“That is so.”
“That they are a good sound stock may be taken for granted, otherwise your grandfather would not have invested so largely in them. I see by this morning’s newspaper that yesterday they were quoted at from 53 to 53-5/8.”
“Yes—what then?” demanded Luigi blankly. He could not imagine what his uncle was driving at.
“Merely this, dear boy—that if we could by any means contrive to annex a few of the bonds in question, a way out of our difficulty would at once be opened for us.”
The silence that ensued lasted for some minutes. The Captain wanted what he had said to sink into his nephew’s mind. It was a daring suggestion, but, after all, not nearly so audacious as that other suggestion, which had emanated from the same source, that Luigi should personate Sir Gilbert Clare’s dead grandson. That suggestion had borne practical fruit, had, in fact, developed into a splendid success. Why should not this one prove equally as successful?
“A very ingenious suggestion indeed, uncle,” said Luigi at length; “but how do you propose to carry it into effect? You talk as if I had in my possession a duplicate key of the strong room.”
“That is a mere detail,” responded the Captain airily, “which I have not yet had time to consider.”
“Assuming for the moment that we succeed in obtaining possession of the bonds, and that their loss is discovered, what then?
“Yes, what then? Why should suspicion fall upon you? Should we decide to carry out the affair, it would have to be in such a way as to leave no possible link which would serve to connect you or me with the missing documents. Besides, I think it not unlikely that some long time would elapse before the bonds would be missed. Your grandfather has apparently bought the stock as a permanent investment, and if such be the case, no reason will exist for him to go through the parcel a second time in order to satisfy himself that none of them have been abstracted. Months, nay years, might elapse without the loss being discovered; it is even possible that Sir Gilbert might die in ignorance thereof. It would be singular, would it not, if the bonds should ultimately come to you as his heir? Looked at from that point of view, you would merely be obtaining an advance on your own property.”
“Let us suppose once more,” persisted Luigi. “The bonds are sold, let us say; their loss is discovered; as a consequence, a hue-and-cry is set afoot and the missing numbers advertised. In that case what is to prevent their being traced back to the first vendor of them after their—hem! abstraction?”