can easily earn two pounds a
week in their spare time, and to send two shillings for sample and
instructions, carefully packed free from observation. Now that we don't
go to school all our time is spare time. So I should think we could
easily earn twenty pounds a week each. That would do us very well. We'll
try some of the other things first, and directly we have any money we'll
send for the sample and instructions. And I have another idea, but I
must think about it before I say.'

We all said, 'Out with it--what's the other idea?'

But Dicky said, 'No.' That is Dicky all over. He never will show you
anything he's making till it's quite finished, and the same with his
inmost thoughts. But he is pleased if you seem to want to know, so
Oswald said--

'Keep your silly old secret, then. Now, Dora, drive ahead. We've all
said except you.'

Then Dora jumped up and dropped the stocking and the thimble (it rolled
away, and we did not find it for days), and said--

'Let's try my way _now_. Besides, I'm the eldest, so it's only fair.
Let's dig for treasure. Not any tiresome divining-rod--but just plain
digging. People who dig for treasure always find it. And then we shall
be rich and we needn't try your ways at all. Some of them are rather
difficult: and I'm certain some of them are wrong--and we must always
remember that wrong things--'

But we told her to shut up and come on, and she did.

I couldn't help wondering as we went down to the garden, why Father
had never thought of digging there for treasure instead of going to his
beastly office every day.

CHAPTER 2. DIGGING FOR TREASURE

I am afraid the last chapter was rather dull. It is always dull in books
when people talk and talk, and don't do anything, but I was obliged to
put it in, or else you wouldn't have understood all the rest. The best
part of books is when things are happening. That is the best part of
real things too. This is why I shall not tell you in this story about
all the days when nothing happened. You will not catch me saying, 'thus
the sad days passed slowly by'--or 'the years rolled on their weary
course'--or 'time went on'--because it is silly; of course time goes
on--whether you say so or not. So I shall just tell you the nice,
interesting parts--and in between you will understand that we had our
meals and got up and went to bed, and dull things like that. It would be
sickening to write all that down, though of course it happens. I said