At this thought Leander's face actually grew pale beneath tan and freckles. The girl was not very much impressed as yet by her brother's excitement. She was used to seeing him excited. "You know Rod wouldn't do anything mean," she replied, calmly. "But what are you talking about? Of course it can't be--" "Yes, 'tis, too. And it's fifty dollars. Now you needn't go 'n' tell Rod he no need to pay it, 'cause 'twas one of the family. I won't stand it if you do! I--" "Stop your gabble!" interrupted the girl, imperatively. "Lift up your foot." She took hold of the boy's arm as she spoke. A certain spark had come into her eye. The foot was withdrawn. In a cleft between the stones, where the ivy leaves had hidden it, lay a ring. It was turned so that the stone could but just be seen. She extended her hand, but it was promptly twitched away by her brother. "None er that!" he cried. "I ain't goin' to let you pick it up; then you'll be wantin' to share in the fifty dollars. You can't do that,--not by a long streak. Here she goes!" He stooped and then held up a ring between his finger and thumb. The sun struck it, and made the engraved carbuncle shine dully red. "That's the very critter!" exclaimed Leander, triumphantly. "Let me take it," said the girl. She spoke shortly, and in a way that made the boy turn and look at her curiously. But he obeyed instantly. He laid the ring in the palm of her hand, thrust his own hands into his pockets, and stood gazing down at his sister. Carolyn Ffolliott looked at the trinket with narrowing eyes. Her lips were a trifle compressed. "There ain't any mistake, is there?" the boy asked, at last, speaking anxiously. "That's the ring Rod lost, ain't it? Anyway, it's one exactly like it,--that red stone with something cut into it." "There isn't the least chance of any mistake," was the answer. "Of course it's Rod's." Carolyn gave back the ring. "And I sh'll have the reward?" "Of course." The girl appeared to have lost all interest in the matter. She turned to go back to the piazza. Leander made an extremely tight, hard, dingy fist of one hand, with the ring enclosed, and then he leaped down from the wall, landing so near to his sister that she staggered away from him. "I wish you would behave respectably!" she cried. "Pooh!" said Leander. He ranged up by her side and walked across the lawn with her towards the house. He had now put the ring on his thumb and was holding it up in front of him, gazing at it. He was greatly surprised that his sister took no more notice of it. But you never knew what to expect of a girl. Anyway, she shouldn't have any of that money. "I'll bet I know how the ring got there," he remarked, presently. "How?" "Why, you gaby you, the crow, of course. But I don't know how he got it. Flew into Rod's room sometime, I s'pose. If he thinks such an almighty lot of it, Rod better look out. I guess fifty dollars'd get a lunkin' lot of cannon crackers, don't you think, sis?"