[Illustration: THE RED GLEAM FROM THE BLAZING LOGS FELL UPON HERSHINING HAIR; IT GLISTENED LIKE GOLD. SHE WORE A SIMPLE EVENING GOWNOF WHITE. ]

GREEN FANCY

BY

GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON

AUTHOR OF "GRAUSTARK, " "THE HOLLOW OF HER HAND, ""THE PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK, " ETC. 

WITH FRONTISPIECE BYC. ALLAN GILBERT

NEW YORK

1917

CONTENTS

I. THE FIRST WAYFARER AND THE SECOND WAYFARER MEET AND PART ON THE HIGHWAY

II. THE FIRST WAYFARER LAYS HIS PACK ASIDE AND FALLS IN WITH FRIENDS

III. MR. RUSHCROFT DISSOLVES, MR. JONES INTERVENES, AND TWO MEN RIDE AWAY

IV. AN EXTRAORDINARY CHAMBERMAID, A MIDNIGHT TRAGEDY, AND A MAN WHO SAID "THANK YOU"

V. THE FARM-BOY TELLS A GHASTLY STORY, AND AN IRISHMAN ENTERS

VI. CHARITY BEGINS FAR FROM HOME, AND A STROLL IN THE WILDWOOD FOLLOWS

VII. SPUN-GOLD HAIR, BLUE EYES, AND VARIOUS ENCOUNTERS

VIII. A NOTE, SOME FANCIES, AND AN EXPEDITION IN QUEST OF FACTS

IX. THE FIRST WAYFARER, THE SECOND WAYFARER, AND THE SPIRIT OF CHIVALRY ASCENDANT

X. THE PRISONER OF GREEN FANCY, AND THE LAMENT OF PETER THE CHAUFFEUR

XI. MR. SPROUSE ABANDONS LITERATURE AT AN EARLY HOUR IN THE MORNING

XII. THE FIRST WAYFARER ACCEPTS AN INVITATION, AND MR. DILLINGFORD BELABORS A PROXY

XIII. THE SECOND WAYFARER RECEIVES TWO VISITORS AT MIDNIGHT

XIV. A FLIGHT, A STONE-CUTTER'S SHED, AND A VOICE OUTSIDE

XV. LARGE BODIES MOVE SLOWLY, --BUT MR. SPROUSE WAS SMALLER THAN THE AVERAGE

XVI. THE FIRST WAYFARER VISITS A SHRINE, CONFESSES, AND TAKES AN OATH

XVII. THE SECOND WAYFARER IS TRANSFORMED, AND MARRIAGE IS FLOUTED

XVIII. MR. SPROUSE CONTINUES TO BE PERPLEXING, BUT PUTS HIS NOSE TO THE GROUND

XIX. A TRIP BY NIGHT, A SUPPER, AND A LATE ARRIVAL

XX. THE FIRST WAYFARER HAS ONE TREASURE THRUST UPON HIM, --AND FORTHWITH CLAIMS ANOTHER

XXI. THE END IN SIGHT

CHAPTER I

THE FIRST WAYFARER AND THE SECOND WAYFARER MEET AND PART ON THEHIGHWAY

A solitary figure trudged along the narrow road that wound itsserpentinous way through the dismal, forbidding depths of the forest:a man who, though weary and footsore, lagged not in his swift, resolute advance. Night was coming on, and with it the no uncertainprospects of storm. Through the foliage that overhung the wretchedroad, his ever-lifting and apprehensive eye caught sight of thethunder-black, low-lying clouds that swept over the mountain and boredown upon the green, whistling tops of the trees. At a cross-roadbelow he had encountered a small girl driving homeward the cows. Shewas afraid of the big, strange man with the bundle on his back and thestout walking stick in his hand: to her a remarkable creature who wore"knee pants" and stockings like a boy on Sunday, and hob-nail shoes, and a funny coat with "pleats" and a belt, and a green hat with afeather sticking up from the band. His agreeable voice and his amiablesmile had no charm for her. He merely wanted to know how far it was tothe nearest village, but she stared in alarm and edged away as ifpreparing to break into mad flight the instant she was safely past himwith a clear way ahead. 

"Don't be afraid, " he said gently. "And here! Catch it if you can. " Hetossed a coin across the road. It struck at her feet and rolled intothe high grass. She did not divert her gaze for the fraction of asecond. "I'm a stranger up here and I want to find some place to sleepfor the night. Surely you have a tongue, haven't you?" By dint ofpersuasive smiles and smirks that would have sickened him at any othertime he finally induced her to say that if he kept right on until hecame to the turnpike he would find a sign-post telling him where toget gasolene. 

"But I don't want gasolene. I want bread and butter, " he said. 

"Well, you can git bread an' butter there too, " she said. "Food ferman an' beast, it says. "

"A hotel?"

"Whut?"

"A boarding-house?" he substituted. 

"It's a shindy, " she said, painfully. "Men get drunk there. Pap callsit a tavern, but Ma says it's a shindy. "

"A road-house, eh?" She was puzzled--and silent. "Thank you. You'llfind the quarter in the grass. Good-bye. "

He lifted his queer green hat and strode away, too much of a gentlemanto embarrass her by looking back. If he had done so he would have seenher grubbing stealthily in the grass, not with her brown little hands, but with the wriggling toes of a bare foot on which the mud, perhapsof yesterday, had caked. She was too proud to stoop. 

At last he came to the "pike" and there, sure enough, was the sign-post. A huge, crudely painted hand pointed to the left, and on whatwas intended to be the sleeve of a very stiff and unflinching armthese words were printed in scaly white: "Hart's Tavern. Food for Manand Beast. Also Gasolene. Established 1798. 1 mile. " "Also Gasolene"was freshly painted and crowded its elders in a most disrespectfulmanner. 

The chill spring wind of the gale was sweeping in the directionindicated by the giant forefinger. There was little consolation in thethought that a mile lay between him and shelter, but it was a reliefto know that he would have the wind at his back. Darkness was settlingover the land. The lofty hills seemed to be closing in as if tosmother the breath out of this insolent adventurer who walked aloneamong them. He was an outsider. He did not belong there. He came fromthe lowlands and he was an object of scorn. 

On the opposite side of the "pike, " in the angle formed by a junctionwith the narrow mountain road, stood a humbler sign-post, lettered soindistinctly that it deserved the compassion of all observers becauseof its humility. Swerving in his hurried passage, the tall strangerdrew near this shrinking friend to the uncertain traveller, and wassuddenly aware of another presence in the roadway. 

A woman appeared, as if from nowhere, almost at his side. He drew backto let her pass. She stopped before the little sign-post, and togetherthey made out the faint directions. 

To the right and up the mountain road Frogg's Corner lay four milesand a half away; Pitcairn was six miles back over the road which theman had travelled. Two miles and a half down the turnpike was SpanishFalls, a railway station, and four miles above the cross-roads wherethe man and woman stood peering through the darkness at the laconicsign-post reposed the village of Saint Elizabeth. Hart's Tavern was onthe road to Saint Elizabeth, and the man, with barely a glance at hisfellow-traveller, started briskly off in that direction. 

Lightning was flashing fitfully beyond the barrier heights and farawaythunder came to his ears. He knew that these wild mountain stormsmoved swiftly; his chance of reaching the tavern ahead of the delugewas exceedingly slim. His long, powerful legs had carried him twentyor thirty paces before he came to a sudden halt. 

What of this lone woman who traversed the highway? Obviously she toowas a stranger on the road, and a glance over his shoulder supported afirst impression: she was carrying a stout travelling bag. His firstglimpse of her had been extremely casual, --indeed he had paid noattention to her at all, so eager was he to read the directions and beon his way. 

She was standing quite still in front of the sign-post, peering up theroad toward Frogg's Corner, --confronted by a steep climb that led intoblack and sinister timberlands above the narrow strip of pasturebordering the pike. 

The fierce wind pinned her skirts to her slender body as she leanedagainst the gale, gripping her hat tightly with one hand and strainingunder the weight of the bag in the other. The ends of a veil whippedfuriously about her head, and, even in the gathering darkness, hecould see a strand or two of hair keeping them company. 

He hesitated. Evidently her way was up the steep, winding road andinto the dark forest, a far from appealing prospect. Not a sign ofhabitation was visible along the black ridge of the wood; no lightedwindow peeped down from the shadows, no smoke curled up from unseenkitchen stoves. Gallantry ordered him to proffer his aid or, at theleast, advice to the woman, be she young or old, native or stranger. 

Retracing his steps, he called out to her above the gale:

"Can I be of any assistance to you?"

She turned quickly. He saw that the veil was drawn tightly over herface. 

"No, thank you, " she replied. Her voice, despite a certain nervousnote, was soft and clear and gentle, --the voice and speech of a well-bred person who was young and resolute. 

"Pardon me, but have you much farther to go? The storm will soon beupon us, and--surely you will not consider me presumptuous--I don'tlike the idea of your being caught out in--"

"What is to be done about it?" she inquired, resignedly. "I must goon. I can't wait here, you know, to be washed back to the place Istarted from. "

He smiled. She had wit as well as determination. There was thesuggestion of mirth in her voice--and certainly it was a mostpleasing, agreeable voice. 

"If I can be of the least assistance to you, pray don't hesitate tocommand me. I am a sort of tramp, you might say, and I travel as wellby night as I do by day, --so don't feel that you are putting me to anyinconvenience. Are you by any chance bound for Hart's Tavern? If so, Iwill be glad to lag behind and carry your bag. "

"You are very good, but I am not bound for Hart's Tavern, whereverthat may be. Thank you, just the same. You appear to be an uncommonlygenteel tramp, and it isn't because I am afraid you might make offwith my belongings. " She added the last by way of apology. 

He smiled--and then frowned as he cast an uneasy look at the blackclouds now rolling ominously up over the mountain ridge. 

"By Jove, we're going to catch it good and hard, " he exclaimed. "Better take my advice. These storms are terrible. I know, for I'veencountered half a dozen of them in the past week. They fairly tearone to pieces. "

"Are you trying to frighten me?"

"Yes, " he confessed. "Better to frighten you in advance than to let itcome later on when you haven't any one to turn to in your terror. Youare a stranger in these parts?"

"Yes. The railway station is a few miles below here. I have walked allthe way. There was no one to meet me. You are a stranger also, so itis useless to inquire if you know whether this road leads to GreenFancy. "

"Green Fancy? Sounds attractive. I'm sorry I can't enlighten you. " Hedrew a small electric torch from his pocket and directed its slenderray upon the sign-post. So fierce was the gale by this time that hewas compelled to brace his strong body against the wind. 

"It is on the road to Frogg's Corner, " she explained nervously. "Amile and a half, so I am told. It isn't on the sign-post. It is ahouse, not a village. Thank you for your kindness. And I am not at allfrightened, " she added, raising her voice slightly. 

"But you ARE" he cried. "You're scared half out of your wits. Youcan't fool me. I'd be scared myself at the thought of venturing intothose woods up yonder. "

"Well, then, I AM frightened, " she confessed plaintively. "Almost outof my boots. "

"That settles it, " he said flatly. "You shall not undertake it. "

"Oh, but I must. I am expected. It is import--"

"If you are expected, why didn't some one meet you at the station?Seems to me--"

"Hark! Do you hear--doesn't that sound like an automobile--Ah!" Thehoarse honk of an automobile horn rose above the howling wind, and aninstant later two faint lights came rushing toward them around a bendin the mountain road. "Better late than never, " she cried, her voicevibrant once more. 

He grasped her arm and jerked her out of the path of the on-comingmachine, whose driver was sending it along at a mad rate, regardlessof ruts and stones and curves. The car careened as it swung into thepike, skidded alarmingly, and then the brakes were jammed down. Attended by a vast grinding of gears and wheels, the rattling old carcame to a stop fifty feet or more beyond them. 

"I'd sooner walk than take my chances in an antediluvian rattle-traplike that, " said the tall wayfarer, bending quite close to her ear. "It will fall to pieces before you--"

But she was running down the road towards the car, calling out sharplyto the driver. He stooped over and took up the travelling bag she haddropped in her haste and excitement. It was heavy, amazingly heavy. 

"I shouldn't like to carry that a mile and a half, " he said tohimself. 

The voice of the belated driver came to his ears on the swift wind. Itwas high pitched and unmistakably apologetic. He could not hear whatshe was saying to him, but there wasn't much doubt as to the nature ofher remarks. She was roundly upbraiding him. 

Urged to action by thoughts of his own plight, he hurried to her sideand said:

"Excuse me, please. You dropped something. Shall I put it up in frontor in the tonneau?"

The whimsical note in his voice brought a quick, responsive laugh fromher lips. 

"Thank you so much. I am frightfully careless with my valuables. Wouldyou mind putting it in behind? Thanks!" Her tone altered completely asshe ordered the man to turn the car around--"And be quick about it, "she added. 

The first drops of rain pelted down from the now thoroughly black domeabove them, striking in the road with the sharpness of pebbles. 

"Lucky it's a limousine, " said the tall traveller. "Better hop in. We'll be getting it hard in a second or two. "

"I can't very well hop in while he's backing and twisting like that, can I?" she laughed. He was acutely aware of a strained, nervous notein her voice, as of one who is confronted by an undertaking callingfor considerable fortitude. 

"Are you quite sure of this man?" he asked. 

"Absolutely, " she replied, after a pause. 

"You know him, eh?"

"By reputation, " she said briefly, and without a trace of laughter. 

"Well, that comforts me to some extent, " he said, but dubiously. 

She was silent for a moment and then turned to him impulsively. 

"You must let me take you on to the Tavern in the car, " she said. "Turn about is fair play. I cannot allow you to--"

"Never mind about me, " he broke in cheerily. He had been wondering ifshe would make the offer, and he felt better now that she had done so. "I'm accustomed to roughing it. I don't mind a soaking. I've hadhundreds of 'em. "

"Just the same, you shall not have one to-night, " she announcedfirmly. The car stopped beside them. "Get in behind. I shall sit withthe driver. "

If any one had told him that this rattling, dilapidated automobile, --ten years old, at the very least, he would have sworn, --was capable ofcovering the mile in less than two minutes, he would have laughed inhis face. Almost before he realised that they were on the way up thestraight, dark road, the lights in the windows of Hart's Tavern cameinto view. Once more the bounding, swaying car came to a stop underbrakes, and he was relaxing after the strain of the most hair-raisingride he had ever experienced. 

Not a word had been spoken during the trip. The front windows werelowered. The driver, --an old, hatchet-faced man, --had uttered a singleword just before throwing in the clutch at the cross-roads in responseto the young woman's crisp command to drive to Hart's Tavern. Thatword was uttered under his breath and it is not necessary to repeat ithere. 

He lost no time in climbing out of the car. As he leaped to the groundand raised his green hat, he took a second look at the automobile, --alook of mingled wonder and respect. It was an old-fashioned, high-powered Panhard, capable, despite its antiquity, of astonishing speedin any sort of going. 

"For heaven's sake, " he began, shouting to her above the roar of thewind and rain, "don't let him drive like that over those--"

"You're getting wet, " she cried out, a thrill in her voice. "Goodnight, --and thank you!"

"Look out!" rasped the unpleasant driver, and in went the clutch. Theman in the road jumped hastily to one side as the car shot backwardwith a jerk, curved sharply, stopped for the fraction of a second, andthen bounded forward again, headed for the cross-roads. 

"Thanks!" shouted the late passenger after the receding tail light, and dashed up the steps to the porch that ran the full length ofHart's Tavern. In the shelter of its low-lying roof, he stopped shortand once more peered down the dark, rain-swept road. A flash oflightning revealed the flying automobile. He waited for a secondflash. It came an instant later, but the car was no longer visible. Heshook his head. "I hope the blamed old fool knows what he's doing, hitting it up like that over a wet road. There'll be a double funeralin this neck of the woods if anything goes wrong, " he reflected. Stillshaking his head, he faced the closed door of the Tavern. 

A huge, old-fashioned lantern hung above the portal, creaking andstraining in the wind, dragging at its stout supports and threateningevery instant to break loose and go frolicking away with the storm. 

The sound of the rain on the clap-board roof was deafening. At thelower end of the porch the water swished in with all the velocity of agigantic wave breaking over a ship at sea. The wind howled, thethunder roared and almost like cannon-fire were the successive crashesof lightning among the trees out there in the path of fury. 

There were lights in several of the windows opening upon the porch;the wooden shutters not only were ajar but were banging savagelyagainst the walls. Even in the dim, grim light shed by the lantern hecould see that the building was of an age far beyond the ken of anyliving man. He recalled the words of the informing sign-post:"Established in 1798. " One hundred and eighteen years old, and stillbaffling the assaults of all the elements in a region where they werenever timid!

It may, in all truth, be a "shindy, " thought he, but it had led agallant life. 

The broad, thick weather-boarding, overlapping in layers, was brownwith age and smooth with the polishing of time and the backs, nodoubt, of countless loiterers who had come and gone in the making ofthe narrative that Hart's Tavern could relate. The porch itself, whileold, was comparatively modern; it did not belong to the century inwhich the inn itself was built, for in those far-off days men did notwaste time, timber or thought on the unnecessary. While the planks inthe floor were worn and the uprights battered and whittled out oftheir pristine shapeliness, they were but grandchildren to the parentbuilding to which they clung. Stout and, beyond question, venerablebenches stood close to the wall on both sides of the entrance. Directly over the broad, low door with its big wooden latch and bar, was the word "Welcome, " rudely carved in the oak beam. It required nocultured eye to see that the letters had been cut, deep and strong, into the timber, not with the tool of the skilled wood carver but withthe hunting knife of an ambitious pioneer. 

A shocking incongruity marred the whole effect. Suspended at the sideof this hundred-year-old doorway was a black and gold, shield-shapedornament of no inconsiderable dimensions informing the observer that acertain brand of lager beer was to be had inside. 

He lifted the latch and, being a tall man, involuntarily stooped as hepassed through the door, a needless precaution, for gaunt, giganticmountaineers had entered there before him and without bending theirarrogant heads. 

CHAPTER II

THE FIRST WAYFARER LAYS HIS PACK ASIDE AND FALLS IN WITH FRIENDS

The little hall in which he found himself was the "office" throughwhich all men must pass who come as guests to Hart's Tavern. A steep, angular staircase took up one end of the room. Set in beneath itsupper turn was the counter over which the business of the house wastransacted, and behind this a man was engaged in the peacefuloccupation of smoking a corn-cob pipe. He removed the pipe, brushedhis long moustache with the back of a bony hand, and bowed slowly andwith grave ceremony to the arrival. 

An open door to the right of the stairway gave entrance to a room fromwhich came the sound of a deep, sonorous voice, employed in whatturned out to be a conversational solo. To the left another door ledto what was evidently the dining-room. The glance that the strangersent in that direction revealed two or three tables, covered withwhite cloths. 

"Can you put me up for the night?" he inquired, advancing to thecounter. 

"You look like a feller who'd want a room with bath, " drawled the manbehind the counter, surveying the applicant from head to foot. "Whichwe ain't got, " he added. 

"I'll be satisfied to have a room with a bed, " said the other. 

"Sign here, " was the laconic response. He went to the trouble ofactually putting his finger on the line where the guest was expectedto write his name. 

"Can I have supper?"

"Food for man and beast, " said the other patiently. He slapped hispalm upon a cracked call-bell, and then looked at the fresh name onthe page. "Thomas K. Barnes, New York, " he read aloud. He eyed thenewcomer once more. "And automobile?"

"No. I'm walking. "

"Didn't I hear you just come up in a car?"

"A fellow gave me a lift from the cross-roads. "

"I see. My name is Jones, Putnam Jones. I run this place. My fatheran' grandfather run it before me. Glad to meet you, Mr. Barnes. Weused to have a hostler here named Barnes. What's your idea fer footin'it this time o' the year?"

"I do something like this every spring. A month or six weeks of itputs me in fine shape for a vacation later on, " supplied Mr. Barneswhimsically. 

Mr. Jones allowed a grin to steal over his seamed face. He re-insertedthe corn-cob pipe and took a couple of pulls at it. 

"I never been to New York, but it must be a heavenly place for avacation, if a feller c'n judge by what some of my present boardershave to say about it. It's a sort of play-actor's paradise, ain't it?"

"It is paradise to every actor who happens to be on the road, Mr. Jones, " said Barnes, slipping his big pack from his shoulders andletting it slide to the floor. 

"Hear that feller in the tap-room talkin'? Well, he is one of theleading actors in New York, --in the world, for that matter. He's beentalkin' about Broadway for nearly a week now, steady. "

"May I enquire what he is doing up here in the wilds?"

"At present he ain't doing anything except talk. Last week he wastreadin' the boards, as he puts it himself. Busted. Up the flue. Showed last Saturday night in Hornville, eighteen mile north of here, and immediately after the performance him and his whole troupe startedto walk back to New York, a good four hunderd mile. They started outthe back way of the opery house and nobody missed 'em till nextmornin' except the sheriff, and he didn't miss 'em till they'd gotover the county line into our bailiwick. Four of 'em are stillstoppin' here just because I ain't got the heart to turn 'em out nerthe spare money to buy 'em tickets to New York. Here comes one of 'emnow. Mr. Dillingford, will you show this gentleman to room eleven, andcarry his baggage up fer him? And maybe he'll want a pitcher of warmwater to wash and shave in. " He turned to the new guest and smiledapologetically. 

"We're a little short o' help just now, Mr. Barnes, and Mr. Dillingford has kindly consented to--"

"My God!" gasped Mr. Dillingford, staring at the register. "Some onefrom little old New York? My word, sir, you--Won't you have a--er--little something to drink with me before you--"

"He wants something to eat, " interrupted Mr. Jones sharply. "Tell Mr. Bacon to step up to his room and take the order. "

"All right, old chap, --nothing easier, " said Mr. Dillingford genially. "Just climb up the elevator, Mr. Barnes. We do this to get up anappetite. When did you leave New York?"

Taking up a lighted kerosene lamp and the heavy pack, Mr. ClarenceDillingford led the way up the stairs. He was a chubby individual ofindefinite age. At a glance you would have said he was under twenty-one; a second look would have convinced you that he was nearer forty-one. He was quite shabby, but chin and cheek were as clean as that ofa freshly scrubbed boy. He may not have changed his collar for daysbut he lived up to the traditions of his profession by shaving twiceevery twenty-four hours. 

Depositing Barnes' pack on a chair in the little bedroom at the end ofthe hall upstairs, he favoured the guest with a perfectly unabashedgrin. 

"I'm not doing this to oblige old man Jones, you know. I won't attemptto deceive you. I'm working out a daily bread-bill. Chuck three timesa day and a bed to sleep in, that's what I'm doing it for, so don'tget it into your head that I applied for the job. Let me take a lookat you. I want to get a good square peep at a man who has the means togo somewhere else and yet is boob enough to come to this gosh-awfulplace of his own free will and accord. Darn it, you LOOK intelligent. I don't get you at all. What's the matter? Are you a fugitive fromjustice?"

Barnes laughed aloud. There was no withstanding the fellow's sprightlyimpudence. 

"I happen to enjoy walking, " said he. 

"If I enjoyed it as much as you do, I'd be limping into Harlem by thistime, " said Mr. Dillingford sadly. "But, you see, I'm an actor. I'mtoo proud to walk. "

"Up against poor business, I presume?"

"Up against no business at all, " said Mr. Dillingford. "We couldn'teven get 'em to come in on passes. Last Saturday night we had outenough paper to fill the house and, by gosh, only eleven people showedup. You can't beat that, can you? Three of 'em paid to get in. Thatmade a dollar and a half, box office. We nearly had to give it back. "

"Bad weather?" suggested Barnes feelingly. He had removed his wetcoat, and stood waiting. 

"Nope. Moving pictures. They'd sooner pay ten cents to see a moviethan to come in and see us free. The old man was so desperate he triedto kill himself the morning we arrived at this joint. "

"You mean the star? Poison, rope or pistol?"

"Whiskey. He tried to drink himself to death. Before old Jones gotonto him he had put down seven dollars' worth of booze, and now we'vegot to help wipe out the account. But why complain? It's all in aday's--"

The cracked bell on the office desk interrupted him, somewhatperemptorially. Mr. Dillingford's face assumed an expression ofprofound dignity. He lowered his voice as he gave vent to thefollowing:

"That man Jones is the meanest human being God ever let--Yes, sir, coming, sir!" He started for the open door with surprising alacrity. 

"Never mind the hot water, " said Barnes, sorry for the little man. 

"No use, " said Mr. Dillingford dejectedly. "He charges ten cents forhot water. You've got to have it whether you want it or not. Rememberthat you are in the very last stages of New England. The worstaffliction known to the human race. So long. I'll be back in twoshakes of a lamb's--" The remainder of his promise was lost in therush of exit. 

Barnes surveyed the little bed-chamber. It was just what he hadexpected it would be. The walls were covered with a garish paperselected by one who had an eye but not a taste for colour: bright pinkflowers that looked more or less like chunks of a shattered watermelon spilt promiscuously over a background of pearl grey. There wasevery indication that it had been hung recently. Indeed there was adistinct aroma of fresh flour paste. The bedstead, bureau andwashstand were likewise offensively modern. Everything was as clean asa pin, however, and the bed looked comfortable. He stepped to thesmall, many-paned window and looked out into the night. The storm wasat its height. In all his life he never had heard such a clatter ofrain, nor a wind that shrieked so appallingly. 

His thoughts went quite naturally to the woman who was out there inthe thick of it. He wondered how she was faring, and lamented that shewas not in his place now and he in hers. A smile lighted his eyes. Shehad such a nice voice and such a quaint way of putting things intowords. What was she doing up in this God-forsaken country? And howcould she be so certain of that grumpy old man whom she had never laideyes on before? What was the name of the place she was bound for?Green Fancy! What an odd name for a house! And what sort of house--

His reflections were interrupted by the return of Mr. Dillingford, whocarried a huge pewter pitcher from which steam arose in volume. At hisheels strode a tall, cadaverous person in a checked suit. 

Never had Barnes seen anything quite so overpowering in the way of asuit. Joseph's coat of many colours was no longer a vision ofchildhood. It was a reality. The checks were an inch square, and eachcube had a narrow border of azure blue. The general tone was a dirtygrey, due no doubt to age and a constitution that would not allow itto outlive its usefulness. 

"Meet Mr. Bacon, Mr. Barnes, " introduced Mr. Dillingford, going to theneedless exertion of indicating Mr. Bacon with a generous sweep of hisfree hand. "Our heavy leads. Mr. Montague Bacon, also of New York. "

"Ham and eggs, pork tenderloin, country sausage, rump steak and springchicken, " said Mr. Bacon, in a cavernous voice, getting it over withwhile the list was fresh in his memory. "Fried and boiled potatoes, beans, succotash, onions, stewed tomatoes and--er--just a moment, please. Fried and boiled potatoes, beans--"

"Learn your lines, Ague, " said Mr. Dillingford, from the washstand. "We call him Ague for short, Mr. Barnes, because he's always shakywith his lines. "

"Ham and eggs, potatoes and a cup or two of coffee, " said Barnes, suppressing a desire to laugh. 

"And apple pie, " concluded the waiter, triumphantly. "I knew I'd getit if you gave me time. As you may have observed, my dear sir, I amnot what you would call an experienced waiter. As a matter of fact, I--"

"I told him you were an actor, " interrupted his friend. "Run along nowand give the order to Mother Jones. Mr. Barnes is hungry. "

"I am delighted to meet you, Mr. Barnes, " said Mr. Bacon, extendinghis hand. As he did so, his coat sleeve receded half way to the elbow, revealing the full expanse of a frayed cuff. "So delighted, in fact, that it gives me great pleasure to inform you that you have at lastencountered a waiter who does not expect a tip. God forbid that Ishould ever sink so low as that. I have been a villain of the deepestdye in a score or more of productions--many of them depending to alarge extent upon the character of the work I did in--"

"Actor stuff, " inserted Mr. Dillingford, unfeelingly. 

"--And I have been hissed a thousand times by gallery gods and kitchenangels from one end of this broad land to the other, but never, sir, never in all my career have I been obliged to play such a diabolicalpart as I am playing here, and, dammit, sir, I am denied even thetribute of a healthy hiss. This is--"

The bell downstairs rang violently. Mr. Bacon departed in great haste. 

While the traveller performed his ablutions, Mr. Dillingford, for themoment disengaged, sat upon the edge of the bed and enjoyed himself. He talked. 

"We were nine at the start, " said he, pensively. "Gradually we werereduced to seven, not including the manager. I doubled and so did MissHughes, --a very charming actress, by the way, who will soon be heardof on Broadway unless I miss my guess. The last week I was playingDick Cranford, light juvenile, and General Parsons, comedy old man. Inthe second act Dick has to meet the general face to face and ask himfor his daughter's hand. Miss Hughes was Amy Parsons, and, as I say, doubled along toward the end. She played her own mother. The best youcould say for the arrangement was that the family resemblance wasremarkable. I never saw a mother and daughter look so much alike. Yousee, she didn't have time to change her make-up or costume, so all shecould do was to put on a long shawl and a grey wig, and that made amother of her. Well, we had a terrible time getting around that scenebetween Dick and the general. Amy and her mother were in on it too, and Mrs. Parsons was supposed to faint. It looked absolutelyimpossible for Miss Hughes. But we got around it, all right. "

"How, may I ask?" enquired Barnes, over the edge of a towel. 

"Just as I was about to enter to tackle the old man, who was seated inhis library with Mrs. Parsons, the lights went out. I jumped up andaddressed the audience, telling 'em (almost in a confidential whisper, there were so darned few of 'em) that there was nothing to be alarmedabout and the act would go right on. Then Amy and Dick came on intotal darkness, and the audience never got wise to the game. When thelights went up, there was Amy and Dick embracing each other in plainview, the old folks nowhere in sight. General Parsons had dragged theold lady into the next room. We made our changes right there on thestage, speaking all four parts at the same time. "

"Pretty clever, " said Barnes. 

"My idea, " announced Mr. Dillingford calmly. 

"What has become of the rest of the company?"

"Well, as I said before, two of 'em escaped before the smash. The lowcomedian and character old woman. Joe Beckley and his wife. That leftthe old man, --I mean Mr. Rushcroft, the star--Lyndon Rushcroft, youknow, --myself and Bacon, Tommy Gray, Miss Rushcroft, Miss Hughes and awoman named Bradley, seven of us. Miss Hughes happened to know a chapwho was travelling around the country for his health, always meetingup with us, --accidentally, of course, --and he staked her to a ticketto New York. The woman named Bradley said her mother was dying inBuffalo, so the rest of us scraped together all the money we had, --nine dollars and sixty cents, --and did the right thing by her. Actorsare always doing darn-fool things like that, Mr. Barnes. And what doyou suppose she did? She took that money and bought two tickets toAlbany, one for herself and another for the manager of the company, --the lowest, meanest, orneriest white man that ever, --But I am crabbingthe old man's part. You ought to hear what HE has to say about Mr. Manager. He can use words I never even heard of before. So, thatleaves just the four of us here, working off the two days' board billof Bradley and the manager, Rushcroft's ungodly spree, and at the sametime keeping our own slate clean. Miss Thackeray will no doubt make upyour bed in the morning. She is temporarily a chambermaid. Crackingfine girl, too, if I do say--"

"Miss Thackeray? I don't recall your mentioning--"

"Mercedes Thackeray on the programme, but in real life, as they say, Emma Smith. She is Rushcroft's daughter. "

"Somewhat involved, isn't it?"

