"I'd like to have the flogging of him!"
"Besides the will, which is itself of cardinal importance; and your father's jewels, which evidently were worth a considerable sum--"
"I should think so!"
"There is here a list of no less than thirteen securities, all of the highest class, which are stated to have represented--apparently at par value--over £50,000. At present prices they would be worth more. The presumption is that scrip, or bonds, or other legal documents representing ownership, were in that box. If such was the case, the question is--where are they now?"
"£50,000!" I cried.
I have no doubt that we all of us looked amazed at the magnitude of the sum.
"That scoundrel," declared Dick, "is living on them--on the fat of the land."
"Since they were all easily negotiable, and could be turned into cash at a moment's notice, if our suspicions are well founded--"
"Which they are!"
"It is practically certain that Mr Miller is in the enjoyment of a comfortable little fortune. Not the least extraordinary part of the matter is, that had not your sister come upon this list, almost, as it seems, by accident, we might never have known that such securities were in existence. As it is, I fear we shall have some trouble in tracing their possession to Mr Miller; and still more trouble in tracing him."