"Grieve for him?" repeated Standish, raising his haggard face."Grieve for him? I thank God he's dead. I hated him as Inever hated any one else or thought I could hate any one! Ihated him as we hate the man in whomse power we are and whomuses us as helpless pawns inside his dirty game. I'd have killedhim long ago, if I had had the nerve, and if he hadn't made mebelieve he had a charmed life. His death means freedom to me--glorious freedom! It's for my own foul cowardice that I'mgrieving. The cowardice that held me here while a man's lifemight have been saved by me. That's going to haunt me as longas I live."

"Bosh!" scoffed Gavin. "You'll get over it. Self-forgivenessis the easiest blessing to acquire. You're better of it,already, or you couldn't talk so glibly about it. Now, aboutthis treasure-business: You know, of course, that you'll haveto drop it,--that you'll have to give up every cent of it tothe Government? If you can't find the cache, up North, whereHade used to send it when he lugged it away from here, it islikely to go a bit hard with you. I'm going to do all I canto get you clear. Not for your own sake, but for yoursister's. But you'll have to 'come through, clean,' if I'm tohelp you. Now, if you've got anything to say--"

He paused, invitingly. Milo gaped at him, the huge beardedface working convulsively. Nerves wrenched, easily dominatedby a stronger nature, the giant was struggling in vain toresume his pose of not comprehending Brice's allusions.Presently, with a sigh, that was more like a grunt ofhopelessness, he thrust his fingers into an inner pocket ofhis waistcoat, and drew forth a somewhat tarnished silverdollar. This he held toward Gavin, inside his wide palm.

Brice took the coin from him and inspected it withconsiderable interest. In spite of the tarnish and theancient die and date, its edges were as sharp and its surfaceas unworn as though it had been minted that very decade.Clearly, this dollar had jingled in no casual pockets, alongwith other coins, nor had it been sweated or marblack by anysort of use.

"Do you know what that is?" asked Milo.

"Yes," exclaimed Brice. "It is a United States silver dollar,dated '1804.'"

"Do you know its value?" pursued Milo. "But of course youdon't. You probably think it is worth its weight in goldand nothing more."