'm certain of
earnin' money."

Again Joe was on the point of explaining that it was his duty to make
search for the princess's parents at the earliest possible moment, but
aunt Dorcas, fancying she understood the entire matter thoroughly,
checked him by saying:

"We won't talk any more about it now, Joseph. Wait until the experiment
has been tried, and then we shall know better how to make our
arrangements. You're going to Weehawken in the morning?"

"That's what I counted on."

"But how can you get the child out here? It is three or four miles,
Joseph."

"I'd walk twice that far, an' carry the princess all the way, for the
sake of havin' her where I am."

Aunt Dorcas was not satisfied with this arrangement; but she could think
of nothing better just then, and appeared determined there should be no
further discussion on the subject.

"We'll go into the garden and finish the task there. I don't suppose it
is anything more than one of Mr. McArthur's whims to let the upturned
ground remain twenty-four hours before putting the seed in; and even if
it is necessary, we can't afford to wait, because there won't be much
chance for such work after the baby is here."

While she was speaking, the little woman had been putting on her
sunbonnet, and Joe was seriously alarmed.

Unquestionably, detective Dan was in the vicinity of the garden, and,
not expecting aunt Dorcas to come out, neither he nor Plums would be on
the alert.

Joe knew that if Dan was brought face to face with the little woman,
without an opportunity of escape, he would boldly declare himself a
detective, and this would be sufficient to cause her anxiety, if not
alarm, for she could hardly be expected to know that he was a detective
only in his own mind.

"Let me go out and find Plums first," he said, hurriedly. "He ought'er
know what we're talkin' about, so if we don't get through with the work
to-night, he can finish it while I'm gone."

Without waiting for her to reply, lest she should insist on going with
him, Joe ran out-of-doors, and, as he had expected, found Dan Fernald
and Plums behind the barn.

"What did you come up here for, in the daytime, when anybody might have
seen you? I thought it wasn't safe to be hangin' 'round here."

"Well, it ain't; but you don't s'pose I'm goin' to starve to death, do
you?"

"Starve! Didn't you have somethin' to eat, this forenoon?"

"How long do you think I can stand it on four doughnuts? Here are you