“Well, if you’re all ready, we may as well vanish. You can stay with me to-night, and go to the city in the morning. Watch the papers, and see if there is anything that promises advantage to us.” “All right.” The two men moved off, much to Harry’s relief. He was in momentary dread of a sneeze, and this would betray his whereabouts to Temple and his partner. What these two desperate men would have done to him, had they discovered him, it was not easy to guess; but, under the influence of vexation and alarm, they might have brought upon him worse trouble than any he had yet experienced. Such, indeed, was likely, from what he knew of Ralph Temple. He was generally considered a disreputable character, and the villagers were ignorant as to how he made his living. From time to time he came to the village store provided with money; but where it came from no one knew, as he was not known to do anything, except to roam the fields and woods with his gun. Sometimes he disappeared for a week or a fortnight at a time, but where he went, unless to the city, no one knew. Harry conjectured, from what he had just seen, that Temple was in league with wicked men in the city, with whom he was engaged in violations of the law, and in this surmise he was correct. He understood a little better now Ralph Temple’s object in selecting as his abode this lonely and out-of-the-way place. Harry did not venture to descend from his elevated perch until the two men had ample time to get beyond sight and hearing. When he touched the ground, he first scanned the tree and its vicinity carefully, so as to make sure he could find it again, and then hurried home. CHAPTER XVIII — HARRY’S COMMISSION It may be well imagined that Harry was in a thrill of excitement as he walked home. He had just witnessed what was undoubtedly an attempt to conceal the proceeds of a burglary. He, and he alone, outside of the guilty parties, knew where the booty was deposited, and he asked himself what was his duty under the circumstances. Of course he had no sympathy with Temple and Vernon. They had made themselves the enemies of society, and he was in duty bound to defeat their criminal plans, if possible, and restore the property to its legal owner or owners. Here a difficulty stared him in the face. He didn’t know to whom the tin box and its contents belonged, for not a word had been dropped by the two thieves which could inform him. They had made up their minds, however, to wait till a reward should be offered, and then come forward and claim it, or, at any rate, open negotiations through others looking to that result. Why could not Harry learn, in like manner, who had been robbed, and communicate with them? This seemed to him the most sensible course.