave them all a chance to do a little thinking, which was absolutely needed at this time. It cannot be said that any of the four had, up to this time, placed much faith in the suggestion that wealth of some sort—possibly a fortune—was concealed in the Corner House cellar. Now, with this unexpected confirmation, came a gasp of surprise.
“Is this all he knows about it?” asked Ruth.