“Impossible!” cried Virginia. “Mr. Benson is too careful a man for anything like that to have happened.”
“Of course, it is hardly a reasonable supposition, but on the other hand, Mrs. Landray, your husband certainly knew whether it was one or two thousand acres he owned.”
“You don't doubt Mr. Benson?”
“I don't know whether I do or not,” said the banker. “I certainly think your husband would not have written the word two if he had meant one! I think you'd better show this to Ben Wade; let him ferret around among these papers. I'll send him up here to-morrow.” The next morning, Mark Norton stopped at Wade's office on his way downtown.
“You're early, Ben,” he said.
“I don't want any clients to turn away because my door's shut; and not only that, I was expecting a letter from Clara on the early mail.”
“Her mother complains that you seem to be getting all the letters; but see here, Ben, Mrs. Landray had me glance over those papers you left for her last night.” He looked rather grave. “I don't understand them; and the more I've thought about them, the less I understand them. So what I want to say is this, you go over them carefully.”
“Why, what's wrong?” asked Wade eagerly.
“Mrs. Landray will tell you. I don't understand the matter at all. But I want you to be quite sure you're right before you hazard an opinion, or there may be serious consequences; serious to her, and serious to us all. Just keep this clearly in mind, that's all.”
“Do you mean that she wants to see me this morning?”