"One moment, mother," answered her husband. He untied the tape, and glanced first at one then at another of the clearly-written inscriptions on the folded documents. As he did so, the expression on his face became one of unbounded astonishment; and the children, quick to observe the change on his face, began to wonder what could be the cause of his surprise.
"You say you found these in the old box?" he asked.
"Yes, father. What are they?"
Mrs. Ormond rose from her chair at the end of the table, and came round to where her husband was sitting. She, too, had seen his look of amazement, and wondered what it could mean.
"What are they, father?" repeated Guy.
"What are they?" was the reply. "Why—why, I'll tell you what they are. This is Uncle Roger's legacy."
"Uncle Roger's legacy!" cried Ida. "D'you mean to say that all he left you, father, was that dirty old bundle of papers? Pooh! he might have kept them to himself!"
"You don't understand, Ida," was the answer, in a voice which showed that her father himself was not a little excited. "These papers are valuable."
"Oh!" cried Elsie suddenly. "Are they as valuable as bank-notes?"
"Well, yes," replied Mr. Ormond, laughing. "I think one may say they are. They are deeds and securities which represent a nice bit of property; and a good sum of money must have accumulated on some of them in twenty years. In fact, I'm not sure, Elsie, if we shan't be able to consider that promise about a pony."