The man led the way into a corridor that was heavy with dust. It had not been in use for a long time and it was bare and unfurnished. Leading off this corridor was a heavy door. It was unlocked, and when Mr. Applegate opened it the boys saw that a flight of stairs lay beyond. "There you are. Those stairs lead up into the tower. Search away. You won't find anything." "I hope we do, Mr. Applegate," said Frank. "And I'm pretty sure we shall." "Yes--boys are always goin' to do wonders. Go ahead. Live and learn. Waste your time." And with this parting shot, Hurd Applegate turned and hobbled back along the corridor, the sheet of stamps still in his gnarled hand. He was muttering to himself as he departed. The Hardy boys looked at one another. "Not very encouraging, is he, Frank?" "Not a bit of it. But it will be so much the better for us if we get the stuff back for him. He won't think we were wasting our time then." "Let's get up into the tower. I'm anxious to start." The tower was about five stories in height, as compared with the rest of the mansion, which had but three stories. The lower floor was empty. The floors and walls were heavy with dust. Frank and Joe first examined the stairs carefully for footprints, but there were none to be seen. "That seems queer," remarked Frank. "If Jackley had been in here within the past month you'd think his footprints would still show. By the appearance of this dust, there hasn't been any one in the tower for at least a year." "Perhaps the dust collects more quickly than we think. It may have covered his footprints over even within a couple of weeks." An inspection of the ground floor revealed the fact that there was no place where the loot could have been hidden, save under the stairs, and there was nothing in that place of concealment. Accordingly, the Hardy boys ascended to the next floor, finding themselves in a room as drab and bare as the one they had just left. Here again the dust lay heavy and the murky windows were thick with cobwebs. There was an atmosphere of age and decay about the entire place. It seemed to have been abandoned for years. "Nothing here," said Frank, after a quick glance around. "On we go." They made their way up to the next floor, after again poking about under the stairs, but again without success. The next room was a duplicate of the first. It was bare and cheerless, deep in dust. There was not the slightest sign of a hiding place. Much less was there any indication that another human being had been in the tower for years. "Doesn't look very promising, Joe. Still, he may have gone right to the top of the tower." So the search continued, until at last the Hardy boys had reached the top of the tower. Here they emerged into the open air, coming through a trapdoor that led through the roof from the upper room. They were now standing on a platform, and far below them lay the city of Bayport. To the east was Barmet Bay, the waters sparkling in the sun.