Bart said no more, and soon the boys retired on their way to the Museum, bearing their treasures with them.
“Boys,” said Bruce, “it will never do for us to carry these things up without making some demonstration or other. It isn’t every day that we are presenting things to the Museum that we’ve dug out of the ground.”
“That’s a capital idea,” cried Bart, who by this time had recovered from the shock of his disappointment.
“So I say,” said Arthur; “but what shall we do?”
“O, let’s have a speech, and a poem, and a procession,” said Phil.
“Yes,” said Tom, “Bruce can make the speech, and Bart can make the poem.”
This was agreed upon, and it was decided that the ceremony should come off immediately before tea-time. They had an hour yet, and that gave them ample time. Soon the news spread abroad, and all the boys flocked to the spot. Bruce ascended the portico, and stood there with the French relics at his feet.
Bruce had not had much time for preparation; but then he was very quick at impromptu speeches, and the occasion did not demand anything more than this. Bart stood near, scribbling something in his memorandum-book.
After arranging the things in an effective row, and putting all the coins inside the iron pot, Bruce commenced.
Holding up the iron pot, and rattling the coins, he began by giving a humorous description of their search after it. Without going very deeply into the real particulars of the case, he introduced into his burlesque narrative quite a number of the actual facts. After finishing this description, he showed the identical pot of money which they had exhumed, and it was passed round from hand to hand.