said. "I surrender."

"Precisely where we landed. We gave it rather more than a fair trial,
and, then, we gave it up. I'm done. When I go home, to-night, I shall
return the letter to the escritoire where I found it, and forget it.
There is no profit in speculating further."

"You can return it to its hiding place," she reflected, "but you can't
cease wondering. Why didn't Marmaduke Duval get the treasure while the
landmarks were there? Why did he leave it for his heirs?"

"Probably on account of old Parmenter's restriction that it be left
until the 'extremity of need.'"

She nodded, in acquiescence.

"Probably," she said, "the Duvals would regard it as a matter of honor
to observe the exact terms of the bequest. Alas! Alas! that they did
so!"

"It's only because they did so, that I got a chance to search!" Croyden
laughed.

"You mean that, otherwise, there would be no buried treasure!" she
exclaimed. "Of course!--how stupid! And with all that money, the Duvals
might have gone away from Hampton--might have experienced other
conditions. Colonel Duval might never have met your father--you might
have never come to Clarendon.--My goodness! Where does it end?"

"In the realm of pure conjecture," he answered. "It is idle to theorize
on the might-have-beens, or what might-have-happened if the
what-did-happen hadn't happened. Dismiss it, at least, for this
evening. You asked what I was doing for three weeks at Annapolis, and I
have consumed a great while in answering--let us talk of something
else. What have you been doing in those three weeks?"

"Nothing! A little Bridge, a few riding parties, some sails on the Bay,
with an occasional homily by Miss Erskine, when she had me cornered,
and I couldn't get away. Then is when I learned what a deep impression
you had made!" she laughed.

"We both were learning, it seems," he replied.

She looked at him, inquiringly.

"I don't quite understand," she said.

"You made an impression, also--of course, that's to be expected, but
this impression is much more than the ordinary kind!"

_"Merci, Monsieur_," she scoffed.

"No, it isn't _merci_, it's a fact. And he is a mighty good fellow on
whom to make an impression."

"You mean, Mr.--Macloud?"

"Just so! I mean Macloud."

"You're very safe in saying it!"

"Wherefore?"

"He is absent. It's not susceptible of proof."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I think so!"

"I don't!"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"For he's com