The postmaster was on his stool behind the wicket when Phoebe approached him.
“Who do you think could have taken Mrs. Ritchie’s box?” asked the girl.
“I don’t know,” said Chandler. “If I did, I’d help Toby out of his trouble.”
“I didn’t ask who took the box,” said Phoebe; “but who could have taken it.”
The postmaster slowly revolved this in his mind.
“Possible burglar?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Sam Parsons, the constable.”
“How is that?”
“I went upstairs about noon and found Sam peeking through the keyhole into the judge’s office. He mumbled some and went away. That night, just before I went home to supper, I walked upstairs again, just to see if everything was all right. I hadn’t any key, that time, but Parsons was standing with his back to the door, silent like, as if he was thinking.”