"Not in the least. Rushcroft's real name is Otterbein Smith. Horrible, isn't it? He sprung from some place in Indiana, where the authors comefrom. Miss Thackeray was our ingenue. A trifle large for that sort ofthing, perhaps, but--very sprightly, just the same. She's had her fullgrowth upwards, but not outwards. Tommy Gray, the other member of thecompany, is driving a taxi in Hornville. He used to own his own car inSpringfield, Mass. , by the way. Comes of a very good family. At least, so he says. Are you all ready? I'll lead you to the dining-room. Orwould you prefer a little appetiser beforehand? The tap-room is righton the way. You mustn't call it the bar. Everybody in that littlegraveyard down the road would turn over completely if you did. Hallowed tradition, you know. "

"I don't mind having a cocktail. Will you join me?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm expected to, " confessed Mr. Dillingford. "We've been drawing quite a bit of custom to the tap-room. The rubeslike to sit around and listen to conversation about Broadway andBunker Hill and Old Point Comfort and other places, and then go homeand tell the neighbours that they know quite a number of stage people. Human nature, I guess. I used to think that if I could ever meet anactress I'd be the happiest thing in the world. Well, I've met a lotof 'em, and God knows I'm not as happy as I was when I was WISHING Icould meet one of them. Listen! Hear that? Rushcroft is reciting GungaDin. You can't hear the thunder for the noise he's making. "

They descended the stairs and entered the tap-room, where a dozen menwere seated around the tables, all of them with pewter mugs in frontof them. Standing at the top table, --that is to say, the one farthestremoved from the door and commanding the attention of every creaturein the room--was the imposing figure of Lyndon Rushcroft. He wasreciting, in a sonorous voice and with tremendous fervour, the famousKipling poem. Barnes had heard it given a score of times at ThePlayers in New York, and knew it by heart. He was therefore able tocatch Mr. Rushcroft in the very reprehensible act of taking libertieswith the designs of the author. The "star, " after a sharp and ratherstartled look at the newcomer, deliberately "cut" four stanzas andrushed somewhat hastily through the concluding verse, marring atremendous climax. 

A genial smile wiped the tragic expression from his face. He advancedupon Barnes and the beaming Mr. Dillingford, his hand extended. 

"My dear fellow, " he exclaimed resoundingly, "how are you?" Cordialityboomed in his voice. "I heard you had arrived. Welcome, --thricefoldwelcome!" He neglected to say that Mr. Montague Bacon, in passing afew minutes before, had leaned over and whispered behind his hand:

"Fellow upstairs from New York, Mr. Rushcroft, --fellow named Barnes. Quite a swell, believe me. "

It was a well-placed tip, for Mr. Rushcroft had been telling thenatives for days that he knew everybody worth knowing in New York. 

Barnes was momentarily taken aback. Then he rose to the spirit of theoccasion. 

"Hello, Rushcroft, " he greeted, as if meeting an old time and greatlybeloved friend. "This IS good. 'Pon my soul, you are like a thrivingdate palm in the middle of an endless desert. How are you?"

They shook hands warmly. Mr. Dillingford slapped the newcomer on theshoulder, affectionately, familiarly, and shouted:

"Who would have dreamed we'd run across good old Barnesy up here? ByJove, it's marvellous!"

"Friends, countrymen, " boomed Mr. Rushcroft, "this is Mr. Barnes ofNew York. Not the man the book was written about, but one of the bestfellows God ever put into this little world of ours. I do not recallyour names, gentlemen, or I would introduce each of you separately anddivisibly. And when did you leave New York, my dear fellow?"

"A fortnight ago, " replied Barnes. "I have been walking for the pasttwo weeks. "

Mr. Rushcroft's expression changed. His face fell. 

"Walking?" he repeated, a trifle stiffly. Was the fellow a tramp? Washe in no better condition of life than himself and his strandedcompanions, against whom the mockery of the assemblage was slyly butindubitably directed? If so, what was to be gained by claimingfriendship with him? It behooved him to go slow. He drew himself up tohis full height. "Well, well! Really?" he said. 

The others looked on with interest. The majority were farmers, hardy, rawboned men with misty eyes. Two of them looked like mechanics, --blacksmiths, was Barnes' swift estimate, --and as there was an odor ofgasolene in the low, heavy-timbered room, others were no doubtconnected with the tavern garage. For that matter, there was also anatmosphere of the stables. 

Lyndon Rushcroft was a tall, saggy man of fifty. Despite hisdetermined erectness, he was inclined to sag from the shoulders down. His head, huge and grey, appeared to be much too ponderous for hisyielding body, and yet he carried it manfully, even theatrically. Thelines in his dark, seasoned face were like furrows; his nose was largeand somewhat bulbous, his mouth wide and grim. Thick, black eyebrowsshaded a pair of eyes in which white was no longer apparent; it hadgiven way to a permanent red. A two days' stubble covered his chin andcheeks. Altogether he was a singular exemplification of one's idea ofthe old-time actor. He was far better dressed than the two malemembers of his company who had come under Barnes' observation. Afashionably made cutaway coat of black, a fancy waistcoat, andtrousers with a delicate stripe (sadly in need of creasing) gave himan air of distinction totally missing in his subordinates. (AfterwardsBarnes was to learn that he was making daily use of his last actdrawing-room costume, which included a silk hat and a pair of pearlgrey gloves. ) Evidently he had possessed the foresight to "skip out"in the best that the wardrobe afforded, leaving his ordinary garmentsfor the sheriff to lay hands upon. 

"A customary adventure with me, " said Barnes. "I take a month'swalking tour every spring, usually timing my pilgrimage so as to missthe hoi-polloi that blunders into the choice spots of the world lateron and spoils them completely for me. This is my first jaunt into thispart of New England. Most attractive walking, my dear fellow. Wonderful scenery, splendid air--" "Deliver me from the hoi-polloi, "said Mr. Rushcroft, at his ease once more. "I may also add, deliver mefrom walking. I'm damned if I can see anything in it. What will youhave to drink, old chap?"

He turned toward the broad aperture which served as a passageway inthe wall for drinks leaving the hands of a fat bartender beyond tofall into the clutches of thirsty customers in the tap-room. There wasno outstanding bar. A time-polished shelf, as old as the house itself, provided the afore-said bartender with a place on which to spread hiselbows while not actively engaged in advancing mugs and bottles frommore remote resting-places at his back. 

"Everything comes through 'the hole in the wall, '" explainedRushcroft, wrinkling his face into a smile. 

He unceremoniously turned his back on the audience of a moment before, and pounded smartly on the shelf, notwithstanding the fact that thebartender was less than a yard away and facing him expectantly. "Whatho! Give ear, professor. Ye gods, what a night! Devil-brewedpandemonium--I beg pardon?"

"I was just about to ask what you will have, " said Barnes, lining upbeside him with Mr. Dillingford. 

Mr. Rushcroft drew himself up once more. "My dear fellow, I asked youto have a--"

"But I had already invited Dillingford. You must allow me to extendthe invitation--"

"Say no more, sir. I understand perfectly. A flagon of ale, Bob, forme. " He leaned closer to Barnes and said, in what was supposed to be aconfidential aside: "Don't tackle the whiskey. It would kill arattlesnake. "

A few minutes later he laid one hand fondly upon Barnes' shoulder and, with a graceful sweep of the other in the direction of the hall, addressed himself to Dillingford. 

"Lead the way to the banquet-hall, good fellow. We follow. " To thepatrons he was abandoning:

"We return anon. " Passing through the office, his arm linked in one ofBarnes', Mr. Rushcroft hesitated long enough to impress upon LandlordJones the importance of providing his "distinguished friend, Robert W. Barnes, " with the very best that the establishment afforded. PutnamJones blinked slightly and his eyes sought the register as if toaccuse or justify his memory. Then he spat copiously into the corner, a necessary preliminary to a grin. He hadn't much use for the greatLyndon Rushcroft. His grin was sardonic. Something told him that Mr. Rushcroft was about to be liberally fed. 

CHAPTER III

MR. RUSHCROFT DISSOLVES, MR. JONES INTERVENES, AND TWO MEN RIDE AWAY

Mr. Rushcroft explained that he had had his supper. In fact, he wenton to confess, he had been compelled, like the dog, to "speak" for it. What could be more disgusting, more degrading, he mourned, than thespectacle of a man who had appeared in all of the principal theatresof the land as star and leading support to stars, settling for hissupper by telling stories and reciting poetry in the tap-room of atavern?

"Still, " he consented, when Barnes insisted that it would be akindness to him, "since you put it that way, I dare say I could dowith a little snack, as you so aptly put it. Just a bite or two. Likeyou, my dear fellow, I loathe and detest eating alone. I covetcompanionship, convivial com--what have you ready, Miss Tilly?"

Miss Tilly was a buxom female of forty or thereabouts, withspectacles. She was one of a pair of sedentary waitresses who had beenso long in the employ of Mr. Jones that he hated the sight of them. Close proximity to a real star affected her intensely. In fact, shewas dazzled. For something like twenty years she had nursed anambition that wavered between the desire to become an actress or anauthoress. At present she despised literature. More than once she hadconfessed to Mr. Rushcroft that she hated like poison to write out thebill-o'-fare, a duty devolving solely upon her, it appears, because ofa local tradition that she possessed literary talent. Every one saidthat she wrote the best hand in the county. 

Mr. Rushcroft's conception of a bite or two may have staggered Barnesbut it did not bewilder Miss Tilly. He had four eggs with his ham, andother things in proportion. He talked a great deal, proving in thatway that it was a supper well worth speaking for. Among other things, he dilated at great length upon his reasons for not being a member ofThe Players or The Lambs in New York City. It seems that he hadpromised his dear, devoted wife that he would never join a club of anydescription. Dear old girl, he would as soon have cut off his righthand as to break any promise made to her. He brushed something awayfrom his eyes, and his chin, contracting, trembled slightly. 

"Quite right, " said Barnes, sympathetically. "And how long has Mrs. Rushcroft been dead?"

A hurt, incredulous look came into Mr. Rushcroft's eyes. "Is itpossible that you have forgotten the celebrated case of Rushcroft vs. Rushcroft, not more than six years back? Good Lord, man, it was one ofthe most sensational cases that ever--But I see that you do not recallit. You must have been abroad at the time. I don't believe I ever knewof a case being quite so admirably handled by the press as that onewas. She got it after a bitter and protracted fight. Infidelity. Nothing so rotten as cruelty or desertion, --no sir!"

"Ahem!" coughed Miss Tilly. 

"The dear old girl married again, " sighed Mr. Rushcroft, helpinghimself to Barnes' butter. "Did very well, too. Man in the wine trade. He saves a great deal, you see, by getting it at cost, and I canassure you, on my word of honour, sir, that he'll find it quite anitem. What is it, Mr. Bacon? Any word from New York?"

Mr. Bacon hovered near, perhaps hungrily. 

"Our genial host has instructed me to say to his latest guest that therates are two dollars a day, in advance, all dining-room checkspayable on presentation, " said Mr. Bacon, apologetically. 

Rushcroft exploded. "A scurvy insult, " he boomed. "Confound his--"

The new guest was amiable. He interrupted the outraged star. "Tell Mr. Jones that I shall settle promptly, " he said, with a smile. 

The "heavy leads" lowered his voice. "He told me that he had had ahorrible thought. "

"He never has anything else, " said Mr. Rushcroft. 

"It has just entered his bean that you may be an actor, Mr. Barnes, "said Bacon. 

Miss Tilly, overhearing, drew a step or two nearer. A sudden interestin Mr. Barnes developed. She had not noticed before that he was anuncommonly good-looking fellow. She always had said that she adoredstrong, "athletic" faces. 

"Hence the insult, " said Mr. Rushcroft bitterly. He raised both armsin a gesture of complete dejection. "My God!"

"Says it looks suspicious, " went on Mr. Bacon, "flocking with us asyou do. He mentioned something about birds of a feather. "

Mr. Rushcroft arose majestically. "I shall see the man myself, Mr. Barnes. His infernal insolence--"

"Pray do not distress yourself, my dear Rushcroft, " interruptedBarnes. "He is quite within his rights. I may be even worse than anactor. I may turn out to be an ordinary tramp. " He took a wallet fromhis pocket, and smiled engagingly upon Miss Tilly. "The check, please. "

"For both?" inquired she, blinking. 

"Certainly. Mr. Rushcroft was my guest. "

"Four twenty five, " she announced, after computation on the back ofthe menu. 

He selected a five dollar bill from the rather plethoric purse andhanded it to her. 

"Be so good as to keep the change, " he said, and Miss Tilly went awayin a daze from which she did not emerge for a long, long time. 

Later on she felt inspired to jot down, for use no doubt in somefuture literary production, a concise, though general, description ofthe magnificent Mr. Barnes. She utilised the back of the bill-of-fareand she wrote with the feverish ardour of one who dreads the loss of afirst impression. I herewith append her visual estimate of the hero ofthis story. 

"He was a tall, shapely speciman of mankind, " wrote Miss Tilly. "Broad-shouldered. Smooth shaved face. Penetrating grey eyes. Shortcurly hair about the colour of mine. Strong hands of good shape. Facetanned considerable. Heavy dark eyebrows. Good teeth, very white. Square chin. Lovely smile that seemed to light up the room foreverybody within hearing. Nose ideal. Mouth same. Voice aristocraticand reverberating with education. Age about thirty or thirty one. Richas Croesus. Costume resembling the picture in the English novel thewoman forgot and left here last summer. Well turned legs. Would make agood nobleman. "

All this would appear to be reasonably definite were it not for thenote regarding the colour of his hair. It leaves to me the simple taskof completing the very admirable description of Mr. Barnes byannouncing that Miss Tilly's hair was an extremely dark brown. 

Also it is advisable to append the following biographical information:Thomas Kingsbury Barnes, engineer, born in Montclair, New Jersey, Sept. 26, 1885. Cornell and Beaux Arts, Paris. Son of the late StephenS. Barnes, engineer, and Edith (Valentine) Barnes. Office, Metropolitan Building, New York City. Residence, Amsterdam Mansions. Clubs: (Lack of space prevents listing them here). Recreations: golf, tennis, and horseback riding. Author of numerous articles resultingfrom expeditions and discoveries in Peru and Ecuador. Fellow of theRoyal Geographic Society. Member of the Loyal Legion and the Sons ofthe American Revolution. 

Added to this, the mere announcement that he was in a position toindulge a fancy for long and perhaps aimless walking tours throughmore or less out of the way sections of his own country, to saynothing of excursions in Europe. 

Needless to say, he obtained a great deal of pleasure from theselonely jaunts, and at the same time laid up for future use an amplesupply of mind's ease. His was undoubtedly a romantic nature. He lovedthe fancies that his susceptibilities garnered from the hills anddales and fields and forests. He never tired of the changing prospect;the simple meadow and the inspiring mountain peak were as one to hisgenerous imagination. He found something worth while in every mile hetraversed in these long and solitary tramps, and he covered no fewerthan twenty of them between breakfast and dinner unless ordered bycircumstance to loiter along the way. 

Each succeeding spring he set out from his "diggings" in New Yorkwithout having the remotest idea where his peregrinations would carryhim. It was his habit to select a starting point in advance, approachthat spot by train or ship or motor, and then divest himself of allpurpose except to fare forward until he came upon some haven for thenight. He went east or west, north or south, even as the winds ofheaven blow; indeed, he not infrequently followed them. 

For five or six weeks in the early spring it was his custom to forgehis daily chain of miles and, when the end was reached, climbcontentedly aboard a train and be transported, often by arduous means, to the city where millions of men walk with a definite aim in view. Heliked the spring of the year. He liked the rains and the winds ofearly spring. They meant the beginning of things to him. 

He was rich. Perhaps not as riches are measured in these Midas-likedays, but rich beyond the demands of avarice. His legacy had been anample one. The fact that he worked hard at his profession from oneyear's end to the other, --not excluding the six weeks devoted to thesementally productive jaunts, --is proof sufficient that he was notcontent to subsist on the fruits of another man's enterprise. He was aworker. He was a creator, a builder and a destroyer. It was part ofhis ambition to destroy in order that he might build the better. 

The first fortnight of a proposed six weeks' jaunt through Upper NewEngland terminated when he laid aside his heavy pack in the littlebed-room at Hart's Tavern. Cock-crow would find him ready and eager tobegin his third week. At least, so he thought. But, truth is, he hadcome to his journey's end; he was not to sling his pack for many a dayto come. 

After setting the mind of the landlord at rest, Barnes declined Mr. Rushcroft's invitation to "quaff" a cordial with him in the tap-room, explaining that he was exceedingly tired and intended to retire early(an announcement that caused unmistakable distress to the actor, whoheld forth for some time on the folly of "letting a thing like that gowithout taking it in time, " although it was not made quite clear justwhat he meant by "thing"). Barnes was left to infer that he consideredfatigue a malady that ought to be treated. 

Instead of going up to his room immediately, however, he decided tohave a look at the weather. He stepped out upon the wet porch andclosed the door behind him. The wind was still high; the lanterncreaked and the dingy sign that hung above the steps gave forthraucous, spasmodic wails as it swung back and forth in the stiff, rawwind. Far away to the north lightning flashed dimly; the roar ofthunder had diminished to a low, half-hearted growl. 

His uneasiness concerning the young woman of the cross-roads increasedas he peered at the wall of blackness looming up beyond the circle oflight. He could not see the towering hills, but memory pictured themas they were revealed to him in the gathering darkness before thestorm. She was somewhere outside that sinister black wall and in thesmothering grasp of those invisible hills, but was she living or dead?Had she reached her journey's end safely? He tried to extract comfortfrom the confidence she had expressed in the ability and integrity ofthe old man who drove with far greater recklessness than one wouldhave looked for in a wild and irresponsible youngster. 

He recalled, with a thrill, the imperious manner in which she gavedirections to the man, and his surprising servility. It suddenlyoccurred to him that she was no ordinary person; he was rather amazedthat he had not thought of it before. 

She had confessed to total ignorance regarding the driver of thatramshackle conveyance; to being utterly at sea in the neighbourhood;to having walked like any country bumpkin from the railroad station, lugging an unconscionably heavy bag; and yet, despite all this, sheseemed amazingly sure of herself. He recalled her frivolous remarkabout her jewels, and now wondered if there had not been more truththan jest in her words. Then there was the rather significantalteration in tone and manner when she spoke to the driver. The soft, somewhat deliberate drawl gave way to sharp, crisp sentences; thequaint good humour vanished and in its place he had no difficulty inremembering a very decided note of command. 

Moreover, now that he thought of it, there was, even in the agreeablerejoinders she had made to his offerings, the faint suggestion of anaccent that should have struck him at the time but did not for theobvious reason that he was then not at all interested in her. HerEnglish was so perfect that he had failed to detect the almostimperceptible foreign flavour that now took definite form in hisreflections. He tried to place this accent. Was it French, or Italian, or Spanish? Certainly it was not German. The lightness of the Latinwas evident, he decided, but it was all so faint and remote thatclassification was impossible, notwithstanding his years ofassociation with the peoples of many countries where English is spokenmore perfectly by the upper classes, who have a language of their own, than it is in England itself. 

He took a few turns up and down the long porch, stopping finally atthe upper end. The clear, inspiring clang of a hammer on an anvil fellsuddenly upon his ears. He looked at his watch. The hour was nine, certainly an unusual time for men to be at work in a forge. Heremembered the two men in the tap-room who were bare-armed and worethe shapeless leather aprons of the smithy. 

He had been standing there not more than half a minute peering in thedirection from whence came the rhythmic bang of the anvil, --at nogreat distance, he was convinced, --when some one spoke suddenly at hiselbow. He whirled and found himself facing the gaunt landlord. 

"Good Lord! You startled me, " he exclaimed. He had not heard theapproach of the man, nor the opening and closing of the tavern door. His gaze travelled past the tall figure of Putnam Jones and rested onthat of a second man, who leaned, with legs crossed and arms folded, against the porch post directly in front of the entrance to the house, his features almost wholly concealed by the broad-brimmed slouch hatthat came far down over his eyes. He too, it seemed to Barnes, hadsprung from nowhere. 

"Fierce night, " said Putnam Jones, removing the corn-cob pipe from hislips. Then, as an after thought: "Sorry I skeert you. I thought youheerd me. "

"I was listening to the song of the anvil, " said Barnes, as thelandlord moved forward and took his place beside him. "It has alwayspossessed a singular charm for me. "

"Special hurry-up job, " said Jones, and no more. 

"Shoeing?"

"Yep. You'd think these hayseeds could git their horses in here durin'regular hours, wouldn't you?"

"I dare say they consider their own regular hours instead of yours, Mr. Jones. "

"I didn't quite ketch that. "

"I mean that they bring their horses in after their regular day's workis done. "

"I see. Yes, I reckon that's the idee. " After a few pulls at his pipe, the landlord inquired: "Where'd you walk from to-day?" "I slept in afarm-house last night, about fifteen miles south of this place Ishould say. "

"That'd be a little ways out of East Cobb, " speculated Mr. Jones. 

"Five or six miles. "

"Goin' over into Canada?"

"No. I shall turn west, I think, and strike for the Lake Champlaincountry. "

"Canadian line is only a few miles from here, " said Jones. "Lastsummer we had a couple of crooks from Boston here, makin' a dash forthe border. Didn't know it till they'd been gone a day, however. Theofficers were just a day behind 'em. Likely lookin' fellers, too. Lastmen in the world you'd take for bank robbers. "

"Bank robbers, as a rule, are very classy looking customers, " saidBarnes. 

Mr. Jones grunted. After a short silence, he branched off on a newline. "What you think about the war? Think it'll be over soon?"

"It has been going on for nearly two years, and I can't see any signsof abatement. Looks to me like a draw. They're all tired of it. "

"Think the Germans are going to win?"

"No. They can't win. On the other hand, I don't see how the Allies canwin. I may be wrong, of course. The Allies are getting stronger everyday and the Germans must surely be getting weaker. As a matter offact, Mr. Jones, I've long since stopped speculating on the outcome ofthe war. It is too big for me. I am not one of your know-it-alls whofigure the whole thing out from day to day, and then wonder why thefool generals didn't have sense enough to perform as expected. "

"I wish them countries over there would let me fix 'em out withgenerals, " drawled Mr. Jones. "I could pick out fifteen or twenty menright here in this district that could show 'em in ten minutes justhow to win the war. You'd be surprised to know how many great generalswe have running two by four farms and choppin' wood for a livin' uphere. And there are fellers settin' right in there now that never sawa body of water bigger'n Plum Pond, an' every blamed one of 'em knowsmore'n the whole British navy about ketchin' submarines. The quickestway to end the war, says Jim Roudebush, --one of our leadin' ice-cutters, --is for the British navy to bombard Berlin from both sides, an' he don't see why in thunder they've never thought of it. I supposeyou've travelled right smart in Europe?"

"Quite a bit, Mr. Jones. "

"Any partic'lar part?"

"No, " said Barnes, suddenly divining that he was being "pumped. " "Oneend to the other, you might say. "

"What about them countries down around Bulgaria and Roumania? I'vebeen considerable interested in what's going to become of them ifGermany gets licked. What do they get out of it, either way?"

Barnes spent the next ten minutes expatiating upon the future of theBalkan states. Jones had little to say. He was interested, and drankin all the information that Barnes had to impart. He puffed at hispipe, nodded his head from time to time, and occasionally put aleading question. And quite as abruptly as he introduced the topic hechanged it. 

"Not many automobiles up here at this time 'o the year, " he said. "Iwas a little surprised when you said a feller had given you a lift. Where from?"

"The cross-roads, a mile down. He came from the direction of Frogg'sCorner and was on his way to meet some one at Spanish Falls. " Barnesshrewdly leaped to the conclusion that the landlord's interest in theEuropean War was more or less assumed. The man's purpose was beginningto reveal itself. He was evidently curious, if not actually concerned, about his guest's arrival by motor. 

"That's queer, " he said, after a moment. "There's no train arrivin' atSpanish Falls as late as six o'clock. Gets in at four-ten, if she's ontime. And she was reported on time to-day. "

"It appears that there was a misunderstanding. The driver didn't meetthe train, so the person he was going after walked all the way to theforks. We happened upon each other there, Mr. Jones, and we studiedthe sign-post together. She was bound for a place called Green Fancy. "

"Did you say SHE?"

"Yes. I was proposing to help her out of her predicament when thebelated motor came racing down the slope. As a matter of fact, I waswrong when I said that a man brought me here in an automobile. It wasshe who did it. She gave the order. He merely obeyed, --and not verywillingly, I suspect. "

"What for sort of looking lady was she?"

"She wore a veil, " said Barnes, succinctly. 

"Young?"

"I had that impression. By the way, Mr. Jones, what and where is GreenFancy?"

Jones looked over his shoulder, and his guest's glance followed. Theman near the entrance had been joined by another. 

"Well, " began the landlord, lowering his voice, "it's about two mileand a half from here, up the mountain. It's a house and people live init, same as any other house. That's about all there is to say aboutit. "

"Why is it called Green Fancy?"

"Because it's a green house, " replied Jones succinctly. 

"You mean that it is painted green?"

"Exactly. Green as a gourd. A man named Curtis built it a couple o'year ago and he had a fool idee about paintin' it green. Might ha'been a little crazy, for all I know. Anyhow, after he got it finishedhe settled down to live in it, and from that day to this he's neverbeen off'n the place. He didn't seem sick or anything, so we can'tmake out his object in shuttin' himself up in the house an' seldomever stickin' his nose outside the door. "

"Isn't it possible that he isn't there at all?"

"He's there all right. Every now an' then he has visitors, --just likethis woman to-day, --and sometimes they come down here for supper. Theydon't hesitate to speak of him, so he must be there. Miss Tilly hasgot the idee that he is a reecluse, if you know what that is. "

"It's all very interesting. I should say, judging by the visitor whocame this evening, that he entertains extremely nice people. "

"Well, " said Jones drily, "they claim to be from New York. But, " headded, "so do them cheapskate actors in there. " Which was as much asto say that he had his doubts. 

Further conversation was interrupted by the irregular clatter ofhorses' hoofs on the macadam. Off to the left a dull red glow of lightspread across the roadway, and a man's voice called out: "Whoa, dangye!"

The door of the smithy had been thrown open and some one was leadingforth freshly shod horses. 

A moment later the horses, --prancing, high-spirited animals, --theirbridle-bits held by a strapping blacksmith, came into view. Barneslooked in the direction of the steps. The two men had disappeared. Instead of stopping directly in front of the steps, the smith led hischarges quite a distance beyond and into the darkness. 

Putnam Jones abruptly changed his position. He insinuated his longbody between Barnes and the doorway, at the same time rather loudlyproclaiming that the rain appeared to be over. 

"Yes, sir, " he repeated, "she seems to have let up altogether. Oughtto have a nice day to-morrow, Mr. Barnes, --nice, cool day forwalkin'. "

Voices came up from the darkness. Jones had not been able to coverthem with his own. Barnes caught two or three sharp commands, risingabove the pawing of horses' hoofs, and then a great clatter as themounted horsemen rode off in the direction of the cross-roads. Thebeat of the hoofs became rhythmical as the animals steadied into aswinging lope. 

Barnes waited until they were muffled by distance, and then turned toJones with the laconic remark:

"They seem to be foreigners, Mr. Jones. " Jones's manner became naturalonce more. He leaned against one of the posts and, striking a match onhis leg, relighted his pipe. 

"Kind o' curious about 'em, eh?" he drawled. 

"It never entered my mind until this instant to be curious, " saidBarnes. 

"Well, it entered their minds about an hour ago to be curious aboutyou, " said the other. 

CHAPTER IV

AN EXTRAORDINARY CHAMBERMAID, A MIDNIGHT TRAGEDY, AND A MAN WHO SAID"THANK YOU"

Miss Thackeray was "turning down" his bed when he entered his roomafter bidding his new actor friends good night. All three promised tobe up bright and early in the morning to speed him on his way withgood wishes. Mr. Rushcroft declared that he would break the habit ofyears and get up in time to partake of a seven o'clock breakfast withhim. Mr. Dillingford and Mr. Bacon, though under sentence to eat atsix with the rest of the "help, " were quite sanguine that old manJones wouldn't mind if they ate again at seven. So it was left thatBarnes was to have company for breakfast. 

He was staggered and somewhat abashed by the appearance of MissThackeray. She was by no means dressed as a chambermaid should be, norwas she as dumb. On the contrary, she confronted him in the choicestraiment that her wardrobe contained, and she was bright and cheery andexceedingly incompetent. It was her costume that shocked him. Not onlywas she attired in a low-necked, rose-coloured evening gown, liberallybespangled with tinsel, but she wore a vast top-heavy picture-hatwhose crown of black was almost wholly obscured by a gorgeous whitefeather that once must have adorned the king of all ostriches. She wasnot at all his idea of a chambermaid. He started to back out of thedoor with an apology for having blundered into the wrong room bymistake. 

"Come right in, " she said cheerily. "I'll soon be through. I suppose Ishould have done all this an hour ago, but I just had to write a fewletters. " She went on with her clumsy operations. "I don't know whomade up this bed but whoever did was determined that it should stayput. I never knew that bed clothes could be tucked in as far and astight as these. Tight enough for old Mother Jones to have done itherself, and heaven knows she's a tight one. I am Miss Thackeray. Thisis Mr. Barnes, I believe. "

He bowed, still quite overcome. 

"You needn't be scared, " she cried, observing his confusion. "This ismy regular uniform. I'm starting a new style for chambermaids. Did itparalyse you to find me here?"

"I must confess to a moment of indecision, " he said, smiling. 

"Followed by a moment of uneasiness, " she added, slapping the bolster. "You didn't know what to think, now did you?"

"I couldn't believe my eyes. "

She abandoned her easy, careless manner. A look of mortification cameinto her eyes as she straightened up and faced him. Her voice was atrifle husky when she spoke again, after a moment's pause. 

"You see, Mr. Barnes, these are the only duds I have with me. Itwasn't necessary to put on this hat, of course, but I did it simply tomake the character complete. I might just as well make beds and cleanwashstands in a picture hat as in a low-necked gown, so here I am. "

She was a tall, pleasant-faced girl of twenty-three or four, notunlike her father in many respects. Her features were rather heavy, her mouth large but comely, her eyes dark and lustrous behind heavylashes. As she now appeared before Barnes, she was the typical stagesociety woman: in other words, utterly commonplace. In a drawing-roomshe would have been as conspicuously out of place as she was in herpresent occupation. 

"I am very sorry, " he said lamely. "I have heard something of yourmisfortunes from your father and--the others. It's--it's really hardluck. "

"I call it rather good luck to have got away with the only dress inthe lot that cost more than tuppence, " she said, smiling again. "Lordknows what would have happened to me if they had dropped down on us atthe end of the first act. I was the beggar's daughter, you see, --absolutely in rags. "

"You might have got away in your ordinary street clothes, however, " hesaid; "which would have been pleasanter, I dare say. "

"I dare say, " she agreed brightly. "Glad to have met you. I thinkyou'll find everything NEARLY all right. Good night, sir. "

She smiled brightly, unaffectedly, as she turned toward the open door. There was something forelorn about her, after all, and his heart wastouched. 

"Better luck, Miss Thackeray. Every cloud has its silver lining. "

She stopped and faced him once more. "That's the worst bromide in thelanguage, " she said. "If I were to tell you how many clouds I've seenand how little silver, you'd think I was lying. This experience? Why, it's a joy compared to some of the jolts we've had, --dad and me. Andthe others, too, for that matter. We've had to get used to it. Fiveyears ago I would have jumped out of a ten story window before I'dhave let you see me in this get-up. I know you'll laugh yourself sickover the way I look, and so will your friends when you tell them aboutme, but, thank the Lord, I shan't be in a position to hear you. So whyshould I mind? What a fellow doesn't know, isn't going to hurt him. You haven't laughed in my face, and I'm grateful for that. What you doafterward can't make the least bit of difference to me. "

"I assure you, Miss Thackeray, that I shall not laugh, nor shall Iever relate the story of your--"

"There is one more bromide that I've never found much virtue in, " sheinterrupted, not disagreeably, "and that is: 'it's too good to betrue. ' Good night. Sleep tight. "

She closed the door behind her, leaving him standing in the middle ofthe room, perplexed but amused. 

"By George, " he said to himself, still staring at the closed door, "they're wonders, all of them. We could all take lessons in philosophyfrom such as they. I wish I could do something to help them out of--"He sat down abruptly on the edge of the bed and pulled his wallet fromhis pocket. He set about counting the bills, a calculating frown inhis eyes. Then he stared at the ceiling, summing up. "I'll do it, " hesaid, after a moment of mental figuring. He told off a half dozenbills and slipped them into his pocket. The wallet sought its usualresting place for the night: under a pillow. 

He was healthy and he was tired. Two minutes after his head touchedthe pillow he was sound asleep, losing consciousness even as he foughtto stay awake in order that he might continue to vex himself with theextraordinary behavior and statement of Putnam Jones. 

He was aroused shortly after midnight by shouts, apparently justoutside his window. A man was calling in a loud voice from the roadbelow; an instant later he heard a tremendous pounding on the taverndoor. 

