第1章

BeingtheadventuresoftheBastablechildreninsearchofafortuneTO OSWALDBARRON WithoutwhomthisbookcouldneverhavebeenwrittenTheTreasureSeekersisdedicatedinmemoryofchildhoodsidenticalbutfortheaccidentsoftimeandspaceCONTENTS 1。TheCouncilofWaysandMeans2。DiggingforTreasure3。BeingDetectives4。GoodHunting5。ThePoetandtheEditor6。Noel’sPrincess7。BeingBandits8。BeingEditors9。TheG。B。 10。LordTottenham11。CastilianAmoroso12。TheNoblenessofOswald13。TheRobberandtheBurglar14。TheDivining—rod15。’Lo，thePoorIndian！’ 16。TheEndoftheTreasure—seekingCHAPTER1 THECOUNCILOFWAYSANDMEANS Thisisthestoryofthedifferentwayswelookedfortreasure，andIthinkwhenyouhavereadityouwillseethatwewerenotlazyaboutthelooking。 TherearesomethingsImusttellbeforeIbegintotellaboutthetreasure—seeking，becauseIhavereadbooksmyself，andIknowhowbeastlyitiswhenastorybegins，\"’Alas！\"saidHildegardewithadeepsigh，\"wemustlookourlastonthisancestralhome\"’—andthensomeoneelsesayssomething—andyoudon’tknowforpagesandpageswherethehomeis，orwhoHildegardeis，oranythingaboutit。OurancestralhomeisintheLewishamRoad。Itissemi—detachedandhasagarden，notalargeone。WearetheBastables。TherearesixofusbesidesFather。OurMotherisdead，andifyouthinkwedon’tcarebecauseIdon’ttellyoumuchaboutheryouonlyshowthatyoudonotunderstandpeopleatall。 Doraistheeldest。ThenOswald—andthenDicky。OswaldwontheLatinprizeathispreparatoryschool—andDickyisgoodatsums。 AliceandNoelaretwins：theyareten，andHoraceOctaviusismyyoungestbrother。Itisoneofusthattellsthisstory—butI shallnottellyouwhich：onlyattheveryendperhapsIwill。 Whilethestoryisgoingonyoumaybetryingtoguess，onlyIbetyoudon’t。ItwasOswaldwhofirstthoughtoflookingfortreasure。Oswaldoftenthinksofveryinterestingthings。Anddirectlyhethoughtofithedidnotkeepittohimself，assomeboyswouldhavedone，buthetoldtheothers，andsaid— ’I’lltellyouwhat，wemustgoandseekfortreasure：itisalwayswhatyoudotorestorethefallenfortunesofyourHouse。’ Dorasaiditwasallverywell。Sheoftensaysthat。ShewastryingtomendalargeholeinoneofNoel’sstockings。Hetoreitonanailwhenwewereplayingshipwreckedmarinersontopofthechicken—housethedayH。O。felloffandcuthischin：hehasthescarstill。Doraistheonlyoneofuswhoevertriestomendanything。Alicetriestomakethingssometimes。OncesheknittedaredscarfforNoelbecausehischestisdelicate，butitwasmuchwideratoneendthantheother，andhewouldn’twearit。Soweuseditasapennon，anditdidverywell，becausemostofourthingsareblackorgreysinceMotherdied;andscarletwasanicechange。Fatherdoesnotlikeyoutoaskfornewthings。ThatwasonewaywehadofknowingthatthefortunesoftheancientHouseofBastablewerereallyfallen。Anotherwaywasthattherewasnomorepocket—money—exceptapennynowandthentothelittleones，andpeopledidnotcometodinneranymore，liketheyusedto，withprettydresses，drivingupincabs—andthecarpetsgotholesinthem—andwhenthelegscameoffthingstheywerenotsenttobemended，andwegaveUPhavingthegardenerexceptforthefrontgarden，andnotthatveryoften。Andthesilverinthebigoakplate—chestthatislinedwithgreenbaizeallwentawaytotheshoptohavethedentsandscratchestakenoutofit，anditnevercameback。WethinkFatherhadn’tenoughmoneytopaythesilvermanfortakingoutthedentsandscratches。Thenewspoonsandforkswereyellowy—white，andnotsoheavyastheoldones，andtheynevershoneafterthefirstdayortwo。 FatherwasveryillafterMotherdied;andwhilehewasillhisbusiness—partnerwenttoSpain—andtherewasnevermuchmoneyafterwards。Idon’tknowwhy。Thentheservantsleftandtherewasonlyone，aGeneral。AgreatdealofyourcomfortandhappinessdependsonhavingagoodGeneral。Thelastbutonewasnice：sheusedtomakejollygoodcurrantpuddingsforus，andletushavethedishonthefloorandpretenditwasawildboarwewerekillingwithourforks。ButtheGeneralwehavenownearlyalwaysmakessagopuddings，andtheyarethewaterykind，andyoucannotpretendanythingwiththem，notevenislands，likeyoudowithporridge。 Thenweleftoffgoingtoschool，andFathersaidweshouldgotoagoodschoolassoonashecouldmanageit。Hesaidaholidaywoulddousallgood。Wethoughthewasright，butwewishedhehadtoldushecouldn’taffordit。Forofcourseweknew。 Thenagreatmanypeopleusedtocometothedoorwithenvelopeswithnostampsonthem，andsometimestheygotveryangry，andsaidtheywerecallingforthelasttimebeforeputtingitinotherhands。IaskedElizawhatthatmeant，andshekindlyexplainedtome，andIwassosorryforFather。 Andoncealong，bluepapercame;apolicemanbroughtit，andweweresofrightened。ButFathersaiditwasallright，onlywhenhewentuptokissthegirlsaftertheywereinbedtheysaidhehadbeencrying，thoughI’msurethat’snottrue。Becauseonlycowardsandsnivellerscry，andmyFatheristhebravestmanintheworld。 SoyouseeitwastimewelookedfortreasureandOswaldsaidso，andDorasaiditwasallverywell。ButtheothersagreedwithOswald。Soweheldacouncil。Dorawasinthechair—thebigdining—roomchair，thatweletthefireworksofffrom，theFifthofNovemberwhenwehadthemeaslesandcouldn’tdoitinthegarden。 Theholehasneverbeenmended，sonowwehavethatchairinthenursery，andIthinkitwascheapattheblowing—upweboysgotwhentheholewasburnt。 ’Wemustdosomething，’saidAlice，’becausetheexchequerisempty。’Sherattledthemoney—boxasshespoke，anditreallydidrattlebecausewealwayskeepthebadsixpenceinitforluck。 ’Yes—butwhatshallwedo？’saidDicky。’It’ssojollyeasytosaylet’sdosomething。’Dickyalwayswantseverythingsettledexactly。FathercallshimtheDefiniteArticle。 ’Let’sreadallthebooksagain。Weshallgetlotsofideasoutofthem。’ItwasNoelwhosuggestedthis，butwemadehimshutup，becauseweknewwellenoughheonlywantedtogetbacktohisoldbooks。Noelisapoet。Hesoldsomeofhispoetryonce—anditwasprinted，butthatdoesnotcomeinthispartofthestory。 ThenDickysaid，’Lookhere。We’llbequitequietfortenminutesbytheclock—andeachthinkofsomewaytofindtreasure。