Louis led the way into the office of Uncle Moses without the ceremony of knocking. The worthy lawyer was smoking his cigar very vigorously, and had probably exceeded his usual indulgence on this extraordinary occasion. The moment he saw Louis he sprang out of his big chair as briskly as though he had been a trained athlete, and rushed upon the young man, hugging him as his mother would have done on a similar provocation. “My dear boy!” cried the two hundred pounder, shaking all over with emotion. “Where have you been? I expected you and your mother back by the middle of the afternoon. I am afraid something has happened.” “Something has happened, Uncle Moses,” replied Louis, bursting into tears. “But where is your mother, my poor boy?” demanded the squire, suddenly losing the cheerful expression on his fat face. “She is John Scoble’s prisoner on board of his vessel,” replied Louis, dropping into a chair and covering his face with both hands, while he wept as though his heart was broken. “Good-evening, Captain Ringgold,” continued the squire, hardly able to restrain his own feelings, as he turned to the shipmaster. “What does all this mean?” “It means that we have been tricked, trapped, outwitted by this Scoble!” exclaimed the captain, with a mixture of shame and indignation. “The vessel we went to look at was the Maud, and the whole plot was to get Louis and his mother on board of her.” “Take a cigar, Captain; sit down and tell me all about it,” said the squire. “Don’t cry, Louis; we shall find a way out of this trouble, as we have out of all others, though this appears to be the severest trial that has beset you, my dear boy,” added Uncle Moses, as tenderly as a woman could have spoken. Captain Ringgold lighted his cigar, and related very minutely all the incidents of the day; and his indignation waxed almost furious when he came to the part in which the mate had so cleverly tricked him. Squire Scarburn listened with his mouth half open at the exciting details. Then he asked a number of questions which the captain answered. “It is not so bad as I feared it might be,” said the squire when he was in possession of all the details. “We have had a heavy gale here since you went away this morning, and I was afraid you had gone out to sea to try the vessel. I concluded that you were out on the ocean, and that some of you had been drowned.” “Not so bad as that,” replied the captain. “Terrible as Louis considers the situation, I am greatly relieved to learn that it is no worse,” added Uncle Moses. “That this Scoble is a rascal, there can be no doubt, but”-- “He has not the remotest suspicion that the missing million has been recovered, as Louis tells me, for the villain tried to effect his reconciliation with Mrs. Belgrave by informing her and her son where the treasure was concealed,” interposed the captain.