here ever since and have become reconciled to my fate. From
time to time I used to advertise for news of my brother, offering
rewards, but long ago I stopped that, and have no doubt that he perished
in the storm, although for a time I comforted myself by thinking that he
might, by some strange chance, have been saved.

"In some way a rumor has spread through the countryside that I have much
wealth hidden here, and this afternoon four masked men entered the hut
and when I protested, in reply to their demands, that I had no money,
they struck me down and searched the house. Then cursing me for a fraud
and an impostor because they found no gold they left, leaving me to my
fate."

"You have no idea who the men were?" asked Roy who, like Peggy, had
listened with close attention to the old man's story.

"Yes, I think they were young men of bad reputation from a neighboring
village; however, I am not sure. I am certain that I recollected hearing
the voice of one of them when I was in the market in that village some
time ago."

"Oh, then, you do go into town sometimes?" asked Roy.

"Oh, yes," rejoined the hermit, "but no more than I can help. I have long
since departed from the ways of the world and the habitations of men. But
I gather herbs in the woods for miles about and sell them to folks in the
villages."

"I suppose that is why you have the horse and cart?" put in Peggy, who
had been gazing out of the window and had noticed the tumbledown barn.

"Yes," rejoined the old man. "I am not as active as I was once and my old
bones will not carry me as far as they used to. So I drive old Dobbin
when I have a journey of any length to make."

The hermit would not hear of any help being summoned for him. He said
that he was in no danger of a second attack, as the search of his little
property had been thorough and had resulted in the rascals, who had
invaded his haunts, getting nothing for their pains. Refusing some
refreshment the old man offered, the young aviators soon after left the
hut, promising to call in again in a few days and give the hermit an
opportunity to see the aeroplane in which he was much interested. The old
man asked them many questions about the races of the next day and seemed
interested in hearing the details.

The Golden Butterfly they found just as they had left her, and clambering
on board they were soon winging their way back to Acatonick where, as you
may imagine, they had an interesting story