Andwhenwe’vethoughtwe’lltryallthewaysoneaftertheother，beginningwiththeeldest。’ ’Ishan’tbeabletothinkintenminutes，makeithalfanhour，’ saidH。O。HisrealnameisHoraceOctavius，butwecallhimH。O。 becauseoftheadvertisement，andit’snotsoverylongagohewasafraidtopassthehoardingwhereitsays’EatH。O。’inbigletters。Hesaysitwaswhenhewasalittleboy，butIrememberlastChristmasbutone，hewokeinthemiddleofthenightcryingandhowling，andtheysaiditwasthepudding。ButhetoldmeafterwardshehadbeendreamingthattheyreallyhadcometoeatH。 O。，anditcouldn’thavebeenthepudding，whenyoucometothinkofit，becauseitwassoveryplain。 Well，wemadeithalfanhour—andweallsatquiet，andthoughtandthought。AndImadeupmymindbeforetwominuteswereover，andIsawtheothershad，allbutDora，whoisalwaysanawfultimeovereverything。Igotpinsandneedlesinmylegfromsittingstillsolong，andwhenitwassevenminutesH。O。criedout—’Oh，itmustbemorethanhalfanhour！’ H。O。iseightyearsold，buthecannottelltheclockyet。Oswaldcouldtelltheclockwhenhewassix。 Weallstretchedourselvesandbegantospeakatonce，butDoraputupherhandstoherearsandsaid— ’Oneatatime，please。Wearen’tplayingBabel。’（Itisaverygoodgame。Didyoueverplayit？） SoDoramadeusallsitinarowonthefloor，inages，andthenshepointedatuswiththefingerthathadthebrassthimbleon。 HersilveronegotlostwhenthelastGeneralbuttwowentaway。 WethinkshemusthaveforgottenitwasDora’sandputitinherboxbymistake。Shewasaveryforgetfulgirl。Sheusedtoforgetwhatshehadspentmoneyon，sothatthechangewasneverquiteright。 Oswaldspokefirst。’IthinkwemightstoppeopleonBlackheath— withcrapemasksandhorse—pistols—andsay\"Yourmoneyoryourlife！Resistanceisuseless，wearearmedtotheteeth\"—likeDickTurpinandClaudeDuval。Itwouldn’tmatteraboutnothavinghorses，becausecoacheshavegoneouttoo。’ Dorascreweduphernosethewayshealwaysdoeswhensheisgoingtotalklikethegoodeldersisterinbooks，andsaid，’Thatwouldbeverywrong：it’slikepickpocketingortakingpenniesoutofFather’sgreat—coatwhenit’shanginginthehall。’ ImustsayIdon’tthinksheneedhavesaidthat，especiallybeforethelittleones—foritwaswhenIwasonlyfour。 ButOswaldwasnotgoingtoletherseehecared，sohesaid— ’Oh，verywell。Icanthinkoflotsofotherways。WecouldrescueanoldgentlemanfromdeadlyHighwaymen。’ ’Therearen’tany，’saidDora。 ’Oh，well，it’sallthesame—fromdeadlyperil，then。There’splentyofthat。ThenhewouldturnouttobethePrinceofWales，andhewouldsay，\"Mynoble，mycherishedpreserver！Hereisamillionpoundsayear。Riseup，SirOswaldBastable。\"’ Buttheothersdidnotseemtothinkso，anditwasAlice’sturntosay。 Shesaid，’Ithinkwemighttrythedivining—rod。I’msureI coulddoit。I’veoftenreadaboutit。Youholdastickinyourhands，andwhenyoucometowherethereisgoldunderneaththestickkicksabout。Soyouknow。Andyoudig。’ ’Oh，’saidDorasuddenly，’Ihaveanidea。ButI’llsaylast。I hopethedivining—rodisn’twrong。Ibelieveit’swrongintheBible。’ ’Soiseatingporkandducks，’saidDicky。’Youcan’tgobythat。’ ’Anyhow，we’lltrytheotherwaysfirst，’saidDora。’Now，H。O。’ ’Let’sbeBandits，’saidH。O。’Idaresayit’swrongbutitwouldbefunpretending。’ ’I’msureit’swrong，’saidDora。 AndDickysaidshethoughteverythingwrong。Shesaidshedidn’t，andDickywasverydisagreeable。SoOswaldhadtomakepeace，andhesaid—’Doraneedn’tplayifshedoesn’twantto。Nobodyaskedher。And，Dicky，don’tbeanidiot：dodryupandlet’shearwhatNoel’sideais。’ DoraandDickydidnotlookpleased，butIkickedNoelunderthetabletomakehimhurryup，andthenhesaidhedidn’tthinkhewantedtoplayanymore。That’stheworstofit。Theothersaresojollyreadytoquarrel。ItoldNoeltobeamanandnotasnivellingpig，andatlasthesaidhehadnotmadeuphismindwhetherhewouldprinthispoetryinabookandsellit，orfindaprincessandmarryher。 ’Whicheveritis，’headded，’noneofyoushallwantforanything，thoughOswalddidkickme，andsayIwasasnivellingpig。’ ’Ididn’t，’saidOswald，’Itoldyounottobe。’AndAliceexplainedtohimthatthatwasquitetheoppositeofwhathethought。Soheagreedtodropit。ThenDickyspoke。 ’Youmustallofyouhavenoticedtheadvertisementsinthepapers，tellingyouthatladiesandgentlemencaneasilyearntwopoundsaweekintheirsparetime，andtosendtwoshillingsforsampleandinstructions，carefullypackedfreefromobservation。Nowthatwedon’tgotoschoolallourtimeissparetime。SoIshouldthinkwecouldeasilyearntwentypoundsaweekeach。Thatwoulddousverywell。We’lltrysomeoftheotherthingsfirst，anddirectlywehaveanymoneywe’llsendforthesampleandinstructions。AndIhaveanotheridea，butImustthinkaboutitbeforeIsay。’ Weallsaid，’Outwithit—what’stheotheridea？’ ButDickysaid，’No。’ThatisDickyallover。Heneverwillshowyouanythinghe’smakingtillit’squitefinished，andthesamewithhisinmostthoughts。Butheispleasedifyouseemtowanttoknow，soOswaldsaid— ’Keepyoursillyoldsecret，then。Now，Dora，driveahead。We’veallsaidexceptyou。’ ThenDorajumpedupanddroppedthestockingandthethimble（itrolledaway，andwedidnotfinditfordays），andsaid— ’Let’strymywaynow。Besides，I’mtheeldest，soit’sonlyfair。 Let’sdigfortreasure。Notanytiresomedivining—rod—butjustplaindigging。Peoplewhodigfortreasurealwaysfindit。Andthenweshallberichandweneedn’ttryyourwaysatall。Someofthemareratherdifficult：andI’mcertainsomeofthemarewrong—andwemustalwaysrememberthatwrongthings—’ Butwetoldhertoshutupandcomeon，andshedid。 Icouldn’thelpwonderingaswewentdowntothegarden，whyFatherhadneverthoughtofdiggingtherefortreasureinsteadofgoingtohisbeastlyofficeeveryday。 CHAPTER2 DIGGINGFORTREASURE Iamafraidthelastchapterwasratherdull。Itisalwaysdullinbookswhenpeopletalkandtalk，anddon’tdoanything，butIwasobligedtoputitin，orelseyouwouldn’thaveunderstoodalltherest。Thebestpartofbooksiswhenthingsarehappening。Thatisthebestpartofrealthingstoo。ThisiswhyIshallnottellyouinthisstoryaboutallthedayswhennothinghappened。