“He has simply had a stroke of vertigo. It is nothing serious, Dr. Goodenough says. But, Ned, the safe——”
“I know. I heard what Jupe said.”
“Ned, the papers—your papers—may be stolen. How can I——”
“Say nothing about it, Jack. So long as your father has not been injured I do not care. Do you think that gang of rascals would have dared to break in here?”
“We can’t tell anything till we have examined the library. We are going there now. Come along.”
In the library everything was in order. The servant who had answered the bell was summoned and declared that things were exactly as they were when she replied to the Professor’s summons. He was lying at the foot of a desk when she entered the room and was quite unconscious.
“Let us examine the safe,” said Dr. Goodenough.
The door of the safe was ajar, and the servant declared that it had not been touched by any one since the discovery of the Professor’s unconscious form.
“You are quite certain of this?” asked the doctor.
“Oh, yes, sir. Positive.”