ot worth a
five-pound note! Us'll dig again."

And dig they did for a week, till the farmyard in that place was turned
over like a trenched kitchen-garden. But not another teaspoon did they
find.

Meantime, however, somebody as understood such things explained to young
Drake that the stuff unearthed was not pewter, nor yet Britannia metal
neither, but old Sheffield plate, and worth plenty of good money at
that.

Jonathan felt too mazed with the event to do anything about it for a
month; then he went to Plymouth, and took a few pieces of the find in
his bag. And the man what he showed 'em to was so terrible interested
that nothing would do but he must come up to Dunnabridge and see the
lot. He offered two hundred and fifty pound for the things on the nail;
so Jonathan saw very clear that they must be worth a good bit more. They
haggled for a week, and finally the owner went up to Exeter and got
another chap to name a price. In the long run, the dealers halved the
things, and Jonathan comed out with a clear three hundred and fifty-four
pound.

III

He wasn't very pleased to talk about his luck, and inquisitive people
got but little out of him on the subject; but, of course, Parsons and
Hacker spoke free and often on the subject, for 'twas the greatest
adventure as had ever come to them in their lives; and, from telling the
tale over and over old Parsons got to talk about it as if he'd seen the
ghost himself.

Then, after he'd chewed over the matter for a space of three or four
months, and spring was come again, Jonathan Drake went off one night to
White Works, just the same as he used to do when he was courting Hyssop
Burges; and there was the little party as usual, with Mrs. Stonewer
knitting, and Farmer reading yesterday's newspaper, and Hyssop sewing in
her place by her aunt.

"Well!" says Farmer Jimmy, "wonders never cease! And to see you again
here be almost so big a wonder as that they tell about of the old
miser's tea-things. I'm sure we all give you joy, Jonathan; and I
needn't tell you as we was cruel pleased to hear about it."

The young man thanked them very civilly, and said how 'twas a coorious
come-along-of-it, and he didn't hardly know what to think of the matter
even to that day.

"I should reckon 'twas a bit of nonsense what I'd dreamed," he said;
"but money's money, as who should know better than me? And, by the same
token, I want a few words with Hyssop if she'm willing to give me ten
mi