He opened the envelope very carefully, using a paper-cutter. Then he unfolded a sheet of common note paper and read the contents aloud:
“‘Between the mattress and the straw tick on Toby Clark’s bed in his old house you will find the money and bonds he stole from Mrs. Ritchie and hid there.’”
That was all. The banker lifted his eyebrows and smiled.
“Ah, they’re giving up the money now,” said he. “They realize there is danger in keeping it.”
“Whom do you mean by ‘they’?” asked Phoebe.
“The original thieves.”
“Were there more than one?”
“I don’t know. There was one, at least, before me, and some one stole the box from this office—with a purpose. How shall we treat this suggestion, Phoebe?”
“Let us go and get the money at once, sir, and restore it to Mrs. Ritchie.”
“She will demand an explanation.”