Springing out of bed, he rushed to the window. There were horses infront of the house, --several of them, --and men on foot moving likeshadows among them. A shuffling of feet came up to his open window;the intervening roof shut off his view of the porch and all that wastranspiring. His eyes, accustomed to darkness, made out at least fivehorses in the now unlighted area before the tavern. 

Turning from the window, he unlocked and opened the door into thehall. Some one was clattering down the narrow staircase. The bolts onthe front door shot back with resounding force, and there came thehoarse jumble of excited voices as men crowded through the entrance. Putnam Jones's voice rose above the clamour. 

"Keep quiet! Do you want to wake everybody on the place?" he wassaying angrily. "What's up? This is a fine time o' night to be--GoodLord! What's the matter with him?"

"Telephone for a doctor, Put, --damn' quick! This one's still alive. The other one is dead as a door nail up at Jim Conley's house. Git oleDoc James down from Saint Liz. Bring him in here, boys. Where's yourlights? Easy now! Eas-EE!"

Barnes waited to hear no more. His blood seemed to be running ice-coldas he retreated into the room and began scrambling for his clothes. The thing he feared had come to pass. Disaster had overtaken her inthat wild, senseless dash up the mountain road. He was cursing halfaloud as he dressed, cursing the fool who drove that machine and whonow was perhaps dying down there in the tap-room. "The other one isdead as a door nail, " kept running through his head, --"the other one. "

The rumble of voices and the shuffling of feet continued, indistinctbut laden with tragedy. The curious hush of catastrophe seemed to topthe confusion that infected the place, inside and out. Barnes foundhis electric pocket torch and dressed hurriedly, though not fully, byits constricted light. As he was pulling on his heavy walking shoes, ahead was inserted through the half open door, and an excited voicecalled out:

"You awake? Good work! Hustle along, will you? No more sleep to-night, old chap. Man dying downstairs. Shot smack through the lungs. Get amove--"

"Shot?" exclaimed Barnes. 

"So they say, " replied the agitated Mr. Dillingford, entering theroom. He had slipped on his trousers and was then in the act ofpulling his suspenders over his shoulders. His unlaced shoes gapedbroadly; the upper part of his body was closely encased in a once blueundershirt; his abundant black hair was tousled, --some of it, indeed, having the appearance of standing on end. And in his wide eyes therewas a look of horror. "I didn't hear much of the story. Old man Jonesis telephoning for a doctor and--"

"Did you say that the man was shot?" repeated Barnes, bewildered. "Wasn't it an automobile accident?"

"Search ME. Gosh, I had one look at that fellow's face down there and--I didn't hear another word that was said. I never saw a man's facelook like that. It was the colour of grey wall paper. Hurry up! Oldman Jones told me to call you. He says you understand some of theforeign languages, and maybe you can make out what the poor devil istrying to say. " "Do they know who he is?"

"Sure. He's been staying in the house for three days. The other onespoke English all right but this one not a word. "

"Did they ride away from here about nine o'clock?"

"Yes. They had their own horses and said they were going to spend thenight at Spanish Falls so's they could meet the down train that goesthrough at five o'clock in the morning. But hustle along, please. He'strying to talk and he's nearly gone. "

Barnes, buoyed by a sharp feeling of relief, followed the actordownstairs and into the tap-room. A dozen men were there, gatheredaround two tables that had been drawn together. Transient lodgers, invarious stages of dishabille, popped out of all sorts of passagewaysand joined the throng. The men about the table, on which was stretchedthe figure of the wounded man, were undoubtedly natives: farmers, woodsmen or employees of the tavern. At a word from Putnam Jones, theyopened up and allowed Barnes to advance to the side of the man. 

"See if you c'n understand him, Mr. Barnes, " said the landlord. Perspiration was dripping from his long, raw-boned face. "And you, Bacon, --you and Dillingford hustle upstairs and get a mattress off'none of the beds. Stand at the door there, Pike, and don't let anywomen in here. Go away, Miss Thackeray! This is no place for you. "

Miss Thackeray pushed her way past the man who tried to stop her andjoined Barnes. Her long black hair hung in braids down her back; aboveher forehead clustered a mass of ringlets, vastly disordered but notuntidy. A glance would have revealed the gaudy rose-coloured skirthanging below the bottom of the long rain-coat she had snatched from apeg in the hall-way. 

"It is the place for me, " she said sharply. "Haven't you men got senseenough to put something under his head? Where is he hurt? Get thatcushion, you. Stick, it under here when I lift his head. Oh, you poorthing! We'll be as quick as possible. There!"

"You'd better go away, " said Barnes, himself ghastly pale. "He's beenshot. There is a lot of blood--don't you know. It's splendid of you--"

"Dangerously?" she cried, shrinking back, her eyes fixed in dread uponthe white face. 

The man's eyes were closed, but at the sound of a woman's voice heopened them. The hand with which he clutched at his breast slid offand seemed to be groping for hers. His breathing was terrible. Therewas blood at the corners of his mouth, and more oozed forth when hislips parted in an effort to speak. 

With a courage that surprised even herself, the girl took his hand inhers. It was wet and warm. She did not dare look at it. 

"Merci, madame, " struggled from the man's lips, and he smiled. 

Barnes had heard of the French soldiers who, as they died, said "thankyou" to those who ministered to them, and smiled as they said it. Hehad always marvelled at the fortitude that could put gratefulnessabove physical suffering, and his blood never failed to respond to anexquisite thrill of exaltation under such recitals. He at once deducedthat the injured man, while probably not a Frenchman, at least wasfamiliar with the language. 

He was young, dark-haired and swarthy. His riding-clothes were well-made and modish. 

Barnes leaned over and spoke to him in French. The dark, pain-strickeneyes closed, and an almost imperceptible shake of the head signifiedthat he did not understand. Evidently he had acquired only a few ofthe simple French expressions. Barnes had a slight knowledge ofSpanish and Italian, and tried again with no better results. Germanwas his last resort, and he knew he would fail once more, for the manobviously was not Teutonic. 

The bloody lips parted, however, and the eyes opened with a piteous, appealing expression in their depths. It was apparent that there wassomething he wanted to say, something he had to say before he died. Hegasped a dozen words or more in a tongue utterly unknown to Barnes, who bent closer to catch the feeble effort. It was he who now shookhis head; with a groan the sufferer closed his eyes in despair. Hechoked and coughed violently an instant later. 

"Get some water and a towel, " cried Miss Thackeray, tremulously. Shewas very white, but still clung to the man's hand. "Be quick! Behindthe bar. " Then she turned to Jones. "Don't call my father. He can'tstand the sight of blood, " she said. 

Barnes unbuttoned the coat and revealed the blood-soaked white shirt. 

"Better leave this to me, " he said in her ear. "There's nothing youcan do. He's done for. Please go away. "

"Oh, I sha'n't faint--at least, not yet. Poor fellow! I've seen himupstairs and wondered who he was. Is he really going to die?"

"Looks bad, " said Barnes, gently opening the shirt front. Several ofthe craning men turned away suddenly. 

"Can't you understand him?" demanded Putnam Jones, from the oppositeside. 

"No. Did you get the doctor?"

"He's on the way by this time. He's got a little automobile. Ought tobe here in ten or fifteen minutes. "

"Who is he, Mr. Jones?"

"He is registered as Andrew Paul, from New York. That's all I know. The other man put his name down as Albert Roon. He seemed to be theboss and this man a sort of servant, far as I could make out. Theynever talked much and seldom came downstairs. They had their meals intheir room. Bacon served them. Where is Bacon? Where the hell--oh, themattress. Now, we'll lift him up gentle-like while you fellers slip itunder him. Easy now. Brace up, my lad, we--we won't hurt you. Lordy!Lordy! I'm sorry--Gosh! I thought he was gone!" He wiped his brow witha shaking hand. 

"There is nothing we can do, " said Barnes, "except try to stanch theflow of blood. He is bleeding inwardly, I'm afraid. It's a cleanwound, Mr. Jones. Like a rifle shot, I should say. "

"That's just what it is, " said one of the men, a tall woodsman. "Thefeller who did it was a dead shot, you c'n bet on that. He got t'other man square through the heart. "

"Lordy, but this will raise a rumpus, " groaned the landlord. "We'llhave detectives an'--"

"I guess they got what was comin' to 'em, " said another of the men. 

"What's that? Why, they was ridin' peaceful as could be to SpanishFalls. What do you mean by sayin' that, Jim Conley? But wait a minute!How does it happen that they were up near your dad's house? Thatcertainly ain't on the road to Span--"

"Spanish Falls nothin'! They wasn't goin' to Spanish Falls any more'nI am at this minute. They tied their hosses up the road just above ourhouse, " said young Conley, lowering his voice out of consideration forthe feelings of the helpless man. "It was about 'leven o'clock, Ireckon. I was comin' home from singin' school up at Number Ten, an' Ipassed the hosses hitched to the fence. Naturally I stopped, curiouslike. There wasn't no one around, fer as I could see, so I thought I'dtake a look to see whose hosses they were. I thought it was dernedfunny, them hosses bein' there at that time o' night an' no onearound. So as I said before, I thought I'd take a look. I know everyhoss fer ten mile around. So I thought I'd take--"

"You said that three times, " broke in Jones impatiently. 

"Well, to make a long story short, I thought I'd take a look. I neverseen either of them animals before. They didn't belong around here. SoI thought I'd better hustle down to the house an' speak to pa aboutit. Looked mighty queer to me. Course, thinks I, they might belong tosomebody visitin' in there at Green Fancy, so I thought I'd--"

"Green Fancy?" said Barnes, starting. 

"Was it up that far?" demanded Jones. 

"They was hitched jest about a hundred yards below Mr. Curtis'spropity, on the off side o' the road. Course it's quite a ways in fromthe road to the house, an' I couldn't see why if it was anybodycallin' up there they didn't ride all the ways up, 'stead o' walkin'through the woods. So I thought I'd speak to pa about it. Say, " and hepaused abruptly, a queer expression in his eyes, "you don't suppose heknows what I'm sayin', do you? I wouldn't say anything to hurt thepoor feller's feelin's fer--"

"He doesn't know what you are saying, " said Barnes. 

"But, dern it, he jest now looked at me in the funniest way. It'sgiven me the creeps. "

"Go on, " said one of the men. 

"Well, I hadn't any more'n got to our front gate when I heard some onerunning in the road up there behind me. 'Fore I knowed what washappenin', bang went a gun. I almost jumped out'n my boots. I leptbehind that big locus' tree in front of our house and listened. Therunnin' had stopped. The hosses was rarin' an' tearin' so I thoughtI'd--"

"Where'd the shot come from?" demanded Jones. 

"Up the road some'eres, I couldn't swear just where. Must 'a' been upby the road that cuts in to Green Fancy. So I thought I'd hustle inan' see if pa was awake, an' git my gun. Looked mighty suspicious, thinks I, that gun shot. Jest then pa stuck his head out'n the winderan' yelled what the hell's the matter. You betcher life I sung out whoI was mighty quick, 'cause pa's purty spry with a gun an' I didn'twant him takin' me fer burglars sneakin' around the house. While wewuz talkin' there, one of the hosses started our way lickety-split, an' in about two seconds it went by us. It was purty dark but we seeplain as day that there was a man in the saddle, bendin' low over thehoss's neck and shoutin' to it. Well, we shore was guessin'. We waiteda couple o' minutes, wonderin' what to do, an' listenin' to the hossgittin' furder and furder away in the direction of the cross-roads. Then, 'way down there by the pike we heerd another shot. Right therean' then pa said he'd put on his clothes an' we'd set out to see whatit was all about. I had it figgered out that the feller on the hosshad shot the other one and was streakin' it fer town or some'eres. That second shot had me guessin' though. Who wuz he shootin' at now, thinks I. 

"Well, pa come out with my gun an' his'n an' we walks up to where Iseen the hosses. Shore 'nough, one of 'em was still hitched to thefence, an' t'other was gone. We stood around a minute or two examinin'the hoss an' then pa says let's go up the road aways an' see if we c'nsee anything. An' by gosh, we hadn't gone more'n fifty feet afore wecome plumb on a man layin' in the middle of the road. Pa shook him an'he didn't let out a sound. He was warm but deader'n a tombstone. I wuzfer leavin' him there till we c'd git the coroner, but pa says no. We'd carry him down to our porch, an' lay him there, so's he'd be outo' danger. Ma an' the kids wuz all up when we got him there, an' pasent Bill and Charley over to Mr. Pike's and Uncle John's to fetch 'emquick. I jumps on Polly an' lights out fer here, Mr. Jones, totelephone up to Saint Liz fer the sheriff an' the coroner, not givin'a dang what I run into on the way. Polly shied somethin' terrible jestafore we got to the pike an' I come derned near bein' throwed. An'right there 'side the road was this feller, all in a heap. I went backan' jumped off. He was groanin' somethin' awful. Thinks I, you poorcuss, you must 'a' tried to stop that feller on hossback an' heplunked you. That accounted fer the second shot. But while I wuztryin' to lift him up an' git somethin' out'n him about the matter, Isees his boss standin' in the road a couple o' rods away. I couldn'tunderstand a word he said, so I thought I better go back home an' gitsome help, seein's I couldn't manage him by myself. So I dragged himup on the bank an' made him comfortable as I could, and lit out ferhome. We thought we'd better bring him up here, Mr. Jones, it bein'just as near an' you could git the doctor sooner. I hitched up thebuck-board and went back. Pa an' some of the other fellers took theirguns an' went up in the woods lookin' fer the man that done theshootin'. The thing that worries all of us is did the same man do theshootin', or was there two of 'em, one waitin' down at the cross-roads?"

"Must have been two, " said Jones, thoughtfully. "The same man couldn'thave got down there ahead of him, that's sure. Did anybody go up toGreen Fancy to make inquiries?"

"'Twasn't necessary. Mr. Curtis heard the shootin' an' jest before weleft he sent a man out to see what it was all about. The old skeezicksthat's been drivin' his car lately come down half-dressed. He saidnothin' out of the way had happened up at Green Fancy. Nobody had beennosin' around their place, an' if they had, he said, there wasn'tanybody there who could hit the side of a barn with a rifle. "

"It's most mysterious, " said Barnes, glancing around the circle ofawed faces. "There must have been some one lying in wait for thesemen, and with a very definite purpose in mind. "

"Strikes me, " said Jones, "that these two men were up to some kind ofdirty work themselves, else why did they say they were goin' toSpanish Falls? It's my idee that they went up that road to lay fersomebody comin' down from the border, and they got theirs good an'plenty instead of the other way round. They were queer actin' men, I'll have to say that. "

His eyes met Barnes' and there was a queer light in them. 

"You don't happen to know anything about this, do you, Mr. Barnes?" hedemanded, suddenly. 

CHAPTER V

THE FARM-BOY TELLS A GHASTLY STORY AND AN IRISHMAN ENTERS

Barnes stared. "What do you mean?" he demanded sharply. 

"I mean just what I said. What do you know about this business?"

"How should I know ANYTHING about it?"

"Well, we don't know who you are, nor what you're doing up here, norwhat your real profession is. That's why I ask the question. "

"I see, " said Barnes, after a moment. He grasped the situation and headmitted to himself that Jones had cause for his suspicions. "It hasoccurred to you that I may be a detective or a secret service man, isn't that the case? Well, I am neither. Moreover, this man and hiscompanion evidently had their doubts about me, if I am to judge byyour remark and your actions on the porch earlier in the evening. "

"I only said that they were curious about you. The man named Roonasked me a good many questions about you while you were in at supper. Who knows but what he was justified in thinkin' you didn't mean anygood to him and his friend?"

"Did you know any more about these two men, Mr. Jones, than you knowabout me?"

"I don't know anything about 'em. They came here like any one else, paid their bills regular, 'tended to their own business, and that'sall. "

"What was their business?"

"Mr. Roon was lookin' for a place to bring his daughter who hasconsumption. He didn't want to take her to a reg'lar consumptivecommunity, he said, an' so he was lookin' for a quiet place where shewouldn't be associatin' with lungers all the time. Some big doctor inNew York told him to come up here an' look around. That was hisbusiness, Mr. Barnes, an' I guess you'd call it respectable, wouldn'tyou?"

"Perfectly. But why should he be troubled by my presence here if--"Miss Thackeray put an end to the discussion in a most effectualmanner. 

"Oh, for the Lord's sake, cut it out! Wait till he's dead, can't you?"she whispered fiercely. "You've got all the time in the world to talk, and he hasn't more than ten minutes left to breathe unless that rubedoctor gets here pretty soon. If you've GOT to settle the questionright away, at least have the decency to go out of this room. "

Barnes flushed to the roots of his hair. Jones was aghast, dumb withsurprise and anger. 

"You are right, Miss Thackeray, " said the former, deeply mortified. "This is not the time nor the place to----"

"He can't understand a word we say, " said Putnam Jones loudly. "Youbetter get out of here yourself, young woman. This is a job for men, not--"

"I think he's going now, " she whispered in an awe-struck voice. "Keepstill, all of you. Is he breathing, Mr. Barnes? That awful cough justnow seemed to--"

"Come away, please, " said Barnes, taking her gently by the arm. "I--Ibelieve that was the end. Don't stay here, Miss Thackeray. Dillingford, will you be good enough to escort Miss--"

"I've never seen any one die before, " she said in a low, tense voice. Her eyes were fixed on the still face. "Why--why, how tightly he holdsmy hand! I can't get it away--he must be alive, Mr. Barnes. Where isthat silly doctor?"

Barnes unclasped the rigid fingers of the man called Andrew Paul, and, shaking his head sadly, drew her away from the improvised bier. He andthe shivering Mr. Dillingford conducted her to the dining-room, wherea single kerosene lamp gave out a feeble, rather ghastly light. Thetall Bacon followed, the upper part of his person enveloped in theblanket Putnam Jones had hastily snatched from the mattress before itwas slipped under the dying man. Several of the women of the house, including the wife of the landlord, clogged the little entrance hall, chattering in hushed undertones. 

"Would you like a little brandy?" inquired Barnes, as she sat downlimply in the chair he pulled out for her. "I have a flask upstairs inmy--"

"I never touch it, " she said. "I'm all right. My legs wabble a littlebut--Sit down, Mr. Barnes. I've got something to say to you and I'dbetter say it now, because it may come in pretty handy for you lateron. Don't let those women come in here, Dilly. "

Barnes drew a chair close beside her. Bacon, with scant regard forelegance, seated himself on the edge of the table and bent an ear. 

"It's all rot about that man Roon being here to look for a place forhis daughter. " She spoke rapidly and cautiously. "I don't know whetherJones knows, but that certainly wasn't what he was here for. The youngfellow in there was a sort of secretary. Roon had a room at the otherend of the hall from yours, on the corner, facing the road and alsolooking toward the cross-roads. Young Paul had the next room, with adoor between. I was supposed to make up their rooms after they'd goneout in the forenoon for a horseback ride. I kept out of their sight, because I knew they were the kind of men who would laugh at me. Theycouldn't understand, and, of course, I couldn't explain. Yesterdaymorning I found a sort of map on the floor under young Paul'swashstand. The wind had blown it off the table by the window and hehadn't missed it. It was in lead pencil and looked like a map of theroads around here. I couldn't read the notations, but it required onlya glance to convince me that this place was the central point. All ofthe little mountain roads were there, and the cross-roads. Therewasn't anything queer about it, so I laid it on his table and put abook on it. 

"This afternoon I walked up in the woods back of the Tavern to go oversome lines in a new piece we are to do later on, --God knows when! Icould see the house from where I was sitting. Roon's windows wereplainly visible. I wasn't very far away, you see, the climb being toosteep for me. I saw Roon standing at a window looking toward thecross-roads with a pair of field-glasses. Every once in awhile hewould turn to Paul, who stood beside him with a notebook, and saysomething to him. Paul wrote it down. Then he would look again, turning the glasses this way and that. I wouldn't have thought muchabout it if they hadn't spent so much time there. I believe I watchedthem for an hour. Suddenly my eyes almost popped out of my head. Paulhad gone away from the window. He came back and he had a couple ofrevolvers in his hands. They stood there for a few minutes carefullyexamining the weapons and reloading them with fresh cartridges. Thestorm was coming up, but I love it so that I waited almost until dark, watching the clouds and listening to the roar of the wind in thetrees. I'm a queer girl in that way. I like turmoil. I could sit outin the most dreadful thunder storm and just revel in the crashes. Justas I was about to start down to the house--it was a little after sixo'clock, and getting awfully dark and overcast, --Roon took up theglasses again. He seemed to be excited and called his companion. Paulgrabbed the glasses and looked down the road. They both became verymuch excited, pointing and gesticulating, and taking turn about withthe glasses. "

"About six o'clock, you say?" said Barnes, greatly interested. 

"It was a quarter after six when I got back to the house. I spoke toMr. Bacon about what I'd seen and he said he believed they were Germanspies, up to some kind of mischief along the Canadian border. Everybody is a German spy nowadays, Mr. Barnes, if he looks cross-wise. Then about half an hour later you came to the Tavern. I saw Roonsneak out to the head of the stairs and listen to your conversationwith Jones when you registered. That gave me an idea. It was you theywere watching the road for. They saw you long before you got here, andit was--"

Barnes held up his hand for silence. "Listen, " he said in a low voice, "I will tell you who they were looking for. " As briefly as possible herecounted his experience with the strange young woman at the cross-roads. "From the beginning I have connected this tragedy with theplace called Green Fancy. I'll stake my last penny that they have beenhanging around here waiting for the arrival of that young woman. Theyknew she was coming and they doubtless knew what she was bringing withher. They went to Green Fancy to-night with a very sinister purpose inmind, and things didn't turn out as they expected. What do you knowabout the place called Green Fancy?"

He was vastly excited. His active imagination was creating all sortsof possibilities and complications, depredations and intrigues. 

Bacon was the one who answered. He drew the blanket closer about hislean form and shivered as with a chill. 

"I know this much about the place from hearsay, " he said in a gutturalwhisper. "It's supposed to be haunted. I've heard more than one ofthese jays, --big huskies too, --say they wouldn't go near the placeafter dark for all the money in the state. "

"That's just talk to scare you, Ague, " said Dillingford. "People liveup there and since we've been here two or three men visitors have comedown from the place to sample our stock of wet goods. Nothingsuspicious looking or ghostly about them either. I talked with acouple of 'em day before yesterday. They were out for a horseback rideand stopped here for a mug of ale. "

"Were they foreigners?" inquired Barnes. 

"If you want to call an Irishman a foreigner, I'll have to say one ofthem was. He had a beautiful brogue. I'd never seen an Irishman inslick riding clothes, however, so I doubted my ears at first. Youdon't associate a plain Mick with anything so swell as that, you know. The other was an American, I'm sure. Yesterday they rode past herewith a couple of swell looking women. I saw them turn up the road toGreen Fancy, so that knocks your ghost story all to smash, Bacon. "

"It isn't MY ghost story, " began Mr. Bacon indignantly. The arrival offour or five men, who stamped into the already crowded hallway fromthe porch outside, claimed the attention of the quartette. Among themwas the doctor who, they were soon to discover, was also the coronerof the county. A very officious deputy sheriff was also in the group. 

Before rejoining the crowd in the tap-room, Barnes advised hiscompanions, especially the girl, to say as little as possible aboutwhat they had heard and seen. 

"This thing is going to turn out to be a whacking sensation, and itmay be a great deal more important than we think. You don't want tobecome involved in the investigation, which may become a nationalaffair. I'd like to have a hand in clearing it up. My head is chock-full of theories that might--"

"Maybe Roon was right, " said Dillingford, slowly, as he edged a stepor two away from Barnes. 

"In what respect?"

"He certainly thought you were a detective or something like that. Maybe he thought you came with that young woman, or maybe he thoughtyou were shadowing her, or--"

"There are a lot of things he may have thought, " interrupted Barnes, smiling. "It is barely possible that my arrival may have caused him toact more hastily than he intended. That may be the reason why the jobended so disastrously for him. "

Mrs. Jones called out from the doorway. "Mr. Barnes, you're wanted inthere. "

"All right, " he responded. 

"Better let me get you a wet towel to wash your hand, " said Bacon toMiss Thackeray. "My God, I wouldn't have THAT on my hand for a milliondollars. "

The doctor had been working over the prostrate form on the tables. AsBarnes entered the room, he looked up and declared that the man wasdead. 

"This is Mr. Barnes, " said Putnam Jones, indicating the tall travellerwith a short jerk of his thumb. 

"I am from the sheriff's office, " said the man who stood beside thedoctor. The rest of the crowd evidently had been ordered to stand backfrom the tables. The sheriff was a burly fellow, whose voice shook ina most incongruous manner, despite his efforts to appear composed andotherwise efficient. "Did you ever see this man before?"

"Not until he was carried in here half an hour ago. I arrived herethis evening. "

"What's your business up here, Mr. Barnes?"

"I have no business up here. I just happened to stroll in thisevening. "

"Well, " said the sheriff darkly, "I guess I'll have to ask you tostick around here till we clear this business up. We don't know youan'--Well, we can't take any chances. You understand, I reckon. "

"I certainly fail to understand, Mr. Sheriff. I know nothing whateverof this affair and I intend to continue on my way to-morrow morning. "

"Well, I guess not. "

"Do you mean to say that I am to be detained here against my--"

"You got to stay here till we are satisfied that you don't knowanything about this business. That's all. "

"Am I to consider myself under arrest, sir?"

"I wouldn't go as far as to say that. You just stick around here, that's all I got to say. If you're all right, we'll soon find it out. What's more, if you are all right you'll be willin' to stay. Do youget me?"

"I certainly do. And I can now assure you, Mr. Sheriff, that I'd likenothing better than to stick around here, as you put it. I'd like tohelp clear this matter up. In the meantime, you may readily find outwho I am and why I am here by telegraphing to the Mayor of New YorkCity. This document, which experience has taught me to carry for justsuch an emergency as this, may have some weight with you. " He openedhis bill-folder and drew forth a neatly creased sheet of paper. Thishe handed to the sheriff. "Read it, please, and note the date, thesignature, the official seal of the New York Police department, andalso the rather interesting silver print pasted in the lower left handcorner. I think you will agree that it is a good likeness of me. Eachyear I take the precaution of having myself properly certified by thepolice department at home before venturing into unknown and perhapsunfriendly communities. This, in a word, is a guarantee of goodcitizenship, good intentions and-good health. I was once taken up by arural Sherlock on suspicion of being connected with the theft of ahorse and buggy, although all the evidence seemed to indicate that Iwas absolutely afoot and weary at the time, and didn't have the outfitconcealed about my person. I languished in the calaboose for twenty-four hours, and might have remained there indefinitely if the realdesperado hadn't been captured in the nick o' time. Have you read it?"

"Yes, " said the sheriff dubiously; "but how do I know it ain't aforgery?"

"You don't know, of course. But in case it shouldn't be a forgery andI am subjected to the indignity of arrest or even detention, you wouldhave a nasty time defending yourself in a civil suit for damages. Don't misunderstand me. I appreciate your position. I shall remainhere, as you suggest, but only for the purpose of aiding you ingetting to the bottom of this affair. "

"What do you think about it, Doc?"

"He says he's willing to stay, don't he? Well, what more can you ask?"snapped the old doctor. "I should say the best thing for you to do, Abner, is to get a posse of men together and begin raking the woods upyonder for the men that did the shooting. You say there is another onedead up at Jim Conley's? Well, I'll go over and view him at once. Thefirst thing to do is to establish the corpus delicti. We've got to beable to say the men are dead before we can charge anybody with murder. This man was shot in the chest, from in front. Now we'll examine hisclothes and so forth and see if they throw any additional light on thematter. "

The most careful search of Andrew Paul's person established one thingbeyond all question: the man had deliberately removed everything thatmight in any way serve to aid the authorities in determining who hereally was and whence he came. The tailor's tags had been cut from thesmart, well-fitting garments; the buttons on the same had beenreplaced by others of an ordinary character; the names of thehaberdasher, the hat dealer and the boot maker had been as effectuallydestroyed. There were no papers of any description in his pockets. Hiswrist watch bore neither name, date nor initials. Indeed, nothing hadbeen overlooked in his very palpable effort to prevent actualidentification, either in life or death. 

Subsequent search of the two rooms disclosed the same extremeprecautions. Not a single object, not even a scrap of paper had beenleft there on the departure of the men at nine o'clock. Ashes in anold-fashioned fireplace in Roon's room suggested the destruction oftell-tale papers. Everything had vanished. A large calibre automaticrevolver, all cartridges unexploded, was found in Paul's coat pocket. In another pocket, lying loose, were a few bank notes and some silver, amounting all told to about thirty dollars. 

The same thorough search of the dead body of Roon later on by thecoroner and sheriff, revealed a similar condition. The field-glasses, of English make, were found slung across his shoulder, and a fullyloaded revolver, evidently his, was discovered the next morning in thegrass beside the road near the point where he fell. There were severalhundred dollars in the roll of bills they found in his inside coatpocket. 

Roon was a man of fifty or thereabouts. Although both men were smooth-faced, there was reason to suspect that Roon at least had but recentlyworn a mustache. His upper lip had the thick, stiff look of one fromwhich a beard of long-standing recently had been shaved. 

Later on it was learned that they purchased the two horses inHornville, paying cash for the beasts and the trappings. Thetransaction took place a day or two before they came to Hart's Tavernfor what had been announced as a short stay. 

Standing on Jim Conley's front porch a little after sunrise, Barnesmade the following declaration:

"Everything goes to show that these men were up here for one of tworeasons. They were either trying to prevent or to enact a crime. Thelatter is my belief. They were afraid of me. Why? Because theybelieved I was trailing them and likely to spoil their game. Gentlemen, those fellows were here for the purpose of robbing theplace you call Green Fancy. "

"What's that?" came a rich, mellow voice from the outskirts of thecrowd. A man pushed his way through and confronted Barnes. He was atall, good-looking fellow of thirty-five, and it was apparent that hehad dressed in haste. "My name is O'Dowd, and I am a guest of Mr. Curtis at Green Fancy. Why do you think they meant to rob his place?"

"Well, " began Barnes drily, "it would seem that his place is the onlyone in the neighbourhood that would BEAR robbing. My name is Barnes. Of course, Mr. O'Dowd, it is mere speculation on my part. "

"But who shot the man?" demanded the Irishman. "He certainly wasn'twinged by any one from our place. Wouldn't we have known somethingabout it if he had attempted to get into the house and was nailed by--Why, Lord love you, sir, there isn't a soul at Green Fancy who couldshoot a thief if he saw one. This is Mr. De Soto, also a guest atGreen Fancy. He will, I think, bear me out in upsetting your theory. "

A second man approached, shaking his head vigorously. He was a thin, pale man with a singularly scholastic face. Quite an unprepossessing, unsanguinary person, thought Barnes. 

"Mr. Curtis's chauffeur, I think it was, said the killing occurredjust above this house, " said he, visibly excited. "Green Fancy is atleast a mile from here, isn't it? You don't shoot burglars a mile fromthe place they are planning to rob, do you? Is the man a native ofthis community?"

"No, " said Barnes, on whom devolved the duties of spokesman. "By theway, his companion lies dead at Hart's Tavern. He was shot from hishorse at the cross-roads. "

"God bless me soul, " gasped O'Dowd. "The chauffeur didn't mention asecond one. And were there two of them?"

"And both of them dead?" cried De Soto. "At the cross-roads? My dearsir, how can you reconcile--" He broke off with a gesture ofimpatience. 

"I'll admit it's a bit out of reason, " said Barnes. "The second mancould only have been shot by some one who was lying in wait for him. "

"Why, the thing's as clear as day, " cried O'Dowd, facing the crowd. His cheerful, sprightly face was alive with excitement. "They were nottrying to rob any one. They were either trying to get across theborder into Canada themselves or else trying to head some one off whowas coming from that side of the line. "

"Gad, you may be right, " agreed Barnes instantly. "If you'd like tohear more of the story I'll be happy to relate all that we know atpresent. "

While the coroner and the others were loading the body of Albert Rooninto a farm wagon for conveyance to the county-seat, Barnes, who hadtaken a sudden fancy to the two men from Green Fancy, gave them abrief but full account of the tragedy and the result of investigationsas far as they had gone. 

