“I presume so,” answered Grant, coolly. “You refer to Tom Calder, do you not, Mr. Ford?”
“I believe that is his name.”
“He is not an intimate friend of mine, but we came from the same village. It is that boy who was with me when I first met you, Mr. Reynolds.”
The broker's face cleared.
“Yes, I remember him. But how do you happen to know Tom Calder, Mr. Ford?”
“He had a room at the same house with me. He introduced himself as a friend of this boy.”
“Do you know anything of him—how he earns his living?”
“Haven't the faintest idea,” answered Ford. “My acquaintance with him is very slight.”
“There seems a mystery here,” said the broker. “This Morrison gives Grant two bonds to dispose of, which are identified as belonging to my housekeeper. How did he obtain possession of them? That is the question.”
“There isn't much doubt about that,” said Mrs. Estabrook. “This boy whom you have taken into your family has taken them.”