"It means that I went in swimming, and some rascal stole my clothes and left these," growled Ben, provoked that he should be blamed for his misfortune.
Then, for the first time, flashed upon Ben the crowning misfortune,—that the lost will was in his coat-pocket. Upon the recovery of that depended his chance of getting the two hundred dollars. He sank into a chair, pale with dismay.
"Are you sick, Ben?" asked his mother, hastily.
"No," he said; "but I must dress as quick as possible, and go back and find my clothes if I can."
He dressed in nervous haste, and set out for the woods. This time he espied the hollow tree. There he found his clothes. He felt in the pockets, and found that everything was safe, including his watch and pocket-book.
But the will was gone! Ben instituted a strict and careful search in every conceivable direction, but he found no trace of the lost document.