he West. He would hide himself until Maroney got out of jail, when he
would return and deliver the money over to him. Josh. was sublime in the
purity and philanthropy of his motives. He did not want a cent of the
money; not he! but he could not consent to see his brother-in-law
swindled while he stood by and calmly looked on, without making an
effort in his behalf. No! this he could not do. To his own serious
inconvenience, he would voluntarily tear himself from his family, impose
upon himself the task of becoming the watch-dog of Nat.'s treasure, and
for a time lose himself in the wilderness of the West. Madam Imbert
thought _his_ would be a clear case of "Though lost to sight, to memory
_dear_," but did not say so.

Mrs. Maroney rather took the wind out of his sails by saying: "Don't you
dare to 'raise' the money until I tell you to! I am in no hurry to have
it moved; the cellar has proved a safe hiding place so far, and I see no
reason why it should not so remain. You will please remember that it
belongs to Nat. and me. I am able to take care of it, so you may just
let it alone."

Josh. said no more, but mentally washing his hands of the whole
transaction, started for Stemples's. He found Rivers and Barclay there,
but said nothing about what had happened, further than that he was
having trouble at home.

In the evening Mrs. Maroney received a letter from her husband, stating
that the book-peddler would call the next day.

The next day was to be an eventful one for me. By noon I should know the
fate of my enterprise. I had no doubts about what the results would be,
but I should then have the proofs in hand to show my employers that the
confidence they had bestowed upon me had not been misplaced; that the
theory I had advanced and worked upon was the correct one; that my
profession, which had been dragged down by unprincipled adventurers
until the term "detective" was synonymous with rogue, was, when properly
attended to and honestly conducted, one of the most useful and
indispensable adjuncts to the preservation of the lives and property of
the people. The Divine administers consolation to the soul; the
physician strives to relieve the pains of the body; while the detective
cleanses society from its impurities, makes crime hideous by dragging it
to light, when it would otherwise thrive in darkness, and generally
improves mankind by proving that wrong acts, no matter how skilfully
covered up, are sure to be found o