“Treasure! I wasn’t speaking of treasure!” cried the little scientist. “I mean this pseudotinea—it is a bee moth—one of the rarest in this country!” and from a sack of gold he caught up a small butterfly with which he disappeared into the cabin.
“Well, wouldn’t that freeze your ice-cream!” cried Bob. “Here we come back after a wonderful trip—been gone nearly a week and find a million dollars’ worth of gold—and all the professor cares about is a bug that happens to light on a bag of nuggets! Can you beat it?”
“We can’t—and we’ll not try,” remarked Ned.
Bob was wrong, however, about there being a million dollars’ worth of gold in the treasure chest of Blue Rock. There was a large sum, though, and Bill Cromley was given his full share when the division was made. For, after so many years, it was found impossible to trace the real owners of the treasure.
Hang Gow’s wonderful meal made them all feel better, and even Professor Snodgrass when he got over his rapture at finding the pseudotinea condescended to partake of a little. He looked about the table at his friends—the glow of health having replaced the pallor of his face that had been so noticeable when he first came to Leftover—and then he remarked casually:
“Where have you been all day?”
“All day!” shouted Jerry, with a laugh. “Don’t you remember that we went off nearly a week ago to rescue Bill? The kidnapers took him—the same ones that bound you. Noddy Nixon——”
“Oh, yes, I do seem to remember something about it,” said the professor, in dreamy tones. “But I have been so busy with my——” His voice trailed off, his eyes were fixed on something crawling up the wall, and, making a dive for it, he captured another bug.
“There’s no use telling him anything,” decided Ned, and the others agreed with this.
A good night’s rest put them all in fine shape the next morning. Tinny was making arrangements to send the treasure to the nearest bank for safe-keeping when a shout arose out at the mine shaft.