All seemed pleased as well as surprised at Harry’s return.
“Here’s what happened,” explained Blair Windsor soberly, as the men sat down to talk it over. “You know how worried Quinn has been? Well, he was in a financial jam, and we didn’t know it. We knew he had been acting somewhat morose; but we didn’t make any comment about it.
“Day before yesterday, Quinn received a letter. We had come down to breakfast. You and Harper were the only two who weren’t there. Quinn went upstairs, looking worried.
“When he didn’t come down, Garry Buckman became suspicious. He went up to Quinn’s room. The fellow had swallowed some poison.
“There was a big rush after that. I drove away to get a doctor. The others gave him first aid. We took him off to the hospital, after the doctor came. They pulled him through, all right. But everybody had something to do, after that.
“Buckman went down to Boston, to straighten affairs up for Quinn. Harper and I drove over to Springfield, where Quinn’s folks live. We didn’t know what became of you and Crull. We knew Crull was probably here, and we thought you had been asleep when the whole trouble began.
“Coming in at odd hours of the night, we didn’t see one another. Yesterday, you weren’t around in the morning. We thought maybe you had gone with Buckman, who didn’t get back until the evening.
“Then I happened to see your car in the garage. We’ve been wondering about you since then.”
“I was gone before the trouble began,” replied Harry. “I woke up very early, day before yesterday. Then I realized something that I had totally forgotten.
“I had a business engagement in New York; funny thing — I never remembered it when I started on this vacation tour. I decided that it was best to go by train. I was going to drive to Springfield and leave my car there.