“Alive!  Harry Wainwright!”

It seemed as if the two discoveries had come together, and as if the fact that it was Harry Wainwright had more interest for the toiler than the fact that the discovered person was merely alive.

And how the remaining stones and brush flew after the discovery!  And as soon as it was possible to do it, Harry was lifted to an upright position, the gag taken out of his mouth and his bonds cut.

“Bill Green!” was Harry’s first exclamation.  “How did you happen here?”

“Oh, it’s a long story! but anyhow, I’m glad I did come here.”

“It looks as if you had my existence in your charge,” said Harry, his half-jesting manner belied by the earnest way he caught the two hands of the boy who had thus, for a second time, rescued him from a horrible death.

“Well, anyhow,” replied Bill, “that fellow Hoyt don’t seem to have any chance against me.  Now, isn’t it wonderful?  But let’s get out of here.”

“Stop a minute,” said Harry.  “Let’s put these things back just as they were.  I don’t know but I’d better try to keep dead again.”

“All right,” answered Bill, who was in a state of radiant happiness.  “Anything you say.  Oh, but I’m glad to see you again, Harry!  And I had no more idea of finding you here than of finding a bag of diamonds.”

They put the stones and brush back as they had been placed by Hoyt, and then Harry led the way to a secluded spot where they would not be seen, even in the unlikely chance of anybody coming that way.

“I’ll make it as short as I can now,” said Bill, “and you can ask questions at any time when you happen to think of ’em, or I can tell you the little details afterward, as they come to mind.  Doesn’t it seem wonderful that I should happen to be here just at this particular moment?”

“Wonderful is no name for it,” declared Harry; “and I haven’t tried to thank you.  It’s no use trying, Bill.”

“Of course it’s no use trying, and you’re not going to hurt my feelings by doing it,” rejoined Bill.  “Well, it wasn’t a bit wonderful, my being here, when you come to know all about it.  After you were gone that night of the fire, I ran right to Mr. Dewey and told him all about it.  My! wasn’t he mad?”

“I know how he’d be likely to go on,” said Harry, with a smile.

“At first he was all for taking it out of Hoyt by giving him a sound thumping; but, after awhile, he cooled down and began to think it all over, and the end was, not to go into particulars now, that he set me to watching Hoyt, so that if anything should turn up we might get some evidence against him.”

“But your work?” queried Harry.