"Some one has been to the drawer," she said.
She next thought of the will, and felt for it. It was not there! She turned pale, and with nervous fingers took everything out of the drawer, hoping to find it misplaced. But her search was vain. The will was not to be found.
She sank back into a chair, and exclaimed with passionate regret:—
"Fool that I was! Why did I not make all sure by burning it?"
CHAPTER XXXII.
MRS. OAKLEY'S SUSPICIONS.
The sudden disappearance of the will struck Mrs. Oakley with dismay. It threatened her with the loss of two-thirds of her estate. But she was not a woman to bear it in silence. She possessed a fund of energy, and lost no time in seeking to determine the important question, "Who had taken it?"
She descended at once to the kitchen, where she found Hannah setting the table for supper.