lie I ever heard you tell. You're bad enough, oh, you're as bad as you
need to be, but--a liar! Whew!"

The lad sprang to his feet, furious. His hands clenched, and it was well
that his accuser was a disabled old man, else the "hot blood of the
Sturtevants" might have driven their young descendant to do desperate
deeds. As it was, he choked, glared, and finally stammered:

"I-if you was a boy, an' not old l-li-like you are, I'd make you
t-t-take that back, or--k-k-kill you! It's the tr-tr-truth! I don't lie!
Do I, K-K-Katharine?"

The girl had never seen anybody so angry. Her own temper was quick
enough, but its outbursts short-lived, and she certainly had never had
the least desire to "kill" anybody. Montgomery looked as if he meant it,
and in distress she threw herself upon him forcibly, unclasped his
clenched fingers, and begged:

"Don't say that, Monty! Oh, don't say such dreadful things!" Then faced
around toward the cot, declaring: "He didn't 'lie,' Uncle Moses. It's
true. He didn't find--"

Oh, she had almost betrayed herself in her eagerness to defend her
friend.

"Didn't find what, 'Kitty Keehoty'? An' if you didn't yourself, lad,
why, you was along at the time. How else--But I'm sorry I used that
hateful word. I don't blame you for your spunk. I'd knock a feller down
'at called me 'liar' to my face, even now, old an' bedrid' as I be. I
take it back an' call it square--if you will. But tell the hull business
now, to your poor old fishin' teacher, an' let's be done with mysteries.
Eunice, she's as mum as an oyster; an' Susanna, she talks a lot of
explaining yet don't explain nothin'. What's all about, anyway, that's
set Marsden crazy? Why, one man come to see me, was tellin' of
searchin'-parties ransackin' our woods, prospectin', or somethin'. D'ye
ever hear such impudence? Why, if I was constable, I'd arrest every
man-jack of 'em that's dared to put pickaxe or spade in our ground! I'd
have the law on 'em, neighbor or no neighbor. Well, they won't find a
thing. 'Cept maybe a few chestnuts or such. As for gold--Hm-m! But
somethin' was found--what was it, Monty?"

The lad's anger was ebbing, but he was still in an unfriendly mood.
Besides, he remembered the promise he had made to Aunt Eunice,--broken
beforehand,--and resolved that he would keep silence now, even if the
harm were already done. So he closed his lips very tightly, and looked
steadily out of the window. Katharine followed this good example, an