They had now examined every packet in the safe: they had looked at every paper: they had opened every book and searched through all the leaves. There was no doubt left: the certificates were not there.
Checkley began to tie up the bundles again. His master sat down trying to remember something—everything—that could account for their disappearance.
CHAPTER XI
A MYSTERIOUS DISCOVERY
The safe disposed of, there remained a cupboard, two tables full of drawers, twenty or thirty tin boxes. Checkley examined every one of these receptacles. In vain. There was not anywhere any trace of the certificates.
'Yet,' said Mr. Dering, 'they must be somewhere. We have been hunting all the morning, and we have not found them. They are not in this room. Yet they must be somewhere. Certificates and such things don't fly away. They are of no use to any one. People don't steal certificates. I must have done something with them.'
'Did you take them home with you?'
'Why should I do that? I have no safe or strong-room at home.'
'Did you send them to the Bank for greater safety? To be sure, they would be no more safe there than here.'