enzy and a ballet of spades danced with horrible rhythm
through his dreams, the package came from Garry. Kenny took it with a
careless whistle and went slowly up the stairs.

The closing of his bedroom door transformed him. He found matches and
a lamp and marveled at the erratic pounding of his heart. It was a
muffled beat of triumph. Mad laughter, tender and joyous, lurked
perilously in his throat. His feet would have pirouetted in gay
abandon had he not, with much responsible feeling of control, forced
himself to walk with dignity and calm. But his nervous flying fingers
fumbled clumsily with string and paper and taxed his patience to the
utmost.

The bills were incredibly old and ragged. Kenny stared at them with a
low whistle of delight, blessing Garry. Moreover, Fate and Garry had
chosen to solve a problem for him by packing the bills in a strong tin
box. To unpack the money and dent the tin was the work of a moment.
When he had darkened the shining surface with lamp-smoke and rubbed it
clean with a handkerchief which he burned, the box, discolored and
dented, had an inescapable look of age, like the ragged bills.

Kenny went through the dark hallway to Adam's room with cat-like tread,
the searchlight that had been a part of his road equipment in his
pocket, a bag of wood-ash, purloined the day before from Hannah's
kitchen, and the battered box tucked unobtrusively beneath his coat.
He locked himself in and drew a long, gasping breath of intense relief.

Though wind creaks startled him again and again as he made a pedestal
of faded books for his searchlight and directed its glaring circle upon
the blackened wall of the fireplace, no dreaded hand upon the knob
disturbed him.

He worked noiselessly and with care, removing the lower bricks with his
penknife.

Brick after brick he loosened, burrowing deep in the solid wall; then
with infinite care and patience he walled the money in, filled the
crevices with wood-ash and hid the remaining bricks in the chimney.

He went down to supper with an unusual air of calm, but his head was
aching badly. Hughie, Joan said, was nearing the last dot. He was
discouraged and Hannah was cross. Kenny toyed absently with the food
upon his plate.

"Mavourneen," he said, "I'm wondering."

"Wondering what, Kenny?"

"If perhaps the chart isn't purposely misleading--"

"Like Uncle's hints to you?"

"Yes."

"I hadn't thought of it."

"Every clue we have found ha