Chapter Ten AN ASTONISHING OFFER
　　THE next morning the papers were full of the extraordinary way in which the old wreck¹ had beenthrown up out of the sea. The newspaper men had got out of the children's uncle the tale of the wreckand the lost gold, and some of them even managed to land on Kirrin Island and take pictures of theold ruined castle.
　　George was furious. "It's my castle!" she stormed to her mother. "It's my island. You said it could bemine. You did, you did!"
　　"I know, George dear," said her mother. "But you really must be sensible. It can't hurt the island to belanded on, and it can't hurt the castle to be photographed.""But I don't want it to be," said George, her face dark and sulky. "It's mine. And the wreck is mine.
　　You said so."
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　　"Well, I didn't know it was going to be thrown up like that," said her mother. "Do be sensible,George. What can it possibly matter if people go to look at the wreck? You can't stop them."George couldn't stop them, but that didn't make her any the less angry about it. The children wereastonished at the interest that the cast-up wreck caused, and because of that, Kirrin Island became anobject of great interest too. Sightseers from the places all around came to see it, and the fishermenmanaged to find the little inlet and land the people there. George sobbed² with rage, and Julian tried tocomfort her.
　　"Listen, George! No one knows our secret yet. We'll wait till this excitement has died down, and thenwe'll go to Kirrin Castle and find the ingots.""If someone doesn't find them first," said George, drying her eyes. She was furious with herself forcrying, but she really couldn't help it.
　　"How could they?" said Julian. "No one has seen inside the box yet! I'm going to wait my chance andget that map out before anyone sees it!"
　　But he didn't have a chance, because something dreadful happened. Uncle Quentin sold the old boxto a man who bought antique things! He came out from his study, beaming, a day or two after theexcitement began, and told Aunt Fanny and the children.
　　"I've struck a very good bargain with that man," he said to his wife. "You know that old tin-lined boxfrom the wreck? Well, this fellow collects curious things like that, and he gave me a very good pricefor it. Very good indeed. More even than I could expect for the writing of my book!
　　As soon as he saw the old map there and the old diary he said at once that he would buy the wholecollection."

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