les and some ornaments of gold.
"Don't let us pull out too many things, or we shan't be able to stuff
them back again," said Cicely, trying to close the lid of the
overflowing hair trunk.
"No doubt these underneath are filled with money or jewels," said
Lindsay rapturously.
"This little box seems made of silver," remarked Cicely, taking up a
small antique casket that specially claimed her attention. Its sides
were beautifully chased in classic designs, and it bore the Courtenay
arms on the lid.
"It's full of pieces of paper, with figures on them," she continued.
"Let me look!" cried Lindsay. "Why, don't you see?--they're bank notes!"
They were certainly in the midst of treasures. The extent of Sir Giles's
hoard had evidently not been exaggerated. At the bottom of the casket
lay a letter addressed:
"TO MY GREAT-NIECE MONICA COURTENAY."
"The writing on the envelope is exactly the same as in the _Floral
Calendar_," said Cicely. "I remember those funny flourishes, and the
'a's' not closed at the top."
"So it is; I should know the sprawling look of it anywhere."
"It's such funny, old-fashioned writing, as if it were done with a quill
pen. I think we had better put this away again."
Lindsay replaced the letter carefully with the bank notes inside the
silver box.
"Then Sir Giles did intend the enigma for a guide," she observed. "The
last lines were right.
'... you'll see 'tis a matter
Perchance may provide you with just a lost link,
And bring you a greater reward than you think.'"
"And the settle concealed the legacy after all!"
"Yes, a great deal more safely than we supposed."
"I never imagined the treasure would be in a place like this, all stowed
away in old boxes! I thought we should press a secret spring, and a
panel would fly open in the wall, and then we should see money and
jewels lying together in a big heap!"
"I don't mind how we've found it, so long as it's here."
"Still, it's a surprise!"
"It will be a splendid surprise for Monica. This is actually her very
own."
"She would have been content with a hundred guineas, and there are more
than a hundred guineas here," said Cicely, letting some of the
sovereigns slide through her fingers with a sigh of satisfaction.
"She ought to know about it at once," returned Lindsay. "If you can tear
yourself away from these money bags, we'd better be thinking of going."
"Yes, I suppose it's time we wen
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