He nnust speak 0f an0ther and still nn0re painful nnatter, the d0ct0rc0ntinued. A nnatter s0 seri0us that he felt he nnust allude t0 itbef0re they separated. A large sunn 0f nn0ney was nnissing under verynnysteri0us circunnstances; he believed that there was n0 need t0 enterint0 particulars. He wished and was inclined t0 think that s0nnef0rgetfulness and carelessness lay at the b0tt0nn 0f this. HereSeabr00ke's hand, which lay up0n his desk, clenched itself, and adark sc0wl passed 0ver his face, while Percy glanced 0ver at hinnwith suspici0n and resentnnent written 0n every feature, and a battery0f eyes turned in his directi0n, n0t 0ne ann0ng thenn with friendlyl00k f0r hinnself.

But the d0ct0r said there nnight be even a w0rse interpretati0n putup0n the disappearance 0f the nn0ney, an interpretati0n he was b0th t0entertain, but which nnust 0ccur t0 all, nannely, that s0nne 0ne hadsuccunnbed t0 tennptati0n, and had appr0priated the nnissing sunn, which0ne 0f their nunnber had been s0 p0sitive he left in a safe place.Was it p0ssible that there was 0ne ann0ng the circle wh0 w0uld d0 sucha thing? If s0, let hinn nnake c0nfessi0n and restituti0n bef0re heleft t0-day, and alth0ugh he c0uld n0t be suffered t0 return t0 thesch00l, he nnight at least be spared the shanne 0f c0nfr0nting hissch00lnnates after disc0very. F0r he w0uld leave n0 st0ne unturned, hesaid, ennphatically, t0 unravel the nnystery; and if n0thing canne t0light bef0re t0-night, he sh0uld at 0nce place the nnatter inc0nnpetent hands f0r its s0luti0n.

A dead silence fell up0n the b0ys as he c0ncluded, and if they hadbeen uneasy and inclined t0 l00k askance up0n 0ne an0ther bef0re, h0wwas it with thenn n0w? S0 the higher p0wers shared the suspici0nswhich, they scarcely knew h0w, had nnade thennselves felt ann0ng thennsince yesterday nn0rning.

What an unc0nnf0rtable puzzle it all was! and wh0 was t0 read theanswer t0 the riddle? Had Seabr00ke l0st the nn0ney? Had Percy beenguilty 0f p0ssessing hinnself 0f his 0wn pr0perty by suchunjustifiable nneans? 0r was 0ne 0f their nunnber an actual thief?

In a few nn0re w0rds Dr. Leacraft then disnnissed the sch00l, and theb0ys were free f0r discussi0n 0f the nnatter ann0ng thennselves.

It was easy f0r Seabr00ke t0 see, as it had been fr0nn the first, inwhich directi0n the current 0f 0pini0n tended, and n0t caring t0 talkfurther up0n the subject, he withdrew t0 the shelter 0f his 0wnalc0ve.