“No,” says he, puffed-up-like, and proud as a pigeon. “While you fellows was fightin’ ’em off I made a g-g-grab for the jewel and got it. See!” He held up a white door-knob he’d found some place. “It’ll make us all rich,” says he, “maybe—who knows? But if we take it to some king or queen or somethin’ they’ll m-m-make dukes or e-earls of us.”
“Bully,” says Plunk. “I want to be a markiss.”
“You’re m-more like to git burned at the stake,” says Mark.
We took another peek out of the window. Jiggins was still sitting under his tree, not ten feet from the door, and it did look as if his eyes were shut.
“Hus-ss-sh!” whispered Mark. “Maybe we can git the door open and sneak out. If we can g-g-git to the canoe we’re all right. Then we can p-p-paddle down-stream till we find your uncle. Still, n-n-now.”
We edged to the door quiet and drew the bolt. Mark went first. He opened it a teeny crack, then a little more. He was just ready to pull it way back when Jiggins up and sort of chuckled.
“I been expectin’ some caper,” says he. “Now you git back into the house like good boys. We don’t aim to hurt you any, but we can’t have you rampaging around the country. ’Twouldn’t do, now, would it? If you were me you wouldn’t stand for it, would you? ’Course not. Now go on back and behave.”
“How long we got to stay cooped up here?” I asked him, sharp-like.
“Well,” says he, “that depends. You see, Mr. Collins and me have business with your uncle. From what I heard you yell a spell back there’s something you want to tell him. Did I hear right? I shouldn’t be a mite surprised if I did. Um. Well, Mr. Collins and me we don’t want any bad impressions given. Not we. We want folks to think well of us. If you was to tell your uncle what you want to tell him it ain’t likely he’d have anything to do with Mr. Collins and me—now, is it?” Then he began to sing again, “Diddle-diddle-de-dum-diddle-dee.”
He did seem like a jolly sort of fat man. I liked Collins, too. Even after I found out he was trying to get Uncle Hieronymous’s mine away from him I couldn’t help liking him. The other fellows told me afterward they felt a whole lot the same way I did. Somehow I never could believe they were very bad men. They wouldn’t have stolen anything or hurt anybody. But, Mark says, they figgered out this was a business deal that they were getting the best of. Lots of folks can’t see just honest when their business is mixed up in what they do.