“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 anyone 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.”