“‘And you expect me to believe this cock and bull story,’ Moss growled.  ‘Being out of a job so long has made you balmy.’

“’It hasn’t made me too balmy not to see through the way you deceive your wife, Moss,’ I said.  ’I’ll bet she would think me sane enough if I were to tell her all I know.  But I’ll spare you if you will take me into your cellar and help me to do a bit of excavation there.  But promise, mind you, that we will go shares in what we find.’

“‘Oh, I’ll promise right enough,’ Moss replied.  ’I’ll promise anything—­if only to keep you from talking such moonshine.’

“Well, in the end I prevailed upon him to accompany me, and we went into the cellar—­just as I had depicted it—­armed with a pick-axe and crowbar.  Moss growling and jeering every step he took, and I, deadly in earnest.

“‘It’s under here,’ I said, halting over a flagstone in the corner of the vault.  ’But before we do anything you had better hide that hat-pin and these shoes, or your missis will find them.  She’ll hear us scraping and come to see what’s up.’

“Moss, who was in a vile temper all the time, made a grab at the things, pricking his finger and swearing horribly.  In the meanwhile I had set to work, and, with his aid, raised the stone.  We dug for pretty nearly an hour, Moss calling upon me all the time to ’chuck it,’ when I suddenly struck something hard—­it was the skeleton and close beside it, was the bag.  You should have seen Moss then.  He was simply overcome—­called me a wizard, a magician, and heaven alone knows what, and fairly stood on his head with delight when we opened the bag, and hundreds of gold coins and precious stones rolled out on the floor.  He wanted to go back on his word then, and only give me a handful; but I was too smart for him, and swore I would tell his wife about the girl unless he gave me half.  When we were leaving the cellar, of course, he wanted me to go first, so that he could follow with the pickaxe, but here again I was too sharp for him—­and I got safely out of the place with my pockets bulging.  I went right away to Prescott’s in Clay Street, and let the lot go for three thousand dollars.  I wonder how Curtis has got on!”

They walked together to the hotel, and found Curtis busily engaged eating.  “I’ve worked hard,” he said, “and now I’m in for enjoying myself.  I’ve made them get out a special menu for me, and I’m going to eat till I can’t hold another morsel.  I’ve starved all my life and now I intend making up for it.”

“Been successful?” Hamar asked, winking at Kelson.

“Pretty well!  Nothing to grumble at,” Curtis rejoined, pouring himself out a glass of champagne.  “First of all I went to Simpson’s Dive in Sacramento Street, and started doing the tricks we discovered yesterday.  Not a soul in the place could see through them, and I made about two hundred dollars before I left.  I then had lunch.”

“Why you had lunch with us!” Hamar laughed.