h you young
folks and tell you how much I appreciate what you all did for us."

Rather embarrassed by his suggestion that there was anything to thank
them for, Leslie led him through the house to the veranda facing the
ocean. Here Aunt Marcia sat, wrapped to the eyes, enjoying the late
October sunshine, the invigorating salt air, and the indescribable beauty
of the changeful ocean. Leslie had long since, very cautiously and
gradually, revealed to her the story of their adventure at Curlew's Nest.
So carefully had she done so that any possible alarm Miss Marcia might
have experienced was swallowed up in wonder at the marvelous way in which
it had all turned out.

Leslie now introduced Mr. Ramsay, and they all gathered around him as he
settled himself to enjoy the view. He chatted a while with Miss Marcia,
compared notes with her on the effect of the climate on her health and
his own, then turned to the young folks.

"It is quite useless for me," he began, "to try to express my
appreciation of all you people have done for Eileen and myself in the
little matter of the bronze box."

"But we must tell you," interrupted Phyllis, eagerly, "that we aren't
going to sail under any false colors! We found that little box,--or
rather, Rags here found it--and we didn't have a notion, of course, to
whom it could belong and we were just wild to get it open and see what
was in it. When we couldn't manage that, we hid it away in the safest
place we could think of, to wait for what would happen. I'm afraid we
didn't make any very desperate hunt for the owner, and when we suspected
that Eileen might have something to do with it, I'm ashamed to say that
we wouldn't give it up to her--at first--because we were annoyed at the
way she acted. We didn't understand, of course, but that doesn't excuse
it!"

"All that you say may be true," smiled Mr. Ramsay, "but that does not
alter the fact that you delivered it up the moment you discovered the
rightful owner. And Miss Phyllis's clever little ruse of burying the
false box probably saved Geoffrey a bad time. For if those fellows hadn't
found _something_ there that night, they would certainly have made it hot
for him. As it was, it gained us so much time that Detective Barnes had a
chance to get my man out of their clutches before they had done him any
damage, though they were furious at being duped. They're all safely in
jail now, and there is nothing more to fear from them. Of course, the
pr