s 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."

"Who was he?"

"I don't know," replied Ethan, for not many of the particulars in regard
to the hidden treasure had yet been circulated. "But they say Stumpy was
with young Bennington when he found the money."

"What! Stumpy! With him! Then they will divide it between them!"
exclaimed Squire Moses; and the amiable old gentleman did not seem to
rejoice at this possible accession of fortune on the part of his
grandson.

"I don't know a