watched what seemed to be her terrified exit. "What did you see?" But she
would not speak until she had squeezed between the palings and stood
beside him. Then she told him in an impressive whisper, glancing
furtively over her shoulder:

"There's a whole row of tombstones up there with _skulls and cross-
bones on them! They must be pirate graves!"_

Her mysterious air was so contagious that he answered in a whisper, and
in a moment each was convinced by the other's mere manner that their
suspicion was true. Presently Georgina spoke in her natural voice.

"You go up and look at them."

"Naw, I'll take your word for it," he answered in a patronizing tone.
"Besides, there isn't time now. It's getting too dark. They'll be
expecting me home to supper."

Georgina glanced about her. The clouds settling heavily made it seem
later than it really was. She had a guilty feeling that Barby was
worrying about her long absence, maybe imagining that something had
happened to _The Betsey_. She startad homeward, half running, but
her pace slackened as Richard, hurrying along beside her, began to plan
what they would do with their treasure when they found it.

"There's sure to be piles of buried gold around here," he said. "Those
pirate graves prove that a lot of 'em lived here once. Let's buy a moving
picture show first."

Georgina's face grew radiant at this tacit admission of herself into