He tried to imagine what the appearance of Robert Dale had been—what his temperament and disposition.
Bitter and vindictive he must have been, to have so hated his brother that he allowed him to die in poverty, and his family to struggle on for years afterward for a mere pittance, while he had thousands lying idle and useless; surly and churlish, too, he surmised, to have hidden himself away from all society there in the depths of the forest.
The place seemed invested with an unearthly mystery, and it was not strange, taking into consideration the life its owner had lived, and the death he had died, leaving no trace behind him of the vast possessions that had been his.
“If he did not dispose of his wealth while he lived, and made no will before his death; if there is money concealed anywhere and should ever be found, it would belong to Annie Dale’s heirs, for she was his nearest kin,” Everet Mapleson murmured, as he leaned both arms on the desk before him, and looked thoughtfully out of one of the south windows.
“If Geoffrey Dale Huntress proves to be her son, as I am more and more inclined to believe, he will be the heir to Robert Dale’s missing thousands. This place would be his, anyhow, if the relationship could be proved. I wonder how much land belongs with it! Zounds! I wish I knew what has become of the old chap’s money! The more I seek to penetrate this mystery, the more tantalizing it becomes; but I swear that I will never rest until I get to the bottom of it!”
He struck the desk a terrific blow with his fist, in the heat of his excitement, as he uttered this vow; and the weight and force of it jarred it so that something was displaced, and clattered noisily to the floor.
The young man leaned forward to see what he had done, and found that a panel, about twelve inches long and six wide, had fallen from one end of the desk.
“Well, I should think it was about time for this truck to be falling to pieces, solid as it is,” he said, as he stooped to pick it up.
Upon examining it, he found that there were some hinges upon one end, and that time and dampness had caused them to rust until they had fallen apart, while upon the opposite end there was a socket for a spring.
“Aha! a secret compartment!” he exclaimed, his face lighting with eagerness.