"Bedad, " said O'Dowd, "it beats the devil. There's something big inthis thing, Mr. Barnes, --something a long shot bigger than any of ussuspects. The extraordinary secrecy of these fellows, their evidentgentility, their doubtful nationality--why, bedad, it sounds like apenny-dreadful thriller. "

"You'll find that it resolves itself into a problem for Washington tosolve, " said De Soto darkly. "Nothing local about it, take my word forit. These men were up to some international devilment. I'm not sayingthat Germany is at the back of it, but, by Jove, I don't put anythingbeyond the beggars. They are the cleverest, most resourceful people inthe world, damn 'em. You wait and see if I'm not right. There'll be astir in Washington over this, sure as anything. "

"What time was it that you heard the shots up at Green Fancy?"ventured Barnes. 

"Lord love you, " cried O'Dowd, "we didn't hear a sound. Mr. Curtis, who has insomnia the worst way, poor devil, heard them and sent someone out to see what all the racket was about. It wasn't till half anhour or so ago that De Soto and I were routed out of our peacefulnests and ordered, --virtually ordered, mind you, --to get up and guardthe house. Mr. Curtis was in a pitiful state of nerves over thekilling, and so were the ladies. 'Gad, everybody seemed to know allabout the business except De Soto and me. The man, it seems, made sucha devil of a racket when he came home with the news that the wholehouse was up in pajamas and peignoirs. He didn't say anything about asecond Johnnie being shot, however. I'm glad he didn't know about it, for that matter. He'll be seeing one ghost for the rest of his daysand that's enough, without having another foisted upon him. "

"I think I have a slight acquaintance with the chauffeur, " saidBarnes. "He gave me the most thrilling motor ride I've everexperienced. 'Gad, I'll never forget it. "

The two men looked at him, plainly perplexed. 

"When was all this?" inquired De Soto. 

"Early last evening. He took me from the cross-roads to Hart's Tavernin a minute and a half, I'll bet my soul. "

"Last evening?" said O'Dowd, something like skepticism in his tone. 

"Yes. He picked up your latest guest at the corners, and she insistedon his driving me to the Tavern before the storm broke. I've beenterribly anxious about her. She must have been caught out in all thatfrightful--"

"What's this you are saying, Mr. Barnes?" cut in De Soto, frowning. "No guest arrived at Green Fancy last evening, nor was one expected. "

Barnes stared. "Do you mean to say that she didn't get there, afterall?"

"She? A woman, was it?" demanded O'Dowd. "Bedad, if she said she wascoming to Green Fancy she was spoofing you. Are you sure it was oldPeter who gave you that jolly ride?"

"No, I am not sure, " said Barnes, uneasily. "She was afoot, havingwalked from the station below. I met her at the corners and she askedme if I knew how far it was to Green Fancy, or something like that. Said she was going there. Then along came the automobile, rattlingdown this very road, --an ancient Panhard driven by an old codger. Sheseemed to think it was all right to hop in and trust herself to him, although she'd never seen him before. "

"The antique Panhard fits in all right, " said O'Dowd, "but I'm hangedif the woman fits at all. No such person arrived at Green Fancy lastnight. "

"Did you get a square look at the driver's face?" demanded De Soto. 

"It was almost too dark to see, but he was old, hatchet-faced, andspoke with an accent. "

"Then it couldn't have been Peter, " said De Soto positively. "He'sold, right enough, but he is as big as the side of a house, with aface like a full moon, and he is Yankee to his toes. By gad, Barnes, the plot thickens! A woman has been added to the mystery. Now, who thedevil is she and what has become of her?"

CHAPTER VI

CHARITY BEGINS FAR FROM HOME, AND A STROLL IN THE WILDWOOD FOLLOWS

Mr. Rushcroft as furious when he arose at eleven o'clock on themorning after the double murder, having slept like a top through allof the commotion. He boomed all over the place, vocal castigationsfalling right and left on the guilty and the innocent withoutdistinction. He wouldn't have missed the excitement for anything inthe world. He didn't mind missing the breakfast he was to have hadwith Barnes, but he did feel outraged over the pusillanimous trickplayed upon him by the remaining members of his troupe. Nothing was tohave been expected of Putnam Jones and his damnation crew; theywouldn't have called him if the house was afire; they would let himroast to death; but certainly something was due him from the membersof his company, something better than utter abandonment!

He was still deep in the sulks when he came upon Barnes, who waspacing the sunlit porch, deep in thought. 

"There will never be another opportunity like that, " he groaned, atthe close of a ten minute dissertation on the treachery of friends;"never in all the years to come. The driveling fools! What do I paythem for? To let me lie there snoring so loud that I couldn't hearopportunity for the noise I was making? As in everything else Iundertake, my dear Barnes, I excel at snoring. My lung capacity issomething amazing. It has to have an outlet. They let me lie therelike a log while the richest publicity material that ever fell to thelot of an actor went to waste, --utter waste. Why, damme, sir, I couldhave made that scene in the tap-room historic; I could have made it sodramatic that it would have thrilled to the marrow every man, womanand child in the United States of America. That's what I mean. Theyallowed a chance like that to get away. Can you beat it? Tragedy at myvery elbow, --by gad, almost nudging me, you might say, --and no one totell me to get up. Think of the awful requiem I could have--But what'sthe use thinking about it now? I am so exasperated I can't think ofanything but anathemas, so--"

"I don't see how you managed to sleep through it, " Barnes broke in. "You must have an unusually clear conscience, Mr. Rushcroft. "

"I haven't any conscience at all, sir, " roared the star. "I had anunusually full stomach, that's what was the matter with me. Damme, Iought to have known better. I take oath now, sir, never to eat againas long as I live. A man who cannot govern his beastly appetite oughtto defy it, if nothing else. "

"I gather from that remark that you omitted breakfast this morning. "

"Breakfast, sir? In God's name, I implore you not to refer to anythingso disgusting as stewed prunes and bacon at a time like this. My mindis--"

"How about luncheon? Will you join me at twelve-thirty?"

"That's quite another matter, " said Mr. Rushcroft readily. "Luncheonis an aesthetic tribute to the physical intelligence of man, if youknow what I mean. I shall be delighted to join you. Twelve-thirty, didyou say?"

"It would give me great pleasure if your daughter would also grace thefestal board. "

"Ahem! My daughter and I are--er--what you might say 'on the outs' atpresent. I dare say I was a trifle crusty with her this morning. Shewas a bit inconsiderate, too, I may add. As a matter of fact she toldme to go and soak my head. " Mr. Rushcroft actually blushed as he saidit. "I don't know where the devil she learned such language, unlessshe's been overhearing the disrespectful remarks that some of theseconfounded opera house managers make when I try to argue with themabout--But never mind! She's a splendid creature, isn't she? She hasit born in her to be one of the greatest actresses in--"

"I think it is too bad that she has to go about in the gown she wears, Mr. Rushcroft, " said Barnes. "She's much too splendid for that. I havea proposition I'd like to make to you later on. I cannot make it, however, without consulting Miss Thackeray's feelings. "

"My dear fellow!" beamed Rushcroft, seizing the other's hand. "Onefrequently reads in books about it coming like this, at first sight, but, damme, I never dreamed that it ever really happened. Count on me!She ought to leave the stage, the dear child. No more fitted to itthan an Easter lily. Her place is in the home, the--"

"Good Lord, I'm not thinking of--" And Barnes, aghast, stopped beforeblurting out the words that leaped to his lips. "I mean to say, thisis a proposition that may also affect your excellent companions, Baconand Dillingford, as well as yourselves. "

"Abominations!" snorted Rushcroft. "I fired both of them this morning. They are no longer connected with my company. I won't have 'em around. What's more, they can't act and never will. The best bit of actingthat Bacon ever did in his life was when he told me to go to hell alittle while ago. I say 'acting, ' mind you, because the wretchCOULDN'T have been in earnest, and yet he gave the most convincingperformance of his life. If I'd ever dreamed that he had it in him todo it so well, I'd have had the line in every play we've done since hejoined us, author or no author. "

At twelve-thirty sharp, Barnes came down from his room freshly shavedand brushed, to find not only Mr. Rushcroft and Miss Thackerayawaiting him in the office, but the Messrs. Dillingford and Bacon aswell. Putnam Jones, gloomy and preoccupied behind the counter, allowedhis eyes to brighten a little as the latest guest of the houseapproached the group. 

"I've given all of 'em an hour or two off, " he said genially. "Do whatyou like to 'em. "

Rushcroft expanded. "My good man, what the devil do you mean by aremark like that? Remember--"

"Never mind, dad, " said Miss Thackeray, lifting her chin haughtily. "Forgive us our trespassers as we forgive our trespasses. Andremember, also, that poor, dear Mr. Jones is all out of sorts to-day. He is all keyed up over the notoriety his house is going to achievebefore the government gets through annoying him. "

"See here, Miss, " began Mr. Jones, threateningly, and then, overcomeby his Yankee shrewdness, stopped as suddenly as he started. "Go on inand have your dinner. Don't mind me. I am out of sorts. " He was smartenough to realise that it was wiser to have the good rather than theill-will of these people. He dreaded the inquiry that was imminent. 

"That's better, " mumbled Mr. Rushcroft, partially mollified. "I tookthe liberty, old fellow, " he went on, addressing Barnes, "of asking myexcellent co-workers to join us in our repast. In all my career I havenot known more capable, intelligent players than these--"

"Delighted to have you with us, gentlemen, " said Barnes affably. "Infact, I was going to ask Mr. Rushcroft if he had the slightestobjection to including you--"

"Oh, the row's all over, " broke in Mr. Dillingford magnanimously. "Itdidn't amount to anything. I'm sure if Mr. Rushcroft doesn't object tous, we don't object to him. "

"Peace reigns throughout the land, " said Mr. Bacon, in his deepestbass. "Precede us, my dear Miss Thackeray. "

The sole topic of conversation for the first half hour was themysterious slaying of their fellow lodgers. Mr. Rushcroft complainedbitterly of the outrageous, high-handed action of the coroner andsheriff in imposing upon him and his company the same restrictionsthat had been applied to Barnes. They were not to leave the countyuntil the authorities gave the word. One would have thought, to hearthe star's indignant lamentations, that he and his party were in aposition to depart when they pleased. It would have been difficult toimagine that he was not actually rolling in money instead of beingabsolutely penniless. 

"What were these confounded rascals to me?" he demanded, scowling atMiss Tilly as if she were solely to blame for his misfortune. "Whyshould I be held up in this God-forsaken place because a couple ofscoundrels got their just deserts? Why, I repeat? I'd--"

"I--I'm sure I--I don't know, " stammered Miss Tilly, wetting her drylips with her tongue in an attempt to be lucid. 

"What?" exploded Mr. Rushcroft, somewhat taken aback by the retortfrom an unexpected quarter. "Upon my soul, I--I--What?"

"He won't bite, Miss Tilly, " said Miss Thackeray soothingly. 

"Oh, dear!" said Miss Tilly, putting her hand over her mouth. 

Barnes had been immersed in his own thoughts for some time. A slightfrown, as of reflection, darkened his eyes. Suddenly, --perhapsimpolitely, --he interrupted Mr. Rushcroft's flow of eloquence. 

"Have you any objection, Mr. Rushcroft, to a more or less personalquestion concerning your own private--er--misfortunes?" he asked, leaning forward. 

For a moment one could have heard a pin drop. Mr. Rushcroft evidentlyheld his breath. There could be no mistake about that. 

"I don't mean to be offensive, " Barnes made haste to add. 

"My misfortunes are not private, " said Mr. Rushcroft, with dignity. "They are decidedly public. Ask all the questions you please, my dearfellow. "

"Well, it's rather delicate, but would you mind telling me just howmuch you were stuck up for by the--er--was it a writ of attachment?"

"It was, " said the star. "A writ of inquisition, you might as wellsubstitute. The act of a polluted, impecunious, parsimonious, --whatshall I say? Well, I will be as simple as possible: hotel keeper. Inother words, a damnation blighter, sir. Ninety-seven dollars and fortycents. For that pitiful amount he subjected me to--"

"Well, that isn't so bad, " said Barnes, vastly relieved. "It wouldrequire that amount to square everything and release your personaleffects?"

"It would release the whole blooming production, " put in Mr. Dillingford, with unction. "Including my dress suit and a top hat, tosay nothing of a change of linen and--"

"Two wood exteriors and a parlor set, make-up boxes, wardrobe trunks, a slide trombone and--" mused Mr. Bacon, and would have gone on butfor Barnes' interruption. 

He was covertly watching Miss Thackeray's half-averted face as heventured upon the proposition he had decided to put before them. Shewas staring out of the window, and there was a strained, almostharassed expression about the corners of her mouth. The glimpse he hadof her dark eyes revealed something sullen, rebellious in them. Shehad taken no part in the conversation for some time. 

"I am prepared and willing to advance this amount, Mr. Rushcroft, andto take your personal note as security. "

Rushcroft leaned back in his chair and stuck his thumbs in the armholes of his vest. He displayed no undue elation. Instead he affectedprofound calculation. His daughter shot a swift, searching look at thewould-be Samaritan. There was a heightened colour in her cheeks. 

"Ahem, " said Rushcroft, squinting at the ceiling beams. 

"Moreover, I shall be happy to increase the amount of the loansufficiently to cover your return at once to New York, if you sodesire, --by train. " Barnes smiled as he added the last two words. 

"Extremely kind of you, my dear Barnes, " said the actor, running hisfingers through his hair. "Your faith in me is most gratifying. I--Ireally don't know what to say to you, sir. "

"Of course, Mr. Barnes, you ought to know that you may be a long timein getting your money back, " said his daughter levelly. "We are poorpay. "

"My dear child, " began Mr. Rushcroft, amazed. 

"I shall permit your father himself to specify the number of months oryears to be written in the body of the note, " said Barnes. 

"And if he never pays, what then?" said she. 

"I shall not trouble him with demands for the money, " said Barnes. 

"May I inquire just how you expect to profit by this transaction, Mr. Barnes?" she asked steadily. 

He started, suddenly catching her meaning. 

"My dear Miss Thackeray, " he exclaimed, "this transaction is solelybetween your father and me. I shall have no other claim to press. "

"I wish I could believe that, " she said. 

"You may believe it, " he assured her. 

"It isn't the usual course, " she said quietly, and her facebrightened. "You are not like most men, Mr. Barnes. "

"My dear child, " said Rushcroft, "you must leave this matter to ourfriend and me. I fancy I know an honest man when I see him. My dearfellow, fortune is but temporarily frowning upon me. In a few weeks Ishall be on my feet again, zipping along on the crest of the wave. Idare say I can return the money to you in a month or six weeks. If--"

"Oh, father!" cried Miss Thackeray. 

"We'll make it six months, and I'll pay any rate of interest youdesire. Six per cent, eight per cent, ten per--"

"Six per cent, sir, and we will make it a year from date. "

"Agreed. And now, Miss Tilly, will you ask the barmaid, --who happensto be masculine, --to step in here and take the orders? We would drinkto Dame Fortune, who has a smile that defies all forms of adversity. Out of the clouds falls a slice of silver lining. It alights in mytrembling palm. I--I--Damme, sir, you are a nobleman! In behalf of mydaughter, my company and the--Heaven forfend! I was about to add theaccursed management!--I thank you. Get up and dance for us, Dilly! Weshall be in New York to-morrow!"

"You forget the dictatorial sheriff, Mr. Rushcroft, " said Barnes. 

"The varlet!" barked Mr. Rushcroft. 

It was arranged that Dillingford and Bacon were to go to Hornville ina hired motor that afternoon, secure the judgment, pay the costs, andattend to the removal of the personal belongings of the strandedquartette from the hotel to Hart's Tavern. The younger actors stoutlyrefused to accept Barnes' offer to pay their board while at theTavern. That, they declared, would be charity, and they preferred hisfriendship and his respect to anything of that sort. Miss Thackeray, however, was to be immediately relieved of her position aschambermaid. She was to become a paying guest. 

"I'll be glad to have my street togs, such as they are, " said she, rosily. "I dare say you are sick of seeing me in this rig, Mr. Barnes. That's probably why you opened your heart and purse. "

"Not at all, " said he gaily. "As I presume I shall have to remain herefor some time, I deem it my right to improve the service as much aspossible. You are a very incompetent chambermaid, Miss Thackeray. "

Rushcroft took the whole affair with the most noteworthy complacency. He seemed to regard it as his due, or more properly speaking as if hewere doing Barnes a great favour in allowing him to lend money to aperson of his importance. 

"A thought has just come to me, my dear fellow, " he remarked, as theyarose from table. "With the proper kind of backing I could put overone of the most stupendous things the theatre has known in fiftyyears. I don't mind saying to you, --although it's rather sub rosa--that I have written a play. A four act drama that will pack thebiggest house on Broadway to the roof for as many months as we'd careto stay. Perhaps you will allow me to talk it over with you a littlelater on. You will be interested, I'm sure. I actually shuddersometimes when I think of the filthy greenbacks I'll have to carryaround on my person if the piece ever gets into New York. Yes, yes, I'll be glad to talk it over with you. Egad, sir, I'll read the playto you. I'll--What ho, landlord! When my luggage arrives this eveningwill you be good enough to have it placed in the room just vacated bythe late Mr. Roon? My daughter will have the room adjoining, sir. Bythe way, will you have your best automobile sent around to the door asquickly as possible? A couple of my men are going to Hornville--damnedspot!--to fetch hither my--"

"Just a minute, " interrupted Putnam Jones, wholly unimpressed. "A manjust called you up on the 'phone, Mr. Barnes. I told him you wasentertaining royalty at lunch and couldn't be disturbed. So he askedme to have you call him up as soon as you revived. His words, notmine. Call up Mr. O'Dowd at Green Fancy. Here's the number. "

The mellow voice of the Irishman soon responded. 

"I called you up to relieve your mind regarding the young woman whocame last night, " he said. "You observe that I say 'came. ' She's quiteall right, safe and sound, and no cause for uneasiness. I thought youmeant that she was coming here as a guest, and so I made the verynatural mistake of saying she hadn't come at all, at all. The youngwoman in question is Mrs. Van Dyke's maid. But bless me soul, how wasI to know she was even in existence, much less expected by train ormotor or Shanks' mare? Well, she's here, so there's the end of ourmystery. We sha'n't have to follow your gay plan of searching thewilderness for beauty in distress. Our romance is spoiled, and I amsorry to say it to you. You were so full of it this morning that youhad me all stirred up meself. "

Barnes was slow in replying. He was doubting his own ears. It was notconceivable that an ordinary--or even an extraordinary--lady's maidcould have possessed the exquisite voice and manner of his chanceacquaintance of the day before, or the temerity to order that sour-faced chauffeur about as if--The chauffeur!

"But I thought you said that Mr. Curtis's chauffeur was moon-facedand--"

"He is, bedad, " broke in Mr. O'Dowd, chuckling. "That's what deceivedme entirely, and no wonder. It wasn't Peter at all, but therapscallion washer who went after her. He was instructed to tell Peterto meet the four o'clock train, and the blockhead forgot to give theorder. Bedad, what does he do but sneak out after her himself, scaredout of his boots for fear of what he was to get from Peter. I had thewhole story from Mrs. Van Dyke. "

"Well, I'm tremendously relieved, " said Barnes slowly. 

"And so am I, " said O'Dowd, with conviction. "I have seen the heroineof our busted romance. She's a good-looking girl. I'm not surprisedthat she kept her veil down. If you were to leave it to me, though, I'd say that it's a sin to carry discretion so far as all that. Ithought I'd take the liberty of calling you up as soon as I had thefacts, so that you wouldn't go forth in knightly ardour--You see whatI mean, don't you?" His rich laugh came over the wire. 

"Perfectly. Thank you for letting me know. My mind is at rest. "

"Will you be staying on for some days at the Tavern?"

"I think so. "

"Well, I shall give myself the pleasure of running over to see you ina day or so. "

"Do, " said Barnes. "Good by. " As he hung up the receiver he said tohimself, "You are a most affable, convincing chap, Mr. O'Dowd, but Idon't believe a word you say. That woman is no lady's maid, and you'veknown all the time that she was there. "

At four o'clock he set out alone for a tramp up the mountain road inwhich the two men had been shot down. A number of men under thedirection of the sheriff were scouring the lofty timberland for thedeadly marksmen. He knew it would turn out to be as futile as theproverbial effort to find the needle in the haystack. 

His mind was quite clear on the subject. Roon and Paul were notordinary robbers. They were, no doubt, honest men. He would have saidthat they were thieves bent on burglarising Green Fancy were it notfor the disclosures of Miss Thackeray and the very convincing proofthat they were not shot by the same man. Detected on the grounds aboutGreen Fancy by a watchman, they would have had an encounter with himthere and then. Moreover, they would have taken an active part in theplay of firearms. Desperadoes would not have succumbed so tamely. 

It was not beyond reason, --indeed, it was quite probable, --that theywere trying to cross the border; in that event, their real operationswould be confined to the Canadian side of the line. They wereunmistakably foreigners. That fact, in itself, went far towardestablishing in his mind the conviction that they were not attemptingto intercept any one coming from the other side. Equally as strong wasthe belief that the Canadian authorities would not have entered uponUnited States territory for the purpose of apprehending thesesuspects, no matter how thoroughly the movements and motives of thetwo men might have been known to them. 

He could not free himself of the suspicion that Green Fancy possessedthe key to the situation. Roon and his companion could not have hadthe slightest interest in his movements up to the instant heencountered the young woman at the cross-roads. It was ridiculous toeven consider himself an object of concern to these men who had beenhaunting the border for days prior to his appearance on the scene. They were interested only in the advent of the woman, and as herdestination confessedly was Green Fancy, what could be more naturalthan the conclusion that their plans, evil or otherwise, dependedentirely upon her arrival at the strange house on the mountainside?They had been awaiting her appearance for days. The instant it becameknown to them that she was installed at Green Fancy, their plans wentforward with a swiftness that bespoke complete understanding. 

His busy brain suddenly suffered the shock of a distinct conclusion. So startling was the thought that he stopped abruptly in his walk anduttered an exclamation of dismay. Was she a fellow-conspirator? Wasshe the inside worker at Green Fancy in a well-laid plan to rifle theplace? She too was unmistakably a foreigner. 

Could it be possible that she was the confederate of these painstakingagents who lurked with sinister patience outside the very gates of theplace called Green Fancy?

In support of this theory was the supposition that O'Dowd may havebeen perfectly sincere in his declarations over the telephone. Opposedto it, however, was the absolute certainty that Roon and Paul werewaylaid and killed at widely separated points, and not while activelyemployed in raiding the house. That was the rock over which all of histheories stumbled. 

His ramble carried him far beyond the spot where Roon's body was foundand where young Conley had come upon the tethered horses. His eager, curious gaze swept the forest to the left of the road in search ofGreen Fancy. Overcome by a rash, daring impulse, he climbed over thestake and rider fence and sauntered among the big trees which so farhad obscured the house from view. He had looked in vain for the laneor avenue leading from the road up to Mr. Curtis's house. He could nothave passed it in his stroll, of that he was sure, and yet heremembered distinctly seeing O'Dowd and De Soto turn their horses intothe forest at a point far back of the place where he now entered thegrounds. 

The trees grew very thickly on the slope, and they were unusuallylarge. Virgin timber, he decided, on which the woodman's axe had madeno inroads. The foliage was dense. Tree tops seemed to intermingle inone vast canopy through which the sun but rarely penetrated. Thebright green of the grass, the sponginess of the soil, the presence ofgreat stretches of ferns and beds of moss told of almost perpetualmoisture. Strangely enough there was no suggestion of dankness inthese shadowy glades, rich with the fulness of early Spring. 

He progressed deeper into the wood. At the end of what must have beena mile, he halted. There was no sign of habitation, no indication thatman had ever penetrated so far into the forest. As he was on the pointof retracing his steps toward the road, his gaze fell upon a hugemoss-covered rock less than a hundred yards away. He stared, andgradually it began to take on angles and planes and recesses of themost astounding symmetry. Under his widening gaze it was transformedinto a substantial object of cubes and gables and--yes, windows. 

He was looking upon the strange home of the even stranger Mr. Curtis:Green Fancy. 

Now he understood why it was called Green Fancy. Its surroundings wereno greener than itself; it seemed to melt into the foliage, to becomea part of the natural landscape. For a long time he stood stock-still, studying the curious structure. Mountain ivy literally enveloped it. Exposed sections of the house were painted green, --a mottled greenthat seemed to indicate flickering sunbeams against an emerald wall. The doors were green; the leafy porches and their columns, the chimneypots, the window hangings, --all were the colour of the unchangingforest. And it was a place of huge dimensions, low and long andrambling. It seemed to have been forcibly jammed into the steep slopethat shot high above its chimneys; the mountain hung over its vineclad roof, an ominous threat of oblivion. 

There was no lawn, no indication of landscape gardening, and yetBarnes was singularly impressed by the arrangement of the shrubberythat surrounded the place. There was no visible approach to the housethrough the thick, unbroken sea of green; everywhere was denseunderbrush, standing higher than the head of the tallest of men, --clean, bright bushes, revealing the most astonishing uniformity insize and character. 

"'Gad, " he said to himself, "what manner of crank is he who would buryhimself like this? Of all the crazy ideas I ever--"

His reflections ended there. A woman crossed his vision; a womanstrolling slowly toward him through the intricate avenues of thewildwood. 

CHAPTER VII

SPUN-GOLD HAIR, BLUE EYES, AND VARIOUS ENCOUNTERS

She was quite unaware of his presence, and yet he was directly in herpath, though some distance away. Her head was bent; her mien wasthoughtful, her stride slow and aimless. 

The azure blue of the sweater she wore presented an inharmonious noteon the field of velvety green;--it was strangely out of place, hethought, --almost an offence to the eye. He was conscious of an instantprotest against this profanation. 

She was slender, graceful and evidently quite tall, although sheseemed a pigmy among the towering giants that attended her stroll. Herhands were thrust deep into the pockets of a white duck skirt. Aglance revealed white shoes and trim ankles in blue. She wore no hat. Her hair was like spun gold, thick, wavy and shimmering in the subduedlight. 

Suddenly she stopped, and looked up. He had a full view of her face asshe gazed about as if startled by some unexpected, even alarming, sound. For a second or two he held his breath, stunned by the amazingloveliness that was revealed to him. Then she discovered him standingthere. 

He was never to forget the expression that came into her eyes; nor hadhe ever seen eyes so blue. Alarm gave way to bewilderment as shestared at the motionless intruder not thirty feet away. Then, to hisutter astonishment, her lips parted and a faint, wondering smile cameinto her eyes. His heart leaped. She recognised him!

In a flash he realised that he was face to face with the stranger ofthe day before, --she of the veil, the alluring voice, the unfalteringspirits, and the weighty handbag!

He took two or three impulsive steps forward, his hand going to hishat, --and then halted. Evidently his senses had deceived him. Therewas no smile in her eyes, --and yet he could have sworn that it wasthere an instant before. Instead, there was a level stare. 

"I am sorry if I startled--" he began. 

The figure of a man appeared, as if discharged bodily from some magictree-trunk, and stood directly in his path: A tall, rugged man inoveralls was he, who held a spade in his hand and eyed him inimically. Without another glance in his direction, the first and more pleasingvision turned on her heel and continued her stroll, sauntering off tothe right, her fair head once more bent in study, her back eloquentlyindifferent to the gaze that followed her. 

"Who do you want to see?" inquired the man with the spade. 

Before Barnes could reply, a hearty voice accosted him from behind. Hewhirled and saw O'Dowd approaching, not twenty yards away. TheIrishman's face was aglow with pleasure. 

"I knew I couldn't be mistaken in the shape of you, " he cried, advancing with outstretched hand. "You've got the breadth of a dock-hand in your shoulders, and the trimness of a prize-fighter in yourwaist. "

They shook hands. "I fear I am trespassing, " said Barnes. His glancewent over his shoulder as he spoke. The man with the spade had beenswallowed up by the earth! He could not have vanished more quickly inany other way. Off among the trees there were intermittent flashes ofblue and white. 

"I am quite sure you are, " said O'Dowd promptly, but without a traceof unfriendliness in his manner. "Bedad, loving him as I do, I can'thelp saying that Curtis is a bally old crank. Mind ye, I'd say it tohis face, --I often do, for the matter of that. Of course, " he went onseriously, "he is a sick man, poor devil. I have the unholy courage tocall him a chronic crank every once in awhile, and the best thing Ican say for his health is that he grins when I say it to him. You see, I've known him for a dozen years and more, and he likes me, though Godknows why, unless it may be that I once did his son a good turn inLondon. "

"Sufficient excuse for reparation, I should say, " smiled Barnes. 

"I introduced the lad to me only sister, " said O'Dowd, "and she kepthim happy for the next ten years. No doubt, I also provided Mr. Curtiswith three grandchildren he might never have had but for mygraciousness. As for that, I let meself in for three of the mostprodigious nephews a man ever had, God bless them. I'll show you aphotograph of them if ye'd care to look. " He opened the back of hiswatch and held it out to Barnes. "Nine, seven and five, and all ofthem as bright as Gladstone. "

"They must be stunning, " said Barnes warmly. 

"They'll make a beggar of me, if I live long enough, " groaned O'Dowd. "It beats the deuce how childer as young as they are can havediscovered what a doddering fool their uncle is. Bedad, the smallestof them knows it. The very instant I pretend to be a sensible, provident, middle-aged gentleman he shows me up most shamelessly. 'Twas only a couple of months ago that his confounded blandishmentswiggled a sixty-five dollar fire engine out of me. He squirted waterall over the drawing-room furniture, and I haven't been allowed to putfoot into the house since. My own darlin' sister refused to look at mefor a week, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if she changed menamesake's title to something less enfuriating than William. " A lookof distress came into his merry eyes. "By Jove, I'd like nothingbetter than to ask you in to have a dish of tea, --it's tea-time, I'msure, --but I'd no more think of doing it than I'd consider cutting offme head. He doesn't like strangers. He--"

"My dear fellow, don't distress yourself, " cried Barnes heartily. "There isn't the least reason in the world why--"

"You see, the poor old chap asks us up here once or twice a year, --that is to say, De Soto and me, --to keep his sister from filling thehouse up with men he can't endure. So long as we occupy the onlyavailable rooms, he argues, she can't stuff them full ofobjectionables. Twice a year she comes for a month, in the late falland early spring. He's very fond of her, and she stands by him like amajor. "

"Why does he continue to live in this out-of-the-world spot, Mr. O'Dowd? He is an old man, I take it, and ill. "

"You wouldn't be wondering if you knew the man, " said O'Dowd. "He is ascholar, a dreamer, a sufferer. He doesn't believe in doctors. He saysthey're all rascals. They'd keep him alive just for the sake of whatthey could get out of him. So he's up here to die in peace, when histime comes, and he hopes it will come soon. He doesn't want itprolonged by a grasping, greedy doctor man. It's his kidneys, youknow. He's not a very old man at that. Not more than sixty-five. "

"He certainly has a fanciful streak in him, building a place likethat, " said Barnes, looking not at the house but into the thicketabove. There was no sign of the blue and white and the spun gold thatstill defied exclusion from his mind's eye. He had not recovered fromthe thrall into which the vision of loveliness plunged him. He wasstill a trifle dazed and distraught. 

"Right you are, " agreed O'Dowd; "the queerest streak in the world. It's his notion of simplicity. I wish you could see the inside of theplace. You'd wonder to what exalted heights his ideas of magnificencewould carry him if he calls this simplicity. He loves it all, he doteson it. It's the only joy he knows, this bewildering creation of his. For nearly three years he has not been more than a stone's throw fromthe walls of that house. I doubt if he's been as far as the spot wherewe're standing now. "

"Green Fancy. Is that the name he gave the place or does it springfrom--"

"'Twas christened by me own sister, Mr. Barnes, the first time she washere, two years ago. I'll walk with you to the fence beyond if you'veno objections, " said O'Dowd, genially, and linked his arm through thatof Barnes. 

The latter was at once subtly aware of the fact that he was beingdeliberately conducted from the grounds. Moreover, he was nowconvinced that O'Dowd had been close upon his heels from the instanthe entered them. There was something uncanny in the feeling thatpossessed him. Such espionage as this signified something deep andimperative in the presence not only of O'Dowd but the Jack-in-the-boxgardener a few minutes earlier. He had the grim suspicion that hewould later on encounter the spectacled De Soto. 

His mind was still full of the lovely stranger about whom O'Dowd hadso manifestly lied over the telephone. 

