A cold snap had suddenly fallen over the northern half of Vancouver Island, and tall pines and unpaved streets were white with frozen snow. A chilling wind swept round Jaques’ store and rattled² the loose windows; tiny icicles formed a fringe about the eaves; but the neat little back room, with its polished lamp and its glowing stove, seemed to Jimmy and his comrades luxuriously³ bright and warm. Supper had been cleared away, and the group sat about the table discussing what could now be done, after the failure of the second attempt to recover the gold.  
Jaques leaned his head on his hand, with his elbow resting on the table; Mrs. Jaques sat opposite him, her eyes fixed⁴ intently on Bethune, who was the spokesman for the party. Jimmy, with a gloomy expression, gazed toward the one window, where a frozen pine bough⁶ occasionally scraped against the pane⁷ with a rasping sound that was heard above the rattle¹ of the sashes. Moran, with a downcast face, sat where the lamplight fell full upon him.
 
There was silence for a few moments, broken only by the cheery crackle of the stove. Then Jaques spoke⁵.
 
“We might as well thrash the thing out from the beginning,” he said. “The first matter to be decided⁸ is what had better be done with your boat.”
 
“That raises another point,” asserted Bethune. “What we do with her now depends on our plans for the future, and they’re not made yet.”
 
“Then suppose we consider that you’re going back to try again in the spring?”
 
Jimmy looked at Mrs. Jaques, and fancied that her expression was encouraging.
 
“You’re taking it for granted that we can get out of debt. If such a thing were possible, we’d haul her up and strip her for the winter with the first big tides.”
 
“Not here,” Jaques said pointedly⁹. “For one thing, she’d be spotted¹⁰, and you’ll see why you had better avoid that if you’ll listen.”
 
“I see one good reason now,” Bethune answered with a rueful grin. “You’re not our only creditor¹¹, and the other fellow isn’t likely to show us much consideration.”
 
“Let that go for the present. Do you know any lonely creek¹² some distance off where she’d lie safe and out of sight?”
 
“I dare say we could find one,” Jimmy replied.
 
“Then I’m going to talk. Some time after you left, a man from Victoria called on me. Said he was an accountant and specialized¹³ on the development of small businesses. He’d undertake to collect doubtful accounts, show his clients how to keep their books, and buy on the best terms, or sell out their business, if they wanted; in fact, he said that some of his city friends thought of trying to make a merger¹⁴ arrangement with the grocery stores in the small Island ports.”
 
“No doubt it seemed an opportunity for getting a good price for your store,” Bethune suggested.
 
“I wasn’t keen. Things had improved since you were here, and trade was looking up. However, I showed the man my books, and I saw that he was especially interested when he came to your account. Asked me did I know that you were a remittance¹⁵ man who had forfeited¹⁶ his allowance and that your partner was a steamboat mate who’d been fired out of his ship. I told him that I was aware of it; and he said the chances were steep against your making good. Then he gave me some useful hints and went away.”
 
“That’s interesting,” Bethune commented. “Did you hear anything more from him?”
 
“I did; not long ago he sent me an offer for my business as it stands, with all unsettled claims and liabilities. When I got a Vancouver drummer I know to make inquiries¹⁷, he said that it ought to be a safe proposition—the money was good.”
 
“Ah! It looks as if somebody thought us worth powder and shot. Did you take his offer?”
 
“No, sir! I stood off, for two reasons. I knew that the buyers either foresaw a boom in the Island trade, in which case it would pay me to hold on, or they’d some pretty strong grounds for wanting to get hold of you. On thinking it over, I didn’t see my way to help them.”
 
“Thanks. I wonder whether Mrs. Jaques had any say in the matter?”
 
“She certainly had,” Jaques admitted fondly. “She thought it wouldn’t be the square thing to give you away, and that to see you through might be the best in the end.”
 
“We’re grateful; but I’m not sure that she was wise. It’s obvious that there was something crooked¹⁸ about the wreck¹⁹, and what you have told us implies that some men with money are anxious to cover up their tracks. I suspect they’ve grown richer since the bogus gold was shipped, and might be willing to spend a good sum to keep the matter dark. The fellow who called on you probably knew nothing of this; he’d be merely acting²⁰ for them on commission.”
 
None of the others spoke for the next minute. The situation demanded thought, for they were people of no consequence, and they did not doubt that men with means were plotting against them.
 
“You seem to have got hold of a dangerous secret,” Mrs. Jaques said, breaking the silence.
 
“An important one, at least,” Bethune agreed. “It might, perhaps, get us into trouble; but our position’s pretty strong. I’ll admit, though, that I can’t see what use we had better make of it.”
 
Mrs. Jaques watched him closely.
 
“I suppose it has struck you that you might make a bargain with the people who insured the gold? They’d probably pay you well if you put the screw on them.”
 
Jimmy started and frowned, but Bethune motioned to him to be silent.
 
“I wonder whether you really thought we’d take that course, ma’am?” he asked.
 
“No,” she smiled; “I did not. But what’s the alternative?”
 
“We might go to the underwriters and see what we could get from them. I suppose that’s what we ought to do; but I’d rather wait. If we can clean out the strong-room, we’ll have the whole thing in our hands.”
 
“In your hands, you mean.”
 
“No; I meant what I said. My suggestion is that your husband should relinquish²¹ his claim on us, and take a small share in the venture. If he’d do so, we could go back next spring. It’s a proposition I wouldn’t make before, but things have changed, and we want another man.”
 
“Well,” said Jaques, “I half expected this, and I’ve been doing some figuring. The mills are booked full of orders for dressed lumber²², there’s a pulp²³ factory going up, and I’m doing better now that trade’s coming to the town. Still, I see a risk.”
 
“So do I,” Bethune replied. “We’re three irresponsible adventurers without a dollar to our credit, and we have men of weight and business talent up against us. It’s possible that they may break us; but I think we have a fighting chance.” He turned to Mrs. Jaques. “What’s your opinion?”
 
“Oh, I love adventure! And somehow I have co............