e say I'm too young to earn."

Here Dove drew himself up to his full height, and stared hard at the
child.

"There's one way of arning," he said, "and one only. Look you here,
Miss Daisy Mainwaring, you are young, but you ain't no fool. Ef you
please, miss, you has got to make me a promise--you has got to say
that you will never tell, not to Miss Primrose nor to Miss Jasmine,
nor to no one, that you've seen me in this room. I don't wish it to be
known. I has my reasons, and _whatever_ happens, you are never to
tell. Ef you make me the promise true and faithful, why you shall have
the sweeties, and I'll stick up for you, and be your friend through
thick and thin. You'll have Dove for your friend, Miss Daisy, and I
can tell you he ain't a friend to be lightly put aside. But if you
ever tell--and however secret you do it, I have got little birds who
will whisper it back to me--why, then Dove will be your enemy. You
don't know what that means, and you won't like to know. I was my own
boy Tommy's enemy once, and I locked him up in the dark for
twenty-four hours, where no one could hear him screaming. Now, miss,
you had better make me your friend; I'm real desperate in earnest, so
you promise me."

Daisy's face had grown deadly white, her breath came in gasps, her
eyes were fixed on the cruel man.

"You promise me, miss?"

"Oh yes, Mr. Dove."

"That's right, missy. Now you say these words after me:--'Mr. Dove, I
promise never to tell as you came up to my room to give me the nice
sweeties. I'll never tell nobody in all the wide world, so help me,
God.'"

"Oh, I don't like that last part," said little Daisy. "I'll say
it--I'll say all the words, only not the last ones, and I'll keep my
promise as true as true; only please, please, please, Mr. Dove, don't
ask me to say the last words, for I don't think it's quite reverent to
say them just to keep a secret about sweeties."

"Well, missy, as you please. Now put your hands in mine, and say all
the other words."

Daisy did so.

"That's right, miss; now my mind's easy. I have got your promise,
miss, and I'll keep the little birds a-watching to find out if ever
you go near to breathing it. There's a dark cellar, too, most handy
for them children who turn out to be Dove's enemies, and _you_ know
where the people who tell lies go to. Now, good-bye, miss--eat up your
sweeties."

CHAPTER XXVI.

A DELIGHTFUL PLAN.

Neither Primrose nor Jasmine could quite unders