Moving to a shelf on the north wall, Hanny pulled out a canvas bag. “Not money?” gasped Vevi. Her interest in the locked room had revived quickly. “This bag contains something which may be as valuable as gold,” Hanny replied. “It all depends on whether or not Uncle Peter is lucky.” The little Dutch girl unfastened the bag and carefully emptied out some of the contents on the counter. “More tulip bulbs!” exclaimed Vevi. “Big ones too.” She had never seen such large bulbs. Each one was plump and perfectly formed. Even Vevi who did not know anything about flower bulbs could see that these were something very fine. “Are these the special bulbs your uncle developed Hanny?” shrewdly guessed Connie. “Are they the blue ribbon ones?” “They’re the bulbs Uncle Peter hopes will win the prize.” “Why do you keep them locked up?” questioned Vevi. “Because they will be worth their weight in gold if our tulip wins first prize,” Hanny explained. “There are no other bulbs like these anywhere in this country or abroad. Uncle Peter says they are the finest in the world! If we should lose them or if they should rot, we never could replace them.” “Are they bulbs of the Golden Tulip?” Vevi asked. “I cannot say,” returned Hanny. “I would like to tell, but I promised Uncle Peter not to give away the secret.” “The Golden Tulip is the most beautiful one I have seen anywhere,” Vevi insisted. “I think these must be Golden Tulip bulbs.” Hanny only laughed and put away the bag. Then she carefully locked the little house again. “I wish the Brownies had a tulip bed,” said Connie after the padlock had been snapped shut. “Miss Mohr might give us a little plot of ground at the library.” “It is too late to start a tulip bed this spring,” Hanny advised her. “Bulbs should be planted in the fall.” “Then perhaps the Brownies can have a garden next year. Only then Rosedale may not be having a flower festival.” “Next year, if Uncle Peter still has his nursery, I will give you hundreds of bulbs,” Hanny promised. As the children turned away from the little house, they were startled to hear Jane calling to them from the roadway. “Hey, hurry up!” she shouted. “We’ve been waiting nearly ten minutes! Hurry!” Vevi and Connie hastily said goodbye to Hanny, reminding her not to forget the scheduled Brownie Scout meeting at the library. Then they ran off to join their friends who were ready to start home. “Say, where did you girls go anyhow?” Jane demanded suspiciously as Vevi and Connie rushed up breathlessly. “It’s a secret,” chuckled Vevi. All the way home, the other Brownies teased her to reveal where she and Connie had been. But Vevi would not. Not until they were alone again, did the two girls so much as mention the locked room. Both were hopeful that Peter would win the blue ribbon and that his bag of precious bulbs truly would become a bag of treasure.