“I’ll tell you what,” remarked Tom, as he was stowing away his second generous piece of pie, “the feed at the Hall is all right, but when it comes to a real, downright spread, like this, the palm goes to Aunt Martha.”  And Dick and Sam agreed with him.

There was, of course, much to tell about on both sides, and after dinner the family gathered in the big sitting room, in front of a cheerful, blazing fire.  Mr. Anderson Rover listened with keen interest to what his sons had to say about Jasper Grinder and Dan Baxter.

“I sincerely trust they do not plot against us,” he said.  “I am getting old, and I want no more trouble.”

“I don’t believe Dan has the backbone his father has,” answered Dick.  “And I believe Mr. Grinder is good deal of a coward.”

“If only young Baxter would turn over a new leaf!” sighed Mrs. Martha Rover.  “I declare I’ll not feel safe, on your account, until that young man is taken care of.”

The evening was passed in talking, singing, and playing games, and it was not until late that all retired.

The Christmas to follow was not one to be easily forgotten.  There were presents for everybody, from Mr. Rover down to Sarah, the hired girl, and everybody was greatly pleased.

At the Christmas dinner Alexander Pop insisted upon waiting on the table, just as he had so often done at Putnam Hall.  He had on his full dress suit, and his face wore one perpetual smile.  The boys had all remembered Aleck handsomely, and he had not forgotten them.

In the afternoon the boys went skating, and on the pond met several of the boys of the neighborhood, and all had a glorious time until dark.  Then they piled home, once more as hungry as wolves, to a hot supper, and an evening of nut-cracking around the fire.

“Tell you what,” said Sam on going to bed that night, “I almost wish Christmas came once a week instead of once a year!”

CHAPTER XII.

The brass-lined money casket.

It was on the day following Christmas that Dick brought out the brass-lined money casket which he had picked up in the cave on Needle Point Island, in Lake Huron, as related in a previous volume of this series.

As old readers know, this cave was stumbled upon by accident.  It had once been the hiding place of a band of smugglers who plied their unlawful calling between the United States and Canada, and the cave was found filled with numerous articles of more or less value.  The Rovers had gone back for these things, but had found some money gone, also a curiously shaped dagger and a map, which had been in the cave on a rude table.  They were pretty well satisfied in their minds that Dan Baxter had taken these things, but had never been able to prove it.

The brass-lined money casket was an odd-looking affair, which Dick found thrust in a big box of fancy articles of various descriptions.  The box was about a foot long, six inches wide, and six inches deep.  It was of rosewood, with silver corners, and the lining was of polished brass, curiously engraved.  The box had contained a few odd Canadian silver coins, but that was all.