himself, as he crept into
bed by the side of the yet indignantly silent Master Plummer.

Owing to his long sleep during the afternoon, and also the unpleasant
thoughts in his mind, Joe's eyes refused to close in slumber. He tossed
to and fro on the rest-inviting bed, while Plums slept audibly, until it
seemed to him as if the night must have passed and the morning was near
at hand.

This belief was strengthened when he heard a noise as if the kitchen
window was being raised, and he leaped out of bed, vexed with himself
because he had not gone down sooner to build the fire.

It was yet dark in the room, and he turned to pull aside the curtain,
when he found that it was already raised at full height.

"It ain't mornin', that's certain," he said to himself. "I wonder what
aunt Dorcas is doin'? Perhaps the princess is sick."

He went to the door and listened. A certain faint rustling, as if some
one was moving around in the room below, came to his ears; but it was so
indistinct he questioned whether it might not be fancy.

One, two, three minutes he stood silent and motionless, and then, not
satisfied that everything was as it should be, crept softly down the
stairs.

On nearing the kitchen he became positive some one was moving around the
room; but since no ray of light appeared from beneath the door when he
stood at the foot of the stairs, the startling thought came into his
mind that an evil-disposed person had effected an entrance.

It seemed preposterous burglars should come to the cottage in the hope
of finding anything of very great value, and yet Joe felt convinced
there was an intruder in the house.

Then it was that he believed he knew the person who was moving so
stealthily in the adjoining room.

"Dan has broken in here to steal something to eat," he said to himself.
"He thinks neither Plums nor I would dare do anything to him, for fear
he'd tell the detectives where we are, and knows aunt Dorcas couldn't
make much of a row if she wanted to."

Determined to punish the amateur detective soundly for his misdemeanour,
Joe crept softly to the door until his hand was on the latch, and at
that instant it was suddenly opened from the inside.

Not anticipating any such movement as this, the boy, who had been
partially leaning against the door, was precipitated into the room.

Only with difficulty did he prevent himself from falling, and had but
just recovered his balance when he was seized from behind by