"Then Leopold shall tell it in the parlor, if he is willing."
"I'm willing, sir," replied Leopold. "All I have to say about the money now is, that I believe it belongs to somebody—to the heirs of the man who buried it in the sand; and, as I told Stumpy and Mr. Redmond, I intend to find those heirs, if I can."
"That's right, Leopold," exclaimed Mr. Hamilton, patting the boatman's shoulder. "Be honest before you are generous."
Leopold and his father went to the dining-room, to prepare for their duties there. The landlord did not think as much as usual at this time about his chowder, chicken, and roast beef. The time was rapidly approaching when the interest on the mortgage note would be due. His New York guests had not paid their bills in whole or in part, and he was still very short of funds. The vision of this twelve hundred dollars in gold which his son had dug up from the sands of the sea, was intensely exciting to him. The gold transmuted into currency, when a dollar of the one was worth more than two of the other, would enable him to pay his interest and discharge the mortgage upon his furniture. He wanted the money, and he was not particularly pleased with Leopold's idea of finding, at some remote period, the heirs of the man who had buried it. However, Mr. Bennington was an honest man; and further consideration of the subject would undoubtedly convince him that his son was exactly right and nobly just.
The dinner at the Sea Cliff House was as good, though no better than usual; but the guests, after the abundance of exercise during the forenoon, were in better condition to enjoy it. They did enjoy it; and they talked about the hidden treasure of High Rock while they did so.
While they were eating and talking, and the landlord and his son were waiting upon them, the story of the bag of gold was travelling up the main street of the village, and, following the angles and bifurcations of the highways, was penetrating to the remotest corner of the town. Among other places, it went to the Island House, and Ethan Wormbury was utterly dismayed when he had listened to it. Though it was almost dinner-time, he left the few guests in his house to wait upon themselves, and hastened over to his father's house, where he found that the astounding news had preceded him. Squire Moses was as much disconcerted and cast down as his son had been.
"Twelve hundred dollars in gold!" exclaimed the old man, wiping the perspiration from his bald head.
"Of course Bennington will be able to pay his interest money now," added Ethan.
"I suppose so," groaned the squire. "But where on earth did the money come from? Who buried it in the sand?"
"One of the men that was lost on the Waldo."