“We are not.  We got into that picture quite accidentally,” explained Tom.  And then, as the scenes of the drama progressed, he and his brothers turned their attention to what was going on.

At the end of the photo drama there was a short intermission, during which a number of persons went out and an even larger number came in.  There was a seat vacated beside the Rovers, and Barton Pelter took this.

“How are you fellows making out at your offices?” asked the young man.

“Oh, we are doing as well as can be expected,” answered Dick.  “You know this sort of thing is rather new to us.”

“How about those missing bonds; have you located them yet?”

“No.”

“That’s too bad,” and the young man’s face showed his concern.  “Have you any idea where they went to?”

“Not the slightest in the world, Pelter.  It is a complete mystery,” answered Tom.

“The loss of such an amount must hurt you a whole lot,” ventured Barton Pelter, after a slight pause.  “It would ruin some folks.”

“It does hurt us a whole lot,” broke in Sam.  “Unless we get those bonds back—­ or at least a part of them—­ we are going to have pretty hard sledding to pull through.”

“It’s a shame!  I wish I could do something to help you, for what you did for me,” returned Barton Pelter; and his voice had a rather wistful ring in it.  Then the theater was darkened and the next photo drama began.

“Are you doing anything as yet?” questioned Tom, when, at the end of this play, he saw Jesse Pelter’s nephew prepare to leave.

“I’ve got something of an offer to go on the road as a traveling salesman for the Consolidated Cream Cracker Company,” was the answer.  “It won’t pay very much, but it will be better than nothing;” and then the young man left.

Several days went by and the Rover boys put in all their time at business.  There was a great deal to do in the way of protecting a number of rather uncertain investments which Pelter, Japson & Company had made for Mr. Anderson Rover while they were his brokers.

“It’s a mighty good thing that we got after Pelter, Japson & Company when we did,” was Erick’s comment.  “If we hadn’t, they would have put us in the worst kind of a hole, even if they had remained honest.  They had no more conception of what constitutes a good business risk than has a baby.”

“I do hope, Dick, that we make a success of this,” returned Tom.

“Oh, don’t say we’re going to make a fizzle of, it!” cried Sam.  “We’ve just got to win out, that is all there is to it!”

“Right you are!”

On the following Monday afternoon there was but little for Tom and Sam to do at the offices, and the former suggested to his younger brother that they walk over to the East Side and visit The Golden Oak House.

“I’ve always wanted to see how things look over in that part of New York,” declared Tom, “and if we run into that Andy Royce I’m going to question him and see if he knows anything about that diamond ring.”