Ralestone Luck · Chapter 7 (2/2)

“That’s more like it.” Ricky picked up the chocolate-pot. “Do you suppose it will ever be possible to get these clean again?”

“With a lot of will power and some good hard rubbing it can be done,” Val assured her.

“Well, I’ll supply the will power and you may do the rubbing,” she announced pleasantly.

Rupert had opened the remaining packages to display a set of twelve silver goblets, one with a dented edge, and a queerly shaped vessel not unlike an old-fashioned gravy-boat. Charity picked this up and examined it gravely.

“I’m afraid that this is pirate loot.” She tapped the lip of the piece she held. The metal gave off a clear ringing sound. “If I’m not mistaken, this was stolen from a church. Yes, I’m right; see this cross under the leaves?” She pointed out the bit of engraving.

“Black Dick’s work,” agreed Ricky complacently. “But after almost three hundred years I’m afraid we can’t return it. Especially since we don’t know where it came from in the first place.”

Val looked about at what they had uncovered. “If you are going to take all of this in to LeFleur, you’ll have to get a truck. D’you know, I think this place might turn out to be a goldmine if one knew just where to dig.”

“We haven’t found the Luck yet,” reminded Ricky.

Val got clumsily to his feet and then gave Charity a hand up, beating Rupert to it by about three seconds. “As we don’t even know whether it is still in existence, there’s no use in hunting for it,” Val retorted.

Ricky smiled, that set little smile which usually meant that she neither agreed with nor approved of the speaker. She got up from the floor and shook out her skirt purposefully.

“I’ll remind you of that some day,” she promised.

“I suppose,” Rupert glanced at the silver, “this ought to be taken to town as soon as possible. This house is too isolated to harbor both us and the silverware at the same time. What do you think?” Ignoring both Ricky and Val, he turned to Charity.

“You are right. But it seems a pity to send it all away before we have a chance to rub it up and see what it really looks like!”

“By all means, take it at once!” Val urged promptly. “We can always clean it later.”

Rupert grinned. “Now that might be a protest against the suggestion Ricky made a few minutes ago. But I’ll save you some honest labor this time, Val; I’ll take it to town this afternoon.”

Ricky laughed softly.

“And why the merriment?” her younger brother inquired suspiciously.

“I was just thinking what a surprise the visitor who dropped his handkerchief here is going to get when he finds the cupboard bare,” she explained.

Rupert rubbed his palm across his chin. “Of course. I had almost forgotten that.”

“Well, I haven’t! And I wonder if we have found what he⁠—or they⁠—were hunting,” Val mused as he helped Rupert wrap up the spoil again.