"Are you sure this key will open his door?" asked Julian.
"I am sure of it. If it don't open his door, you can bring it back and exchange it for another."
Julian told him that he would take the lock, and while the clerk was gone to another part of the store to do it up he whispered to Jack,
"I have just thought of something. He has not any closet in his room that I know of, and who knows but that he may have put that box in his trunk? I had better get some keys to his trunk while I am about it."
"Do you remember how the key looked?" asked Jack.
"I guess I can come pretty close to it," answered Julian.
The work of selecting a key to the trunk was not so easy; but Julian managed to satisfy himself at last, and the boys left the store. Julian did not say anything, but he was certain that the box would be in his own possession before that time to-morrow. That would be better than calling the police to search his room. In the latter case, Casper would be held for trial, and Julian did not want to disgrace him before all the boys in the office.
"I will give Mr. Wiggins the box as soon as I get my hands on it, but I shan't say anything to him about Casper's stealing it," said he. "Would you?"
"You are mighty right I would," exclaimed Jack, who looked at his friend in utter surprise. "He stole it, didn't he? He was going to cheat Haberstro out of it if he showed up, and, failing that, he would leave us here to work all our lives while he lived on the fat of the land. No, sir; if you get the box you must tell Mr Wiggins about it."
For the first time in a long while the boys did not sleep much that night. Jack was thinking about Casper's atrocity,—for he considered that was about the term to apply to him for stealing their box,—and Julian was wondering if he was going to get into Casper's room and recover the fortune which he was attempting to deprive them of.