Youwillnotcatchmesaying，’thusthesaddayspassedslowlyby’—or’theyearsrolledontheirwearycourse’—or’timewenton’— becauseitissilly;ofcoursetimegoeson—whetheryousaysoornot。SoIshalljusttellyouthenice，interestingparts—andinbetweenyouwillunderstandthatwehadourmealsandgotupandwenttobed，anddullthingslikethat。Itwouldbesickeningtowriteallthatdown，thoughofcourseithappens。IsaidsotoAlbert—next—door’suncle，whowritesbooks，andhesaid，’Quiteright，that’swhatwecallselection，anecessityoftrueart。’ Andheisverycleverindeed。Soyousee。 Ihaveoftenthoughtthatifthepeoplewhowritebooksforchildrenknewalittlemoreitwouldbebetter。IshallnottellyouanythingaboutusexceptwhatIshouldliketoknowaboutifI wasreadingthestoryandyouwerewritingit。Albert’sunclesaysIoughttohaveputthisinthepreface，butIneverreadprefaces，anditisnotmuchgoodwritingthingsjustforpeopletoskip。I wonderotherauthorshaveneverthoughtofthis。 Well，whenwehadagreedtodigfortreasureweallwentdownintothecellarandlightedthegas。Oswaldwouldhavelikedtodigthere，butitisstoneflags。Welookedamongtheoldboxesandbrokenchairsandfendersandemptybottlesandthings，andatlastwefoundthespadeswehadtodiginthesandwithwhenwewenttotheseasidethreeyearsago。Theyarenotsilly，babyish，woodenspades，thatsplitifyoulookatthem，butgoodiron，withabluemarkacrossthetopoftheironpart，andyellowwoodenhandles。 Wewastedalittletimegettingthemdusted，becausethegirlswouldn’tdigwithspadesthathadcobwebsonthem。GirlswouldneverdoforAfricanexplorersoranythinglikethat，theyaretoobeastlyparticular。 Itwasnousedoingthethingbyhalves。Wemarkedoutasortofsquareinthemouldypartofthegarden，aboutthreeyardsacross，andbegantodig。Butwefoundnothingexceptwormsandstones— andthegroundwasveryhard。Sowethoughtwe’dtryanotherpartofthegarden，andwefoundaplaceinthebigroundflowerbed，wherethegroundwasmuchsofter。Wethoughtwe’dmakeasmallerholetobeginwith，anditwasmuchbetter。Wedugandduganddug，anditwasjollyhardwork！Wegotveryhotdigging，butwefoundnothing。 PresentlyAlbert—next—doorlookedoverthewall。Wedonotlikehimverymuch，butwelethimplaywithussometimes，becausehisfatherisdead，andyoumustnotbeunkindtoorphans，eveniftheirmothersarealive。Albertisalwaysverytidy。Hewearsfrillycollarsandvelvetknickerbockers。Ican’tthinkhowhecanbearto。Sowesaid，’Hallo！’Andhesaid，’Whatareyouupto？’ ’We’rediggingfortreasure，’saidAlice;’anancientparchmentrevealedtoustheplaceofconcealment。Comeoverandhelpus。 Whenwehavedugdeepenoughweshallfindagreatpotofredclay，fullofgoldandpreciousjewels。’ Albert—next—dooronlysniggeredandsaid，’Whatsillynonsense！’ Hecannotplayproperlyatall。Itisverystrange，becausehehasaveryniceuncle。Yousee，Albert—next—doordoesn’tcareforreading，andhehasnotreadnearlysomanybooksaswehave，soheisveryfoolishandignorant，butitcannotbehelped，andyoujusthavetoputupwithitwhenyouwanthimtodoanything。Besides，itiswrongtobeangrywithpeoplefornotbeingsocleverasyouareyourself。Itisnotalwaystheirfaults。 SoOswaldsaid，’Comeanddig！Thenyoushallsharethetreasurewhenwe’vefoundit。’ Buthesaid，’Ishan’t—Idon’tlikedigging—andI’mjustgoingintomytea。’ ’Comealonganddig，there’sagoodboy，’Alicesaid。’Youcanusemyspade。It’smuchthebest—’ Sohecamealonganddug，andwhenoncehewasoverthewallwekepthimatit，andweworkedaswell，ofcourse，andtheholegotdeep。Pincherworkedtoo—heisourdogandheisverygoodatdigging。Hedigsforratsinthedustbinsometimes，andgetsverydirty。Butweloveourdog，evenwhenhisfacewantswashing。 ’Iexpectweshallhavetomakeatunnel，’Oswaldsaid，’toreachtherichtreasure。’Sohejumpedintotheholeandbegantodigatoneside。Afterthatwetookitinturnstodigatthetunnel，andPincherwasmostusefulinscrapingtheearthoutofthetunnel— hedoesitwithhisbackfeetwhenyousay’Rats！’andhedigswithhisfrontones，andburrowswithhisnoseaswell。 Atlastthetunnelwasnearlyayardlong，andbigenoughtocreepalongtofindthetreasure，ifonlyithadbeenabitlonger。NowitwasAlbert’sturntogoinanddig，buthefunkedit。 ’Takeyourturnlikeaman，’saidOswald—nobodycansaythatOswalddoesn’ttakehisturnlikeaman。ButAlbertwouldn’t。Sowehadtomakehim，becauseitwasonlyfair。 ’It’squiteeasy，’Alicesaid。’Youjustcrawlinanddigwithyourhands。Thenwhenyoucomeoutwecanscrapeoutwhatyou’vedone，withthespades。Come—beaman。Youwon’tnoticeitbeingdarkinthetunnelifyoushutyoureyestight。We’veallbeeninexceptDora—andshedoesn’tlikeworms。’ ’Idon’tlikewormsneither。’Albert—next—doorsaidthis;butwerememberedhowhehadpickedafatredandblackwormupinhisfingersandthrownitatDoraonlythedaybefore。Soweputhimin。 Buthewouldnotgoinheadfirst，theproperway，anddigwithhishandsaswehaddone，andthoughOswaldwasangryatthetime，forhehatessnivellers，yetafterwardsheownedthatperhapsitwasjustaswell。Youshouldneverbeafraidtoownthatperhapsyouweremistaken—butitiscowardlytodoitunlessyouarequitesureyouareinthewrong。 ’Letmegoinfeetfirst，’saidAlbert—next—door。’I’lldigwithmyboots—Iwilltruly，honourbright。’ Sowelethimgetinfeetfirst—andhediditveryslowlyandatlasthewasin，andonlyhisheadstickingoutintothehole;andalltherestofhiminthetunnel。 ’Nowdigwithyourboots，’saidOswald;’and，Alice，docatchholdofPincher，he’llbediggingagaininanotherminute，andperhapsitwouldbeuncomfortableforAlbertifPincherthrewthemouldintohiseyes。’ Youshouldalwaystrytothinkoftheselittlethings。Thinkingofotherpeople’scomfortmakesthemlikeyou。AliceheldPincher，andweallshouted，’Kick！digwithyourfeet，forallyou’reworth！’ SoAlbert—next—doorbegantodigwithhisfeet，andwestoodonthegroundoverhim，waiting—andallinaminutethegroundgaveway，andwetumbledtogetherinaheap：andwhenwegotuptherewasalittleshallowhollowwherewehadbeenstanding，andAlbert—next—doorwasunder—neath，stuckquitefast，becausetheroofofthetunnelhadtumbledinonhim。Heisahorriblyunluckyboytohaveanythingtodowith。 