"Certainly not. Irene says she's very sensitive about it, and can't bear to hear it spoken of. Naturally it must have been a most terrible disappointment. I don't wonder she avoids the subject. Please be careful never to mention it to her, or you'll offend her dreadfully, and I shall be sorry I told you." "I'm sure both Lindsay and Cicely would have too nice feeling to question Monica on such a personal matter," said Mildred Roper. "Of course we shan't say anything--we wouldn't for worlds," promised the two younger girls. That Monica should be the heroine of so romantic a story made her doubly interesting in the eyes of Lindsay and Cicely. They were much impressed by Kathleen's account, and retired to the privacy of the summer-house to talk it over together. "It must be dreadful to be so poor when you know you ought to be so rich!" said Lindsay. "And so tantalizing, when perhaps the fortune is actually in the house," said Cicely. "I could never be happy for thinking about it." "No more could I." "Look here! Why shouldn't you and I set to work? So long as this treasure is hidden away somewhere, I suppose it's possible to find it." "Oh, don't I wish we could!" cried Cicely, her eyes round at the idea. "Well, I can't see why we shouldn't have as good a chance as anybody else. I expect it's chiefly a matter of careful hunting." "How splendid it would be if Monica really turned out an heiress after all!" "Glorious! It's worth trying for. Those panelled walls might be full of hiding-places. We don't know what we may discover when once we begin." "We shan't have to let Miss Frazer catch us looking about." "Rather not! Nobody must know what we intend to do." "Not even Marjorie Butler?" pleaded Cicely. "No," said Lindsay firmly. "Marjorie couldn't help whispering it to Nora, and then it would be all over the school. The big girls would make dreadful fun of us, I'm sure. They'd call us 'The Gold Seekers', or some other stupid name, simply for the sake of teasing. Besides, if it were talked about among the rest, it would be sure to get to Monica's ears, and we particularly don't want that." "No, she mustn't hear a word of it." "Very well, then, we had better keep it to ourselves. Will you promise faithfully that it shall be a dead secret just between you and me?" "Absolutely dead!" agreed Cicely. The two girls were determined to institute a thorough search for the lost legacy, but they foresaw many difficulties in the way. In the first place, it was hard even to make a start without letting anybody suspect what they were doing. Although the term at the Manor seemed like a holiday, it was nevertheless school: there was a certain amount of supervision by the mistresses, and there were rules and regulations to be obeyed, the same as at Winterburn Lodge. The girls were not allowed to wander about alone exactly when and where they wished, and even during recreation time they were expected to play games in the garden.