That sort of talk pleased Max immensely.  He saw that Robert Chase must have been having a terrible conflict between his better nature and the insatiate craving for wealth; and now that a wise Providence had stepped in to nip all his plots in the bud, why things began to look very bright all around.

It was found that with one of the boys on either side, Robert could manage to walk fairly well, although they often had to stop and let him rest.

It took them a full two hours to get back to the cabin, where their arrival created considerable excitement.  At the moment, Roland was out somewhere attending to his pets, and so the injured man was made as comfortable as possible by Toby and Bandy-legs, the latter of whom had just come in carrying a pretty fair mess of frogs’ legs all dressed for the frying-pan.

Then when Roland came along, to be told what had happened, and how his cousin was anxious to see him alone, he looked actually pleased at the queer turn affairs had taken.  He went in and was with Robert for quite a long time.  They must have had a good heart-to-heart talk, for when Roland appeared again, he was smiling broadly, and hastened to say: 

“We’ve not only patched up a truce, boys, but made an enduring covenant.  After this there’s not going to be any war in the Chase family; and now that Robert has humbled himself to confess his wrong-doing, I believe we’re going to be the best of friends.  I’ve promised him, without his asking it, that I’ll never tell a single soul about what happened up here.  You must agree to the same thing, for my sake.  I feel sure you’ll all like Robert, when you get to know him.”

“Who can tell,” muttered Toby, as if to himself; “in time we might even g-g-get familiar with him.  Stranger things than that have happened.  I only hope he won’t hold a g-g-grudge against me when he sees the mark of all my f-f-fingernails down his face.”

“Just now, Toby, he isn’t in a mood to bear anybody a grudge,” Roland went on to say; “for he believes he didn’t get half that he merited.  But after all it’s come out a thousand per cent better than I ever dreamed it would.  And when I start off with my pair of grown cubs I needn’t be afraid of any one waylaying me on the road.”

“All the same,” observed Steve, raising his heavy eyebrows suggestively, “we’ll see to it that you have plenty of company on the way.  Since the object of our trip up here into the heart of the Adirondacks has been fulfilled, I rather reckon we’ll be wanting to go along with you, to see the fox pups handed over, and that lovely check received.  Afterwards we can all start for Carson, where you and your good old aunt may have a family reunion all to yourselves; unless you see fit to invite Uncle Sephus, Uncle Nicodemus, Uncle Job, or some of those old worthies to join with you, so as to make things hum.”

They all laughed at Steve’s humorous remark.

“B-b-but what’s to be d-d-done with this p-p-pretty thing?” demanded Toby, pointing as he spoke to their prisoner, who was sitting outside the door, having one of his ankles held fast with a trailing rope, so that he could not run away, even if tempted to do so; which, considering his helpless condition, with both hands tied behind his back, he was hardly in the humor to do.