Itwasdreadfulthewayhecriedandscreamed，thoughhehadtoownitdidn’thurt，onlyitwasratherheavyandhecouldn’tmovehislegs。Wewouldhavedughimoutallrightenough，intime，buthescreamedsowewereafraidthepolicewouldcome，soDickyclimbedoverthewall，totellthecooktheretotellAlbert—next—door’sunclehehadbeenburiedbymistake，andtocomeandhelpdighimout。 Dickywasalongtimegone。Wewonderedwhathadbecomeofhim，andallthewhilethescreamingwentonandon，forwehadtakenthelooseearthoffAlbert’sfacesothathecouldscreamquiteeasilyandcomfortably。 PresentlyDickycamebackandAlbert—next—door’sunclecamewithhim。Hehasverylonglegs，andhishairislightandhisfaceisbrown。Hehasbeentosea，butnowhewritesbooks。Ilikehim。 Hetoldhisnephewtostowit，soAlbertdid，andthenheaskedhimifhewashurt—andAlberthadtosayhewasn’t，forthoughheisacoward，andveryunlucky，heisnotaliarlikesomeboysare。 ’Thispromisestobeaprotractedifagreeabletask，’saidAlbert—next—door’suncle，rubbinghishandsandlookingattheholewithAlbert’sheadinit。’Iwillgetanotherspade，’sohefetchedthebigspadeoutofthenext—doorgardentool—shed，andbegantodighisnephewout。 ’Mindyoukeepverystill，’hesaid，’orImightchunkabitoutofyouwiththespade。’Thenafterawhilehesaid— ’IconfessthatIamnotabsolutelyinsensibletothedramaticinterestofthesituation。Mycuriosityisexcited。IownthatI shouldliketoknowhowmynephewhappenedtobeburied。Butdon’ttellmeifyou’drathernot。Isupposenoforcewasused？’ ’Onlymoralforce，’saidAlice。TheyusedtotalkalotaboutmoralforceattheHighSchoolwhereshewent，andincaseyoudon’tknowwhatitmeansI’lltellyouthatitismakingpeopledowhattheydon’twantto，justbyslangingthem，orlaughingatthem，orpromisingthemthingsifthey’regood。 ’Onlymoralforce，eh？’saidAlbert—next—door’suncle。’Well？’ ’Well，’Dorasaid，’I’mverysorryithappenedtoAlbert—I’dratherithadbeenoneofus。Itwouldhavebeenmyturntogointothetunnel，onlyIdon’tlikeworms，sotheyletmeoff。Youseewewerediggingfortreasure。’ ’Yes，’saidAlice，’andIthinkwewerejustcomingtotheundergroundpassagethatleadstothesecrethoard，whenthetunnelfellinonAlbert。Heissounlucky，’andshesighed。 ThenAlbert—next—doorbegantoscreamagain，andhisunclewipedhisface—hisownface，notAlbert’s—withhissilkhandkerchief，andthenheputitinhistrouserspocket。Itseemsastrangeplacetoputahandkerchief，buthehadhiscoatandwaistcoatoffandIsupposehewantedthehandkerchiefhandy。Diggingiswarmwork。 HetoldAlbert—next—doortodropit，orhewouldn’tproceedfurtherinthematter，soAlbertstoppedscreaming，andpresentlyhisunclefinisheddigginghimout。Albertdidlooksofunny，withhishairalldustyandhisvelvetsuitcoveredwithmouldandhisfacemuddywithearthandcrying。 Weallsaidhowsorrywewere，buthewouldn’tsayawordbacktous。Hewasmostawfullysicktothinkhe’dbeentheoneburied，whenitmightjustaswellhavebeenoneofus。Ifeltmyselfthatitwashardlines。 ’Soyouwerediggingfortreasure，’saidAlbert—next—door’suncle，wipinghisfaceagainwithhishandkerchief。’Well，Ifearthatyourchancesofsuccessaresmall。Ihavemadeacarefulstudyofthewholesubject。WhatIdon’tknowaboutburiedtreasureisnotworthknowing。AndIneverknewmorethanonecoinburiedinanyonegarden—andthatisgenerally—Hullo—what’sthat？’ HepointedtosomethingshiningintheholehehadjustdraggedAlbertoutof。Oswaldpickeditup。Itwasahalf—crown。Welookedateachother，speechlesswithsurpriseanddelight，likeinbooks。 ’Well，that’slucky，atallevents，’saidAlbert—next—door’suncle。 ’Let’ssee，that’sfivepenceeachforyou。’ ’It’sfourpence—something;Ican’tdofractions，’saidDicky; ’therearesevenofus，yousee。’ ’Oh，youcountAlbertasoneofyourselvesonthisoccasion，eh？’ ’Ofcourse，’saidAlice;’andIsay，hewasburiedafterall。Whyshouldn’twelethimhavetheoddsomethings，andwe’llhavefourpenceeach。’ Weallagreedtodothis，andtoldAlbert—next—doorwewouldbringhisshareassoonaswecouldgetthehalf—crownchanged。Hecheeredupalittleatthat，andhisunclewipedhisfaceagain— hedidlookhot—andbegantoputonhiscoatandwaistcoat。 Whenhehaddoneithestoopedandpickedupsomething。Hehelditup，andyouwillhardlybelieveit，butitisquitetrue—itwasanotherhalf—crown！ ’Tothinkthatthereshouldbetwo！’hesaid;’inallmyexperienceofburiedtreasureIneverheardofsuchathing！’ IwishAlbert—next—door’sunclewouldcometreasure—seekingwithusregularly;hemusthaveverysharpeyes：forDorasaysshewaslookingjusttheminutebeforeattheveryplacewherethesecondhalf—crownwaspickedupfrom，andsheneversawit。 CHAPTER3 BEINGDETECTIVES Thenextthingthathappenedtouswasveryinteresting。Itwasasrealasthehalf—crowns—notjustpretending。IshalltrytowriteitaslikearealbookasIcan。OfcoursewehavereadMrSherlockHolmes，aswellastheyellow—coveredbookswithpicturesoutsidethataresobadlyprinted;andyougetthemforfourpence—halfpennyatthebookstallwhenthecornersofthemarebeginningtocurlupandgetdirty，withpeoplelookingtoseehowthestoryendswhentheyarewaitingfortrains。Ithinkthisismostunfairtotheboyatthebookstall。ThebooksarewrittenbyagentlemannamedGaboriau，andAlbert’sunclesaystheyaretheworsttranslationsintheworld—andwritteninvileEnglish。Ofcoursethey’renotlikeKipling，butthey’rejollygoodstories。 AndwehadjustbeenreadingabookbyDickDiddlington—that’snothisrightname，butIknowallaboutlibelactions，soIshallnotsaywhathisnameisreally，becausehisbooksarerot。OnlytheyputitintoourheadstodowhatIamgoingtonarrate。 ItwasinSeptember，andwewerenottogototheseasidebecauseitissoexpensive，evenifyougotoSheerness，whereitisalltincansandoldbootsandnosandatall。Buteveryoneelsewent，eventhepeoplenextdoor—notAlbert’sside，buttheother。 TheirservanttoldElizatheywereallgoingtoScarborough，andnextdaysureenoughalltheblindsweredownandtheshuttersup，andthemilkwasnotleftanymore。Thereisabighorse—chestnuttreebetweentheirgardenandours，veryusefulforgettingconkersoutofandformakingstufftorubonyourchilblains。