“I can’t say that I do,” returned Dick.

“Your father—­ is he not here?”

“No, he is at home sick.”

“Is that so?  I am very sorry to hear it.  Then you are transacting his business for him?”

“Yes, my brother and I are running this business now.”

“And yet you said you did not know why I had called,” continued Mr. Aronson, in apparent astonishment.  “That is strange.  Did not your father tell you about his investment in the Sharon Valley Land Company?”

“I never heard of the company before,” returned Dick, promptly.

“I heard my father mention it,” put in Tom, “but I never knew that he had made any investment in it.”

“What?  How surprising!” ejaculated the visitor.  “He has something like fifteen thousand dollars invested in that concern, for which I have the honor to be the agent.  He has another payment to make on the investment, and that payment falls due just a week from to-day.  Some time ago he asked me if that payment might not be deferred.  I put it up to the managers of the company, and they have now sent me word that the payment will have to be made on the day that it falls due.”

“And how much is that payment?” faltered Dick.

“Twenty thousand dollars.”

CHAPTER XXVI

 In which the girls arrive

Both of the Rover boys stared blankly at the visitor.  His announcement had come very much like a clap of thunder out of a clear sky.  For the moment neither of them knew what to say.

“I am sorry you did not know about this,” pursued Mallin Aronson, when he saw by their looks how much they were disturbed.  “Perhaps your dear father was taken sick so quickly that he did not have a chance to explain the situation.”

“He hasn’t been well for a long while, but I thought he had turned over all his business affairs to us,” answered Dick.  “It is queer that we have no record of this Sharon Valley Land Company investment,” he added, turning to Tom.

“Have you gone over all the papers, Dick?” questioned the brother, quickly.

“The most of them.  That is, all that I thought were of any importance.  There are a great number that I haven’t had time to look at yet.  You know how numerous father’s investments are.”

“If you have no record of the transaction here, can you not ask your father about it?” questioned Mr. Aronson, smoothly.

“He is too sick to be disturbed, Mr. Aronson,” answered Dick.

“Well, if you care to do so, you can stop at my office and look over the account there,” went on the visitor.

“And you say this twenty thousand dollars has got to be paid a week from to-day?” asked Tom.

“Yes, Mr. Rover.  The management will grant no extension of time.”

“Supposing it isn’t paid?” questioned Dick.

At this suggestion Mallin Aronson shrugged his shoulders and put up his hands.