o fool it
away. I shall make a business with it which will enable me to help her,"
replied Dory with enthusiasm.

"What is the business, Dory?"

Dory hesitated. There was a contingency about it, and he was afraid that
Mr. Hawlinshed would not approve his plan. He was not altogether clear
in regard to it himself, and he did not care to commit himself.

"I should like to keep that as my secret. I am going to help my mother;
but I am not sure that I can make the plan work, and I don't want to say
any thing about it yet."

"But you will have to explain where you got your money," suggested Mr.
Hawlinshed.

"I will promise never to say one word about what happened in the woods.
I will give this letter to your son to-morrow morning, and then I will
bury the whole thing forever. No one shall ever know where the money
came from."

Mr. Hawlinshed had a great many doubts, as well he might have had. But
he was in a very trying situation himself. His relations with his son
were unpleasant. He had no malice or ill feeling towards Pearl, and all
he wanted was to conceal the sad act of the young man.

Dory was very tired; and he could not help gaping, he was so sleepy. He
shook hands with his new friend, who said they might never meet again.
If he returned to the vicinity of Burlington, he should certainly look
him up; and he hoped he should find him an honest, industrious, and
prosperous young man. Dory left the room.

He kept one hand in his pocket on the wallet which contained the
treasure that was to open up the brilliant scheme by which he hoped to
support his mother and sister. He went out of the hotel without any
definite idea of where he intended to go. It was ten o'clock by this
time. He was not penniless now, as he had been before. He was rich
enough to spend the night, or even a week or a month, at the Witherill
House; but the idea of going there, or to any other public house, did
not occur to him.

Though he had five dollars for "expenses," he could not think of paying
out a dollar, or even half a dollar, for a night's lodging. That would
do very well for Mr. Vanderbilt, but not for him. It would be throwing
money away. He walked down to the lake. He was not so sleepy as he had
been. Stirring himself had waked him up. As he came to the wharf, his
brilliant scheme leaped into his head again.

During his stop at Plattsburgh the day before, he had seen a sailboat,
which was to be sold at auction with other effects