at the foot of the tree, on the so-much-talked of key.
Its amount was a little more than 2000 dollars, the pirate who made the
revelation to Daggett having, in all probability, been ignorant himself of
the real sum that had been thus secreted. By a specific bargain with the
crew, all this money belonged to the deacon; and, consequently, it had
descended to his niece, and through her was now legally the property of
Roswell. The young man was not altogether free from scruples about using
money that had been originally taken as booty by pirates, and his
conscientious wife had still greater objections. After conferring together
on the subject, however, and seeing the impossibility of restoring the
gold to those from whom it had been forced in the first place, the
doubloons were distributed among the families of those who had lost their
lives at Sealer's Land. The shares did not amount to much, it is true; but
they did good, and cheered the hearts of two or three widows and dependent
sisters.

Nor did Roswell Gardiner's care for their welfare stop here. He had the
Sea Lion put in good order, removed her decks, raised upon her, and put
her in her original condition, and sent her to Sealer's Land, again, under
the orders of Hazard, who was instructed to take in all the oil and skins
that had been left behind, and to fill up, if he could, without risking
too much by delay. All this was successfully done, the schooner coming
back, after a very short voyage, and quite full. The money made by this
highly successful adventure, had the effect to console several of those
who had great cause to regret their previous losses.

As to Roswell and Mary, they had much reason to be content with their lot.
The deacon's means were found to be much more considerable than had been
supposed. When all was brought into a snug state. Roswell found that his
wife was worth more than thirty thousand dollars, a sum which constituted
wealth on Oyster Pond, in that day. We have, however, already hinted that
the simplicity, and we fear with it the happiness, of the place has
departed. A railroad terminates within a short distance of the deacon's
old residence, bringing with it the clatter, ambition, and rivalry, of
such a mode of travelling. What is even worse, the venerable and
expressive name of "Oyster Pond," one that conveys in its very sound the
idea of savoury dishes, and an abundance of a certain and a very agreeable
sort has been changed to "Orien