“I just put on the watch, to wear it a little while with my new clothes,” Master Burdeen confessed impetuously. “Then when the accident happened to me in the boat, I suppose the oar snatched it from my pocket. You didn’t find the whole of the chain, did you, Perce?” “The hook and the seal are missing,” Mr. Hatville replied. “Here they are!” said Olly, as he took from his pocket and held out the evidence against himself, glad enough now that he had not thrown it into the sea, when tempted to do so. After that, nobody doubted his story. “But why didn’t you tell me this before?” demanded Mr. Hatville, as he took the missing links. “I thought the watch was lost, and I was afraid,” poor Olly confessed. “But I couldn’t bear to see _him_ accused!” After this frank acknowledgment from Olly, Mr. Hatville forbore to utter a single reproach, and only said: “You needn’t have been afraid, if you had only come forward and told the simple truth. The watch is found, and there’s no great harm done; though I shall have some trouble in regulating it again down to a second and a half a month. You’d better go back to bed, Olly.” And Olly went; abjectly humbled, and blinded by tears of shame and contrition, yet almost happy in the wonderful relief the confession of his fault and the vindication of his friend had brought to his tortured conscience. “I was sure he never took it!” he heard Miss Amy Canfield exclaim with glad vehemence; but he knew that she was speaking of Percival, not of himself. CHAPTER XX. PERCE SETTLES WITH HIS PARTNERS. There was no longer any question as to what should be done with the contribution the boarders had made up to reward the humane efforts of Olly’s rescuers. They had collected ten dollars. To this Mr. Hatville begged the privilege of adding ten more. “For finding my watch—and for my treatment of the finder!” he said. But Percival couldn’t bear that anything like that should cloud the great joy with which the welcome light of truth filled his soul. “I don’t want any reward for anything!” he exclaimed. “I can’t take your money!” And he pushed back Mr. Hatville’s contribution across the hall table. “But I’ve no right to refuse anything intended for my friends; and, if the ladies insist, I will take their money and give it to Moke and Poke.” “Moke and Poke!” said Amy, with a laugh. “What names!” “They are my partners, on the beach. The Elder boys—Moses and Porter,” Perce explained. The ladies did insist; and, with light feet and a lighter heart, he hastened down the sandy path to the shore. The twins, who had resumed their work, were inclined to show a little resentment of their partner’s prolonged absence. They wished to know what “that man” wanted of him, and where he had been all the while. “I’ve been getting a reward for you!” said Perce gayly. “A reward?” cried Moke. “For what?” asked Poke.