"I must ask you to apologise to the young lady on whom I blundered afew moments ago, Mr. O'Dowd. She must have been startled. Pray conveyto her my solicitude and excuses. "

"Consider it done, my dear sir, " said the Irishman. "Our most charmingand seductive guest, " he went on. "Bedad, of the two of you, I'llstake me head you were startled the most. Coming suddenly upon suchrare loveliness is almost equivalent to being struck by a bolt oflightning. It did something like that to me when I saw her for thefirst time a couple of weeks ago. I didn't get over it for the betterpart of a day, --I can't say that I really got over it at all. Morethan one painter of portraits has said that she is the most beautifulwoman in the world. I don't take much stock in portrait painters, butI'm always fair to the lords of creation when their opinions coincidewith mine. Mayhap you have heard of her. She is Miss Cameron of NewOrleans, a friend of Mrs. Van Dyke. We have quite an enchanting house-party, Mr. Barnes, if you consider no more than the feminine side ofit. Unfortunate creatures! To be saddled with such ungainly lummixesas De Soto and me! By the way, have you heard when the coroner is tohold his inquests?"

"Nothing definite. He may wait a week, " said Barnes. 

"I suppose you'll stick around until it's all over, " ventured O'Dowd. Barnes thought he detected a slight harshness in his voice. 

"I have quite made up my mind to stay until the mystery is entirelycleared up, " he said. "The case is so interesting that I don't want tomiss a shred of it. "

"I don't blame ye, " said O'Dowd heartily. "I'd like nothing bettermeself than to mix up in it, but, Lord love ye, if I turned detectiveI'd also be turned out of the spare bed-room beyond, and sped on meway with curses. Well, here we are. The next time you plan to pay us avisit, telephone in advance. I may be able to persuade my host thatyou're a decent, law-abiding, educated gentleman, and he'll consent toreceive you at Green Fancy. Good day to ye, " and he shook hands withthe departing trespasser. 

A quarter of a mile below the spot where he parted from O'Dowd, Barnescaught a glimpse of De Soto sauntering among the trees. He smiled tohimself. It was just what he had expected. 

"Takin' a walk?" was the landlord's greeting as he mounted the tavernsteps at dusk. Putnam Jones's gaunt figure had been discernible forsome time, standing motionless at the top of the steps. 

"Going over the ground of last night's affair, " responded Barnes, pausing. "Any word from the sheriff and his party?"

"Nope. The blamed fools are still up there turnin' over all the loosestones they c'n find, " said Jones sarcastically. "Did you get aglimpse of Green Fancy?"

Barnes nodded. "I strolled a little distance into the woods, " he saidbriefly. 

"I wouldn't do it again, " said Jones. "Strangers ain't welcome. Imight have told you as much if I'd thought you were going up that way. Mr. Curtis notified me a long while ago to warn my guests not to setfoot on his grounds, under penalty of the law. "

"Well, I escaped without injury, " laughed Barnes. "No one took a shotat me. "

As he entered the door he was acutely aware of an intense starelevelled at him from behind by the landlord of Hart's Tavern. Half wayup the stairway he stopped short, and with difficulty repressed theexclamation that rose to his lips. 

He had recalled a significant incident of the night before. Almostimmediately after the departure of Roon and Paul from the Tavern, Putnam Jones had made his way to the telephone behind the desk, andhad called for a number in a loud, brisk voice, but the subsequentconversation was carried on in subdued tones, attended by haste andoccasional furtive glances in the direction of the tap-room. 

Upon reaching his room, Barnes permitted the suppressed emotion toescape his lips in the shape of a soft whistle, which if it could havebeen translated into words would have said: "By Gad, why haven't Ithought of it before? He sent out the warning that Roon and Paul wereon the way! And I'd like to bet my last dollar that some one at GreenFancy had the other end of the wire. "

Mr. Rushcroft stalked majestically into his room while he was shaving, without taking the trouble to knock at the door, and in his mostimpressive manner announced that if there was another hostelry withinreasonable distance he would move himself, his luggage and his entirecompany out of Putnam Jones's incomprehensible house. 

"Why, sir, " he declared, "the man is not only a knave but a fool. Heflatly declines the prodigious offer I have made for the corner roomsat the end of the corridor. In fact, he refuses to transfer mydaughter and me from our present quarters into what might be calledthe royal suite if one were disposed to be facetious. The confoundedblockhead insists on seeing the colour of my money in advance. " He satdown on the edge of the bed, dejectedly. "My daughter, perversitypersonified, takes the extraordinary stand that the wretch is right. She agrees with him. She has even gone so far as to say, to my face, that beggars cannot be choosers, although I must give her credit fornot using the expression in the scoundrel's presence. 'Pon my soul, Barnes, I have never been so sorely tried in all my life. Emma, --Ishould say, Mercedes, --denounces me to my face. She says I am awastrel, a profligate, --(there I have her, however, for she failed toconsult the dictionary before applying the word to me), --an ingrate, and a lot of other things I fail to recall in my dismay. She contendsthat I have no right to do what I please with my own money. Indeed, she goes so far as to say that I haven't any money at all. I havetried to explain to her the very simple principles upon which allfinancial transactions are based, but she remains as obtuse asCleopatra's Needle. Her ignorance would be pitiful if she wasn't sodamned obstinate about it. And to cap the climax, she had theinsolence to ask me to show her a dollar in real money. By gad, sir, she's as unreasonable as Putnam Jones himself. "

Barnes gallantly came to the daughter's defense. He was more thanpleased by the father's revelations. They proved her to be possessedof fine feelings and a genuine sense of appreciation. 

"As a matter of fact, Mr. Rushcroft, I think she is quite right, " hesaid flatly. "It isn't a bad idea to practice economy. "

"My dear sir, " said Rushcroft peevishly, "where would I be now in myprofession if I had practiced economy at the expense of progress?"

"I don't know, " confessed Barnes, much too promptly. 

"I can tell you, sir. I would be nowhere at all. I would not be thepossessor of a name that is known from one end of this land to theother, a name that guarantees to the public the most elaborateproductions known to--"

"Pardon me, " interrupted the other; "it doesn't get you anywhere withPutnam Jones, and that is the issue at present. The government putsthe portrait of George Washington on one of its greenbacks but hisface and name wouldn't be worth the tenth of a penny if the UnitedStates went bankrupt. As it is, however, if you were to go downstairsand proffer one of those bills to Putnam Jones he would make his mostelaborate bow and put you into the best room in the house. GeorgeWashington has backing that even Mr. Jones cannot despise. So, yousee, your daughter is right. Your name and face is yet to be stampedon a government bank note, Mr. Rushcroft, and until that time comesyou are no better off than I or any of the rest of the unfortunateswho, being still alive, have to eat for a living. "

"You speak in parables, " said Mr. Rushcroft, arising. "Am I to assumethat you wish to withdraw your offer to lend me--"

"Not at all, " said Barnes. "My desire to stake you to the comforts anddignity your station deserves remains unchanged. If you will bear withme until I have finished shaving I will go with you to Mr. Jones andshow him the colour of your money. "

Mr. Rushcroft grinned shamelessly. "My daughter was right when shesaid another thing to me, " he observed, sitting down once more. 

"She appears to be more or less infallible. "

"A woman in a million, " said the star. "She said that I wouldn't makea hit with you if I attempted to put on too much side. I perceive thatshe was right, --as usual. "

"Absolutely, " said Barnes, with decision. 

"So I'll cut it out, " remarked Rushcroft quaintly. "I will beeverlastingly grateful to you, Mr. Barnes, if you'll fix things upwith Jones. God knows when or whether I can ever reimburse you, but asI am not really a dead-beat the time will certainly come when I maybegin paying in installments. Do we understand each other?"

"We do, " said Barnes, and started downstairs with him. 

Half an hour later Barnes succeeded in striking a bargain with PutnamJones. He got the two rooms at the end of the hall at half price, insisting that it was customary for every hotel to give actors asubstantial reduction in rates. 

"You shall be treasurer and business-manager in my reorganizedcompany, " said Rushcroft. "With your acumen and my eccentricity unitedin a common cause we will stagger the universe. "

Despite his rehabilitation as a gentleman of means and independence, Mr. Rushcroft could not forego the pleasure of staggering a smallsection of the world that very night. He was giving Hamlet's addressto the players in the tap-room when Barnes came downstairs at nineo'clock. Bacon and Dillingford having returned earlier in the eveningwith the trunks, bags and other portable chattels of the defunct"troupe, " Mr. Rushcroft was performing in a sadly wrinkled Norfolksuit of grey which Dillingford was under solemn injunction to pressbefore breakfast the next morning. 

"I know I don't have to do it, " said the star, catching the surprisedlook in Barnes's eye and pausing to explain, sotto voce, "but I hadn'tthe heart to refuse. They're eating it up, my dear fellow. Up to thisinstant they've been sitting with their mouths wide open while Ihurled it, word after word, into their very vitals. "Whereupon heresumed the sonorous monologue, glowering balefully upon histransfixed hearers. 

Barnes, leaning against the door-jamb, listened with an amused smileon his lips. His gaze swept the rapt faces of the dozen or morecustomers seated at the tables, and he found himself wondering if oneof these men was the father of the little girl whose mother haddescribed Hart's Tavern as a "shindy. " Was it only yesterday that hehad spoken with the barefoot child? An age seemed to have passed sincethat brief encounter. 

Rushcroft ended Hamlet's speech in fine style, and almost instantly amild voice from the crowd asked if he knew "Casey at the Bat. " Not inthe least distressed by this woeful commentary, Mr. Rushcroftcheerfully, obligingly tackled the tragic fizzle of the immortalCasey. 

A small, dark man who sat alone at a table in the corner, caughtBarnes's eye and smiled almost mournfully. He was undoubtedly astranger; his action was meant to convey to Barnes the informationthat he too was from a distant and sophisticated community, and that abond of sympathy existed between them. 

Putnam Jones spoke suddenly at Barnes's shoulder. He startedinvoluntarily. The man was beginning to get on his nerves. He seemedto be dogging his footsteps with ceaseless persistency. 

"That feller over there in the corner, " said Jones, softly, "is abook-agent from your town. He sold me a set of Dickens when he washere last time, about six weeks ago. A year's subscription to twomagazines throwed in. By gosh, these book-agents are slick ones. Ididn't want that set of Dickens any more'n I wanted a last year'sbird's nest. The thing I'm afraid of is that he'll talk me into takinga set of Scott before he moves on. He's got me sweatin' already. "

"He's a shrewd looking chap, " commented Barnes. 

"Says he won't be satisfied till he's made this section of the countrythe most cultured, refined spot in the United States, " said Jonesdolefully. "He brags about how much he did toward makin' Boston theliterary centre of the United States, him and his father before him. Together, he says, they actually elevated Boston from the bottomlesspit of ignorance and----Excuse me. There goes the telephone. Maybeit's news from the sheriff. "

With the spasmodic tinkling of the telephone bell, the book-agentarose and made his way to the little office. As he passed Barnes, hewinked broadly, and said, out of the corner of his mouth:

"He'd make DeWolf Hopper look sick, wouldn't he?"

Barnes glanced over his shoulder a moment later and saw the book-agentstudying the register. The poise of his sleek head, however, suggesteda listening attitude. Putnam Jones, not four feet away, was speakinginto the telephone receiver. As the receiver was restored to its hook, Barnes turned again. Jones and the book-agent were examining theregister, their heads almost meeting from opposite sides of the desk. 

The latter straightened up, stretched his arms, yawned, and announcedin a loud tone that he guessed he'd step out and get a bit of freshair before turning in. 

"Any news?" inquired Barnes, approaching the desk after the door hadclosed behind the book-agent. 

"It wasn't the sheriff, " replied Jones shortly, and immediatelyresumed his interrupted discourse on books, book-agents and thereclamation of Boston. Ten minutes elapsed before the landlord'sgarrulity was checked by the sound of an automobile coming to a stopin front of the house. Barnes turned expectantly toward the door. Almost immediately the car started up again, with a loud shifting ofgears, and a moment later the door opened to admit, not a fresharrival, but the little book-agent. 

"Party trying to make Hornville to-night, " he announced casually. "Well, good night. See you in the morning. "

Barnes was not in a position to doubt the fellow's word, for the carunmistakably had gone on toward Hornville. He waited a few minutesafter the man disappeared up the narrow stairway, and then proceededto test his powers of divination. He was as sure as he could be sureof anything that had not actually come to pass, that in a short timethe automobile would again pass the tavern but this time from thedirection of Hornville. 

Lighting a cigarette, he strolled outside. He had barely time to takea position at the darkened end of the porch before the sounds of anapproaching machine came to his ears. A second or two later the lightsswung around the bend in the road a quarter of a mile above Hart'sTavern, and down came the car at a high rate of speed. It dashed pastthe tavern with a great roar and rattle and shot off into the darknessbeyond. As it rushed through the dim circle of light in front of thetavern, Barnes succeeded in obtaining a brief but convincing view ofthe car. That glance was enough, however. He would have been willingto go before a jury and swear that it was the same car that haddeposited him at Hart's Tavern the day before. 

Having guessed correctly in the one instance, he allowed himselfanother and even bolder guess: the little book-agent had eitherreceived a message from or delivered one to the occupant or driver ofthe car from Green Fancy. 

CHAPTER VIII

A NOTE, SOME FANCIES, AND AN EXPEDITION IN QUEST OF FACTS

Dillingford gave him a lighted candle at the desk and he startedupstairs, his mind full of the events and conjectures of the day. Uppermost in his thoughts was the dazzling vision of the afternoon, and the fleeting smile that had come to him through the leafyinterstices. As he entered the room, his eyes fell upon a whiteenvelope at his feet. It had been slipped under the door since he leftthe room an hour before. 

Terse reminder from the prudent Mr. Jones! His bill for the day! Hepicked it up, glanced at the inscription, and at once altered hisopinion. His full name was there in the handwriting of a woman. For amoment he was puzzled; then he thought of Miss Thackeray. A note ofthanks, no doubt, unpleasantly fulsome! Vaguely annoyed, he rippedopen the envelope and read:

"In case I do not have the opportunity to speak with you to-night, this is to let you know that the little man who says he is a book-agent was in your room for three-quarters of an hour while you wereaway this afternoon. You'd better see if anything is missing. M. T. "

He read the note again, and then held it over the candle flame. Surprise and a temporary indignation gave way before the thrill ofexultation as the blazing paper fell upon the hearth. 

"'Gad, it grows more and more interesting, " he mused, and chuckledaloud. "They're not losing a minute's time in finding out all they canabout me, that's certain. Thanks, my dear Miss Thackeray. You areundoubtedly deceived but I am not. This chap may be a detective but heisn't looking for evidence to connect me with last night's murders. Not a bit of it. He is trying to find out whether I ought to be shotthe next time I go snooping around Green Fancy. I'd give a good dealto know what he put into the report he sent off a little while ago. And I'd give a good deal more to know just where Mr. Jones stands inthis business. Selling sets of Dickens, eh? Book-agent by day, secretagent by night, --'gad, he may even be a road-agent!"

He made a hasty but careful examination of his effects. There was notthe slightest evidence that his pack had been opened or evendisturbed. Naturally he travelled without surplus impedimenta; hecarried the lightest outfit possible. There were a few paperscontaining notes and memoranda; a small camera and films; a blank bookto which he transferred his daily experiences, observations andimpressions; a small medicine case; tobacco and cigarettes; a flask ofbrandy; copies of Galworthy's "Man of Property" and Hutchinson's"Happy Warrior"; wearing apparel, and a revolver. His purse andprivate papers rarely were off his person. If the little book-agentspent three-quarters of an hour in the room he managed mosteffectually to cover up all traces of his visit. 

Barnes did not go to sleep until long after midnight. He now regardedhimself as definitely committed to a combination of sinister andpiquant enterprises, not the least of which was the determination tofind out all there was to know about the mysterious young woman atGreen Fancy. 

His operations along any line of endeavour were bound to be difficult, perhaps hazardous. Every movement that he made would be observed andreported; his every step followed. He could hope to disarm suspiciononly by moving with the utmost boldness and unconcern. Success restedin his ability to convince O'Dowd, Jones and the rest of them thatthey had nothing to fear from his innocuous wanderings. 

His interest in the sensational affair that had disturbed his firstnight's rest at Hart's Tavern must remain paramount. His theories, deductions and suggestions as to the designs and identity of Roon andPaul; the stated results of personal and no doubt ludicrousexperiments; sly and confidential jabs at the incompetentinvestigators, uttered behind the hand to Putnam Jones and, ifpossible, to the book-agent;--a quixotic philanthropy in connectionwith the fortunes of Rushcroft and his players; all these would haveto be put forward in the scheme to dispel suspicion at Green Fancy. 

It did not occur to him that he ought to be furthering the ends ofjustice by disclosing to the authorities his secret opinion of PutmanJones, the strange behaviour of Roon as observed by Miss Thackeray, and his own adventure with the lady of the cross-roads. The chancethat Jones, subjected to third degree pressure, might break down andreveal all that he knew was not even considered. 

Back of all his motives was the spur of Romance: his real interest wascentred in the lovely lady of Green Fancy. 

He was confident that O'Dowd's system of espionage would quicklyabsolve him of all interest in or connection with the plans of AlbertRoon; it remained therefore for him to convince the Irishman that hehad no notions or vagaries inimical to the well-being of Green Fancyor its occupants. With that result achieved, he need have no fear ofmeeting the fate that had befallen Roon and his lieutenant; nothingworse could happen than an arrest and fine for trespass. 

The next day he, with other lodgers in the Tavern, was put through anexamination by police and county officials from Saint Elizabeth, andnotified that, while he was not under suspicion or surveillance, itwould be necessary for him to remain in the "bailiwick" untildetectives, already on the way, were satisfied that he possessed noknowledge that would be useful to them in clearing up what had nowassumed the dignity of a "national problem. "

O'Dowd rode down from Green Fancy and created quite a sensation amongthe officials by announcing that Mr. Curtis desired them to feel thatthey had a perfect right to extend their search for clues to all partsof his estate, and that he was deeply interested in the outcome oftheir investigations. 

"The devils may have laid their ambush on his property, " said O'Dowd, "and they may have made their escape into the hills back of his placewithout running the risk of tackling the highways. Nothing, Mr. Curtissays, should stand in the way of justice. While he knows that you havea legal right to enter his grounds, and even his house, in the pursuitof duty, he urges me to make it clear to you gentlemen, that you arewelcome to come without even so much as a demand upon him. If I may beso bold as to offer my services, you may count on me to act as guideat any time you may elect. I know the lay of the land pretty well, andwhat I don't know the gardeners and other men up there do. You are tocall upon all of us if necessary. Mr. Curtis, as you know, is aninvalid. May I suggest, therefore, that you conduct your examinationof the grounds near his home with as little commotion as possible?Incidentally, I may inform you, but one person at Green Fancy heardthe shots. That person was Mr. Curtis himself. He rang for hisattendant and instructed him to send some one out to find out what itwas all about. The chauffeur went down to Conley's, as you know. Ifyou consider it absolutely necessary to question Mr. Curtis as to thetime the shots were fired, he will receive you; but I think you mayproperly establish that fact by young Conley without submitting a sickman to the excitement and distress of a--"

The sheriff hastily broke in with the assurance that it was not at allnecessary to disturb Mr. Curtis. It wasn't to be thought of for amoment. He would, however, like to "run over the ground a bit" thatvery afternoon, if it was agreeable to Mr. O'Dowd. 

It being quite agreeable, the genial Irishman proposed that hisfriend, Mr. Barnes, --(here he bestowed an almost imperceptible winkupon the New Yorker), --should join the party. He could vouch for theintelligence and discretion of the gentleman. 

Barnes, concealing his surprise, expressed himself as happy to be ofany service. He glanced at Putnam Jones as he made the statement. Itwas at once borne in upon him that the landlord's attitude toward himhad undergone a marked change in the last few minutes. The furtive, distrustful look was missing from his eyes and in its place was afriendly, approving twinkle. 

O'Dowd stayed to dinner. (Dinner was served in the middle of the dayat Hart's Tavern. ) He made a great impression upon Lyndon Rushcroft, who, with his daughter, joined the two men. Indeed, the palaveringIrishman extended himself in the effort to make himself agreeable. Hewas vastly interested in the stage, he declared. As a matter of fact, he had been told a thousand times that he ought to go on the stage. Hehad decided talent.... 

"If you change your mind, " said Mr. Rushcroft, "and conclude to try awhirl at it, just let me know. I can find a place for you in mycompany at any time. If there isn't a vacancy, we can always write inan Irish comedy part. "

"But I never wanted to be a comedian, " said O'Dowd. "I've alwayswanted to play the young hero, --the fellow who gets the girl, youknow. " He bestowed a gallant smile upon Miss Thackeray. 

"You may take my word for it, sir, " said Mr. Rushcroft with feeling, "heroism, and nothing less, is necessary to the man who has to playopposite most of the harridans you, in your ignorance, speak of asgirls. " And he launched forth upon a round of soul-trying experienceswith "leading-ladies. "

The little book-agent came in while they were at table. He sat down ina corner of the dining-room and busied himself with his subscriptionlists while waiting for the meal to be served. He was still poringover them, frowning intently, when Barnes and the others left theroom. 

Barnes walked out beside Miss Thackeray. 

"The tailor-made gown is an improvement, " he said to her. 

"Does that mean that I look more like a good chambermaid than I didbefore?"

"If you would consider it a compliment, yes, " he replied, smiling. Hewas thinking that she was a very pretty girl, after all. 

"The frock usually makes the woman, " she said slowly, "but not alwaysthe lady. "

He thought of that remark more than once during the course of anafternoon spent in the woods about Green Fancy. 

O'Dowd virtually commanded the expedition. It was he who thought ofeverything. First of all, he led the party to the corner of the estatenearest the point where Paul was shot from his horse. Sitting in hisown saddle, he called the attention of the other riders to whatappeared to be a most significant fact in connection with the killingof this man. 

"From what I hear, the man Paul was shot through the lungs, directlyfrom in front. The bullet went straight through his body. He wasriding very rapidly down this road. When he came to a point not farabove cross-roads, he was fired upon. It is safe to assume that he waslooking intently ahead, trying to make out the crossing. He was notshot from the side of the road, gentlemen, but from the middle of it. The bullet came from a point almost directly in front of him, and notfrom Mr. Curtis's property here to the left, or Mr. Conley's on theright. Understand, this is my whimsey only. I may be entirely wrong. My idea is that the man who shot him waited here at the cross-roads tohead off either or both of them in case they were not winged by menstationed farther up. Of course, that must be quite obvious to all ofyou. My friend De Soto is inclined to the belief that they were tryingto get across the border. I don't believe so. If that were the case, why did they dismount above Conley's house, hitch their horses to thefence, and set forth on foot? I am convinced in my own mind that theycame here to meet some one to whom they were to deliver a verbalreport of vital importance, --some one from across the border inCanada. This message was delivered. So far as Roon and Paul wereconcerned their usefulness was ended. They had done all that wasrequired of them. The cause they served was better off with them deadthan alive. Without the slightest compunction, without the leastregard for faithful service, they were set upon and slain by theirsupposed friends. Now, you may laugh at my fancy if you like, but youmust remember that frightful things are happening in these days. Thekilling of these men adds but a drop to the ocean of blood that isbeing shed. Roon and Paul, suddenly confronted by treachery, fled fortheir lives. The trap had been set with care, however; they rushedinto it. "

"I am inclined to your hypothesis, O'Dowd, " said Barnes. "It seemssound and reasonable. The extraordinary precautions taken by Roon andPaul to prevent identification, dead or alive, supports your whimsey, as you call it. The thing that puzzles me, however, is the singularfailure of the two men to defend themselves. They were armed, yetneither fired a shot. You would think that when they found themselvesin a tight place, such as you suggest, their first impulse would be toshoot. "

"Well, " mused O'Dowd, squinting his eyes in thought, "there'ssomething in that. It doesn't seem reasonable that they'd run likewhiteheads with guns in--By Jove, here's a new thought!" His eyesglistened with boyish elation. "They had delivered their message, --we'll assume that much, of course, --and were walking back to theirhorses when they were ordered to halt by some one hidden in the brushat the roadside. You can't very well succeed in hitting a man if youcan't see him at all, so they made a dash for it instead of wastingtime in shooting at the air. What's more, they may have anticipatedthe very thing that happened: they were prepared for treachery. Theironly chance lay in getting safely into their saddles. Oh, I am a goodromancer! I should be writing dime novels instead of living therespectable life I do. Conley heard them running for their lives. Assassins had been stationed along the road to head them off, however. The man who had his place near the horses, got Roon. The chances arethat Paul did not accompany Roon to the meeting place up the road. Heremained near the horses. That's how he managed to get away soquickly. It remained for the man at the cross-roads to settle withhim. But, we're wasting time with all this twaddle of mine. Let us bemoving. There is one point on which we must all agree. The deadliestmarksmen in the world fired those shots. No bungling on that score, bedad. "

In course of time, the party, traversing the ground contiguous to thepublic road, came within sight of the green dwelling among the trees. Barnes's interest revived. He had, from the outset, appreciated thefutility of the search for clues in the territory they had covered. The searchers were incapable of conducting a scientific examination. It was work for the most skilful, the most practised, the mostuntiring of tracers. His second view of the house increased his wonderand admiration. If O'Dowd had not actually located it among the treesfor him, he would have been at a loss to discover it, although it wasimmediately in front of him and in direct line of vision. 

"Astonishing, isn't it?" said the Irishman, as they stood side byside, peering ahead. 

"Marvellous is the better word, " said Barnes. 

"The fairies might have built it, " said the other, with something likeawe in his voice. He shook his head solemnly. 

"One could almost fancy that a fairy queen dwelt there, surrounded byPeter Pans and Aladdins, " mused Barnes. 

"Instead of an ogre attended by owls and nightbirds and the devilknows what, --for I don't. "

Barnes looked at him in amazement, struck by the curious note in hisvoice. 

"If you were a small boy in knickers, O'Dowd, I should say that youwere mortally afraid of the place. "

"If I were a small boy, " said O'Dowd, "I'd be scairt entirely out ofme knickers. I'd keep me boots on, mind ye, so that I could run thebetter. It's me Irish imagination that does the trick. You never sawan Irishman in your life that wasn't conscious of the 'little people'that inhabit the places that are always dark and green. "

De Soto was seen approaching through the green sea, his head appearingand disappearing intermittently in the billows formed by theundulating underbrush. He shook hands with Barnes a moment later. 

"I'm glad you had the sense to bring Mr. Barnes with you, O'Dowd, "said he. "You didn't mention him when you telephoned that you werepersonally conducting a sight-seeing party. I tried to catch youafterwards on the telephone, but you had left the tavern. Mrs. Collierwanted me to ask you to capture Mr. Barnes for dinner to-night. "

"Mrs. Collier is the sister of Mr. Curtis, " explained O'Dowd. Then heturned upon De Soto incredulously. "For the love of Pat, " he cried"what's come over them? When I made so bold as to suggest last nightthat you were a chap worth cultivating, Barnes, --and that you wouldn'tbe long in the neighbourhood, --But, to save your feelings I'll notrepeat what they said, the two of them. What changed them over, DeSoto?"

"A chance remark of Miss Cameron's at lunch to-day. She wondered ifBarnes could be the chap who wrote the articles about Peru and theIncas, or something of the sort, and that set them to looking up theback numbers of the geographic magazine in Mr. Curtis's library. Notonly did they find the articles but they found your picture. I had nodifficulty in deciding that you were one and the same. The atmospherecleared in a jiffy. It became even clearer when it was discovered thatyou have had a few ancestors and are received in good society--bothhere and abroad, as the late Frederic Townsend Martin would have said. I hereby officially present the result of subsequent deliberation. Mr. Barnes is invited to dine with us to-night. "

Barnes's heart was still pounding rapidly as he made the ruefuladmission that he "didn't have a thing to wear. " He couldn't think ofaccepting the gracious invitation--

"Don't you think the clothes you have on your back will last throughthe evening?" inquired O'Dowd quaintly. 

"But look at them!" cried Barnes. "I've tramped in 'em for two weeksand--"

"All the more reason why you should be thankful they're good andstout, " said O'Dowd. 

"We live rather simply up here, Mr. Barnes, " said De Soto. "Thereisn't a dinner jacket or a spike tail coat on the place. It's strictlyagainst the law up here to have such things about one's person. Comeas you are, sir. I assure you I speak the truth when I say we don'tdress for dinner. "

"Bedad, " said O'Dowd enthusiastically, "if it will make ye feel anymore comfortable I'll put on the corduroy outfit I go trout fishingin, bespattered and patched as it is. And De Soto will appear in thewhite duck trousers and blazer he tries to play tennis in, --though, God bless him, poor wretch, he hates to put them on after all he'sheard said about his game. "

"If they'll take me as I am, " began Barnes, doubtfully. 

"I say, " called out O'Dowd to the sheriff, who was gazing longingly atthe horses tethered at the bottom of the slope; "would ye mind leadingMr. Barnes's nag back to the Tavern? He is stopping to dinner. And, while I think of it, are you satisfied, Mr. Sheriff, with the day'swork? If not, you will be welcome again at any time, if ye'll onlytelephone a half minute in advance. " To Barnes he said: "We'll sendyou down in the automobile to-night, provided it has survived the day. We're expecting the poor thing to die in its tracks at almost anyinstant. "

Ten minutes later Barnes passed through the portals of Green Fancy. 

CHAPTER IX

THE FIRST WAYFARER, THE SECOND WAYFARER, AND THE SPIRIT OF CHIVALRYASCENDANT

The wide green door, set far back in a recess not unlike a kiosk, wasopened by a man-servant who might easily have been mistaken for awaiter from Delmonico's or Sherry's. He did not have the air or aplombof a butler, nor the smartness of a footman. On the contrary, he was athick-set, rather scrubby sort of person with all the symptoms of cafeservitude about him, including the never-failing doubt as tonationality. He might have been a Greek, a Pole, an Italian or a Turk. 

"Say to Mrs. Collier, Nicholas, that Mr. Barnes is here for dinner, "said De Soto. "I will make the cocktails this evening. "

Much to Barnes's surprise, --and disappointment, --the interior of thehouse failed to sustain the bewildering effect produced by theexterior. The entrance hall and the living-room into which he wasconducted by the two men were singularly like others that he had seen. The latter, for example, was of ordinary dimensions, furnished with athought for comfort rather than elegance or even good taste. The rugswere thick and in tone held almost exclusively to Turkish reds; thecouches and chairs were low and deep and comfortable, as if intendedfor men only, and they were covered with rich, gay materials; thehangings at the windows were of deep blue and gold; the walls anunobtrusive cream colour, almost literally thatched with etchings. 

Barnes, somewhat of a connoisseur, was not slow to recognise the valueand extreme rarity of the prints. Rembrandt, Whistler, Hayden, Merryon, Cameron, Muirhead Bone and Zorn were represented by theirmost notable creations; two startling subjects by Brangwyn hung alonein one corner of the room, isolated, it would seem, out ofconsideration for the gleaming, jewel-like surfaces of other andsmaller treasures. There were at least a dozen Zorns, as manyWhistlers and Camerons. 

O'Dowd, observing the glance of appreciation that Barnes sent aboutthe room, said: "All of thim are in the very rarest state. He has oneof the finest collections in America. Ye'll want your boots cleanedand polished, and your face needs scrubbing, if ye don't mind mysaying so, " he went on, critically surveying the visitor's person. "Come up to my room and make yourself tidy. My own man will dust youoff and furbish you up in no time at all. "

They passed into another room at the left and approached a widestairway, the lower step of which was flush with the baseboard on thewall. Not so much as an inch of the stairway protruded into the room, and yet Barnes, whose artistic sense should have been offended, wascuriously pleased with the arrangement and effect. He made a mentalnote of this deliberate violation of the holy rules of construction, and decided that one day he would try it out for himself. 

The room itself was obviously a continuation of the larger one beyond, a sort of annex, as it were. The same scheme in decoration andfurnishings was observed, except here the walls were adorned withsmall paintings in oil, heavily framed. Hanging in the panel at theright of the stairway was an exquisite little Corot, silvery andfeathery even in the dim light of early dusk. On the opposite side wasa brilliant little Cazin. 

The stairs were thickly carpeted. At the top, his guide turned to theleft and led the way down a long corridor. They passed at least fourdoors before O'Dowd stopped and threw open the fifth on that side ofthe hall. There were still two more doors beyond. 

