George went in to his brother, shook hands, and said he was glad to see him so early. "It is a strange thing about these bonds," he continued, without giving Thomas time to speak. "You have overlooked them," said Thomas. "Bring me the keys, and I will go and get them." "I assure you they are not there." "They must be there, George. Bring me the keys." George Godolphin produced the key of the strong-room, and of the safe, and Lord Averil's box was examined by Thomas Godolphin. The bonds in question were _not_ in it: and Thomas, had he missed himself, could scarcely have been more completely astonished. "George, you must have moved them," were the first words he spoke. "Not I," said George, lightly. "Where should I move them to?" "But no one has power to get into that room, or to penetrate to the safe and the box after it, except you and myself," urged Mr. Godolphin. "Unless, indeed, you have allowed the keys to stray from your keeping." "I have not done that," answered George. "This seems to be perfectly unaccountable." "How came you to tell Averil last night that the bonds had gone to London?" "Well, the fact is, I did not know what to tell him," replied George. "When I first missed the bonds, when you were in London----" "Why did you not let me know then that they were missing?" was the interruption. "I forgot it when you returned home." "But you should not have allowed yourself the possibility of forgetting a thing like that," remonstrated Thomas. "Upon missing deeds of that value, or in fact of any value however slight, you should have communicated with me the very same hour. George," he added, after a pause, which George did not break: "I cannot understand how it was that you did not see the necessity of it yourself." George Godolphin was running his hand through his hair--in an absent manner, lost in thought; in--as might be conjectured--contemplation of the past time referred to. "How was I to think anything but that you had moved the deeds?" he said. "At all events, you should have ascertained. Why, George, were I to miss deeds that I believed to be in a given place, I could not rest a night without inquiring after them. I might assume--and there might be every probability for it--that you had moved them; but my sleep would be ruined until I ascertained the fact." George made no reply. I wonder where he was wishing himself? Mr. Godolphin resumed. "In this instance, I do not see how you could have come to the conclusion that I had touched the bonds. Where did you think I was likely to move them to?" George could not tell--and said so. It was not impossible, but Thomas might have sent them to town--or have handed them back to Lord Averil, he continued to murmur, in a somewhat confused manner. Thomas looked at him: he could scarcely make him out, but supposed the loss had affected his equanimity.