mining. He remembered hearing of a shaft that had been put down by a few
believers, in defiance of local derision; he recalled, too, the eccentric
and unheard-of drive thrown out by the Red Hand in some such absurd
quest, and his respect for the boy's opinion grew into something like
conviction.

'It's very queer, Dick,' he said; 'but if you'll show it to me I'll do
all I can for you.'

'That's good! You see we're all in it. We're the Mount of Gold
Quartz-minin' Company--me an' Jacker an' them--but it's on'y a
make-believe company, an' I'd like Mr. McKnight, an' Mr. Peterson, an'
Mr. Doon to come, an' the detective cove too, cause there's somethin'
else there--somethin' else p'tickler too.'

'Very well, we can go an' see McKnight an' Peterson, but they'll laugh at
us.'

'When they laugh we'll show 'em this,' said Dick, producing a lump of
quartz.

Harry took the stone in his hand; it was not larger than a hen's egg and
of a dark colour, but studded thickly with clean gold, and as he gazed at
it his pipe fell from his mouth and his eyes rounded. He pursed his lips
to whistle his astonishment, and forgot to do it; he lifted his hand to
scratch his head and it stuck half-way; he turned and turned the stone,
stupid with surprise.

'By the holy, your fortune's made if there's much o' this!' he blurted at
length.