"Yes."
"And the book was taken by someone?"
"The next day. We missed it after—after Miss Lord had visited the den alone."
"Huh!"
He rode for awhile in silence.
"Really," he muttered, as if to himself, "I ought to go back. I ought not to take for granted the fact that this old letter is unimportant. However, Irene has read it, and if it happened to be of value I'm sure the girl would have told me about it."
"Yes, she certainly would have told you," agreed Mary Louise. "But she declared that even I would not be interested in reading it."
"That's the only point that perplexes me," said the lawyer.
"Just—that—one—point."
"Why?" asked the girl.
But Mr. Conant did not explain. He sat bolt upright on his seat, staring at the back of Bub's head, for the rest of the journey. Mary Louise noticed that his fingers constantly fumbled with the locket on his watch chain.