The others pressed forward, but Penny was thinking only of her aunt and she turned and flung her arms round her.

"I've found it for you, darling. I wanted it as a surprise for you and we've got it after all... It's the Dolphin's treasure and it belongs to you and we've beaten the Ballingers in the end."

Mrs. Warrender's voice was rather shaky when she managed to disengage herself, and then pandemonium broke out as the others tried to see what was happening. Eventually, Mr. Morton restored order.

"We'd better see if the diamonds are real before we celebrate," he said. "Shall we go back upstairs to the light and see?"

"I'd like you to see where Penny found them first, sir, if you don't mind," Jon said. "The others might go up with Mother and we'll join them in a minute."

So while Penny led the way upstairs again, Mr. Morton went back to the broken wall with Jon, who went down on his knees in the rubble.

"Look, sir! Don't you think these bits of clay are the remains of an old vase? I think the necklace was in the vase which must have fallen from somewhere and broken."

"I think you're right, Jon. Let's pick up all the pieces and examine them in the light." But before they went up after the others they found a niche which had been hollowed out of the earth wall behind the roots of the withy tree. It was obvious that as the wall had crashed in the gale it had brought down the old tree and part of the roof and side of the passage with it. It seemed as if the roots had hidden the cavity holding the clay vase, but Jon had to admit that they had never really searched there and it might have been possible to have found it if they had known where to look.

When they joined the others, Mrs. Warrender was putting a match to the dry sticks in the fireplace and Mrs. Morton was fixing the diamonds round Penny's neck.

"Penny says you won't mind if we all stay up here and talk, Jon?" his mother said from her knees. "She says you can show us all the papers now... Have you found any more treasure? I don't think I could bear it if you have."

Mr. Morton laughed and shook his head as he emptied the pieces of broken clay from his handkerchief on to the table. And then Penny, with the diamonds blazing round her neck, dashed over to Jon, who was closing the panel.

"You really found the treasure, Jon. You stood out of the way and let me pick them up and then I got so excited I boasted a bit as if I'd found them and it's you as much as me and I'm going to tell everybody..."