ke up his spade and smash it. Instead of this he suddenly put out his
hand, took off the lid, and felt inside it. His fingers touched
something cold.

"There's money in it!" he exclaimed. "Oh, Ambrose, look!"

On his outstretched palm there glittered three bright golden pieces.

"Coins?" said Ambrose, looking impressively at his brother.

He took one in his hand and examined it carefully, turning it over and
over. There was a head on it, and some queer figures he could not
understand, but he knew they were numbers.

"I told you it was Roman," he said; "here's a date in Roman figures."

"What is it?" asked David.

Unfortunately Ambrose could not tell. There was a v and an x, and a
great many straight strokes, but he had no idea what they represented.
He sat, puzzling over it with a deep frown.

"They look just like sovereigns, don't they?" said the matter-of-fact
David; "and I thought old coins were never bright. They're generally
all green and brown and ugly."

"Well," said Ambrose, putting the pieces of money back into the crock;
"we've got some splendid things for the museum at last. Aren't you glad
we came?"

David had not quite recovered his temper. He felt that it ought to be
more thoroughly understood that it was he who had made both the
discoveries; then he should be satisfied. But he could not bear Ambrose
to take this tone of superiority. As they picked up their tools and
prepared to start homewards he said, "I should think you're glad I came,
because I found the pot, and the money too."

"You ought to say `coins,' not `money,'" said Ambrose loftily.

It is sad to record that, before they were half-way home, the partners
had fallen into open dispute over their booty. David wished to carry
it; Ambrose refused; wrangling followed for the rest of the way, and
when they stole guiltily in at the vicarage gate David was in tears, and
Ambrose flushed and angry. No one was in the garden to notice their
return, and, having replaced the tools, the crock was carried upstairs
hidden in the breast of Ambrose's tunic. In the passage they met Nurse.

"You've been out early, Master Ambrose," was all she said, and passed
on, unsuspicious.

So far the adventure had been attended with golden success at every
step, yet, strange to say, it had not brought much pleasure with it.
There was the crock of gold certainly in the museum upstairs; but there
was also a load on the boys' minds which hindered all e