Nelson glanced up from a dish of cherries.
"Maybe Mrs. Terry would let us room together here," he smiled.
Henty's eager expression was enough.
"He's welcome," replied Mrs. Terry, and added: "then when they have done for my present boarder I'll still have someone."
To the junior's delight he was thus invited to share Evan's room, and Mrs. Terry's cooking. He kept stammering out his thanks until Nelson was through eating.
"Let's walk around the block before going to the office," said A. P. when they were outside; "I want to tell you what happened last night."
Evan lit a cigarette, probably to fortify his nerves against an anticipated shock.
"You weren't gone long," said Henty, "when the manager went over to Filter and talked a while in whispers. Then he came to me and began shooting off about my good work and a lot of other rot, gradually leading up to what was on his mind, and sort of preparing me for the third degree. 'Henty,' he said at last, springing it, 'I suppose you know we had a loss around here? Now I want to ask you something confidentially. You don't think Nelson would take it, do you?' I looked at him and told him he'd better roll over—not exactly in those words. 'I don't think he would either,' said Penton.
"When he and the inspector had their heads together inside the vault I asked Filter what the manager had been saying to him. It was exactly what he had said to me. 'What's the matter with them?' said Filter; that's all. Some day Filter'll wake up and get enthusiastic about something; I think it'll be in the next world, though."
Evan laughed. It was such a fine spring morning he could not have forebodings. He was not worried by what Henty had told him.