On arriving at Philadelphia from the West Indies the treasure was deposited in a strong box of a local trust company.  From it the expenses of the trip were paid, and the sailors who had aided in the search were suitably rewarded.  Later on the balance of the treasure was divided according to the terms of Mr. Stanhope’s will.  This placed a large sum of money in the hands of Mrs. Stanhope, both for herself and Dora, and also a goodly amount in the hands of Mrs. Laning for herself and Grace and Nellie.

The Stanhopes had always been fairly well off, but not so the Lanings.  John Laning was a farmer, and this sudden change to riches bewildered him.

“Why, mother,” he said to his wife, “whatever will you and the gals do with the money?”

“Several things, John,” she answered.  “In the first place, you are not going to work so hard and in the next place the girls are going to have a better education.”

“Well, I’m not afraid of work,” answered the farmer.  “About eddication, if they want it—­well, it’s their money and they can have all the learnin’ they want.”

“Dora is going to a boarding school and Nellie and Grace want to go with her,” went on Mrs. Laning.

“Where is Dora going?”

“To a place called Hope Seminary.  Her mother knows the lady who is the principal.”

“Well, if it’s a good place, I reckon the gals can go too.  But it will be terrible lonesome here without ’em.”

“I know, John, but we want the girls to be somebody, now they have money, don’t we?”

“Sure we do,” answered Mr. Laning readily.

So it was arranged that the three girls should go to Hope Seminary, located several miles from the town of Ashton, in one of the Central States.  In the meantime the Rover boys were speculating on what college they were to attend.  Yale was mentioned, and Harvard and Princeton, and also several institutions located in the Middle West.

“Boys, wouldn’t you like to go to Brill College?” asked their father one day.  “That’s a fine institution—­not quite so large as some but just as good.”  And he smiled in a peculiar manner.

“Brill?  Where is that?” asked Dick.

“It is near the town of Ashton, about two miles from Hope Seminary, the school Dora Stanhope and the Laning girls are going to attend.”  And Mr. Rover smiled again.

“Brill College for mine,” said Sam promptly and in a manner that made his brothers laugh.

“Sam wants to be near Grace,” said Tom.

“Well, don’t you want to be near Nellie?” retorted the youngest Rover.

“Of course I do.  And I reckon Dick won’t be angry at being where he can occasionally see Dora,” went on the fun-loving Rover with a sly wink.  “Of course it’s nice enough to write letters and send boxes of chocolates by mail, but it’s a good deal better to take a stroll in the moonlight and hold hands, eh, Dick?”

“Is that what you do?” asked Dick, but his face grew very red as he spoke.