Thispreventedourseeingwhethertheblindsweredownatthebackaswell，butDickyclimbedtothetopofthetreeandlooked，andtheywere。 Itwasjollyhotweather，andverystuffyindoors—weusedtoplayagooddealinthegarden。Wemadeatentoutofthekitchenclothes—horseandsomeblanketsoffourbeds，andthoughitwasquiteashotinthetentasinthehouseitwasaverydifferentsortofhotness。Albert’sunclecalledittheTurkishBath。Itisnotnicetobekeptfromtheseaside，butweknowthatwehavemuchtobethankfulfor。Wemightbepoorlittlechildrenlivinginacrowdedalleywhereevenatsummernoonhardlyarayofsunlightpenetrates;clothedinragsandwithbarefeet—thoughIdonotmindholesinmyclothesmyself，andbarefeetwouldnotbeatallbadinthissortofweather。Indeedwedo，sometimes，whenweareplayingatthingswhichrequireit。Itwasshipwreckedmarinersthatday，Iremember，andwewereallintheblankettent。Wehadjustfinishedeatingthethingswehadsaved，attheperilofourlives，fromthest—sinkingvessel。Theywererathernicethings。 Two—pennyworthofcoconutcandy—itwasgotinGreenwich，whereitisfourouncesapenny—threeapples，somemacaroni—thestraightsortthatissousefultosuckthingsthrough—somerawrice，andalargepieceofcoldsuetpuddingthatAlicenickedfromthelarderwhenshewenttogetthericeandmacaroni。Andwhenwehadfinishedsomeonesaid— ’Ishouldliketobeadetective。’ Iwishtobequitefair，butIcannotrememberexactlywhosaidit。 Oswaldthinkshesaidit，andDorasaysitwasDicky，butOswaldistoomuchofamantoquarrelaboutalittlethinglikethat。 ’Ishouldliketobeadetective，’said—perhapsitwasDicky，butIthinknot—’andfindoutstrangeandhiddencrimes。’ ’Youhavetobemuchclevererthanyouare，’saidH。O。 ’Notsovery，’Alicesaid，’becausewhenyou’vereadthebooksyouknowwhatthethingsmean：theredhaironthehandleoftheknife，orthegrainsofwhitepowderonthevelvetcollarofthevillain’sovercoat。Ibelievewecoulddoit。’ ’Ishouldn’tliketohaveanythingtodowithmurders，’saidDora; ’somehowitdoesn’tseemsafe—’ ’Anditalwaysendsinthepoormurdererbeinghanged，’saidAlice。 Weexplainedtoherwhymurderershavetobehanged，butsheonlysaid，’Idon’tcare。I’msurenoonewouldeverdomurderingtwice。Thinkofthebloodandthings，andwhatyouwouldseewhenyouwokeupinthenight！Ishouldn’tmindbeingadetectivetolieinwaitforagangofcoiners，now，andspringuponthemunawares，andsecurethem—single—handed，youknow，orwithonlymyfaithfulbloodhound。’ ShestrokedPincher’sears，buthehadgonetosleepbecauseheknewwellenoughthatallthesuetpuddingwasfinished。Heisaverysensibledog。 ’Youalwaysgetholdofthewrongendofthestick，’Oswaldsaid。 ’Youcan’tchoosewhatcrimesyou’llbeadetectiveabout。Youjusthavetogetasuspiciouscircumstance，andthenyoulookforaclueandfollowitup。Whetheritturnsoutamurderoramissingwillisjustafluke。’ ’That’soneway，’Dickysaid。’Anotheristogetapaperandfindtwoadvertisementsorbitsofnewsthatfit。Likethis：\"YoungLadyMissing，\"andthenittellsaboutalltheclothesshehadon，andthegoldlocketshewore，andthecolourofherhair，andallthat;andtheninanotherpieceofthepaperyousee，\"Goldlocketfound，\"andthenitallcomesout。’ WesentH。O。forthepaperatonce，butwecouldnotmakeanyofthethingsfitin。ThetwobestwereabouthowsomeburglarsbrokeintoaplaceinHollowaywheretheymadepreservedtonguesandinvaliddelicacies，andcarriedoffalotofthem。Andonanotherpagetherewas，’MysteriousdeathsinHolloway。’ Oswaldthoughttherewassomethinginit，andsodidAlbert’sunclewhenweaskedhim，buttheothersthoughtnot，soOswaldagreedtodropit。Besides，Hollowayisalongwayoff。AllthetimeweweretalkingaboutthepaperAliceseemedtobethinkingaboutsomethingelse，andwhenwehaddoneshesaid— ’Ibelievewemightbedetectivesourselves，butIshouldnotliketogetanybodyintotrouble。’ ’Notmurderersorrobbers？’Dickyasked。 ’Itwouldn’tbemurderers，’shesaid;’butIhavenoticedsomethingstrange。OnlyIfeelalittlefrightened。Let’saskAlbert’sunclefirst。’ Aliceisajollysighttoofondofaskinggrown—UPpeoplethings。 Andweallsaiditwastommyrot，andshewastotellus。 ’Well，promiseyouwon’tdoanythingwithoutme，’Alicesaid，andwepromised。Thenshesaid—’Thisisadarksecret，andanyonewhothinksitisbetternottobeinvolvedinacareerofcrime— discoveryhadbettergoawayereyetitbetoolate。’ SoDorasaidshehadhadenoughoftents，andshewasgoingtolookattheshops。H。O。wentwithherbecausehehadtwopencetospend。TheythoughtitwasonlyagameofAlice’sbutOswaldknewbythewayshespoke。Hecannearlyalwaystell。AndwhenpeoplearenottellingthetruthOswaldgenerallyknowsbythewaytheylookwiththeireyes。Oswaldisnotproudofbeingabletodothis。Heknowsitisthroughnomeritofhisownthatheismuchclevererthansomepeople。 Whentheyhadgone，therestofusgotclosertogetherandsaid— ’Nowthen。’ ’Well，’Alicesaid，’youknowthehousenextdoor？ThepeoplehavegonetoScarborough。Andthehouseisshutup。ButlastnightI sawalightinthewindows。’ Weaskedherhowandwhen，becauseherroomisinthefront，andshecouldn’tpossiblyhaveseen。Andthenshesaid— ’I’lltellyouifyouboyswillpromisenotevertogofishingagainwithoutme。’Sowehadtopromise。Thenshesaid— ’Itwaslastnight。IhadforgottentofeedmyrabbitsandIwokeupandrememberedit。AndIwasafraidIshouldfindthemdeadinthemorning，likeOswalddid。’ ’Itwasn’tmyfault，’Oswaldsaid;’therewassomethingthematterwiththebeasts。Ifedthemrightenough。’ Alicesaidshedidn’tmeanthat，andshewenton— ’Icamedownintothegarden，andIsawalightinthehouse，anddarkfiguresmovingabout。Ithoughtperhapsitwasburglars，butFatherhadn’tcomehome，andElizahadgonetobed，soIcouldn’tdoanything。OnlyIthoughtperhapsIwouldtelltherestofyou。’ ’Whydidn’tyoutellusthismorning？’Noelasked。AndAliceexplainedthatshedidnotwanttogetanyoneintotrouble，evenburglars。’Butwemightwatchto—night，’shesaid，’andseeifweseethelightagain。’ ’Theymighthavebeenburglars，’Noelsaid。Hewassuckingthelastbitofhismacaroni。’Youknowthepeoplenextdoorareverygrand。Theywon’tknowus—andtheygooutinarealprivatecarriagesometimes。