midable flourishing signatures and immense
seal. One glance was enough to show him what it was. It was a bond,
in which the Spanish Government offered to pay one thousand pounds
English sterling money at the end of thirty years, to the bearer; and
at the bottom was a great array of coupons for semi-annual interest
on the above, the rate of interest being six per cent., and
consequently each coupon being for thirty pounds.

A great light now flashed in upon Harry's mind. Hastily he counted
the documents, and found them to be thirty in number. The amount
represented was therefore thirty thousand pounds. He understood it
all. This was Katie's money, of which he had heard. Russell had been
carrying it about his person, as he had said, and had been afraid of
losing it. He had refused to make Harry his confidant as to his
intentions. He had found out that niche somehow, and had hidden there
the precious package. It was all Katie's, and had now by a strange
chance fallen into his own hands. It struck Harry as at once very
strange, and very pleasant, that all Katie's fortune should thus be
placed in his care, and that he had thus become its guardian. He
remembered all that Ashby had said about Russell's designs to obtain
Katie's money for himself; and although he had not altogether
believed Ashby, still he thought that the money was all the safer
from being out of Russell's possession. Russell was not altogether
trustworthy, while he himself would be loyal in this trust, and guard
it with his heart's-blood.

At length he once more folded up the papers, and then, as he held the
package in his hands, there arose the great and important
question--what was he to do with it? To carry it about on his person
was, of course, not to be thought of. He had already been examined
once, and had no security that he would not be examined again. This
made it necessary to find some place where they might be concealed
until it should be safe to reclaim them. As for concealment, it could
not be found in the room. He could not thrust it into the straw of
the bed, for it would be sure to be found. Since he had been here the
bed had already been examined twice. There remained, then, only the
chimney, and to this place he once more directed his steps in search
of a place of concealment.

He climbed up and advanced a few paces to the end of the niche. On
reaching this he found, to his amazement, that it was not a niche,
but a passage-way which ran