At these words the Stranger stepped forward and made a protest.  “I left the city yesterday,” he said, “commissioned by the Queen to obtain one or more objects of interest for her museum; and to return now to rob an institution which I have promised to enrich will be simply impossible.”

“You are right,” said the Captain, after a moment’s reflection, “such an action would be highly dishonorable on your part.  If you will give me your word of honor that you will remain by this stone until our return, the expedition will proceed without you.”

The Stranger gave his word, and having been left sitting upon the stone, soon dropped asleep, and so remained until he was awakened by the return of the band, a little before daylight.  They came slowly toiling along, each man carrying an enormous bundle upon his back.  Near the end of the line was the Hermit’s Pupil, bearing a load as heavy as any of the others.  The Stranger offered to relieve him for a time of his burden, but the Pupil would not allow it.

“I don’t wish these men to think I can’t do as much as they can,” he said.  “You ought to have been along.  We had a fine time!  We swept that museum clean, I tell you!  We didn’t leave a thing on a shelf or in a case.”

“What sort of things are they,” asked the Stranger.

“I don’t know,” replied the Pupil, “we didn’t have any light for fear people would notice it, but the moon shone in bright enough for us to see all the shelves and the cases; and our orders were not to try and examine any thing, but to take all that was there.  The cases had great cloth covers on them, and we spread these on the floor and made bundles of the curiosities.  We are going to examine them carefully as soon as we get to the den.”

It was broad daylight when the robbers reached their cave.  The bundles were laid in a great circle on the floor, and, at a given signal, they were opened.  For a moment each robber gazed blankly at the contents of his bundle, and then they all began to fumble and search among the piles of articles upon the cloths; but after a few minutes, they arose, looking blanker and more disappointed than before.

“So far as I can see,” said the Captain, “there is nothing in the whole collection that I care for.  I do not like a thing here!”

“Nor I!” “Nor I!” “Nor I!” cried each one of his band.

“I suppose,” said the Captain, after musing for a moment, “that as these things are of no use to us, we are bound in honor to take them back.”

“Hold!” said the Stranger, stepping forward; “do not be in too great a hurry to do that.”  He then told the Captain of the state of affairs in the city, and explained in full the nature of the expedition he had undertaken for the Queen.  “I think it would be better,” he said, “if these things were not taken back for the present.  If you have a safe place where you can put them, I will in due time tell the Queen where they are, and if she chooses she can send for them.”