Andtheyhavean\"AtHome\"day，andpeoplecomeincabs。Idaresaytheyhavepilesofplateandjewelleryandrichbrocades，andfursofpriceandthingslikethat。Letuskeepwatchto—night。’ ’It’snousewatchingto—night，’Dickysaid;’ifit’sonlyburglarstheywon’tcomeagain。Butthereareotherthingsbesidesburglarsthatarediscoveredinemptyhouseswherelightsareseenmoving。’ ’Youmeancoiners，’saidOswaldatonce。’Iwonderwhattherewardisforsettingthepoliceontheirtrack？’ Dickythoughtitoughttobesomethingfat，becausecoinersarealwaysadesperategang;andthemachinerytheymakethecoinswithissoheavyandhandyforknockingdowndetectives。 Thenitwastea—time，andwewentin;andDoraandH。O。hadclubbedtheirmoneytogetherandboughtamelon;quiteabigone，andonlyalittlebitsquashyatoneend。Itwasverygood，andthenwewashedtheseedsandmadethingswiththemandwithpinsandcotton。Andnobodysaidanymoreaboutwatchingthehousenextdoor。 OnlywhenwewenttobedDickytookoffhiscoatandwaistcoat，buthestoppedathisbraces，andsaid— ’Whataboutthecoiners？’ Oswaldhadtakenoffhiscollarandtie，andhewasjustgoingtosaythesame，sohesaid，’OfcourseImeanttowatch，onlymycollar’srathertight，soIthoughtI’dtakeitofffirst。’ Dickysaidhedidnotthinkthegirlsoughttobeinit，becausetheremightbedanger，butOswaldremindedhimthattheyhadpromisedAlice，andthatapromiseisasacredthing，evenwhenyou’dmuchrathernot。SoOswaldgotAlicealoneunderpretenceofshowingheracaterpillar—Doradoesnotlikethem，andshescreamedandranawaywhenOswaldofferedtoshowither。ThenOswaldexplained，andAliceagreedtocomeandwatchifshecould。 Thismadeuslaterthanweoughttohavebeen，becauseAlicehadtowaittillDorawasquietandthencreepoutveryslowly，forfearoftheboardscreaking。Thegirlssleepwiththeirroom—dooropenforfearofburglars。AlicehadkeptonherclothesunderhernightgownwhenDorawasn’tlooking，andpresentlywegotdown，creepingpastFather’sstudy，andoutattheglassdoorthatleadsontotheverandaandtheironstepsintothegarden。Andwewentdownveryquietly，andgotintothechestnut—tree;andthenIfeltthatwehadonlybeenplayingwhatAlbert’sunclecallsourfavouriteinstrument—ImeantheFool。Forthehousenextdoorwasasdarkasdark。Thensuddenlyweheardasound—itcamefromthegateattheendofthegarden。Allthegardenshavegates; theyleadintoakindoflanethatrunsbehindthem。Itisasortofbackway，veryconvenientwhenyoudon’twanttosayexactlywhereyouaregoing。Weheardthegateattheendofthenextgardenclick，andDickynudgedAlicesothatshewouldhavefallenoutofthetreeifithadnotbeenforOswald’sextraordinarypresenceofmind。OswaldsqueezedAlice’sarmtight，andwealllooked;andtheotherswereratherfrightenedbecausereallywehadnotexactlyexpectedanythingtohappenexceptperhapsalight。 Butnowamuffledfigure，shroudedinadarkcloak，cameswiftlyupthepathofthenext—doorgarden。Andwecouldseethatunderitscloakthefigurecarriedamysteriousburden。Thefigurewasdressedtolooklikeawomaninasailorhat。 Weheldourbreathasitpassedunderthetreewherewewere，andthenittappedverygentlyonthebackdoorandwasletin，andthenalightappearedinthewindowofthedownstairsbackbreakfast—room。Buttheshutterswereup。 Dickysaid，’Myeye！’andwouldn’ttheothersbesicktothinktheyhadn’tbeeninthis！ButAlicedidn’thalflikeit—andassheisagirlIdonotblameher。Indeed，Ithoughtmyselfatfirstthatperhapsitwouldbebettertoretireforthepresent，andreturnlaterwithastronglyarmedforce。 ’It’snotburglars，’Alicewhispered;’themysteriousStrangerwasbringingthingsin，nottakingthemout。Theymustbecoiners— andoh，Oswald！—don’tlet’s！Thethingstheycoinwithmusthurtverymuch。Dolet’sgotobed！’ ButDickysaidhewasgoingtosee;iftherewasarewardforfindingoutthingslikethishewouldliketohavethereward。 ’Theylockedthebackdoor，’hewhispered，’Ihearditgo。AndI couldlookinquitewellthroughtheholesintheshuttersandbebackoverthewalllongbeforethey’dgotthedooropen，eveniftheystartedtodoitatonce。’ Therewereholesatthetopoftheshutterstheshapeofhearts，andtheyellowlightcameoutthroughthemaswellasthroughthechinksoftheshutters。 OswaldsaidifDickywentheshould，becausehewastheeldest;andAlicesaid，’Ifanyonegoesitoughttobeme，becauseIthoughtofit。’ SoOswaldsaid，’Well，gothen’;andshesaid，’Notforanything！’ Andshebeggedusnotto，andwetalkedaboutitinthetreetillwewereallquitehoarsewithwhispering。 Atlastwedecidedonaplanofaction。 Alicewastostayinthetree，andscream’Murder！’ifanythinghappened。DickyandIweretogetdownintothenextgardenandtakeitinturnstopeep。 Sowegotdownasquietlyaswecould，butthetreemademuchmorenoisethanitdoesintheday，andseveraltimeswepaused，fearingthatallwasdiscovered。Butnothinghappened。 Therewasapileofredflower—potsunderthewindowandoneverylargeonewasonthewindow—ledge。ItseemedasifitwasthehandofDestinyhadplaceditthere，andthegeraniuminitwasdead，andtherewasnothingtostopyourstandingonit—soOswalddid。 Hewentfirstbecauseheistheeldest，andthoughDickytriedtostophimbecausehethoughtofitfirstitcouldnotbe，onaccountofnotbeingabletosayanything。 SoOswaldstoodontheflower—potandtriedtolookthroughoneoftheholes。Hedidnotreallyexpecttoseethecoinersattheirfellwork，thoughhehadpretendedtowhenweweretalkinginthetree。Butifhehadseenthempouringthebasemoltenmetalintotinmouldstheshapeofhalf—crownshewouldnothavebeenhalfsoastonishedashewasatthespectaclenowrevealed。 Atfirsthecouldseelittle，becausetheholehadunfortunatelybeenmadealittletoohigh，sothattheeyeofthedetectivecouldonlyseetheProdigalSoninashinyframeontheoppositewall。 ButOswaldheldontothewindow—frameandstoodontiptoeandthenhesaw。 Therewasnofurnace，andnobasemetal，nobeardedmeninleathernapronswithtongsandthings，butjustatablewithatable—clothonitforsupper，andatinofsalmonandalettuceandsomebottledbeer。