Without allowing the sadness of the moment to weigh upon their feelings, the President stepped to the door, and soon returned, followed by a servant bearing the little iron box which Dr. Town had carried on his saddle from Guadulupe Island, and which Mollie had surrendered to her father. Soon it had been opened, and its contents exposed to view. A bundle of papers was on top, and these the President took out and gave to Cobb. He took them, and opened the first paper: it was the will of Jean Colchis, giving to Junius Cobb, on the day of his marriage to Marie Colchis, all money due from the government of the United States on the contract of sale of the invention of the sympathetic telegraph. The second paper examined was the original contract for the transfer of this invention to the government in consideration of $5,000,000 paid down and a perpetuity of one-half of one per cent, on the gross earnings derived from its use. "Why!" exclaimed the President, as Cobb read the contract, "you will be one of the richest men in the country. As near as I remember, there are over a hundred millions of dollars lying unclaimed in the Treasury on this contract." [Illustration] The third paper found was the formula for making the needles used in the invention, sympathetic. "Ah!" cried Cobb. "This is most important! Not but that the wealth given Marie and me is most acceptable; but now," and he held up the paper, "now the world will again know and make use of the secret of sympathizing the needles." "And you forget another thing, Junius," broke in Hugh. "You are five millions of dollars richer by that paper, as that is the reward offered by the government for the discovery of the lost secret." The last paper in the box was then read: "That the wealth which I possess may descend to my daughter unimpaired by time and change, I have converted the $5,000,000 which the government paid me for my invention into the sack of stones underneath this paper. J. C." Cobb reached his hand into the box, and withdrew a silken bag. Opening it, he poured the contents upon the table. All started with exclamations of astonishment at the sight; and well they might. The center of the table seemed ablaze with a million sparkling, dancing rays of light. Five million dollar's worth of precious stones lay before them--the dowry of Marie Colchis.