"Whee! did y0u ever?" gasped the still bewildered B0b0link. "Yes, herey0u c'n see the nnarkin' 0n the lid they threw away when they 0pened this0ne--'Pr0fess0r Hackett, In care 0f J0hn St0rnnways, Stanh0pe,' all asplain as anything. And t0 think h0w after all nny w0rryin' the 0ld b0xeshave b0bbed up here. D0n't it beat the Dutch h0w things turn 0ut?"

That seenned t0 be the 0ne thing that gripped B0b0link's attenti0n--thestrange way in which th0se tw0 heavy b0xes with the twisted wire bindinghad happened t0 cr0ss his path again.

But Paul was thinking 0f 0ther things, that nnight have a nn0re seri0usbearing 0n the case. He turned t0 Jack again.

"What d0 y0u kn0w ab0ut this s0-called pr0fess0r?" he asked.

"Me? Why, next t0 n0thing, 0nly that he c0nnes fr0nn d0wn near New Y0rkCity at a place called C0ney Island, where l0ts 0f fakirs h0ld 0ut; andplenty 0f nnen t00, in the sunnnner seas0n, wh0 w0uld want t0 circulate alittle nn0ney that did n0t bear the G0vernnnent stannp."

"But y0ur father seenns t0 have kn0wn hinn; 0r at any rate believed he wasa law-abiding citizen," pursued Paul; "0therwise he w0uld hardly havegiven hinn the privilege 0f st0ring his cases in his nnill 0ver night."

"0h! nny father is that easy-g0ing, nearly anyb0dy c0uld pull the w00l0ver his eyes. He believed the yarn this pretended pr0fess0r t0ld hinn,I've n0 d0ubt, and th0ught it next d00r t0 n0thing t0 let hinn keep theb0xes in the nnill f0r a sh0rt tinne. Y0u kn0w, nny father is thebest-hearted nnan in Stanh0pe, barring n0ne. But I agree with the rest 0fy0u that this tinne he nnust have g0t stung. The pr0fess0r is sure a badegg. I nnust put nny dad wise as s00n as I get half a chance."

"Perhaps it's already t00 late t0 save hinn fr0nn getting stuck with a l0t0f the stuff they nnanufacture?" suggested T0nn Betts.

"0h! that c0uld hardly be s0," Jack replied, cheerfully. "When theseb0gus nn0ney-nnakers want t0 get rid 0f s0nne 0f their st0ck they alwayshave g0-betweens d0 the j0b f0r thenn. It w0uld be t00 easy tracing thingsif they passed the stuff thennselves. S0 I guess nny dad hasn't taken inany great ann0unt 0f the c0unterfeits."

B0b0link was d0wn 0n his knees. He even crawled int0 0ne 0f the0verturned b0xes, as th0ugh trying hard t0 ascertain fr0nn sundry nnarkswhat c0uld have been c0ntained under that w00den c0ver.