Andthereonachairwasthecloakandthehatofthemysteriousstranger，andthetwopeoplesittingatthetablewerethetwoyoungestgrown—updaughtersoftheladynextdoor，andoneofthemwassaying— ’SoIgotthesalmonthree—halfpencecheaper，andthelettucesareonlysixapennyintheBroad—way，justfancy！Wemustsaveasmuchaseverwecanonourhousekeepingmoneyifwewanttogoawaydecentnextyear。’ Andtheothersaid，’Iwishwecouldallgoeveryyear，orelse— Really，Ialmostwish—’ AndallthetimeOswaldwaslookingDickywaspullingathisjackettomakehimgetdownandletDickyhaveasquint。Andjustasshesaid’Ialmost，’DickypulledtoohardandOswaldfelthimselftopplingonthegiddyvergeofthebigflower—pots。Puttingforthallhisstrengthourherostrovetorecoverhisequi— what’s—its—name，butitwasnowlostbeyondrecall。 ’You’vedoneitthistime！’hesaid，thenhefellheavilyamongtheflower—potspiledbelow。Heheardthemcrashandrattleandcrack，andthenhisheadstruckagainstanironpillarusedforholdingupthenext—doorveranda。Hiseyesclosedandheknewnomore。 NowyouwillperhapsexpectthatatthismomentAlicewouldhavecried’Murder！’Ifyouthinksoyoulittleknowwhatgirlsare。 DirectlyshewasleftaloneinthattreeshemadeabolttotellAlbert’suncleallaboutitandbringhimtoourrescueincasethecoiner’sgangwasaverydesperateone。AndjustwhenIfell，Albert’sunclewasgettingoverthewall。AliceneverscreamedatallwhenOswaldfell，butDickythinksheheardAlbert’sunclesay，’Confoundthosekids！’whichwouldnothavebeenkindorpolite，soIhopehedidnotsayit。 Thepeoplenextdoordidnotcomeouttoseewhattherowwas。 Albert’suncledidnotwaitforthemtocomeout。HepickedupOswaldandcarriedtheinsensiblebodyofthegallantyoungdetectivetothewall，laiditonthetop，andthenclimbedoverandborehislifelessburdenintoourhouseandputitonthesofainFather’sstudy。Fatherwasout，soweneedn’thavecreptsowhenweweregettingintothegarden。ThenOswaldwasrestoredtoconsciousness，andhisheadtiedup，andsenttobed，andnextdaytherewasalumponhisyoungbrowasbigasaturkey’segg，andveryuncomfortable。 Albert’sunclecameinnextdayandtalkedtoeachofusseparately。ToOswaldhesaidmanyunpleasantthingsaboutungentlemanlytospyonladies，andaboutmindingyourownbusiness;andwhenIbegantotellhimwhatIhadheardhetoldmetoshutup，andaltogetherhemadememoreuncomfortablethanthebumpdid。 Oswalddidnotsayanythingtoanyone，butnextday，astheshadowsofevewerefalling，hecreptaway，andwroteonapieceofpaper，’Iwanttospeaktoyou，’andshoveditthroughtheholelikeaheartinthetopofthenext—doorshutters。 Andtheyoungestyoungladyputaneyetotheheart—shapedhole，andthenopenedtheshutterandsaid’Well？’verycrossly。ThenOswaldsaid— ’Iamverysorry，andIbegyourpardon。Wewantedtobedetectives，andwethoughtagangofcoinersinfestedyourhouse，sowelookedthroughyourwindowlastnight。Isawthelettuce，andIheardwhatyousaidaboutthesalmonbeingthree—halfpencecheaper，andIknowitisverydishonourabletopryintootherpeople’ssecrets，especiallyladies’，andIneverwillagainifyouwillforgivemethisonce。’ Thentheladyfrownedandthenshelaughed，andthenshesaid— ’Soitwasyoutumblingintotheflower—potslastnight？Wethoughtitwasburglars。Itfrightenedushorribly。Why，whatabumponyourpoorhead！’ Andthenshetalkedtomeabit，andpresentlyshesaidsheandhersisterhadnotwishedpeopletoknowtheywereathome，because— Andthenshestoppedshortandgrewveryred，andIsaid，’I thoughtyouwereallatScarborough;yourservanttoldElizaso。 Whydidn’tyouwantpeopletoknowyouwereathome？’ Theladygotredderstill，andthenshelaughedandsaid— ’Nevermindthereasonwhy。Ihopeyourheaddoesn’thurtmuch。 Thankyouforyournice，manlylittlespeech。You’venothingtobeashamedof，atanyrate。’Thenshekissedme，andIdidnotmind。 Andthenshesaid，’Runawaynow，dear。I’mgoingto—I’mgoingtopulluptheblindsandopentheshutters，andIwanttodoitatonce，beforeitgetsdark，sothateveryonecanseewe’reathome，andnotatScarborough。’ CHAPTER4 GOODHUNTING Whenwehadgotthatfourshillingsbydiggingfortreasureweought，byrights，tohavetriedDicky’sideaofansweringtheadvertisementaboutladiesandgentlemenandsparetimeandtwopoundsaweek，buttherewereseveralthingsweratherwanted。 Dorawantedanewpairofscissors，andshesaidshewasgoingtogetthemwithhereight—pence。ButAlicesaid— ’Yououghttogetherthose，Oswald，becauseyouknowyoubrokethepointsoffhersgettingthemarbleoutofthebrassthimble。’ Itwasquitetrue，thoughIhadalmostforgottenit，butthenitwasH。O。whojammedthemarbleintothethimblefirstofall。SoIsaid— ’It’sH。O。’sfaultasmuchasmine，anyhow。Whyshouldn’thepay？’ Oswalddidn’tsomuchmindpayingforthebeastlyscissors，buthehatesinjusticeofeverykind。 ’He’ssuchalittlekid，’saidDicky，andofcourseH。O。saidhewasn’talittlekid，anditverynearlycametobeingarowbetweenthem。ButOswaldknowswhentobegenerous;sohesaid— ’Lookhere！I’llpaysixpenceofthescissors，andH。O。shallpaytherest，toteachhimtobecareful。’ H。O。agreed：heisnotatallameankid，butIfoundoutafterwardsthatAlicepaidhisshareoutofherownmoney。 Thenwewantedsomenewpaints，andNoElwantedapencilandahalfpennyaccount—booktowritepoetrywith，anditdoesseemhardnevertohaveanyapples。So，somehoworothernearlyallthemoneygotspent，andweagreedthatwemustlettheadvertisementrunloosealittlelonger。 ’Ionlyhope，’Alicesaid，’thattheywon’thavegotalltheladiesandgentlementheywantbeforewehavegotthemoneytowriteforthesampleandinstructions。’ AndIwasalittleafraidmyself，becauseitseemedsuchasplendidchance;butwelookedinthepapereveryday，andtheadvertisementwasalwaysthere，sowethoughtitwasallright。 Thenwehadthedetectivetry—on—anditprovednogo;andthen，whenallthemoneywasgone，exceptahalfpennyofmineandtwopenceofNoel’sandthree—penceofDicky’sandafewpenniesthatthegirlshadleft，weheldanothercouncil。 DorawassewingthebuttonsonH。O。’sSundaythings。Hegothimselfaknifewithhismoney，andhecuteverysingleoneofhisbestbuttonsoff。You’venoideahowmanybuttonsthereareonasuit。Doracountedthem。Therearetwenty—four，countingthelittleonesonthesleevesthatdon’tundo。 