"Of course you were, Uncle. Don't you see, you worried over having the
cup there on your hands; and in your sleep you must have dreamed about
the old place here under the floor where you once used to hide things.
And down you came all the way. It happened that the boys were all away
on that night after the storm; isn't it so, fellows?"

"Yes," replied Frank, "Will here and I were caught up in the woods,
and slept under a shelf of rock, while Bluff and Jerry stayed at the
village, where they met the constable, Mr. Jeems. So the cabin was not
occupied at all that night."

"And we knew somebody must have been in here," spoke up Will, "because
the door wasn't closed as we left it, a chair had been pushed over,
and some other things were disturbed. It was a great mystery to all of
us, sir."

Mr. Dennison proved himself equal to the occasion. The look of
consternation on his face had now given way to one of friendliness.

"Then I can plainly see how I have wronged these boys by accusing them
of this mysterious taking of the golden cup," he said, frankly. "I
trust all of you will forgive me, and that Gilbert will some time or
other fetch you up to see me. I want particularly to become better
acquainted with the one who is interested in wild animal photography."

Mr. Dennison whispered a few sentences to his nephew. Evidently he
must have been telling Gilbert that he was at liberty to explain
certain sad things connected with his past life, when the occasion
arose, so that the boys would understand just why, for all his money,
he lived in such a lonely place.

Then he said he must go, and asked Gilbert to accompany him.

"Be sure and bring that precious golden cup of yours," he told the
other. "We'll have to find a safe place to keep it, if I'm going to
have any sound sleep after this. At my age I cannot afford to take
chances of meeting with some accident when wandering around the woods
at night-time. Good-bye, lads, and remember I shall hope to have you
take supper with me some evening soon, when we can get better
acquainted."

After Mr. Dennison and Gilbert had departed Frank thought again of the
injured woodcutter, and, hastening out, they soon had him under the
roof of the cabin.

In the morning it was decided that, as the weather seemed promising,
two of them had better start for the village with the wounded man and
Sandy. The boat was now in extra-good shape, and seemed hardly to leak
a drop. Besides, the s