CHAPTER XXX
A FIND OF IMPORTANCE—CONCLUSION
“Don’t make a noise—or you may spoil it all,” whispered Jack.
He caught Bert by the arm, and as silently as shadows the pair followed the old miser down the flight of stone steps, and the others came after them. They saw that Jabez Trask had entered a room that was almost a vault, being built of stone and about ten feet square. The miser had placed his lantern on the floor and was counting the stones on one of the walls.
“That’s not right,” the boys heard him mutter to himself. “This wall has eighty-six stones in it. I want the one with seventy-six—seventy-six, like the Revolutionary year. Let me see,” and he commenced to count the stones in another of the four walls.
This, too, was a disappointment, and then he went at the third. Then he gave a chuckle of satisfaction.
“Seventy-six, clean and clear!” he muttered. “This must be the wall. Now then, sixth stone from the left, third stone from the top. Ha! here it is! Now to find out what is behind it!”
He brought forth a chisel and commenced to pry on the stone. It came from the wall with ease, revealing an opening behind it.
“The box! The box at last!” almost shrieked the miser, and putting his arm into the opening he drew forth a black, metal box, covered with dirt and mildew.
Bert Field uttered a cry, he could not help it But in his excitement Jabez Trask did not notice the noise. The miser fell on his knees on the dirt floor and commenced to fumble with the opening of the box. Then the lid flew back and out tumbled half a dozen legal-looking documents.
“The will! At last!” almost shrieked the man, and fairly kissed one of the papers. “I’ll read it over first, to make sure it is the one, and then I’ll burn it. Then the Robertson fortune will be mine, all mine!”