"I wonder how many years it has been there," he kept on saying to himself; and he was still wondering when he reached the old manor gates, went into the study, and there found Mike and their tutor waiting.

Both lads tried very hard to keep their discovery out of their minds that morning, but tried in vain. There it was constantly, and translated itself into Latin, conjugated and declined itself, and then became compound algebraic equations, with both.

Mr Deane bore all very patiently, though, and a reproachful word or two about inattention and condensation of thought upon study was all that escaped him.

At last, to Vince's horror, things came to a kind of climax, for Mike suddenly looked across the table at the tutor, and said quickly:--

"I say, Mr Deane!"

The tutor looked up at once.

"I want to ask you a question in--in--something--"

"Mathematics?" suggested the tutor.

"N-no," said Mike: "I think it must be in law or social economy. I don't know, though, what you would call it."

"Well: let me hear."

"Suppose anybody discovered a great store of smuggled goods, hidden in a--some place. Whom would it belong to?"

"To the people who put it there, of course." Vince's eyes almost blazed as he turned them upon the questioner.

"Yes," continued Mike; "but suppose there were no people left who put it there, and they had all died, perhaps a hundred years ago?"

"Oh, then," said the tutor thoughtfully, "I should think it would belong to the people upon whose ground it was discovered,--or no: I fancy it would be what is called 'treasure trove,' and go to the crown."

"Crown--crown? What, to a public-house?"

"No, no, my dear boy: to the king."

"Oh, I see," said Mike thoughtfully. "Is that all?"

"Yes, sir; that's all."

"Well, then, wasn't it rather a foolish question to ask, just in the middle of our morning's work? There, pray go on: we are losing a great deal of time."

The boys tried to get on; but they did not, for Mike was conscious of being kicked twice, and Vince was making up a tremendous verbal attack upon his fellow-student for letting out the discovery they had made.

It came to words as soon as the lessons were over, and Mike took his cap to accompany Vince part of the way home, and make their plans for the afternoon.

"I couldn't help it--'pon my word I couldn't," cried Mike. "I felt like that cla.s.sic chap, who was obliged to whisper secrets to the water, and that I must speak about that stuff there to somebody."

"And now he'll go and talk to your father about it, and our secret place will be at an end. Why, we might have kept it all quiet for years!"

"So we can now. I put it so that old Deane shouldn't understand. I say, if he's right we can't claim all that stuff: it'll belong to the king."

"I suppose so," said Vince.

"Never mind: we'll keep it till he wants it. Hullo! what's old Lobster doing there?"

Vince turned in the direction pointed out; and, sure enough, there was Carnach junior sunning himself on a block of granite, which just peeped up through the gra.s.s.

"Got nothing to do, I suppose," said Vince. "I saw him when I was coming. But never mind him. And I say, don't, pray don't be so stupid again."

"All right. I'll try not to be, if it was stupid," said Mike. "Well, how about this afternoon?"

"I'll come and meet you at the old place, about half-past two."

This was agreed to; and, full of antic.i.p.ations about the examination of the farther cave, they parted, leaving Carnach junior apparently fast asleep upon the grey stone.

Just as Vince reached home he came upon Daygo, who gave him a nod; and the lad flushed as he thought triumphantly of the discoveries they had made, in the face of the old fisherman's superst.i.tious warnings of terrible dangers.

"Morn'--or art'noon, young gen'leman," said Daygo, by way of salutation.

"Lookye here: I'm going out 'sart'noon to take up my pots and nets, and if you and young squire likes to come, I'll take you for a sail."

"Where will you take us?" said Vince eagerly.

"Oh, round and about, and in and out among the rocks."

"Will you sail right away round by the Black Scraw?"

"No, I just won't," growled the old man fiercely. "What do you want to go round about the Scraw for?"

"To see what it's like, and find some of the terrible currents and things you talked about, Joe."

"Lookye here, my lad," growled the old fellow, "as I told you boys afore, I want to live as long as I can, and not come to no end, with the boat bottom uppards and me sucked down by things in the horrid whirlypools out there. Why, what would your mars and pars say to me if I took you into dangers 'orrible and full o' woe? Nay, nay, I arn't a young harem-scarem-brained chap, and I shan't do it: my boat's too good.

So look here, if you two likes to come for a bit o' fishing, I'll take the big scrarping spoon with me, and go to a bank I know after we've done, and try and fish you up a basket o' oysters. If you comes you comes, but if you arn't wi' me soon arter dinner, why, I hystes my sail and goes by myself. So what do you say?"

"I can't say anything without seeing Mike Ladelle first. Look here: I'm going to him this afternoon, and if he'll come, we'll run over to the little dock where your boat is."

"Very good, young gen'leman; on'y mind this: if you arn't there punctooal, as folks call it, I'm off without you, and you'll be sorry, for there's a powerful lot o' fish about these last few days."

"Don't wait if we're not there directly after dinner," said Vince.

Old Daygo chuckled.

"You needn't be afraid of that, my lad," he said; "and mind this,--if you're late and I've started, I'm not coming back, so mind that.

D'reckly you've had your bit o' dinner, or I'm gone."

"All right, Joe," cried Vince; and he hurried in, feeling pulled both ways, for he could not help nursing the idea that, once out a short distance at sea, he might be able to coax the old fisherman into taking them as close as he could safely get to the ridge of rocks which hid the little rounded cove from pa.s.sers-by.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

A SPY ON THE WAY.