“Find anything?” inquired Rhoda impatiently.
“Two birds’ nests. There seems to be a hole under the edge of the roofing—”
Penny broke off as she ran her hand into the narrow opening.
“Yes, there is something here!” she exclaimed a moment later. “It feels like a tiny box!”
Mrs. Marborough and the two girls waited tensely, hardly daring to hope. Penny withdrew her hand from the hole, triumphantly holding up a small leather case.
“This isn’t it?” she asked.
“Oh, yes, yes!” Mrs. Marborough cried. “It is the old jewel case. The pearls must be inside!”
In her haste to climb down from the ladder, Penny missed one of the steps. Rhoda seized her arm saving her from a hard fall. Recovering her breath, Penny politely offered the jewel case to Mrs. Marborough.
With the three girls clustered about her, the mistress of Rose Acres ceremoniously opened the lid. In a nest of yellowed silk lay a string of matched pearls, so beautiful and lustrous that no one could find words to admire it.
“The famous Marborough pearls,” the widow murmured at last. “This necklace brought only unhappiness to our family. Now, however, they shall serve a useful purpose!”