"Suggests a hotel, doesn't it?" said the Irishman, standing aside forBarnes to enter. "All of the sleeping apartments are on this floor, and the baths, and boudoirs, and what-not. The garret is above, andthat's where we deposit our family skeletons, intern our grievances, store our stock of spitefulness, and hide all the little devils thatmust come sneaking up from the city with us whether we will or no. Nothing but good-humour, contentment, happiness and mirth arepermitted to occupy this floor and the one below. I might also addbeauty, for you can't conceive any of the others without it, mefriend. God knows I couldn't be good-natured for a minute if I wasn'tencouraged by beauty appreciative, and as for being contented, happyor mirthful, --bedad, words fail me! Dabson, " he said, addressing theman who had quietly entered the room through the door behind them, "doMr. Barnes, will ye, and fetch me from Mr. De Soto's room when you'vefinished. I leave you to Dabson's tender mercies. The saints preserveus! Look at the man's boots! Dabson, get out your brush and dauberfirst of all. He's been floundering in a bog. "

The jovial Irishman retired, leaving Barnes to be "done" by thesilent, swift-moving valet. Dabson was young and vigorous andexceedingly well-trained. He made short work of "doing" the visitor;barely fifteen minutes elapsed before O'Dowd's return. 

Presently they went downstairs together. Lamps had been lighted, manyof them, throughout the house. A warm, pleasing glow filled the rooms, softening, --one might even say tempering, --the insistent reds in therugs, which now seemed to reflect rather than to project their hues; afire crackled in the cavernous fireplace at the end of the living-room, and grouped about its cheerful, grateful blaze were the ladiesof Green Fancy. 

Barnes was aware of a quickening of his pulses as he advanced withO'Dowd. De Soto was there ahead of them, posed ungracefully in frontof the fire, his feet widespread, his hands in his pockets. Anotherman, sallow-faced and tall, with a tired looking blond moustache andsleepy eyes, was managing, with amazing skill, the retention of acigarette which seemed to be constantly in peril of detaching itselffrom his parted though inactive lips. 

SHE was there, standing slightly aloof from the others, but evidentlyamused by the tale with which De Soto was regaling them. She wassmiling; Barnes saw the sapphire lights sparkling in her eyes, andexperienced a sensation that was woefully akin to confusion. 

He had the feeling that he would be absolutely speechless whenpresented to her; in the full, luminous glow of those lovely eyes hewould lose consciousness, momentarily, no doubt, but long enough togive her, --and all the rest of them, --no end of a fright. 

But nothing of the kind happened. Everything went off quite naturally. He favoured Miss Cameron with an uncommonly self-possessed smile asshe gave her hand to him, and she, in turn, responded with one faintlysuggestive of tolerance, although it certainly would have beenrecorded by a less sensitive person than Barnes as "ripping. "

In reply to his perfunctory "delighted, I'm sure, etc. , " she said, quite clearly: "Oh, now I remember. I was sure I had seen you before, Mr. Barnes. You are the magic gentleman who sprung like a mushroom outof the earth yesterday afternoon. "

"And frightened you, " he said; "whereupon you vanished like themushroom that is gobbled up by the predatory glutton. "

He had thrilled at the sound of her voice. It was the low, deliberatevoice of the woman of the crossroads, and, as before, he caught thealmost imperceptible accent. The red gleam from the blazing logs fellupon her shining hair; it glistened like gold. She wore a simpleevening gown of white, softened over the shoulders and neck with afall of rare vallenciennes lace. There was no jewelry, --not even aring on her slender, tapering fingers. Oddly enough, now that he stoodbeside her, she was not so tall as he had believed her to be the daybefore. The crown of her silken head came but little above hisshoulder. As she had appeared to him among the trees he would havesworn that she was but little below his own height, which was aliberal six feet. He recalled a flash of wonder on that occasion; shehad seemed so much taller than the woman at the cross-roads that hewas almost convinced that she could not, after all, be the sameperson. Now she was back to the height that he remembered, and hemarvelled once more. 

Mrs. Collier, the hostess, was an elderly, heavy-featured woman, decidedly over-dressed. Barnes knew her kind. One encounters hereverywhere: the otherwise intelligent woman who has no sense about herclothes. Mrs. Van Dyke, her daughter, was a woman of thirty, tall, dark and handsome in a bold, dashing sort of way. She too was ratherresplendent in a black jet gown, and she was liberally bestrewn withjewels. Much to Barnes's surprise, she possessed a soft, gentlespeaking-voice and a quiet, musical laugh instead of the boisteroustones and cackle that he always associated with her type. Thelackadaisical gentleman with the moustache turned out to be herhusband. 

"My brother is unable to be with us to-night, Mr. Barnes, " explainedMrs. Collier. "Mr. O'Dowd may have told you that he is an invalid. Quite rarely is he well enough to leave his room. He has been feelingmuch better of late, but now his nerves are all torn to pieces by thisshooting affair. The mere knowledge that our grounds were beinginspected to-day by the authorities upset him terribly. He has beggedme to present his apologies and regrets to you. Another time, perhaps, you will give him the pleasure he is missing to-night. He wanted somuch to talk with you about the quaint places you have described socharmingly in your articles. They must be wonderfully appealing. Onecannot read your descriptions without really envying the people wholive in those enchanted--"

"Ahem!" coughed O'Dowd, who actually had read the articles and couldsee nothing alluring in a prospect that contemplated barren, snow-swept wildernesses in the Andes. "The only advantage I can see inliving up there, " he said, with a sly wink at Barnes, "is that one hasall the privileges of death without being put to the expense ofburial. "

"How very extraordinary, Mr. O'Dowd, " said Mrs. Collier, lifting herlorgnon. 

"Mrs. Collier has been reading my paper on the chateau country inFrance, " said Barnes mendaciously. (It had not yet been published, butwhat of that?)

"Perfectly delightful, " said Mrs. Collier, and at once changed thesubject. 

De Soto's cocktails came in. Miss Cameron did not take one. O'Dowdproposed a toast. 

"To the rascals who went gunning for the other rascals. But for themwe should be short at least one member of this agreeable company. "

It was rather startling. Barnes's glass stopped half-way to his lips. An instant later he drained it. He accepted the toast as a complimentfrom the whilom Irishman, and not as a tribute to the prowess of thosemysterious marksmen. 

"Rather grewsome, O'Dowd, " drawled Van Dyke, "but offset by theforesightedness of the maker of this cocktail. Uncommonly good one, DeSoto. "

The table in the spacious dining-room was one of those long, narrowItalian boards, unmistakably antique and equally rare. Sixteen oreighteen people could have been seated without crowding, and when theseven took their places wide intervals separated them. No effort hadbeen made by the hostess to bring her guests close together, as mighthave been done by using one end or the centre of the table. Except forscattered doylies, the smooth, nut-brown top was bare of cloth; therewas a glorious patina to this huge old board, with tiny cracks runninglike veins across its surface. 

Decorations were scant. A half dozen big candlesticks, ecclesiasticalin character, were placed at proper intervals, and at each end of thetable there was a shallow, alabaster dish containing pansies. Theserving plates were of silver. Especially beautiful were the long-stemmed water goblets and the graceful champagne glasses. They wereblue and white and of a design and quality no longer obtainable exceptat great cost. The aesthetic Barnes was not slow to appreciate therarity of the glassware and the chaste beauty of the serving plates. 

The man Nicholas was evidently the butler, despite his Seventh Avenuemanner. He was assisted in serving by two stalwart and amazinglyclumsy footmen, of similar ilk and nationality. On seeing theseadditional men-servants, Barnes began figuratively to count on hisfingers the retainers he had so far encountered on the place. Alreadyhe has seen six, all of them powerful, rugged fellows. It struck him. As extraordinary, and in a way significant, that there should be somany men at Green Fancy. 

Somewhere back in his mind was the impression that O'Dowd had spokenof Pierre the cook, a private secretary and male attendant who lookedafter Mr. Curtis. Then there was Peter, the regular chauffeur, whom hehad not seen, and doubtless there were able-bodied woodchoppers andforesters besides. Not forgetting the little book-agent! It suddenlyoccurred to him that he was surrounded by a company of the mostformidable character: no less than twenty men would be a reasonableguess if he were to include O'Dowd, De Soto and Van Dyke. 

Much to his disappointment, he was not placed near Miss Cameron attable. Indeed, she was seated as far away from him as possible. He satat Mrs. Collier's right. On his left was Mrs. Van Dyke, with MissCameron at the foot of the table flanked by O'Dowd and De Soto. VanDyke had nearly the whole of the opposite side of the table tohimself. There was, to be sure, a place set between him and De Soto, for symmetry's sake, Barnes concluded. In this he was mistaken; theyhad barely seated themselves when Mrs. Collier remarked:

"Mr. Curtis's secretary usually joins us here for coffee. He has hisdinner with my brother and then, poor man, comes in for a brief periodof relaxation. When my brother is in one of his bad spells poor Mr. Loeb doesn't have much time to himself. It seems to me that my brotheris at his best when his health is at its worst. You may be interestedto know, Mr. Barnes, that he is writing a history of the FiveNations. "

"Indians, you know, " explained Van Dyke. 

"A history of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Cayugas, Onondagas and Senecas, and their 'Long House' should be of great value, Mrs. Collier, " saidBarnes, a trifle didactically. "When does he expect to have itcompleted?"

"'Gad, you know a little of everything, don't you?" said Van Dyke, sitting up a little straighter in his chair and eyeing Barnes fishily. ("Awfully smart chap, " he afterwards confided to O'Dowd. ) "If he liveslong enough, he'll finish it in 1999, " he added, lifting his voiceabove Mrs. Collier's passive reply out of which Barnes gathered thewords "couple" and "years. "

It is not necessary to dilate upon the excellence of the dinner, torepeat the dialogue, or to comment on the service, other than to say, for the sake of record, that the first WAS excellent; the secondsprightly, and the third atrocious. 

Loeb, the private secretary, came in for coffee. He was a tall, spareman of thirty, pallidly handsome, with dark, studious eyes andfeatures of an unmistakably Hebraic cast, as his name might haveforetold. His teeth were marvellously white, and his slow smileattractive. When he spoke, which was seldom unless a remark wasdirected specifically to him, his voice was singularly deep andresonant. More than once during the hour that Loeb spent with themBarnes formed and dismissed a stubborn, ever-recurring opinion thatthe man was not a Jew. Certainly he was not an American Jew. Hisvoice, his manner of speech, his every action stamped him as one bornand bred in a land far removed from Broadway and its counterparts. Ifa Jew, he was of the East as it is measured from Rome: the Jew of thecarnal Orient. 

And as the evening wore on, there came to Barnes the singular fancythat this man was the master and not the servant of the house! Hecould not put the ridiculous idea out of his mind. 

He was to depart at ten. The hour drew near and he had had noopportunity for detached conversation with Miss Cameron. He hadlistened to her bright retorts to O'Dowd's sallies, and marvelled atthe ease and composure with which she met the witty Irishman on eventerms. Her voice, always low and distinct, was never without thesuggestion of good-natured raillery; he was enchanted by the faint, delicious chuckle that rode in every sentence she uttered during thesesprightly tilts. 

When the conversation turned to serious topics, her voice steadiedperceptibly, the blue in her eyes took on a deeper and darker hue, thehalf-satirical smile vanished from her adorable lips, and she spokewith the gravity of a profound thinker. Barnes watched her, fascinated, bereft of the power to concentrate his thoughts onanything else. He hung on her every movement, hoping and longing forthe impersonal glance or remark with which she occasionally favouredhim. 

Not until the very close of the evening, and when he had resignedhimself to hopelessness, did the opportunity come for him to speakwith her alone. She caught his eye, and, to his amazement, made aslight movement of her head, unobserved by the others but curiouslyimperative to him. There was no mistaking the meaning of the direct, intense look that she gave him. 

She was appealing to him as a friend, --as one on whom she coulddepend!

The spirit of chivalry took possession of him. His blood leaped to thecall. She needed him and he would not fail her. And it was withdifficulty that he contrived to hide the exaltation that might haveruined everything!

Loeb had returned to his labours in Mr. Curtis's study, after biddingBarnes a courteous good-night. It seemed to the latter that with thesecretary's departure an indefinable restraint fell away from thesmall company. 

While he was trying to invent a pretext for drawing her apart from theothers, she calmly ordered Van Dyke to relinquish his place on thecouch beside her to Barnes. 

"Come and sit beside me, Mr. Barnes, " she called out, gaily. "I willnot bite you, or scratch you, or harm you in any way. Ask Mr. O'Dowdand he will tell you that I am quite docile. What is there about me, sir, that causes you to think that I am dangerous? You have barelyspoken a word to me, and you've been disagreeably nice to Mrs. Collierand Mrs. Van Dyke. I don't bite, do I, Mr. O'Dowd?"

"You do, " said O'Dowd promptly. "You do more than that. You devour. Bedad, I have to look in a mirror to convince meself that you haven'tswallowed me whole. That's another way of telling you, Barnes, thatshe'll absorb you entirely. "

It was a long, deep and comfortable couch of the davenport class, andshe sat in the middle of it instead of at the end, a circumstance thathe was soon to regard as premeditated. She had planned to bring him tothis place beside her and had cunningly prepared against thepossibility that he might put the full length of the couch betweenthem if she settled herself in a corner. As it was, their elbowsalmost touched as he sat down beside her. 

For a few minutes she chided him for his unseemly aversion. He wasbeginning to think that he had been mistaken in her motive, and thatafter all she was merely satisfying her vanity. Suddenly, and as shesmiled into his eyes, she said, lowering her voice slightly:

"Do not appear surprised at anything I may say to you. Smile as if wewere uttering the silliest nonsense. So much depends upon it, Mr. Barnes. "

CHAPTER X

THE PRISONER OF GEEEN FANCY, AND THE LAMENT OF PETER THE CHAUFFEUR

He envied Mr. Rushcroft. The barn-stormer would have risen to theoccasion without so much as the blinking of an eye. He would have beenable to smile and gesticulate in a manner that would have deceived themost acute observer, while he--ah, he was almost certain to flounderand make a mess of the situation. He did his best, however, and, despite his eagerness, managed to come off fairly well. Any one out ofear-shot would have thought that he was uttering some trifling inanityinstead of these words:

"You may trust me. I have suspected that something was wrong here. "

"It is impossible to explain now, " she said. "These people are not myfriends. I have no one to turn to in my predicament. "

"Yes, you have, " he broke in, and laughed rather boisterously for him. He felt that they were being watched in turn by every person in theroom. 

"To-night, --not an hour ago, --I began to feel that I could call uponyou for help. I began to relax. Something whispered to me that I wasno longer utterly alone. Oh, you will never know what it is to haveyour heart lighten as mine--But I must control myself. We are not towaste words. "

"You have only to command me, Miss Cameron. No more than a dozen wordsare necessary. "

"I knew it, --I felt it, " she cried eagerly. "Nothing can be done to-night. The slightest untoward action on your part would send youafter--the other two. There is one man here who, I think, will standbetween me and actual peril. Mr. O'Dowd. He is--"

"He is the liveliest liar I've ever known, " broke in Barnes quickly. "Don't trust him. "

"But he is also an Irishman, " she said, as if that fact overcame allother shortcomings. "I like him; he must be an honest man, for he hasalready lied nobly in MY behalf. " She smiled as she uttered thisquaint anomaly. 

"Tell me how I can be of service to you, " said he, disposing of O'Dowdwith a shrug. 

"I shall try to communicate with you in some way--to-morrow. I beg ofyou, I implore you, do not desert me. If I can only be sure that youwill--"

"You may depend on me, no matter what happens, " said he, and, lookinginto her eyes was bound forever. 

"I have been thinking, " she said. "Yesterday I made the discovery thatI--that I am actually a prisoner here, Mr. Barnes. I--Smile! Saysomething silly!"

Together they laughed over the meaningless remark he made in responseto her command. 

"I am constantly watched. If I venture outside the house, I am almostimmediately joined by one of these men. You saw what happenedyesterday. I am distracted. I do not know how to arrange a meeting sothat I may explain my unhappy position to you. "

"I will ask the authorities to step in and--"

"No! You are to do nothing of the kind. The authorities would neverfind me if they came here to search. " (It was hard for him to smile atthat!) "It must be some other way. If I could steal out of the house, --but that is impossible, " she broke off with a catch in her voice. 

"Suppose that I were to steal INTO the house, " he said, a recklesslight in his eyes. 

"Oh, you could never succeed!"

"Well, I could try, couldn't I?" There was nothing funny in the remarkbut they both leaned back and laughed heartily. "Leave it to me. Ionce got into and out of a Morrocan harem, --but that story may wait. Tell me, where--"

"The place is guarded day and night. The stealthiest burglar in theworld could not come within a stone's throw of the house. "

"By Jove! Those two men night before last were trying to--" He said nomore, but turned his head so that the others could not see the hardlook that settled in his eyes. "If it's as bad as all that, we cannotafford to make any slips. You think you are in no immediate peril?"

"I am in no peril at all unless I bring it upon myself, " she said, significantly. 

"Then a delay of a day or so will not matter, " he said, frowning. "Leave it to me. I will find a way. "

"Be careful!" De Soto came lounging up behind them. She went onspeaking, changing the subject so abruptly and so adroitly that for amoment Barnes was at a loss. "But if she could obtain all thoseluxuries without using a penny of his money, what right had he toobject? Surely a wife may do as she pleases with her own money. "

"He was trying to break her of selfishness, " said Barnes, suddenlyinspired. "The difference between men and women in the matter ofluxuries lies in the fact that one is selfish and the other is not. Aman slaves all the year round to provide luxuries for his wife. Thewife comes into a nice little fortune of her own, and what does sheproceed to do with it? Squander it on her husband? Not much! She setsout immediately to prove to the world that he is a miser, a skinflintwho never gave her more than the bare necessities of life. The chap Iwas speaking of--I beg pardon, Mr. De Soto. "

"Forgive me for interrupting, but I am under command from royalheadquarters. Peter, the king of chauffeurs, sends in word that thecar is in an amiable mood and champing to be off. So seldom is it in agood-humour that he--"

"I'll be off at once, " exclaimed Barnes, arising. 

"By Jove, it is half-past ten. I had no idea--Good night, MissCameron. Sorry my time is up. I am sure I could have made you hateyour own sex in another half hour. "

She held out her hand. "One of our virtues is that we never pretend tobe in love with our own sex, Mr. Barnes. That, at least, is a luxuryreserved solely for your sex. "

He bowed low over her hand. "A necessity, if I may be pardoned forcorrecting you. " He pressed her hand re-assuringly and left her. 

She had arisen and was standing, straight and slim by the corner ofthe fireplace, a confident smile on her lips. 

"If you are to be long in the neighbourhood, Mr. Barnes, " said hishostess, "you must let us have you again. "

"My stay is short, I fear. You have only to reveal the faintest signthat I may come, however, and I'll hop into my seven league bootsbefore you can utter Jack Robinson's Christian name. Good night, Mrs. Van Dyke. I have you all to thank for a most delightful evening. May Iexpect to see you down our way, Mr. Van Dyke? We have food for man andbeast at all times and in all forms. "

"I've tackled your liquids, " said Van Dyke. "You are likely to see me'most any day. I'm always rattling 'round somewhere, don't you know. "(He said "rettling, " by the way. ) The car was waiting at the back ofthe house. O'Dowd walked out with Barnes, their arms linked, --as on aformer occasion, Barnes recalled. 

"I'll ride out to the gate with you, " said the Irishman. "It's awinding, devious route the road takes through the trees. As the crowflies it's no more than five hundred yards, but this way it can't beless than a mile and a half. Eh, Peter?"

Peter opined that it was at least a mile and a quarter. He was aYankee, as O'Dowd had said, and he was not extravagant in estimates. 

The passengers sat in the rear seat. Two small lamps served to lightthe way through the Stygian labyrinth of trees and rocks. O'Dowd hadan electric pocket torch with which to pick his way back to GreenFancy. 

"I can't, for the life of me, see why he doesn't put in a drivewaystraight to the road beyond, instead of roaming all over creation aswe have to do, " said O'Dowd. 

"We foller the bed of the crick that used to run through here 'fore itwas dammed a little ways up to make the ice-pond 'tween here an'Spanish Falls, " supplied Peter. "Makes a durned good road, 'cept whenthere's a freshet. It would cost a hull lot o' money to build a roadas good as this-un. "

"I was only thinking 'twould save a mile and more, " said O'Dowd. 

"What's the use o' him savin' a mile, er ten miles, fer that matter, when he never puts foot out'n the house?" said Peter, the logician. 

"Well, then, " persisted O'Dowd testily, "he ought to consider thesaving in gasolene. "

Peter's reply was a grunt. 

They came in time, after many "hair-pins" and right angles, to thegate opening upon the highway. Peter got down from the seat to releasethe pad-locked chain and throw open the gate. 

O'Dowd leaned closer to Barnes and lowered his voice. 

"See here, Barnes, I'm no fool, and for that reason I've got senseenough to know that you're not either. I don't know what's in yourmind, nor what you're trying to get into it if it isn't already there. But I'll say this to you, man to man: don't let your imagination getthe better of your common-sense. That's all. Take the tip from me. "

"I am not imagining anything, O'Dowd, " said Barnes quietly. "What doyou mean?"

"I mean just what I say. I'm giving you the tip for selfish reasons. If you make a bally fool of yourself, I'll have to see you through theworst of it, --and it's a job I don't relish. Ponder that, will ye, onthe way home?"

Barnes did ponder it on the way home. There was but one constructionto put upon the remark: it was O'Dowd's way of letting him know thathe could be depended upon for support if the worst came to pass. 

His heart warmed to the lively Irishman. He jumped to the conclusionthat O'Dowd, while aligned with the others in the flesh, was not withthem in spirit. His blithe heart was a gallant one as well. The lovelyprisoner at Green Fancy had a chivalrous defender among theconspirators, and that fact, suddenly revealed to the harassed Barnes, sent a thrill of exultation through his veins. 

He realised that he could not expect O'Dowd to be of any assistance inpreparing the way for her liberation. Indeed, the Irishman probablywould oppose him out of loyalty to the cause he espoused. His handwould be against him until the end; then it would strike for him andthe girl who was in jeopardy. 

O'Dowd evidently had not been deceived by the acting that masked theconversation on the couch. He knew that Miss Cameron had appealed toBarnes, and that the latter had promised to do everything in his powerto help her. 

Suspecting that this was the situation, and doubtless sacrificing hisown private interests, he had uttered the vague but timely warning toBarnes. The significance of this warning grew under reflection. Themere fact that he could bring himself to the point of speaking toBarnes as he did, established beyond all question that his positionwas not inimical. He was, to a certain extent, delivering himself intothe hands of one who, in his rashness, might not hesitate to cast himto the lions: the beasts in this instance being his own companions. 

Barnes was not slow to appreciate the position in which O'Dowdvoluntarily placed himself. A word or a sign from him would besufficient to bring disaster upon the Irishman who had risked his ownsafety in a few irretrievable words. The more he thought of it, themore fully convinced was he that there was nothing to fear fromO'Dowd. The cause for apprehension in that direction was wiped out bya simple process of reasoning: O'Dowd would have delivered his warningelsewhere if he intended evil. While it was impossible to decide howfar O'Dowd's friendly interest would carry him, Barnes was stillcontent to believe that he would withhold his suspicions, for thepresent at least, from the others at Green Fancy. 

He was at a loss to account for his invitation to Green Fancy underthe circumstances. The confident attitude of those responsible forMiss Cameron's detention evidently was based upon conditions whichrendered their position tenable. Their disregard for the consequencesthat might reasonably be expected to result from this visit waspuzzling in the extreme. He could arrive at no other conclusion thanthat their hospitality was inspired by a desire to disarm him ofsuspicion. An open welcome to the house, while a bold piece ofstrategy, was far better than an effort to cloak the place in mystery. 

As he left the place behind him, he found himself saying that he hadreceived his first and last invitation to visit Green Fancy. 

Peter drove slowly, carefully over the road down the mountain, indirect contrast to the heedless rush of the belated "washer. "

Responding to a sudden impulse, Barnes lowered one of the side-seatsin the tonneau and moved closer to the driver. By leaning forward hewas in a position to speak through the window at Peter's back. 

"Pretty bad going, isn't it?" he ventured. 

"Bad enough in the daytime, " said Peter, without taking his eyes fromthe road, "but something fierce at night. "

"I suppose you've been over it so often, however, that you know everycrook and turn. "

"I know 'em well enough not to get gay with 'em, " said Peter. 

"How long have you been driving for Mr. Curtis?"

"Ever since he come up here, more'n two years ago. I used to drive thestation bus fer the hotel down below Spanish Falls. He stayed therewhile he was buildin'. Guess I'm going to get the G. B. 'fore long, though. "

His listener started. "You don't say so! Cutting down expenses?"

"Not so's you could notice it, " growled Peter. "Seems that he'sgettin' a new car an' wants an expert machinist to take hold of itfrom the start. I was good enough to fiddle around with this second-hand pile o' junk an' the Buick he had last year, but I ain'tqualified to handle this here twin-six Packard he's expectin', so hesays. I guess they's been some influence used against me, if the truthwas known. This new sec'etary he's got cain't stummick me. "

"Why don't you see Mr. Curtis and demand--" "SEE him?" snorted Peter. "Might as well try to see Napoleon Bonyparte. Didn't you know he was asick man?"

"Certainly. But he isn't so ill that he can't attend to business, ishe?"

"He sure is. Parylised, they say. He's a mighty fine man. It's awfulto think of him bein' so helpless he cain't ever git out'n his cheerag'in. Course, if he was hisself he wouldn't think o' lettin' me out. But bein' sick-like, he jest don't give a durn about anything. Sothat's how this new sec'etary gets in his fine work on me. "

"What has Mr. Loeb against you, if I may ask?"

"Well, it's like this. I ain't in the habit o' bein' ordered aroun' asif I was jest nobody at all, so when he starts in to cuss me aboutsomethin' a week or so ago, I ups and tells him I'll smash his head ifhe don't take it back. He takes it back all right, but the first thingI know I get a call-down from Mrs. Collier. She's Mr. Curtis's sister, you know. Course I couldn't tell her what I told the sheeny, seein' asshe's a female, so I took it like a lamb. Then they gits a feller uphere to wash the car. My gosh, mister, the durned ole rattle-trapain't wuth a bucket o' water all told. You could wash from now tillnext Christmas an' she wouldn't look any cleaner'n she does right now. So I sends word in to Mr. Curtis that if she has to be washed, I'llwash her. I don't want no dago splashin' water all over the barn flooran' drawin' pay fer doin' it. Then's when I hears about the new car. Mr. Loeb comes out an' asts me if I ever drove a Packard twin-six. Isays no I ain't, an' he says it's too bad. He asts the dago if he'sever drove one and the dago lies like thunder. He says he's handledevery kind of a Packard known to science, er somethin' like that. Icain't understand half the durn fool says. Next day Mrs. Collier sendsfer me an' I go in. She says she guesses she'll try the new washer onthe Packard when it comes, an' if I keer to stay on as washer in hisplace she'll be glad to have me. I says I'd like to have a word withMr. Curtis, if she don't mind, an' she says Mr. Curtis ain't able tosee no one. So I guess I'm goin' to be let out. Not as I keer verymuch, 'cept I hate to leave Mr. Curtis in the lurch. He was mightygood to me up to the time he got bed-ridden. "

"I dare say you will have no difficulty in finding another place, "said Barnes, feeling his way. 

"'Tain't easy to git a job up here. I guess I'll have to try New Yorker some of the big cities, " said Peter, confidently. 

An idea was taking root in Barnes's brain, but it was too soon toconsider it fixed. 

"You say Mr. Loeb is new at his job?"

"Well, he's new up here. Mr. Curtis was down to New York all lastwinter bein' treated, you see. He didn't come up here till about fiveweeks ago. Loeb was workin' fer him most of the winter, gittin' up abook er somethin', I hear. Mr. Curtis's mind is all right, I guess, even if his body ain't. Always was a great feller fer books an'writin' 'fore he got so sick. "

"I see. Mr. Loeb came up with him from New York. "

"Kerect. Him and Mr. O'Dowd and Mr. De Soto brought him up 'bout thelast o' March. "

"I understand that they are old friends. "

"They was up here visitin' last spring an' the fall before. Mr. Curtisis very fond of both of 'em. "

"It seems to me that I have heard that his son married O'Dowd'ssister. "

"That's right. She's a widder now. Her husband was killed in the warbetween Turkey an' them other countries four er five years ago. "

"Really?"

"Yep. Him and Mr. O'Dowd--his own brother-in-law, y' know--wasfightin' on the side of the Boolgarians and young Ashley Curtis waskilled. Mr. O'Dowd's always fightin' whenever they's a war goin' onanywheres. I cain't understand why he ain't over in Europe now helpin'out one side or t'other. "

"Was this son Mr. Curtis's only child?"

"So fer as I know. He left three little kids. They was all here withtheir mother jest after the house was finished. Finest children Iever--"

"They will probably come into this property when Mr. Curtis dies, "said Barnes, keeping the excitement out of his voice. 

"More'n likely. "

"Was he very feeble when you saw him last?"

"I ain't seen him in more'n six months. He was failin' then. That'swhy he went to the city. "

"Oh, I see. You did not see him when he arrived the last of March?"

"I was visitin' my sister up in Hornville when he come backunexpected-like. This ijiot Loeb says he wrote me to meet 'em atSpanish Falls but I never got the letter. Like as not the durn foolgot the address wrong. I didn't know Mr. Curtis was home till I comeback from my sister's three days later. The wust of it was that I hadtooken the automobile with me, --to have a little work done on her, mind ye, --an' so they had to hire a Ford to bring him up from theFalls. I wouldn't 'a' had it happen fer fifty dollars. " Peter's tonewas convincingly doleful. 

"And he has been confined to his room ever since? Poor old fellow!It's hard, isn't it?"

"It sure is. Seems like he'll never be able to walk ag'in. I wastalkin' to his nurse only the other day. He says it's a hopelesscase. "

"Fortunately his sister can be here with him. "

"By gosh, she ain't nothin' like him, " confided Peter. "She's all fussan' feathers an' he is jest as simple as you er me. Nothin' fluffyabout him, I c'n tell ye. Course, he must 'a' had a screw loosesome'eres when he made sich a botch of that house up there, but it'shis'n an' there ain't no law ag'in a man doin' what he pleases withhis own property. " He sighed deeply. "I'm jest as well pleased to goas not, " he went on. "Mrs. Collier's got a lot o' money of her own, an' she's got highfalutin' New York ideas that don't seem to jibe withmine. Used to be a time when everything was nice an' peaceful up here, with Sally Perkins doin' the cookin' and her daughter waitin' table, but 'tain't that way no more. Got to have a man cook an' menwaitresses, an' a butteler. An' it goes ag'in the grain to set down toa meal with them hayseeds from Italy. You never saw sich tablemanners. "

He rambled on for some minutes, expanding under the soulful influenceof his own woes and the pleasure of having a visible auditor insteadof the make-believe ones he conjured out of the air at times whenprivacy afforded him the opportunity to lament aloud. 

At any other time Barnes would have been bored by such confidences asthese. Now he was eagerly drinking in every word that Peter uttered. His lively brain was putting the whole situation into a nutshell. Assuming that Peter was not the most guileful person on earth, it wasquite obvious that he not only was in ignorance of the true state ofaffairs at Green Fancy but that he was to be banished from the placewhile still in that condition. 

Long before they came to the turnpike, Barnes had reduced his hundredand one suppositions to the following concrete conclusion: Green Fancywas no longer in the hands of its original owner for the good andsufficient reason that Mr. Curtis was dead. The real master of thehouse was the man known as Loeb. Through O'Dowd he had leased theproperty from the widowed daughter-in-law, and had established himselfthere, surrounded by trustworthy henchmen, for the purpose of carryingout some dark and sinister project. 

Putting two and two together, it was easy to determine how and whenO'Dowd decided to cast his fortunes with those of the leader in thismysterious enterprise. Their intimacy undoubtedly grew out ofassociation at the time of the Balkan Wars. O'Dowd was a soldier offortune. He saw vast opportunities in the scheme proposed by Loeb, andfell in with it, whether through a mistaken idea as to its realcharacter or an active desire to profit nefariously time only wouldtell. Green Fancy afforded an excellent base for operations. O'Dowdinduced his sister to lease the property to Loeb, --or he may even havetaken it himself. He had visited Mr. Curtis on at least two occasions. He knew the place and its advantages. The woman known as Mrs. Collierwas not the sister of Curtis. She--but here Barnes put a check uponhis speculations. He appealed to Peter once more. 

