CHAPTER XVII.

PERCIVAL AND THE WATCH.

After assisting to bring Olly safe to shore, Perce Bucklin had time to reflect upon his still unclaimed treasure-trove and to grow extremely anxious in regard to it.

He had not felt responsible for its first immersion in the sea. But it had received a second wetting while in his possession. That set him to considering seriously the damage salt water might do, if it should get into the delicate works, and he worried over this to such an extent that he could no longer keep quietly at work, with the watch still in his damp pocket.

“Boys,” said he, “I’m going to have some doughnuts.” He had planned in his own mind that he would take that opportunity to conceal his prize in some safe, dry place.

“I’m hungry too!” said Moke.

“So ’m I!” said Poke.

And all threw down their forks. Their early breakfast, their labor at the kelp, and their exciting adventure on the water, had made the morning seem very long, and prepared them for a substantial luncheon.

That wasn’t just what Perce expected. They were no sooner seated on the sand, with pail and basket and a bottle of spruce beer between them, than fresh restlessness seized him.

Whoever the owner of the watch was or was to be, he felt that it ought to go at once to the jeweler, and be cleaned and oiled. He suddenly jumped to his feet.

“Boys,” he said, taking a piece of cheese in one hand and a wedge of apple-pie in the other, “go on with your lunch; I’ll be eating mine while I run up and see how Olly is getting along.”

“Take some of Ma’s spruce beer, first,” said the twins.

Perce thanked them, but said he would have his share when he came back.

“Don’t wait for me,” he added, “if I should get to talking, and be a little late.”

He had been gone but a few minutes, and the twins were still busy with their bread and butter and doughnuts, when they heard footsteps coming behind them, and looked around, expecting to see him on his return.

But they saw instead a strange man, with a resolute face under a shady hat-brim. A little behind him lingered two of the boarding-house ladies they had seen before.

“Where’s the other member of your party?” asked the man, after looking beyond the twins and all about. “The one you call Perce.”

“Perce Bucklin? He just went up to the boarding-house,” they replied; “he left us about five minutes ago.”

“I’ve just come from the boarding-house,” said the man. “He wasn’t there when we left; and we met no such boy on the way.”

“That’s strange!” said Moke.

And he and his brother began to call. The woods echoed their voices, but no other voice replied.

“I don’t know where he is!” said Poke, astonished.

“He seemed to have something on his mind,” said Moke; “and may be——”

“May be he went to the village!” exclaimed Poke.

They couldn’t conceive why he should have gone to the village, but they remembered that he had spoken vaguely of having some errand there, which he must do before he returned home.

“Thank you,” the gentleman replied, and went back to speak with the ladies. “That fellow has gone off to dispose of the watch,” he said to them; “and I don’t think these two know anything about it.”

He had at all events thought it better not to mention the subject to the twins; in order that, if they should see Perce before he did, they might not put him on his guard.

Perce had, in fact, immediately changed his mind, after leaving his companions; if, indeed, he had any serious notion of going to inquire for Olly.

Instead of going to the boarding-house, he crossed a corner of the woods, in order to strike a road leading to the village, which was about three-quarters of a mile away.

As soon as he was well out of sight, he began to run, pausing only a minute or two in the woods, where he took out his prize, pressed the spring that opened the hunter’s case, and looked at the still beautiful bright, white face of the watch.

“I don’t believe it is hurt much!” he exclaimed joyfully. “I wonder how long it has been in the water!”

The pointers indicated ten minutes past two. Thinking the watch must have stopped soon after it dropped into the sea, he muttered:

“That might have been two o’clock last night, or yesterday, or some day of last week; who knows? Hullo!”

A new mystery! The second-hand, as he watched it, moved! He held the timepiece to his ear, and heard a faint tick.

The works were running still, though feebly. Then the watch could have been in the sea but a few hours; and it was no doubt some water that had got into it which had retarded without stopping the motion of the wheels.

“Eight hours slow!” said Perce, thinking it must be by that time past ten o’clock.

Astonished as he was, his purpose to visit the village remained unchanged. Indeed, it seemed to him all the more important that the watch, since he was convinced that it was as yet uninjured, should go to the jeweler’s without delay.

He had not meant, from the first, to withhold it from its rightful owner, if he could find that person; but only to keep it from the twins, who might set up what he considered an unjust claim to half its value. He expected to advertise it, after putting it into the jeweler’s hands; he had therefore no motive for disguising from the latter the manner in which it had come into his possession.

He was prepared to tell a straightforward story; only leaving out his want of confidence in the twins, of which he couldn’t help feeling ashamed. But unfortunately the jeweler was not in his shop. After a little search, Perce found him walking with a man on the street; and, coming to his side, whispered in his ear that he had a little job for him.

As they entered the shop together, Perce did not notice a third man, flushed with excitement and haste, who had followed him at a distance, and was now watching with an air of affected carelessness, to see what he would do.

As the jeweler went behind his counter, Perce stood before it, with his back to the door, and said breathlessly, in a low tone, as he produced the watch:

“Here’s something I want you to be rather confidential about until——”

Until it could be advertised in due form, he was going to say; for he was anxious that no false claimant should get a description of the watch beforehand. But he had hardly yet recovered his breath, and while he was hesitating, the jeweler opened the watch.

“Where has this been? In the water?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Perce. “And I want you to do whatever is necessary to put it into good order; and to say nothing about it until——”

Here he stopped again, and looked quickly around at somebody who just then entered the shop.

It was Mr. Hatville, who, having stood a moment at the open door, watching the jeweler and the boy, stepped in quickly but quietly, and laying one hand, with a firm grasp, on Perce’s arm, extended the other over the counter.

“Mr. Middleton,” said he, “I don’t think you mean to be a receiver of stolen goods. But it happens that you have my watch!”

“Yours, Mr. Hatville!” said the astonished jeweler. “I thought I had seen it before” (for Mr. Hatville had dealt with him at times, and had shown him his chronometer with much pride), “but never in such a condition!”

“It has run down, I suppose,” said the owner, adding with grim sarcasm, “I hoped the thief would know enough to wind it! Boy!” he cried, tightening his grip on Perce’s arm, “you’ve no business to steal watches, if you can’t keep ’em wound!”