“Your father wanted a quiet room, so we put him on the court,” explained the manager of the Outlook Hotel, as he unlocked the door and turned on the electric lights.

It was a typical hotel room of the better class, with a brass bed, a bureau, a desk, and several chairs.  At one side was a small bathroom.

On a chair rested Mr. Rover’s suitcase, locked but unstrapped.  On the bureau were his comb and brush, a whisk broom, and some other toilet articles.  On some hooks hung a coat and a cap.  They glanced into the bathroom, and in a cup on the marble washstand saw his toothbrush.

“He certainly meant to come back,” murmured Tom.

“Yes, and that very soon—­ or else he wouldn’t have left these things lying around,” added his younger brother.

Dick passed over to the coat that hung on a hook and felt in the pockets.  They contained nothing but some railroad timetables.

“Can’t you call up some of your father’s business friends or acquaintances?” suggested the hotel manager.

“He had very few acquaintances in the city,” answered Dick.  “He used to have some close friends, but they are either dead or have moved away.  As for the business men he had dealings with—­ I guess I had better see them in the morning.”

“Then, if there isn’t anything more I can do, I’ll leave you,” returned the hotel manager.

“Nothing more at present,” answered Dick.

With the hotel manager gone, the boys closed the door leading to the hallway and sat down to discuss the situation.  The door between the two bedrooms had already been opened by a hallman, so that they would have ample sleeping accommodations when they wished to retire.  But just now they were too excited and worried to think of sleeping.

“Maybe we had better put the police at work,” suggested Sam.

“We surely ought to do something,” added Tom.

“What can the police do—­ with no clews to work on?” asked their big brother.

“They might look around in the hospitals for him.”

“I don’t think we’ll find him in any hospital.”

“Why not, if he met with an accident?”

“I don’t believe there was any accident,” continued Dick, earnestly.

“Do you think he met with foul play at the hands of those men he came to see?” demanded Sam.

“It looks that way to me, Sam.”

“Then we ought to have them locked up at once!”

“How can we—­ when we have no evidence against them?”

“Let us look into dad’s suitcase,” suggested Tom.

“I’ll see if I can unlock it.”

Dick had a bunch of keys in his pocket, as did Tom and Sam, and the boys tried the keys one after another.  At last they found one which fitted, and the suitcase came open.

The bag contained the usual assortment of wearing apparel which Mr. Rover was in the habit of carrying when on a trip that was to last but a few days or a week.  In addition, there were several letters and documents, placed in a thick manila envelope and marked with the owner’s name.