"I suppose Mrs. Collier has spent a great deal of time up here withher brother. "

"First time she was ever here, so far as I know, " said Peter, andBarnes promptly took up his weaving once more. 

With one exception, he decided, the entire company at Green Fancy wasinvolved in the conspiracy. The exception was Miss Cameron. It wasquite clear to him that she had been misled or betrayed into herpresent position; that a trap had been set for her and she had walkedinto it blindly, trustingly. This would seem to establish, beyondquestion, that her capture and detention was vital to the interests ofthe plotters; otherwise she would not have been lured to Green Fancyunder the impression that she was to find herself among friends andsupporters. Supporters! That word started a new train of thought. Hecould hardly wait for the story that was to fall from her lips. 

Peter swerved into the main-road. "Guess I c'n hit her up a littlenow, " he said. 

"Take it slowly, if you please, " said Barnes. "I've had one experiencein this car, going a mile a minute, and I didn't enjoy it. "

"You never been in this car before, " corrected Peter. 

"Is it news to you? Day before yesterday I was picked up at this verycorner and taken to Hart's Tavern in this car. The day Miss Cameronarrived and the car failed to meet her at Spanish Falls. "

"You must be dreamin', " said Peter slowly. 

"If you should have the opportunity, Peter, just ask Miss Cameron, "said the other. "She will tell you that I'm right. "

"Is she the strange young lady that come a day er so ago?"

"The extremely pretty one, " explained Barnes. 

Peter lapsed into silence. It was evident that he considered itimpossible to continue the discussion without offending his passenger. 

"By the way, Peter, it has just occurred to me that I may be able togive you a job in case you are let out by Mr. Curtis. I can't saydefinitely until I have communicated with my sister, who has a summerhome in the Berkshires. Don't mention it to Mr. Curtis. I wouldn't, for anything in the world, have him think that I was trying to takeyou away from him. That is regarded as one of the lowest tricks a mancan be guilty of. "

"We call it ornery up here, " said Peter. "I'll be much obliged, sir. Course I won't say a word. Will I find you at the Tavern if I get mywalkin' papers soon?"

"Yes. Stop in to see me to-morrow if you happen to be passing. "

There was additional food for reflection in the fact that Peter wasallowed to conduct him to the Tavern alone. It was evident that notonly was the garrulous native ignorant of the real conditions at GreenFancy, but that the opportunity was deliberately afforded him toproclaim his private grievances to the world. After all, mused Barnes, it wasn't a bad bit of diplomacy at that!

Barnes said good night to the man and entered the Tavern a few minuteslater. Putnam Jones was behind the desk and facing him was the littlebook-agent. 

"Hello, stranger, " greeted the landlord. "Been sashaying in society, hey? Meet my friend Mr. Sprouse, Mr. Barnes. Sic-em, Sprouse! Give himthe Dickens!" Mr. Jones laughed loudly at his own jest. 

Sprouse shook hands with his victim. 

"I was just saying to our friend Jones here, Mr. Barnes, that you looklike a more than ordinarily intelligent man and that if I had a chanceto buzz with you for a quarter of an hour I could present aproposition---"

"Sorry, Mr. Sprouse, but it is half-past eleven o'clock, and I am dog-tired. You will have to excuse me. "

"To-morrow morning will suit me, " said Sprouse cheerfully, "if itsuits you. "

CHAPTER XI

MR. SPROUSE ABANDONS LITERATURE AT AN EARLY HOUR IN THE MORNING

After thrashing about in his bed for seven sleepless hours, Barnesarose and gloomily breakfasted alone. He was not discouraged over hisfailure to arrive at anything tangible in the shape of a plan ofaction. It was inconceivable that he should not be able in very shortorder to bring about the release of the fair guest of Green Fancy. Herealised that the conspiracy in which she appeared to be a vital linkwas far-reaching and undoubtedly pernicious in character. There wasnot the slightest doubt in his mind that international affairs ofconsiderable importance were involved and that the agents operating atGreen Fancy were under definite orders. 

Mr. Sprouse came into the dining-room as he was taking his lastswallow of coffee. 

"Ah, good morning, " was the bland little man's greeting. "Up with thelark, I see. It is almost a nocturnal habit with me. I get up so earlythat you might say it's a nightly proceeding. I'm surprised to see youcirculating at seven o'clock, however. Mind if I sit down here andhave my eggs?" He pulled out a chair opposite Barnes and coolly satdown at the table. 

"You can't sell me a set of Dickens at this hour of the day, " saidBarnes sourly. "Besides, I've finished my breakfast. Keep your seat. "He started to rise. 

"Sit down, " said Sprouse quietly. Something in the man's voice andmanner struck Barnes as oddly compelling. He hesitated a second andthen resumed his seat. "I've been investigating you, Mr. Barnes, " saidthe little man, unsmilingly. "Don't get sore. It may gratify you toknow that I am satisfied you are all right. "

"What do you mean, Mr. --Mr. --?" began Barnes, angrily. 

"Sprouse. There are a lot of things that you don't know, and one ofthem is that I don't sell books for a living. It's something of a sideline with me. " He leaned forward. "I shall be quite frank with you, sir. I am a secret service man. Yesterday I went through your effectsupstairs, and last night I took the liberty of spying upon you, so tospeak, while you were a guest at Green Fancy. "

"The deuce you say!" cried Barnes, staring. 

"We will get right down to tacks, " said Sprouse. "My government, --which isn't yours, by the way, --sent me up here five weeks ago on acertain undertaking. I am supposed to find out what is hatching up atGreen Fancy. Having satisfied myself that you are not connected withthe gang up there, I cheerfully place myself in your hands, Mr. Barnes. Just a moment, please. Bring me my usual breakfast, MissTilly. " The waitress having vanished in the direction of the kitchen, he resumed. "You were at Green Fancy last night. So was I. You had anadvantage over me, however, for you were on the inside and I was not. "

"Confound your impudence! I--"

"One of my purposes in revealing myself to you, Mr. Barnes, is to warnyou to steer clear of that crowd. You may find yourself in exceedinglyhot water later on if you don't. Another purpose, and the real one, isto secure, if possible, your co-operation in beating the game upthere. You can help me, and in helping me you may be instrumental inrighting one of the gravest wrongs the world has ever known. Ofcourse, I am advising you in one breath to avoid the crowd up thereand in the next I ask you to do nothing of the kind. If you can getinto the good graces of--But there is no use counting on that. Theyare too clever. There is too much at stake. You might go there forweeks and--"

"See here, Mr. Sprouse or whatever your name is, what do you take mefor?" demanded Barnes, assuming an injured air. "You have the mostmonumental nerve in--"

"Save your breath, Mr. Barnes. We may just as well get together onthis thing first as last. I've told you what I am, --and almost who, --and I know who and what you are. You don't suppose for an instant thatI, with a record for having made fewer blunders than any man in theservice, could afford to take a chance with you unless I wasabsolutely sure of my ground, do you? You ask me what I take you for. Well, I take you for a meddler who, if given a free rein, may upsetthe whole pot of beans and work an irreparable injury to an honestcause. "

"A meddler, am I? Good morning, Mr. Sprouts. I fancy--"

"Sprouse. But the name doesn't matter. Keep your seat. You may learnsomething that will be of untold value to you. I used the word meddlerin a professional sense. You are inexperienced. You would behave likea bull in a china shop. I've been working for nearly six months on ajob that you think you can clear up in a couple of days. Fools walk inwhere angels fear to tread. You--"

"Will you be good enough, Mr. Sprouse, to tell me just what you aretrying to get at? Come to the point. I know nothing whatever againstMr. Curtis and his friends. You assume a great deal--"

"Excuse me, Mr. Barnes. I'll admit that you don't know anythingagainst them, but you suspect a whole lot. To begin with, you suspectthat two men were shot to death because they were in wrong with someone at Green Fancy. Now, I could tell you who those two men reallywere and why they were shot. But I sha'n't do anything of the sort, --at least not at present. I--"

"You may have to tell all this to the State if I choose to go to theauthorities with the statement you have just made. "

"I expect, at the proper time, to tell it all to the State. Are youwilling to listen to what I have to say, or are you going to stay onyour high-horse and tell me to go to the devil? You interest yourselfin this affair for the sake of a little pleasurable excitement. I amin it, not for fun, but because I am employed by a great Power to riskmy life whenever it is necessary. This happens to be one of the timeswhen it is vitally necessary. This is not child's play or school-boyromance with me. It is business. "

Barnes was impressed. "Perhaps you will condescend to tell me who youare, Mr. Sprouse. I am very much in the dark. "

"I am a special agent, --but not a spy, sir, --of a government that isfriendly to yours. I am known in Washington. My credentials are not tobe questioned. At present it would be unwise for me to reveal the nameof my government. I dare say if I can afford to trust you, Mr. Barnes, you can afford to trust me. There is too much at stake for me to takethe slightest chance with any man. I am ready to chance you, sir, ifyou will do the same by me. "

"Well, " began Barnes deliberately, "I guess you will have to take achance with me, Mr. Sprouse, for I refuse to commit myself until Iknow exactly what you are up to. "

Sprouse had a pleasant word or two for Miss Tilly as she placed thebacon and eggs before him and poured his coffee. 

"Skip along now, Miss Tilly, " he said. "I'm going to sell Mr. Barnes awhole library if I can keep him awake long enough. "

"I can heartily recommend the Dickens and Scott--" began Miss Tilly, but Sprouse waved her away. 

"In the first place, Mr. Barnes, " said he, salting his eggs, "you havebeen thinking that I was sent down from Green Fancy to spy on you. Isn't that so?"

"I am answering no questions, Mr. Sprouse. "

"You were wrong, " said Sprouse, as if Barnes had answered in theaffirmative. "I am working on my own. You may have observed that I didnot accompany the sheriff's posse to-day. I was up in Hornvillegetting the final word from New York that you were on the level. Youhave a document from the police, I hear, but I hadn't seen it. Time isprecious. I telephoned to New York. Eleven dollars and sixty cents. You were under suspicion until I hung up the receiver, I may say. "

"Jones has been talking to you, " said Barnes. "But you said a momentago that you were up at Green Fancy last night. Not by invitation, Itake it. "

"I invited myself, " said Sprouse succinctly. "Are you inclined tofavour my proposition?"

"You haven't made one. "

"By suggestion, Mr. Barnes. It is quite impossible for me to getinside that house. You appear to have the entree. You are working inthe dark, guessing at everything. I am guessing at nothing. Bycombining forces we should bring this thing to a head, and--"

"Just a moment. You expect me to abuse the hospitality of--"

"I shall have to speak plainly, I see. " He leaned forward, fixingBarnes with a pair of steady, earnest eyes. "Six months ago a certainroyal house in Europe was despoiled of its jewels, its privy seal, itsmost precious state documents and its charter. They have been tracedto the United States. I am here to recover them. That is thefoundation of my story, Mr. Barnes. Shall I go on?"

"Can you not start at the beginning, Mr. Sprouse? What was it that ledup to this amazing theft?"

"Without divulging the name of the house, I will say that itssympathies have been from the outset friendly to the Entente Allies, --especially with France. There are two branches of the ruling family, one in power, the other practically in exile. The state is a smallone, but its integrity is of the highest. Its sons and daughters havemarried into the royal families of nearly all of the great nations ofthe continent. The present--or I should say--the late ruler, for hedied on a field of battle not many months ago, had no direct heir. Hewas young and unmarried. I am not permitted to state with what army hewas fighting, nor on which front he was killed. It is only necessaryto say that his little state was gobbled up by the Teutonic Allies. The branch of the family mentioned as being in exile lent its supportto the cause of Germany, not for moral reasons but in the hope andwith the understanding, I am to believe, that the crown-lands would bethe reward. The direct heir to the crown is a cousin of the lateprince. He is now a prisoner of war in Austria. Other members of thefamily are held by the Bulgarians as prisoners of war. It is notstretching the imagination very far to picture them as already deadand out of the way. At the close of the war, if Germany is victorious, the crown will be placed upon the head of the pretender branch. Areyou following me?"

"Yes, " said Barnes, his nerves tingling. He was beginning to see agreat light. 

"Almost under the noses of the forces left by the Teutonic Allies tohold the invaded territory, the crown-jewels, charter and so forth, heretofore mentioned as they say in legal parlance, weresurreptitiously removed from the palace and spirited away by personsloyal to the ruling branch of the family. As I have stated, I amengaged in the effort to recover them. "

"It requires but little intelligence on my part to reach theconclusion that you are employed by either the German or Austriangovernment, Mr. Sprouse. You are working in the interests of theusurping branch of the family. "

"Wrong again, Mr. Barnes, --but naturally. I am in the service of acountry violently opposed to the German cause. My country's interestin the case is--well, you might say benevolent. The missing propertybelongs to the State from which it was taken. It represents a greatdeal in the shape of treasure, to say nothing of its importance alongother lines. To restore the legitimate branch of the family to powerafter the war, the Entente Allies must be in possession of the papersand crown-rights that these misguided enthusiasts made away with. Ofcourse, it would be possible to do it without considering the demandsof the opposing claimants, arbitrarily kicking them out, but thatisn't the way my government does business. The persons who removedthis treasure from the state vaults believed that they were acting forthe best interests of their superiors. In a sense, they were. The onlyfault we have to find with them is that they failed to do the sensiblething by delivering their booty into the hands of one of thegovernments friendly to their cause. Instead of doing so, theysucceeded in crossing the ocean, conscientiously believing thatAmerica was the safest place to keep the treasure pending developmentson the other side. 

"Now we come to the present situation. Some months ago a member of theaforesaid royal house arrived in this country by way of Japan. He is adistant cousin of the crown and, in a way, remotely looked upon as theheir-apparent. Later on he sequestered himself in Canada. Our agentsin Europe learned but recently that while he pretends to be loyal tothe ruling house, he is actually scheming against it. I have beenordered to run him to earth, for there is every reason to believe thatthe men who secured the treasure have been duped into regarding him asan avowed champion of the crown. We believe that if we find this manwe will, sooner or later, be able to put our hands on the missingtreasure. I have never seen the man, nor a portrait of him. A fairlyadequate description has been sent to me, however. Now, Mr. Barnes, without telling you how I have arrived at the conclusion, I amprepared to state that I believe this man to be at Green Fancy, andthat in time the loot, --to use a harsh word, --will be delivered to himthere. I am here to get it, one way or another, when that comes topass. "

Barnes had not taken his eyes from the face of the little man duringthis recital. He was rapidly changing his opinion of Sprouse. Therewas sincerity in the voice and eyes of the secret agent. 

"What led you to suspect that he is at Green Fancy, Mr. Sprouse?"

"History. It is known that this Mr. Curtis has spent a great deal oftime in the country alluded to. As a matter of fact, his son, wholived in London, had rather extensive business interests there. Thisson was killed in the Balkan War several years ago. It is said thatthe man I am looking for was a friend of young Curtis, who married aMiss O'Dowd in London, --the Honourable Miss O'Dowd, daughter of anIrish peer, and sister of the chap you have met at Green Fancy. Theelder Curtis was a close and intimate friend of more than one memberof the royal family. Indeed, he is known to have been a welcomevisitor in the home of a prominent nobleman, once high in the counselsof State. This man O'Dowd is also a friend of the man I am lookingfor. He went through the Balkan War with him. After that war, O'Dowddrifted to China, hoping no doubt to take a hand in the revolution. Heis that sort. Some months ago he came to the United States. I forgotto mention that he has long considered this country his home, althoughborn in Ireland. About six weeks ago a former equerry in the royalhousehold arrived in New York. Through him I learned that the daughterof the gentleman in whose house the senior Mr. Curtis was a frequentguest had been in the United States since some time prior to thebeginning of the war. She was visiting friends in the States and hasbeen unable to return to her own land, for reasons that must beobvious. I may as well confess that her father was, by marriage, anuncle of the late ruler. 

"Since the invasion and overthrow of her country by the TeutonicAllies, she has been endeavouring to raise money here for the purposeof equipping and supporting the remnants of the small army that foughtso valiantly in defence of the crown. These men, a few thousand only, are at present interned in a neutral country. I leave you to guesswhat will happen if she succeeds in supplying them with arms andammunition. Her work is being carried on with the greatest secrecy. Word of it came to the ears of her country's minister in Paris, however, and he at once jumped to a quick but very natural conclusion. She has been looked upon in court circles as the prospective bride ofthe adventurous cousin I am hunting for. The embassy has conceived thenotion that she may know a great deal about the present whereabouts ofthe missing treasure. No one accuses her of duplicity, however. On theother hand, the man in the case is known to have pro-Germansympathies. She may be loyal to the crown, but there is a decideddoubt as to his loyalty. Of course, we have no means of knowing towhat extent she has confided her plans to him. We do not even knowthat she is aware of his presence in this country. To bring the storyto a close, I was instructed to keep close watch on the man O'Dowd. The ex-attache of the court to whom I referred a moment ago set out tofind the young lady in question. I traced O'Dowd to this place. I wason the point of reporting to my superiors that he was in no wayassociated with the much-sought-after crown-cousin, and that GreenFancy was as free from taint as the village chapel, when out of aclear sky and almost under my very nose two men were mysteriously doneaway with at the very gates of the place. In fact, so positive was Ithat O'Dowd was all right, that I had started for Washington to sendmy report back home and wait for instructions. The killing of thosetwo men changed the aspect completely. You will certainly agree withme after I have explained to you that the one known as Andrew Roon wasno other than the equerry who had undertaken to find the--youngwoman. "

"By Jove!" exclaimed Barnes. 

"He came up here because he had reason to believe that the--er--girlwas either at Green Fancy or was headed this way. I was back here inthirty-six hours, selling Dickens. I saw the bodies of the two men atthe county-seat, and recognised both of them, despite the fact thatthey had cut off their beards. Now, they could not have beenrecognised, Mr. Barnes, except by some one who had known them all hislife. And that is why I am positive that the man I am looking for isup at Green Fancy. "

Barnes drew a long breath. His mind was made up. He had decided topool issues with the secret agent, but not until he was convinced thatthe result of their co-operation would in no way inflict a hardshipupon the young woman who had appealed to him for help. He was certainthat she was the fair propagandist described by Sprouse. 

"Is it your intention to lodge him in jail if you succeed in capturingyour man, Mr. Sprouse, and to apply for extradition papers?" he asked. 

"I can't land him in jail unless I can prove that he has the stolengoods, can I?"

"You could implicate him in the general conspiracy. "

"That is for others to say, sir. I am only instructed to recover thetreasure. "

"And the young woman, what of her? She would, in any case, be held forexamination and--"

"My dear sir, I may as well tell you now that she is a loyal subjectand, far from being in bad grace at court, is an object of extremesolicitude to the ambassador. Up to two months ago she was in touchwith him. From what I can gather, she has disappeared completely. Roonwas sent over here for the sole purpose of finding her and inducingher to return with him to Paris. "

"And to take the treasure with her, I suppose, " said Barnes drily. 

"Naturally. "

"Well, " began Barnes, introducing a harsh note into his voice, "Ishould say that if she is guilty of receiving this stolen property sheought to be punished. Jail is the place for her, Mr. Sprouse. "

Sprouse put down his coffee cup rather suddenly. A queer pallor cameinto his face. His voice was low and a trifle husky when he madereply. 

"I am sorry to hear you say that, sir. "

"Why, may I ask?"

"Because it puts an obstacle in the way of our working together inthis matter. "

"You mean that my attitude toward her is--er--not in keeping with yourideas?"

"You do not understand the situation. Haven't I made it plain to youthat she is innocent of any intent to do wrong?"

"You have said so, Mr. Sprouse, but your idea of wrong and mine maynot jibe. "

"There cannot be two ways of looking at it, sir, " said Sprouse, aftera moment. "She could do no wrong. "

Whereupon Barnes reached his hand across the table and laid it onSprouse's. His eyes were dancing. 

"That's just what I want to be sure about, " he said. "It was my way offinding out your intentions concerning her. "

"What do you mean?" demanded Sprouse, staring. 

"Come with me to my room, " said Barnes, suppressing his excitement. "Ithink I can tell you where she is, --and a great deal more that youought to know. "

In the little room upstairs, he told the whole story to Sprouse. Thelittle man listened without so much as a single word of interruptionor interrogation. His sharp eyes began to glisten as the storyprogressed, but in no other way did he reveal the slightest sign ofemotion. Somewhat breathlessly Barnes came to the end. 

"And now, Mr. Sprouse, what do you make of it all?" he inquired. 

Sprouse leaned back in his chair, suddenly relaxing. "I am completelyat sea, " he said, and Barnes looked at him in surprise. 

"By Jove, I thought it would all be as clear as day to you. Here isyour man and also your woman, and the travelling bag full of--"

"Right you are, " interrupted Sprouse. "That is all simple enough. But, my dear Barnes, can you tell me what Mr. Secretary Loeb's real gameis? Why has he established himself so close to the Canadian line, andwhy the mobilisation? I refer to his army of huskies. "

"Heirs-apparent usually have some sort of a bodyguard, don't they?"

Sprouse was staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. He either did nothear the remark or considered it unworthy of notice. When he finallylowered his eyes, it was to favour Barnes with a deep, inscrutablesmile. 

"I dare say the first thing for me to do is to advise the Canadianauthorities to keep a sharp lookout along the border. "

CHAPTER XII

THE FIRST WAYFARER ACCEPTS AN INVITATION, AND MR. DILLINGFORDBELABOURS A PROXY

Barnes insisted that the first thing to be considered was the releaseof Miss Cameron. He held forth at some length on the urgency ofimmediate action. 

"If we can't think of any other way to get her out of this devilishpredicament, Sprouse, I shall apply to Washington for help. "

"And be laughed at, my friend, " said the secret agent. "In the firstplace, you couldn't give a substantial reason for governmentinvestigation; in the second place the government wouldn't act untilit had looked very thoroughly into the case; in the third place, itwould be too late by the time the government felt satisfied to act, and in the fourth place, it is not a matter for the government tomeddle in at all. "

"Well, something has to be done at once, " said Barnes doggedly. "Igave her my promise. She is depending on me. If you could have seenthe light that leaped into her glorious eyes when I--"

"Yes, I know. I've heard she is quite a pretty girl. You needn't--"

"Quite a pretty girl!" exclaimed Barnes. "Why, she is the loveliestthing that God ever created. She has the face of--"

"I am beginning to understand O'Dowd's interest in her, Mr. Barnes. Your enthusiasm conveys a great deal to me. Apparently you are notalone in your ecstasies. "

"You mean that he is--er--What the dickens do you mean?"

"He has probably fallen in love with her with as little difficulty asyou have experienced, Mr. Barnes, and almost as expeditiously. He hasseen a little more of her than you, but--"

"Don't talk nonsense. I'm not in love with her. "

"Can you speak with equal authority for Mr. O'Dowd? He is a verysusceptible Irishman, I am told. Sweethearts in a great many ports, --and still going strong, as we say of the illustrious Johnny Walker. From all that I have heard of her amazing beauty, I can't blame himfor losing his heart to her. I only hope he loses his head as well. "

"I don't believe he will get much encouragement from her, Mr. Sprouse, " said Barnes stiffly. 

"If she is as clever as I think she is, she will encourage himtremendously. I would if I were in her place. "

"Umph!" was Barnes's only retort to that. 

"Is it possible that you have never had the pleasure of beingtransformed into a perfect ass by the magic of a perfect woman, Mr. Barnes? You've missed a great deal. It happened to me once, and camenear to upsetting the destinies of two great nations. Mr. O'Dowd isonly human. He isn't immune. "

"I catch the point, Mr. Sprouse, " said Barnes, rather gloomily. He didnot like to think of the methods that might have to be employed in thesubjugation of Mr. O'Dowd. "There is a rather important question I'dlike to ask. Is she even remotely eligible to her country's throne?"

"Remotely, yes, " said Sprouse without hesitation. 

Barnes waited, but nothing further was volunteered. 

"So remotely that she could marry a chap like O'Dowd without givingmuch thought to future complications?" he ventured. 

"She'd be just as safe in marrying O'Dowd as she would be in marryingyou, " was Sprouse's unsatisfactory response. The man's brow waswrinkled in thought. "See here, Mr. Barnes, I am planning a visit toGreen Fancy to-night. How would you like to accompany me?"

"I'd like nothing better, " said Barnes, with enthusiasm. 

"Ever been shot at?"

"No. "

"Well, you are likely to experience the novelty if you go with me. Better think it over. "

"Don't worry about me. I'll go. "

"Will you agree to obey instructions? I can't have you muddling thingsup, you know. "

Barnes thought for a moment. "Of course, if the opportunity offers forme to communicate with Miss Cameron, I don't see how I--"

Sprouse cut him off sharply. He made it quite plain to the would-becavalier that it was not a sentimental enterprise they were toundertake, and that he would have to govern himself accordingly. 

"The grounds are carefully guarded, " said Barnes, after they haddiscussed the project for some time. "Miss Cameron is constantly underthe watchful eye of one or more of the crowd. "

"I know. I passed a couple of them last night, " said Sprouse calmly. "By the way, don't you think it would be very polite of you to invitethe Green Fancy party over here to have an old-fashioned countrydinner with you to-night?"

"Good Lord! What are you talking about? They wouldn't dream ofaccepting. Besides, I thought you wanted me to go with you. "

"You could offer them diversion in the shape of a theatricalentertainment. Your friends, the Thespians, would be only too happy todisport themselves in return for all your--"

"It would be useless, Mr. Sprouse. They will not come. "

"I am perfectly aware of that, but it won't do any harm to ask them, will it?"

Barnes chuckled. "I see. Establishing myself as an innocent bystander, eh?"

"Get O'Dowd on the telephone and ask him if they can come, " saidSprouse. "Incidentally, you might test his love for Miss Cameron whileyou are about it. "

"How?" demanded Barnes. 

"By asking him to call her to the telephone. Would you be sure torecognise her voice?"

"I'd know it in Babel, " said the other with some fervour. 

"Well, if she comes to the 'phone and speaks to you without restraint, we may be reasonably certain of two things: that O'Dowd is friendlyand that he is able to fix it so that she can talk to you withoutbeing overheard or suspected by the others. It's worth trying, in anyevent. "

"But there is Jones to consider. The telephone is in his office. Whatwill he think--"

"Jones is all right, " said Sprouse briefly. "Come along. You can callup from my room. " He grinned slyly. "Such a thing as tapping the wire, you know. "

Sprouse had installed a telephone in his room, carrying a wireupstairs from an attachment made in the cellar of the Tavern. Heclosed the door to his little room on the top floor. 

"With the landlord's approval, " he explained, pointing to theinstrument, "but unknown to the telephone company, you may be sure. Call him up about half-past ten. O'Dowd may be up at this unholy hour, but not she. Now, I must be off to discuss literature with Mrs. JimConley. I've been working on her for two weeks. The hardest part of myjob is to keep her from subscribing for a set of Dickens. She has beenon the point of signing the contract at least a half dozen times, andI've been fearfully hard put to head her off. Conley's house is notfar from Green Fancy. Savvy?"

Barnes, left to his own devices, wandered from tap-room to porch, fromporch to forge, from forge to tap-room, his brain far more active thanhis legs, his heart as heavy as lead and as light as air by turns. More than once he felt like resorting to a well-known expedient todetermine whether he was awake or dreaming. Could all this be real?

The sky was overcast. A cold, damp wind blew out of the north. Therewas a feel of rain in the air, an ugly greyness in the road thatstretched its sharply defined course through the green fields thatstole timorously up to the barren forest and stopped short, as ifafraid to venture farther. 

The ring of the hammer on the anvil lent cheer to the otherwise harshand unlovely mood that had fallen upon Nature over night. It sang asong of defiance that even the mournful chant of sheep on the distantslopes failed to subdue. The crowing of a belated and no doubtmortified rooster, the barking of faraway dogs, the sighing ofjourneying winds, the lugubrious whistle of Mr. Clarence Dillingford, --all of these added something to the dreariness of the morning. 

Mr. Dillingford was engaged in lustily beating a rug suspended on aclothes line in the area back of the stables. His tune was punctuatedby stifled lapses followed almost immediately by dull, flat whacksupon the carpet. From the end of the porch he was visible to theabstracted Barnes. 

"Hi!" he shouted, brandishing his flail at the New Yorker. "Want ajob?"

Barnes looked at his watch. He still had an hour and a half to waitbefore he could call up O'Dowd. He strolled across the lot and joinedthe perspiring comedian. 

"You seem to have a personal grudge against that carpet, " he said, moving back a few yards as Dillingford laid on so manfully that thedust arose in clouds. 

"Every time I land I say: 'Take that, darn you!' And it pleases me toimagine that with every crack Mr. Putnam Jones lets out a mighty'Ouch!' Now listen! Didn't that sound a little like an ouch?" Mr. Dillingford rubbed a spot clean on the handle of the flail and pressedhis lips to it. "Good dog!" he murmured tenderly. "Bite him! (Whack!)Now, bite him again! (Whack!) Once more! (Whack!) Good dog! Now, golie down awhile and rest. " He tossed the flail to the ground and, mopping his brow, turned to Barnes. "If you want a real treat, go intothe cellar and take a look at Bacon. He is churning for butter. Got agingham apron on and thinks he's disguised. He can't cuss because oldMiss Tilly is reading the first act of a play she wrote for JuliaMarlowe seven or eight years ago. Oh, it's a great life!"

Barnes sat down on the edge of a watering-trough and began filling hispipe. 

"You are not obliged to do this sort of work, Dillingford, " he said. "It would give me pleasure to stake--"

"Nix, " said Mr. Dillingford cheerily. "Some other time I may need helpmore than I do now. I'm getting three square meals and plenty of freshair to sleep in at present, and work doesn't hurt me physically. ItDOES hurt my pride, but that's soon mended. Have you seen the old manthis morning?"

"Rushcroft? No. "

"Well, we're to be on our way next week, completely reorganised, rejuvenated and resplendent. Fixed it all up last night. Tommy Graywas down here with two weeks' salary as chauffeur and a little extrahe picked up playing poker in the garage with the rubes. Thirty-sevendollars in real money. He has decided to buy a quarter interest in thecompany and act as manager. Everything looks rosy. You are to have ahalf interest and the old man the remaining quarter. He telegraphedlast night for four top-notch people to join us at Crowndale onTuesday the twenty-third. We open that night in 'The Duke's Revenge, 'our best piece. It's the only play we've got that provides me with apart in which I have a chance to show what I can really do. As soon asI get through spanking this carpet I'll run upstairs and get a lot ofclippings to show you how big a hit I've made in the part. In one townI got better notices than the star himself, and seldom did I--"

"Where is Crowndale?" interrupted Barnes, a slight frown appearing onhis brow. He had a distinct feeling that there was handwriting on thewall and that it was put there purposely for him to read. 

"About five hours' walk from Hornville, " said Dillingford, grinning. "Twenty-five cents by train. We merely resume a tour interrupted bythe serious illness of Mr. Rushcroft. Rather than impose upon ouraudiences by inflicting them with an understudy, the popular startemporarily abandons his tour. We ought to sell out in Crowndale, topto bottom. "

The amazing optimism of Mr. Dillingford had its effect on Barnes. Somehow the day grew brighter, the skies less drear, a subtle warmthcrept into the air. 

"You may count on me, Dillingford, to put up my half interest in theshow. I will have a fling at it a couple of weeks anyhow. If itdoesn't pan out in that time, --well, we can always close, can't we?"

"We certainly can, " said the other, with conviction. "It wouldn'tsurprise me in the least, however, to see you clean up a very tidy bitof money, Mr. Barnes. Our season ordinarily closes toward the end ofJune, but the chances are we'll stay out all summer if things goright. Congratulations! Glad to see you in the profession. " He shookhands with the new partner. "Keep your seat! Don't move. I'll shift alittle so's the wind won't blow the dust in your eyes. " He obliginglydid so and fell upon the carpet with renewed vigour. 

Barnes was restless. He chatted with the rug-beater for a few minutesand then sauntered away. Miss Thackeray was starting off for a walk ashe came around to the front of the Tavern. She wore a rather shabbytailor-suit of blue serge, several seasons out of fashion, and a blacksailor hat. Her smile was bright and friendly as she turned inresponse to his call. As he drew near he discovered that her lips werea vivid, startling red, her eyes elaborately made up, and her cheeksthe colour of bismuth. She was returning to form, thought he, in somedismay. 

