Page:The Mysterious Warning - Parsons (1796, volume 4).djvu/156

 rest as the former ones. When the second morning came, it brought a return of spirits, and a glimmering of hope, which Ferdinand encouraged, as indeed his own apprehensions were now done away, and therefore the serenity of his aspect gave weight to his words, and had the desired effect of restoring some degree of tranquillity to their minds.

In the course of the day the steward's wife was capable of admiring the contents of the box, and asked, with some little earnestness, what was to be done with them, and to whom they must belong?

"To you, undoubtedly," said Ferdinand; "it is impossible to guess at, or to find the owner, as they may have been years in the robber's possession; nor is the value of that magnitude to make them of any mighty consequence to a person, such as we may suppose the owner to have been. The watch and rings you will keep; should any inquiry be made, you can restore them; but the money you may use without scruple."