"And when we find where she stood," put in Hamish, "then we'll know where to dig!"
Almost with one accord we all got up again and set out on another tour of the garden. We had already raked it pretty thoroughly but this time we had something definite to urge us on. We had discovered the enchantress, there remained only to discover her resting place.
Back and forth we wandered, poking at every tangle of bushes and clump of thick grass, kicking at every fallen tree branch. In his zeal, Hamish even began turning up the slabs of stone which had once formed a walk as if he expected to find some clue tucked away with the horrid white crawly things underneath.
Discouraged at last, I came back to the fountain. After all, I told myself, I didn't really believe in the buried treasure. Michael didn't, I knew, and I was pretty sure he was right. Still I did wish we could find where the statue had stood just--well just for the satisfaction of knowing. But though Hamish and the others were still plunging madly about, the search seemed as hopeless as it had from the first. Indeed the discovery of the statue had really helped matters little.
Where would one put a Circe, I wondered? A small, graceful figure like that? On a pedestal of course--but where? Somewhere where she would not be overlooked, I thought--some conspicuous place----
And then, in a flash of inspiration, my eyes turned to the center of the fountain. In imagination I saw her there--lithe, poised, with arm upraised! And from that vanished wand, I was suddenly sure, had come the jets of water which had played in the sunshine of those bygone summers!
"Eve! Hamish!" I cried excitedly. Picking up the statue, I stepped across the leaf-filled bowl. I reached up and set it there in the middle. "Look!" I shouted, "It fits--fits perfectly!"
"It sure does!" I swung around to see Michael Gilpatrick advancing toward me. In our absorption none of us had heard the approach of his wagon. In a minute the others came running at the sound of my excited summons.
"Oh, Sandy," Eve cried, "how clever of you! How did you happen to think of it?"
"My aunt!" There was a grudging admiration in Hamish's voice as he gazed at the upright figure. "It sure looks as if that was the place all right. I was just thinkin' of having a look at the fountain myself----"