“But Captain Bowers said that he had burnt it,” he cried.

Mr. Tredgold eyed him coldly.  “Burnt what?” he inquired.

“The map,” was the reply.

“Just so,” said Tredgold.  “You told me he had burnt a map.”

“Is this another, then?” inquired Mr. Chalk.

“P’r’aps,” said Miss Vickers, briefly.

“As the captain said he had burnt his, this must be another,” said
Tredgold.

“Didn’t he burn it, then?” inquired Mr. Chalk.

“I should be sorry to disbelieve Captain Bowers,” said Tredgold.

“Couldn’t be done,” said the brooding Stobell, “not if you tried.”

Mr. Chalk sat still and eyed them in perplexity.

“There is no doubt that this map refers to the same treasure as the one Captain Bowers had,” said Tredgold, with the air of one making a generous admission.  “My client has not volunteered any statement as to how it came into her possession—­”

“And she’s not going to,” put in Miss Vickers, dispassionately.

“It is enough for me that we have got it,” resumed Mr. Tredgold.  “Now, we want you to join us in fitting out a ship and recovering the treasure.  Equal expenses; equal shares.”

“What about Captain Bowers?” inquired Mr. Chalk.

“He is to have an equal share without any of the expense,” said Tredgold.  “You know he gave us permission to find it if we could, so we are not injuring anybody.”

“He told us to go and find it, if you remember,” said Stobell,” and we’re going to.”

“He’ll have a fortune handed to him without any trouble or being responsible in any way,” said Tredgold, impressively.  “I should like to think there was somebody working to put a fortune like that into my lap.  We shall have a fifth each.”

“That’ll be five-thousand-pounds for you, Selina,” said Mr. Stobell, with a would-be benevolent smile.

Miss Vickers turned a composed little face upon him and languidly closed one eye.

“I had two prizes for arithmetic when I was at school,” she remarked; “and don’t you call me Selina, unless you want to be called Bobbie.”

A sharp exclamation from Mr. Tredgold stopped all but the first three words of Mr. Stobell’s retort, but he said the rest under his breath with considerable relish.

“Don’t mind him,” said Miss Vickers.  “I’m half sorry I let him join, now.  A man that used to work for him once told me that he was only half a gentleman, but he’d never seen that half.”

Mr. Stobell, afraid to trust himself, got up and leaned out of the window.

“Well, we’re all agreed, then,” said Tredgold, looking round.

“Half a second,” said Miss Vickers.  “Before I part with this map you’ve all got to sign a paper promising me my proper share, and to give me twenty pounds down.”

Mr. Tredgold hesitated and looked serious.  Mr. Chalk, somewhat dazed by the events of the evening, blinked at him solemnly.  Mr. Stobell withdrew his head from the window and spoke.