Aunt Dorcas thought it would be only right for Mrs. Weber to return
five-sevenths of the money which had been paid her to take care of the
child for one week; but the boys were doubtful whether the old lady
would take the same view of the case.

"I'll be willin' enough to let her keep it, so long's I can have the
princess with me," Joe said, finally, and aunt Dorcas reproved him,
gently.

"Remember, Joseph, 'a penny saved is better than a penny earned,' and
you should never be careless about money matters. If the German woman
has boarded the child only two days, there is no reason why she should
be paid for seven."

"Except that we gave her the money at the start, and she may say there's
no need to take princess away till the week is ended," Plums suggested,
sagely, and aunt Dorcas brought the argument to a close by saying,
severely:

"If she insists on keeping the whole dollar, I shall never look upon her
as an honest woman."

On this evening aunt Dorcas read two chapters, instead of one, and her
prayer was nearly twice as long as on the night previous.

Then, as before, she accompanied the boys up-stairs, to make certain
everything in the chamber was in proper order, although it was already
scrupulously clean, and when, after having bidden them "good night,"
they heard her light footsteps as she descended the stairs, Joe said,
with an air of perplexity:

"I'm dead certain we don't do the right thing when she's prayin'."

"I didn't make any noise," Plums replied, indignantly.

"Course you didn't, else I'd thumped your head. I'd like to see the
feller that would kick up a row, or even so much as laugh while aunt
Dorcas was prayin'. What I mean is, that we ought'er do somethin',
instead of settin' up there like a couple of chumps, an' she on her
knees. Do you s'pose it would be right for us to kneel down when she
does?"

"I don't know. It couldn't do much harm, I s'pose, an' if you think it
would please her any better, why, I'm willin' to stay on my knees half a
day."

"We'll try it to-morrer night, and see how she takes it. Say, I've found
out what them towels are for. Aunt Dorcas had one side of her plate, an'
she wiped her mouth on it."

"Perhaps she didn't have a handkerchief."

"Now, look here, Plums, you don't s'pose that a woman what's so slick
an' clean as aunt Dorcas is would go 'round without a handkerchief, do
you?"

"It seems as though she must, if she used the towel; but that ain't
bo