AlicewastryingtoteachPinchertobeg;buthehastoomuchsensewhenheknowsyou’vegotnothinginyourhands，andtherestofuswereroastingpotatoesunderthefire。Wehadmadeafireonpurpose，thoughitwasratherwarm。Theyareverygoodifyoucutawaytheburntparts—butyououghttowashthemfirst，oryouareadirtyboy。 ’Well，whatcanwedo？’saidDicky。’Youaresofondofsaying\"Let’sdosomething！\"andneversayingwhat。’ ’Wecan’ttrytheadvertisementyet。Shallwetryrescuingsomeone？’saidOswald。Itwashisownidea，buthedidn’tinsistondoingit，thoughheisnexttotheeldest，forheknowsitisbadmannerstomakepeopledowhatyouwant，whentheywouldrathernot。 ’WhatwasNoel’splan？’Aliceasked。 ’APrincessorapoetrybook，’saidNoelsleepily。Hewaslyingonhisbackonthesofa，kickinghislegs。’OnlyIshalllookforthePrincessallbymyself。ButI’llletyouseeherwhenwe’remarried。’ ’Haveyougotenoughpoetrytomakeabook？’Dickyaskedthat，anditwasrathersensibleofhim，becausewhenNoelcametolooktherewereonlysevenofhispoemsthatanyofuscouldunderstand。 Therewasthe’WreckoftheMalabar’，andthepoemhewrotewhenElizatookustoheartheRevivingPreacher，andeverybodycried，andFathersaiditmusthavebeenthePreacher’sEloquence。SoNoelwrote： OEloquenceandwhatartthou？ Aywhatartthou？becausewecriedAndeverybodycriedinsideWhentheycameouttheireyeswerered— AnditwasyourdoingFathersaid。 ButNoeltoldAlicehegotthefirstlineandahalffromabookaboyatschoolwasgoingtowritewhenhehadtime。Besidesthistherewerethe’LinesonaDeadBlackBeetlethatwaspoisoned’： BeetlehowIweeptoseeTheelyingonthypoorback！ Itissoverysadindeed。 Youweresoshinyandblack。 IwishyouwerealiveagainButElizasayswishingitisnonsenseandashame。 Itwasverygoodbeetlepoison，andtherewerehundredsofthemlyingdead—butNoelonlywroteapieceofpoetryforoneofthem。 Hesaidhehadn’ttimetodothemall，andtheworstofitwashedidn’tknowwhichonehe’dwrittenitto—soAlicecouldn’tburythebeetleandputthelinesonitsgrave，thoughshewantedtoverymuch。 Well，itwasquiteplainthattherewasn’tenoughpoetryforabook。 ’Wemightwaitayearortwo，’saidNoel。’Ishallbesuretomakesomemoresometime。Ithoughtofapieceaboutaflythismorningthatknewcondensedmilkwassticky。’ ’Butwewantthemoneynow，’saidDicky，’andyoucangoonwritingjustthesame。Itwillcomeinsometimeorother。’ ’There’spoetryinnewspapers，’saidAlice。’Down，Pincher！you’llneverbeacleverdog，soit’snogoodtrying。’ ’Dotheypayforit？’Dickythoughtofthat;heoftenthinksofthingsthatarereallyimportant，eveniftheyarealittledull。 ’Idon’tknow。ButIshouldn’tthinkanyonewouldletthemprinttheirpoetrywithout。Iwouldn’tIknow。’ThatwasDora;butNoelsaidhewouldn’tmindifhedidn’tgetpaid，solongashesawhispoetryprintedandhisnameattheend。 ’Wemighttry，anyway，’saidOswald。Heisalwayswillingtogiveotherpeople’sideasafairtrial。 Sowecopiedout’TheWreckoftheMalabar’andtheothersixpoemsondrawing—paper—Doradidit，shewritesbest—andOswalddrewapictureoftheMalabargoingdownwithallhands。Itwasafull—riggedschooner，andalltheropesandsailswerecorrect; becausemycousinisintheNavy，andheshowedme。 Wethoughtalongtimewhetherwe’dwritealetterandsenditbypostwiththepoetry—andDorathoughtitwouldbebest。ButNoElsaidhecouldn’tbearnottoknowatonceifthepaperwouldprintthepoetry，Sowedecidedtotakeit。 IwentwithNoel，becauseIamtheeldest，andheisnotoldenoughtogotoLondonbyhimself。Dickysaidpoetrywasrot—andhewasgladhehadn’tgottomakeafoolofhimself。thatwasbecausetherewasnotenoughmoneyforhimtogowithus。H。O。couldn’tcomeeither，buthecametothestationtoseeusoff，andwavedhiscapandcalledout’Goodhunting！’asthetrainstarted。 Therewasaladyinspectaclesinthecorner。Shewaswritingwithapencilontheedgesoflongstripsofpaperthathadprintalldownthem。Whenthetrainstartedsheasked— ’Whatwasthathesaid？’ SoOswaldanswered— ’Itwas\"Goodhunting\"—it’soutofthejunglebook！’ ’That’sverypleasanttohear，’theladysaid;’Iamverypleasedtomeetpeoplewhoknowtheirjunglebook。Andwhereareyouoffto—theZoologicalGardenstolookforBagheera？’ Wewerepleased，too，tomeetsomeonewhoknewthejunglebook。 SoOswaldsaid— ’WearegoingtorestorethefallenfortunesoftheHouseofBastable—andwehaveallthoughtofdifferentways—andwe’regoingtotrythemall。Noel’swayispoetry。Isupposegreatpoetsgetpaid？’ Theladylaughed—shewasawfullyjolly—andsaidshewasasortofpoet，too，andthelongstripsofpaperweretheproofsofhernewbookofstories。Becausebeforeabookismadeintoarealbookwithpagesandacover，theysometimesprintitallonstripsofpaper，andthewritermakemarksonitwithapenciltoshowtheprinterswhatidiotstheyarenottounderstandwhatawritermeanstohaveprinted。 Wetoldherallaboutdiggingfortreasure，andwhatwemeanttodo。ThensheaskedtoseeNoel’spoetry—andhesaidhedidn’tlike—soshesaid，’Lookhere—ifyou’llshowmeyoursI’llshowyousomeofmine。’Soheagreed。 ThejollyladyreadNoEl’spoetry，andshesaidshelikeditverymuch。AndshethoughtagreatdealofthepictureoftheMalabar。 Andthenshesaid，’Iwriteseriouspoetrylikeyoursmyself;too，butIhaveapieceherethatIthinkyouwilllikebecauseit’saboutaboy。’Shegaveittous—andsoIcancopyitdown，andIwill，foritshowsthatsomegrown—upladiesarenotsosillyasothers。IlikeitbetterthanNoEl’spoetry，thoughItoldhimI didnot，becausehelookedasifhewasgoingtocry。Thiswasverywrong，foryoushouldalwaysspeakthetruth，howeverunhappyitmakespeople。AndIgenerallydo。ButIdidnotwanthimcryingintherailwaycarriage。Thelady’spieceofpoetry： OhwhenIwakeupinmybedAndseethesunallfatandred，I’mgladtohaveanotherdayForallmydifferentkindsofplay。 Therearesomanythingstodo— Thethingsthatmakeamanofyou，Ifgrown—upsdidnotgetsovexedAndwonderwhatyouwilldonext。 IoftenwonderwhethertheyEvermadeupourkindsofplay— IftheywerealwaysgoodasgoldAndonlydidwhattheyweretold。 TheylikeyoubesttoplaywithtopsAndtoysinboxes，boughtinshops; TheydonotevenknowthenamesOfreallyinterestinggames。