"Where away?" he inquired. 

"Seeking solitude, " she replied. "I've got to learn a new part in anold play. " She flourished the script airily. "I have just accepted anengagement as leading lady. "

"Splendid! I am delighted. With John Drew, I hope. "

"Nothing like that, " she said loftily. Then her wide mouth spread intoa good-natured grin, revealing the even rows of teeth that were herparticular charm. "I am going out with the great Lyndon Rushcroft. "

"Good! As one of the proprietors, I am glad to see you on our--er--programme, Miss Thackeray. "

"Programme is good, " she mused. "I've been on a whole lot ofprogrammes during my brief career. What I want to get on some time, ifpossible, is a pay-roll. Wait! Don't say it! I was only trying to befunny; I didn't know how it would sound or I wouldn't have saidanything so stupid. You've done more than enough for us, Mr. Barnes. Don't let yourself in for anything more. This thing will turn out likeall the rest of our efforts. We'll collapse again with a loud report, but we're used to it and you're not. "

"But I'm only letting myself in for a couple of hundred, " heprotested. "I can stand that much of a loss without squirming. "

"You know your own business, " she said shortly, almost ungraciously. "I'm only giving you a little advice. "

"Advice is something I always ignore, " he said, smiling. "Experienceis my teacher. "

"Advice is cheaper than experience, and a whole lot easier to forget, "she said. "My grandfather advised my father to stay in the hardwarebusiness out in Indiana. That was thirty years ago. And here we areto-day, " she concluded, with a wide sweep of her hand that took in theforlorn landscape. She said more in that expressive gesture than themost accomplished orator could have put into words in a week. 

"But there is always a to-morrow, you know. "

"There may be a to-morrow for me, but there are nothing but yesterdaysleft for dad. All of his to-morrows will be just like his yesterdays. They will be just as empty of success, just as full of failure. There's no use mincing matters. We never have had a chance to go brokefor the simple reason that we've never been anything else. He has beenstarring for fifteen years, hitting the tanks from one end of thecountry to the other. And for just that length of time he has beenmooning. There's a lot of difference between starring and mooning. "

"He may go down somewhat regularly, Miss Thackeray, but he alwayscomes up again. That's what I admire in him. He will not stay down. "

Her eyes brightened. "He is rather a brick, isn't he?"

"Rather! And so are you, if I may say so. You have stuck to himthrough all--"

"Nothing bricky about me, " she scoffed. "I am doing it because Ican't, for the life of me, get rid of the notion that I can act. Godknows I can't, and so does father, and the critics, and every one inthe profession, but I think I can, --so what does it all amount to?Now, that will be enough about me. As for you, Mr. Barnes, if you havemade up your mind to be foolish, far be it from me to head you off. You will drop considerably more than a couple of hundred, let me tellyou, and--but, as I said before, that is your business. I must be offnow. It's a long part and I'm slow study. So long, --and thanks!"

He sat down on the Tavern steps and watched her as she swung off downthe road. To his utter amazement, when she reached a point severalhundred yards below the Tavern, she left the highway and, gathering upher skirts, climbed over the fence into the narrow meadow-land thatformed a frontage at the bottom of the Curtis estate. A few minuteslater she disappeared among the trees at the base of the mountain, going in the direction of Green Fancy. He had followed her with hisgaze all the way across that narrow strip of pasture. When she came tothe edge of the forest, she stopped and looked back at the Tavern. Seeing him still on the steps, she waved her hand at him. Then she wasgone. 

"Where ignorance is bliss, " he muttered to himself, and then looked athis watch. Ten minutes later he was in Sprouse's room, calling forGreen Fancy over an extension wire that had cost the company nothingand yielded nothing in return. After some delay, O'Dowd's mellow voicesang out:

"Hello! How are you this morning?"

"Grievously lonesome, " replied Barnes, and wound up a doleful accountof himself by imploring O'Dowd to save his life by bringing the entireGreen Fancy party over to dinner that night. 

O'Dowd was heart-broken. Personally he would go to any extreme to saveso valuable a life, but as for the rest of the party, they begged himto say they were sorry to hear of the expected death of so promising achap and that, while they couldn't come to his party, they would bedelighted to come to his funeral. In short, it would be impossible forthem to accept his kind invitation. The Irishman was so gay and good-humoured that Barnes took hope. 

"By the way, O'Dowd, I'd like to speak with Miss Cameron if she cancome to the telephone. "

There was a moment of silence. Then: "Call up at twelve o'clock andask for me. Good-bye. "

Promptly on the stroke of twelve Barnes took down the receiver andcalled for Green Fancy. O'Dowd answered almost immediately. 

"I warned you last night, Barnes, " he said without preamble. "I toldyou to keep out of this. You may not understand the situation and Icannot enlighten you, but I will say this much: no harm can come toher while I'm here and alive. "

"Can't she come to the telephone?"

"Won't ye take my word for it? I swear by all that's holy that she'llbe safe while I've--"

Barnes was cautious. This might be the clever O'Dowd's way of trappinghim into serious admissions. 

"I don't know what the deuce you are talking about, O'Dowd, " heinterrupted. 

"You lie, Barnes, " said the other promptly. "Miss Cameron is here atmy elbow. Will you have her tell you that you lie?"

"Let her say anything she likes, " said Barnes quickly. 

"Don't be surprised if you are cut off suddenly. The coast is clearfor the moment, but--Here, Miss Cameron. Careful, now. "

Her voice, soft and clear and trembling with eagerness caressedBarnes's eager ear. 

"Mr. O'Dowd will see that no evil befalls me here, but he refuses tohelp me to get away. I quite understand and appreciate his position. Icannot ask him to go so far as that. Help will have to come from theoutside. It will be dangerous--terribly dangerous, I fear. I have noright to ask you to take the risk--"

"Wait! Is O'Dowd there?"

"He has left the room. He does not want to hear what I say to you. Don't you understand?"

"Keeping his conscience clear, bless his soul, " said Barnes. "It issafe for you to speak freely?"

"I think so. O'Dowd suspected us last night. He came to me thismorning and spoke very frankly about it. I feel quite safe with him. You see, I've known him for a long, long time. He did not know that Iwas to be led into a trap like this. It was not until I had been herefor several hours that he realised the true state of affairs. I cannottell you any more at present, Mr. Barnes. So great are the otherissues at stake that my own misfortunes are as nothing. "

"You say O'Dowd will not assist you to escape?"

"He urges me to stay here and take my chances. He believes thateverything will turn out well for me in the end, but I am frightened. I must get away from this place. "

"I'll manage it, never fear. Keep a stiff upper lip. "

"Wha--keep a what?"

He laughed. "I forgot that you don't understand our language, MissCameron. Have courage, is what I should have said. Are you prepared tofly at a moment's notice?"

"Yes. "

"Then, keep your eyes and ears open for the next night or two. Can youtell me where your room is located?"

"It is one flight up; the first of the two windows in my room is thethird to the right of the entrance. I am confident that some one isstationed below my windows all night long. "

"Are you alone in that room?"

"Yes. Mr. And Mrs. Van Dyke occupy the rooms on my left, Mr. De Sotois on my right. "

"Where does Loeb sleep?"

"I do not know. " He detected a new note in her voice, and at once putit down to fear. 

"You still insist that I am not to call on the authorities for help?"

"Yes, yes! That must not even be considered. I have not only myself toconsider, Mr. Barnes. I am a very small atom in--"

"All right! We'll get along without them, " he said cheerily. "Afterwards we will discuss the importance of atoms. "

"And your reward as well, Mr. Barnes, " she said. Her voice trailed offinto an indistinct murmur. He heard the receiver click on the hook, and, after calling "hello" twice, hung up his own with a sigh. Evidently O'Dowd had warned her of the approach of a less considerateperson than himself. 

CHAPTER XIII

THE SECOND WAYFARER RECEIVES TWO VISITORS AT MIDNIGHT

The hour for the midday dinner approached and there was no sign ofMiss Thackeray's return from the woods. Barnes sat for twoexasperating hours on the porch and listened to the confident, flamboyant oratory of Mr. Lyndon Rushcroft. His gaze constantly sweptthe line of trees, and there were times when he failed to hear a wordin whole sentences that rolled from the lips of the actor. He wasbeginning to feel acutely uneasy, when suddenly her figure issued fromthe woods at a point just above the Tavern. Instead of striking out atonce across the meadow, she stopped and for as long as three or fourminutes appeared to be carrying on a conversation with some invisibleperson among the trees she had just left behind. Then she waved herhand and turned her steps homeward. A bent old man came out of thewoods and stood watching her progress across the open stretch. She hadless than two hundred yards to traverse between the woods and thefence opposite the Tavern. The old man remained where he was until shereached the fence and prepared to mount it. Then, as Barnes ran downfrom the porch and across the road to assist her over the fence, hewhirled about and disappeared. 

"Aha, " said Barnes chidingly: "politely escorted from the grounds, Isee. If you had asked me I could have told you that trespassers arenot welcome. "

"He is a nice old man. I chatted with him for nearly an hour. Hisbusiness is to shoo gipsy moths away from the trees, or something likethat, and not to shoo nice, tender young ladies off the place. "

"Does he speak English?"

"Not a word. He speaks nothing but the most awful American I've everheard. He has lived up there on the mountain for sixty-nine years, andhe has eleven grown children, nineteen grandchildren and one wife. I'mhungry. "

The coroner's inquest over the bodies of Roon and Paul was held thatafternoon at St. Elizabeth. Witnesses from Hart's Tavern were amongthose to testify. The verdict was "Murder at the hands of partiesunknown. "

Sprouse did not appear at the Tavern until long after nightfall. Hisprotracted absence was the source of grave uneasiness to Barnes, who, having been summoned to St. Elizabeth, returned at six o'clock primedand eager for the night's adventure. 

The secret agent listened somewhat indifferently to the latter'saccount of his telephonic experiences. At nine o'clock he yawnedprodigiously and announced that he was going to bed, much to thedisgust of Mr. Rushcroft and greatly to the surprise of Mr. Barnes, who followed him from the tap-room and demanded an explanation. 

"People usually go to bed at night, don't they?" said Sprousepatiently. "It is expected, I believe. "

"But, my dear man, we are to undertake--"

"There is no reason why we shouldn't go to bed like sensible beings, Mr. Barnes, and get up again when we feel like it, is there? I havesome cause for believing that one of those chaps in there is fromGreen Fancy. Go to bed at ten o'clock, my friend, and put out yourlight. I don't insist on your taking off your clothes, however. I willrap on your door at eleven o'clock. By the way, don't forget to stickyour revolver in your pocket. "

A few minutes before eleven there came a gentle tapping on Barnes'sdoor. He sprang to his feet and opened it, presenting himself beforeSprouse fully dressed and, as the secret agent said later on, "fit tokill. "

They went quietly down a back stairway and let themselves out into thestable-yard. A light, cold drizzle greeted them as they left the leeof the building. 

"A fine night for treason, stratagems and spoils, " said Sprouse, speaking barely above a whisper. "Follow me and don't ask questions. You will have to talk if you do, and talking is barred for thepresent. "

He stopped at the corner of the inn and listened for a moment. Then hedarted across the road and turned to the left in the ditch thatbordered it. The night was as black as pitch. Barnes, trusting to thelittle man's eyes, and hanging close upon his coat-tails, followedblindly but gallantly in the tracks of the leader. It seemed to himthat they stumbled along parallel to the road for miles before Sprousecame to a halt. 

"Climb over the fence here, and stick close to me. Are you gettingyour cats'-eyes?"

"Yes, I can see pretty well now. But, great scot, why should we walkhalf way to the North Pole, Sprouse, before--"

"We haven't come more than half a mile. The Curtis land ends here. Westay close to this fence till we reach the woods. I was in here to-daytaking observations. "

"You were?"

"Yes. Didn't that actress friend of yours mention meeting me?"

"No. "

"I told her distinctly that I had eleven children, nineteen--"

"By Jove, was that you?" gasped Barnes, falling in beside him. 

"If it were light enough you could see a sign on my back which says inlarge type, 'Silence, '" said the other, and after that not a wordpassed between them for half an hour or more. Then it was Sprouse whospoke. "This is the short cut to Green Fancy, " he whispered, layinghis hand on Barnes's arm. "We save four or five miles, coming thisway. Do you know where we are?"

"I haven't the remotest idea. "

"About a quarter of a mile below Curtis's house. Are you all right?"

"Fine as a fiddle, except for a barked knee, a skinned elbow, a coupleof more or less busted ribs, something on my cheek that runs hot, --yes, I'm all right. "

"Pretty tough going, " said Sprouse, sympathetically. 

"I've banged into more trees than--"

"Sh!" After a moment of silence, intensified by the mournful squawk ofnight-birds and the chorus of katydids, Sprouse whispered: "Did youhear that?"

Barnes thrilled. This was real melodrama. "Hear what?" he whisperedshrilly. 

"Listen!" After a second or two: "There!"

"It's a woodpecker hammering on the limb of a--"

"Woodpeckers don't hammer at midnight, my lad. Don't stir! Keep yourears open. "

"You bet they're open all right, " whispered Barnes, his nervesaquiver. 

Suddenly the sharp tattoo sounded so close to the spot where they werestanding that Barnes caught his breath and with difficulty suppressedan exclamation. It was like the irregular rattle of sticks on the rimof a snare-drum. The tapping ceased and a moment later a similarsound, barely audible, came out of the distance. 

Sprouse clutched his companion's arm and, dropping to his knees in thethick underbrush, pulled the other down after him. 

Presently heavy footsteps approached. An unseen pedestrian passedwithin ten yards of them. They scarcely breathed until the soundspassed entirely out of hearing. Sprouse put his lips close to Barnes'sear. 

"Telegraph, " he whispered. "It's a system they have of reporting toeach other. There are two men patrolling the grounds near the house. You see what we're up against, Barnes. Do you still want to go on withit? If you are going to funk it, say so, and I'll go alone. "

"I'll stay by you, " replied Barnes sturdily. 

"In about ten minutes that fellow will come back this way. He followsthe little path that winds down--but never mind. Stay where you are, and don't make a sound, no matter what happens. Understand? No matterwhat happens!" He arose and swiftly, noiselessly, stole away from hiscompanion's side. Barnes, his eyes accustomed to the night, either sawor imagined that he saw, the shadowy hulk press forward for a dozenpaces and then apparently dissolve in black air. 

Several minutes went by. There was not a sound save the restlesspatter of rain in the tree tops. At last the faraway thud of footstepscame to the ears of the tense listener. They drew nearer, louder, andonce more seemed to be approaching the very spot where he crouched. Hehad the uncanny feeling that in a moment or two more the foot of thesentinel would come in contact with his rigid body, and that he wouldnot have the power to suppress the yell of dismay that--

Then came the sound of a dull, heavy blow, a hoarse gasp, a momentarycommotion in the shrubbery, and--again silence. Barnes's blood rancold. He waited for the next footfall of the passing man. It nevercame. 

A sharp whisper reached his ears. "Come here--quick!"

He floundered through the brush and almost fell prostrate over thekneeling figure of a man. 

"Take care! Lend a hand, " whispered Sprouse. 

Dropping to his knees, Barnes felt for and touched wet, coarsegarments, and gasped:

"My God! Have you--killed him?"

"Temporarily, " said Sprouse, between his teeth. "Here, unwind the ropeI've got around my waist. Take the end--here. Got a knife? Cut off asection about three feet long. I'll get the gag in his mouth whileyou're doing it. Hangmen always carry their own ropes, " he concluded, with grewsome humour. "Got it cut? Well, cut two more sections, samelength. "

With incredible swiftness the two of them bound the feet, knees andarms of the inert victim. 

"I came prepared, " said Sprouse, so calmly that Barnes marvelled atthe iron nerve of the man. 

"Thirty feet of hemp clothes-line for a belt, properly prepared gags, --and a sound silencer. "

"By heaven, Sprouse, I--I believe he's dead, " groaned Barnes. "We--wehaven't any right to kill a--"

"He'll be as much alive but not as lively as a cricket in tenminutes, " said the other. "Grab his heels. We'll chuck him over intothe bushes where he'll be out of harm's way. We may have to run likehell down this path, partner, and I'd--I'd hate to step on his face. "

"'Gad, you're a cold-blooded--"

"Don't be finicky, " snapped Sprouse. "It wasn't much of a crack, andit was necessary. There! You're safe for the time being, " he gruntedas they laid the limp body down in the brush at the side of the narrowtrail. Straightening up, with a sigh of satisfaction, he laid his handon Barnes's shoulder. "We've just got to go through with it now, Barnes. We'll never get another chance. Putting that fellow out ofbusiness queers us forever afterward. " He dropped to his knees andbegan searching over the ground with his hands. "Here it is. You can'tsee it, of course, so I'll tell you what it is. A nice little block ofsandal-wood. I've already got his nice little hammer, so we'll seewhat we can raise in the way of wireless chit-chat. "

Without the slightest hesitation, he struck a succession of quick, confident blows upon the block of wood. 

"He always signals at this spot going out and again coming in, " hesaid softly. 

"How the deuce did you find out--"

"There! Hear that? He says, 'All's well, '--same as I said, orsomething equivalent to it. I've been up here quite a bit, Barnes, making a study of night-hawks, their habits and their language. "

"By gad, you are a wonder!"

"Wait till to-morrow before you say that, " replied Sprouse, sententiously. "Come along now. Stick to the trail. We've got to landthe other one. " For five or six minutes they moved forward. Barnes, following instructions, trod heavily and without any attempt atcaution. His companion, on the other hand, moved with incrediblestealthiness. A listener would have said that but one man walked onthat lonely trail. 

Turning sharply to the right, Sprouse guided his companion through thebrush for some distance, and once more came to a halt. Again he stoleon ahead, and, as before, the slow, confident, even careless progressof a man ceased as abruptly as that of the comrade who lay helpless inthe thicket below. 

"There are others, no doubt, but they patrol the outposts, so tospeak, " panted Sprouse as they bound and trussed the second victim. "We haven't much to fear from them. Come on. We are within a hundredfeet of the house. Softly now, or--"

Barnes laid a firm, detaining hand on the man's shoulder. 

"See here, Sprouse, " he whispered, "it's all very well for you, knocking men over like this, but just what is your object? What doesall this lead up to? We can't go on forever slugging and binding thesefellows. There is a house full of them up there. What do we gain byputting a few men out of business?"

Sprouse broke in, and there was not the slightest trace of emotion inhis whisper. 

"Quite right. You ought to know. I suppose you thought I was bringingyou up here for a Romeo and Juliet tete-a-tete with the beautiful MissCameron, --and for nothing else. Well, in a way, you are right. But, first of all, my business is to recover the crown jewels andparchments. I am going into that house and take them away from the manyou know as Loeb, --if he has them. If he hasn't them, my work here isa failure. "

"Going into the house?" gasped Barnes. "Why, my God, man, that isimpossible. You cannot get into the house, and if you did, you'd nevercome out alive. You would be shot down as an ordinary burglar and--thelaw would justify them for killing you. I must insist--"

"I am not asking you to go into the house, my friend. I shall goalone, " said Sprouse coolly. 

"On the other hand, I came up here to rescue a helpless, --"

"Oh, we will attend to that also, " said Sprouse. "The treasure comesfirst, however. Has it not occurred to you that she will refuse to berescued unless the jewels can be brought away with her? She would diebefore she would leave them behind. No, Barnes, I must get the bootyfirst, then the beauty. "

"But you can do nothing without her advice and assistance, " protestedBarnes. 

"That is just why I brought you along with me. She does not know me. She would not trust me. You are to introduce me. "

"Well, by gad, you've got a nerve!"

"Keep cool! It's the only way. Now, listen. She has designated herroom and the windows that are hers. She is lying awake up there now, take it from me, hoping that you will come to-night. Do youunderstand? If not to-night, to-morrow night. I shall lead youdirectly to her window. And then comes the only chance we take, --theonly instance where we gamble. There will not be a light in herwindow, but that won't make any difference. This nobby cane I'mcarrying is in reality a collapsible fishing-rod. Bought it to-day inanticipation of some good fishing. First, we use it to tap gently onher window ledge, or shade, or whatever we find. Then, you pass up alittle note to her. Here is paper and pencil. Say that you are belowher window and--all ready to take her away. Say that the guards havebeen disposed of, and that the coast is clear. Tell her to lower hervaluables, some clothes, et cetera, from the window by means of therope we'll pass up on the pole. There is a remote possibility that shemay have the jewels in her room. For certain reasons they may havepermitted her to retain them. If such is the case, our work is easy. If they have taken them away from her, she'll say so, some way oranother, --and she will not leave! Now, I've had a good look at thefront of that house. It is covered with a lattice work and huge vines. I can shin up like a squirrel and go through her room to the--"

"Are you crazy, Sprouse?"

"I am the sanest person you've ever met, Mr. Barnes. The chance wetake is that she may not be alone in the room. But, nothing risked, nothing gained. "

"You take your life in your hands and--"

"Don't worry about that, my lad. "

"--and you also place Miss Cameron in even graver peril than--"

"See here, " said Sprouse shortly, "I am not risking my life for thefun of the thing. I am risking it for her, bear that in mind, --for herand her people. And if I am killed, they won't even say 'Well-done, good and faithful servant. ' So, let's not argue the point. Are yougoing to stand by me or--back out?"

Barnes was shamed. "I'll stand by you, " he said, and they stoleforward. 

The utmost caution was observed in the approach to the house throughthe thin, winding paths that Barnes remembered from an earlier visit. They crept on all fours over the last fifty feet that intervened, andeach held a revolver in readiness for a surprise attack. 

There were no lights visible. The house was even darker than the nightitself; it was vaguely outlined by a deeper shade of black. The groundbeing wet, the carpet of dead leaves gave out no rustling sound as thetwo men crept nearer and nearer to the top-heavy shadow that seemedready to lurch forward and swallow them whole. 

At last they were within a few yards of the entrance and at the edgeof a small space that had been cleared of shrubbery. Here Sprousestopped and began to adjust the sections of his fishing-rod. 

"Write, " he whispered. "There is a faint glow of light up there to theright. The third window, did you say? Well, that's about where Ishould locate it. She has opened the window shutters. The light comesinto the room through the transom over the door, I would say. There isprobably a light in the hall outside. "

A few minutes later, they crept across the open space and huddledagainst the vine-covered facade of Green Fancy. Barnes was singularlycomposed and free from nervousness, despite the fact that his wholebeing tingled with excitement. What was to transpire within the nextfew minutes? What was to be the end of this daring exploit? Was he tosee her, to touch her hand, to carry her off into that dungeon-likeforest, --and what was this new, exquisite thrill that ran through hisveins?

The tiny, metallic tip of the rod, held in the upstretched hand ofBarnes, much the taller of the two men, barely reached the windowledge. He tapped gently, persistently on the hard surface. Obeying thehand-pressure of his companion he desisted at intervals, resuming theoperation after a moment of waiting. Just as they were beginning tothink that she was asleep and that their efforts were in vain, theirstraining eyes made out a shadowy object projecting slightly beyondthe sill. Barnes felt Sprouse's grip on his shoulder tighten, and thequick intake of his breath was evidence of the little secret agent'srelief. 

After a moment or two of suspense, Barnes experienced a peculiar, almost electric shock. Some one had seized the tip of the rod; itstiffened suddenly, the vibrations due to its flexibility ceasing. Hefelt a gentle tugging and wrenching; down the slender rod ran adelicate shiver that seemed almost magnetic as it was communicated tohis hand. He knew what was happening. Some one was untying the bit ofpaper he had fastened to the rod, and with fingers that shook and wereclumsy with eagerness. 

The tension relaxed a moment later; the rod was free, and the shadowyobject was gone from the window above. She had withdrawn to the farside of the room for the purpose of reading the message somarvellously delivered out of the night. He fancied her mounting achair so that she could read by the dim light from the transom. 

He had written: "I am outside with a trusted friend, ready to do yourbidding. Two of the guards are safely bound and out of the way. Now isour chance. We will never have another. If you are prepared to comewith me now, write me a word or two and drop it to the ground. I willpass up a rope to you and you may lower anything you wish to carryaway with you. But be exceedingly careful. Take time. Don't hurry asingle one of your movements. " He signed it with a large B. 

It seemed an hour before their eyes distinguished the shadowy headabove. As a matter of fact, but a few minutes had passed. During thewait, Sprouse had noiselessly removed his coat, a proceeding thatpuzzled Barnes. Something light fell to the ground. It was Sprouse whostooped and searched for it in the grass. When he resumed an uprightposture, he put his lips close to Barnes's ear and whispered:

"I will put my coat over your head. Here is a little electric torch. Don't flash it until I am sure the coat is arranged so that you can doso without a gleam of light getting out from under. " He pressed thetorch and a bit of closely folded paper in the other's hand, andcarefully draped the coat over his head. Barnes was once more filledwith admiration for the little man's amazing resourcefulness. 

He read: "Thank God! I was afraid you would wait until to-morrownight. Then it would have been too late. I must get away to-night butI cannot leave--I dare not leave without something that is concealedin another part of the house. I do not know how to secure it. My dooris locked from the outside. What am I to do? I would rather die thanto go away without it. "

Barnes whispered in Sprouse's ear. The latter replied at once: "Writeher that I will climb up to her window, and, with God's help and herdirections, manage to find the thing she wants. "

Barnes wrote as directed and passed the missive aloft. In a littlewhile a reply came down. Resorting to the previous expedient, he read:

"It is impossible. The study is under bolt and key and no one canenter. I do not know what I am to do. I dare not stay here and I darenot go. Leave me to my fate. Do not run any further risk. I cannotallow you to endanger your life for me. I shall never forget you, andI shall always be grateful. You are a noble gentleman and I a foolish, stupid--oh, such a stupid!--girl. "

That was enough for Barnes. It needed but that discouraging cry torouse his fighting spirit to a pitch that bordered on recklessness. His courage took fire, and blazed up in one mighty flame. Nothing, --nothing could stop him now. 

Hastily he wrote: "If you do not come at once, we will force our wayinto the house and fight it out with them all. My friend is coming upthe vines. Let him enter the window. Tell him where to go and he willdo the rest. He is a miracle man. Nothing is impossible to him. If hedoes not return in ten minutes, I shall follow. "

There was no response to this. The head reappeared in the window, butno word came down. 

Sprouse whispered: "I am going up. She will not commit you toanything. We have to take the matter into our own hands. Stay here. Ifyou hear a commotion in the house, run for it. Don't wait for me. I'llprobably be done for. "

"I'll do just as I damn please about running, " said Barnes, and therewas a deep thrill in his whisper. "Good luck. God help you if theycatch you. "

"Not even He could help me then. Good-bye. I'll do what I can toinduce her to drop out of the window if anything goes wrong with medown stairs. "

He searched among the leaves and found the thick vine. A moment laterhe was silently scaling the wall of the house, feeling his waycarefully, testing every precarious foothold, dragging himselfpainfully upwards by means of the most uncanny, animal-like strengthand stealth. 

Barnes could not recall drawing a single breath from the instant theman left his side until the faintly luminous square above his head wasobliterated by the black of his body as it wriggled over the ledge. 

He was never to forget the almost interminable age that he spent, flattened against the vines, waiting for a signal from aloft. Herecalled, with dire uneasiness, Miss Cameron's statement that a guardwas stationed beneath her window throughout the night. Evidently shewas mistaken. Sprouse would not have overlooked a peril like that, andyet as he crouched there, scarcely breathing, he wondered how long itwould be before the missing guard returned to his post and he would becompelled to fight for his life. The fine, cold rain fell gently abouthim; moist tendrils and leaves caressed his face; owls hooted withghastly vehemence, as if determined to awaken all the sleepers formiles around; and frogs chattered loudly in gleeful anticipation ofthe frenzied dash he would have to make through the black maze. 

We will follow Sprouse. When he crawled through the window and stooderect inside the room, he found himself confronted by a tall, shadowyfigure, standing half way between him and the door. 

He advanced a step or two and uttered a soft hiss of warning. 

"Not a sound, " he whispered, drawing still nearer. "I have come fourthousand miles to help you, Countess. This is not the time or place toexplain. We haven't a moment to waste. I need only say that I havebeen sent from Paris by persons you know to aid you in delivering thecrown jewels into the custody of your country's minister in Paris. Nothing more need be said now. We must act swiftly. Tell me where theyare. I will get them. "

"Who are you?" she whispered tensely. 

"My name is Theodore Sprouse. I have been loaned to your embassy by myown government. "

"How did you learn that I was here?"

"I beg of you do not ask questions now. Tell me where the Princesleeps, how I may get to his room--"

"You know that he is the Prince?"

"For a certainty. And that you are his cousin. "

She laid her hand upon his arm. "And you know that he plans evil to--to his people? That he is in sympathy with the--with the country thathas despoiled us?"

"Yes. "

She was silent for a moment. "Not only is it impossible for you toenter his room but it is equally impossible for you to get out of thisone except by the way you entered. If I thought there was theslightest chance for you to--"

"Let me be the judge of that, Countess. Where is his room?"

"The last to the right as you leave this door, --at the extreme end ofthe corridor. There are four doors between mine and his. Across thehall from his room you will see an open door. A man sits in there allnight long, keeping watch. You could not approach Prince Ugo's doorwithout being seen by that watcher. "

"You said in your note to Barnes that the--er--something was inCurtis's study. "

"The Prince sleeps in Mr. Curtis's room. The study adjoins it, and canonly be entered from the bed-room. There is no other door. What areyou doing?"

"I am going to take a peep over the transom, first of all. If thecoast is clear, I shall take a little stroll down the hall. Do not bealarmed. I will come back, --with the things we both want. Pardon me. "He sat down on the edge of the bed and removed his shoes. She watchedhim as if fascinated while he opened the bosom of his soft shirt andstuffed the wet shoes inside. 

"How did you dispose of the man who watches below my window?" sheinquired, drawing near. "He has been there for the past three nights. I missed him to-night. "

"Wasn't he there earlier in the evening?" demanded Sprouse quickly. 

"I have been in my room since eleven. He seldom comes on duty beforethat hour. "

"I had it figured out that he was one of the men we got down in thewoods. If I have miscalculated--well, poor Barnes may be in for a badtime. We are quite safe up here for the time being. The fellow willassume that Barnes is alone and that he comes to pay his respects toyou in a rather romantic manner. "

"You must warn Mr. Barnes. He--"

"May I not leave that to you, Countess? I shall be very busy for thenext few minutes, and if you will--Be careful! A slip now would befatal. Don't be hasty. " His whispering was sharp and imperative. Itwas a command that he uttered, and she shrank back in surprise. 

"Pray do not presume to address me in--"

"I crave your pardon, my lady, " he murmured abjectly. "You are notdressed for flight. May I suggest that while I am outside you slip ona dark skirt and coat? You cannot go far in that dressing-gown. Itwould be in shreds before you had gone a hundred feet through thebrush. If I do not return to this room inside of fifteen minutes, orif you hear sounds of a struggle, crawl through the window and go downthe vines. Barnes will look out for you. "

"You must not fail, Theodore Sprouse, " she whispered. "I must regainthe jewels and the state papers. I cannot go without--"

"I shall do my best, " he said simply. Silently he drew a chair to thedoor, mounted it and, drawing himself up by his hands, poked his headthrough the open transom. An instant later he was on the floor again. She heard him inserting a key in the lock. Almost before she couldrealise that it had actually happened, the door opened slowly, cautiously, and his thin wiry figure slid through what seemed to herno more than a crack. As softly the door was closed. 

For a long time she stood, dazed and unbelieving, in the centre of theroom, staring at the door. She held her breath, listening for theshout that was so sure to come--and the shot, perhaps! A prayer formedon her lips and went voicelessly up to God. 

Suddenly she roused herself from the stupefaction that held her, andthrew off the slinky peignoir. With feverish haste she snatched upgarments from the chair on which she had carefully placed them inanticipation of the emergency that now presented itself. A blouse(which she neglected to button), a short skirt of some dark material, a jacket, and a pair of stout walking shoes (which she failed tolace), completed the swift transformation. She felt the pockets ofskirt and jacket, assuring herself that her purse and her own personaljewelry were where she had forehandedly placed them. As she glided tothe window, she jammed the pins into a small black hat of felt. