"And have you any theory as to the identity of the thief?"
Rad hesitated a visible instant before replying.
The flush left his face and the pallor came back, but in the end he raised his eyes and answered steadily.
"No, father, I have not.
I am as much mystified as you are."
"And you heard nothing in the night?
As I said before, you are an excellent sleeper!"
Rad caught an ironical undertone in his father's voice.
"I don't understand," he said.
"I am a trifle deaf myself, but still he wakened me.—It's strange that you should be the only one in the house who could sleep through it."
"Sleep through what?
I don't know what you're talking about."
I cut in hastily and explained our adventure with Mose's ha'nt.
Radnor listened with troubled eyes but made no comment at the end.
His father was watching him keenly, and I don't know whether it was intuition or some knowledge of the truth that made him suddenly put the question:
"You were of course in the house all night?"
"No," Radnor returned, "I was not.
I didn't get in till early this morning and I suppose the excitement occurred during my absence."
"I suppose I may not be permitted to inquire where you spent the night—that too is a private matter?"
"Yes," said Radnor, easily, "that too is a private matter."
"And would throw no light on the robbery?"
"None whatever."
Solomon brought in the breakfast and we three sat down, but not to a very cheerful meal.
The Colonel wore an angry frown and Rad an air of anxious perplexity.
Neither of them indulged in any unnecessary conversation.
I knew that the Colonel was more upset by his son's reticence than by the robbery of the bonds, and that it was my presence alone which restrained him from giving vent to his anger.
As we rose from the table he said stiffly:
"Well, Rad, have you any suggestion as to how we shall set to work to track down the thief?"
Radnor slowly shook his head.
"I shall have to talk with Mose first and find out what he really saw."
"Mose!" The Colonel laughed shortly. "He's like all the rest of the niggers.
He doesn't know what he saw—No sir!
I've had enough of this ha'nt business; it's one thing when he spirits chickens from the oven, it's another when he takes to spiriting securities from the safe.
I shall telegraph to Washington for a first class detective."
"If you take my advice," said Rad, "you'll not do that.
A detective's not much good outside the covers of a book.
He'll stir up a lot of notoriety and present a bill; and you'll be no wiser than you were before."
"Whoever stole those bonds will be marketing them within a few days; the interest falls due the first of May.
I am not so rich that I can let five thousand dollars go without a move to get it back.
I shall telegraph today for a detective."
"Just as you please," said Radnor with a shrug, and he turned toward the door that opened on the gallery.
Mose was visible at the end evidently recounting to an excited audience his experiences of the night.
Rad beckoned to him and the two turned together across the lawn toward the laurel walk.
It was an hour or so later that Rad presented himself at my door.
His colloquy with Mose had increased rather than lessened the mystified look on his face.
He waited for no preliminaries this time, but plunged immediately into the matter that was on his mind.
"Arnold, for heaven's sake, stop my father from getting a detective down here.
I don't dare say anything, for my opposition will only make him do it the more.
But you have some influence with him; tell him you're a lawyer, and will take charge of it yourself."
"Why don't you want a detective?" I asked.