hirlwell knew that Agatha would never learn
from him that Strange's canoe had not been accidentally capsized.

Early next morning Thirlwell went to the tail-pool, but nothing except
some driftwood washed about in the eddy. The latter had worn out a deep
hollow and he scrambled over the rocks in order to look down into its
revolving depths. There was nothing there, and when going back he made
his way across some worn slabs that had been covered until the water
sank to an unusually low level. By and by he stopped at the edge of a
pool. A small round object that was not the color of the stones lay at
the bottom.

Thirlwell knelt down and rolling up his sleeve got the object out. It
was made of white metal that had tarnished but not corroded, and looked
like an old-fashioned pocket tobacco-box. The thing was well made, for
he could hardly find the joint of the lid and below the latter there was
some engraving. He rubbed it with a little fine sand and then started as
he read a name. It was Strange's tobacco-box and a light dawned on him.

He knew now why Driscoll had haunted the reefs when the water was low,
and thought he knew what was inside the box. This was the thing Strange
_had taken with him_. But Driscoll had looked in the wrong place. The
box was heavy, but perhaps a flood had rolled it down the rapid, or it
had fallen from Strange's pocket when the stream washed his rotting
clothes away.

Thirlwell shook the box and something rattled inside, after which he
noted a dark smear round the edge of the lid. He scraped this with his
knife and thought the stuff was a waterproof gum the freighters used to
caulk their canoes. It looked as if Strange had carefully made the joint
watertight, and Thirlwell's curiosity was strongly excited, but the box
was not his. It was too early to look for Agatha, and he waited with
some impatience until she came out of the shack and sat down in the
sunshine after breakfast.

"I think this was your father's," he said, putting the box in her hand,
and told her how he had found it.

Agatha started. "Yes; I gave it him on his birthday long since. It was
bright then; old English pewter, I think. I saw it in a little store
where they sold curiosities, and had it engraved."

Somewhat to Thirlwell's annoyance, Scott came up with Father Lucien,
whom he presented to Agatha, but she did not put the box away.

"Mr. Thirlwell found this in the river, but the lid is fast," she said.
"Will somebo