d heavy braids
of black hair wound around her head.

"Her!" said Dick. "My, I know her better 'n I know you!"

The young man began to laugh.

"Where did you meet her, Dick?" he said. "At Newport? Or when you ran
over to Paris the last time?"

Dick actually forgot to grin. He began to gather his brushes and things
together, as if he had something to do which would put an end to his
business for the present.

"Never mind," he said. "I know her! An I've struck work for this
mornin'."

And in less than five minutes from that time he was tearing through the
streets on his way to Mr. Hobbs and the corner store.

Mr. Hobbs could scarcely believe the evidence of his senses when he
looked across the counter and saw Dick rush in with the paper in his
hand. The boy was out of breath with running; so much out of breath,
in fact, that he could scarcely speak as he threw the paper down on the
counter.

"Hello!" exclaimed Mr. Hobbs. "Hello! What you got there?"

"Look at it!" panted Dick. "Look at that woman in the picture! That's
what you look at! SHE aint no 'ristocrat, SHE aint!" with withering
scorn. "She's no lord's wife. You may eat me, if it aint Minna--MINNA!
I'd know her anywheres, an' so 'd Ben. Jest ax him."

Mr. Hobbs dropped into his seat.

"I knowed it was a put-up job," he said. "I knowed it; and they done it
on account o' him bein' a 'Merican!"

"Done it!" cried Dick, with disgust. "SHE done it, that's who done it.
She was allers up to her tricks; an' I'll tell yer wot come to me,
the minnit I saw her pictur. There was one o' them papers we saw had
a letter in it that said somethin' 'bout her boy, an' it said he had a
scar on his chin. Put them two together--her 'n' that there scar!
Why, that there boy o' hers aint no more a lord than I am! It's BEN'S
boy,--the little chap she hit when she let fly that plate at me."

Professor Dick Tipton had always been a sharp boy, and earning his
living in the streets of a big city had made him still sharper. He had
learned to keep his eyes open and his wits about him, and it must be
confessed he enjoyed immensely the excitement and impatience of that
moment. If little Lord Fauntleroy could only have looked into the store
that morning, he would certainly have been interested, even if all the
discussion and plans had been intended to decide the fate of some other
boy than himself.

Mr. Hobbs was almost overwhelmed by his sense of responsibility, and
Dick was all al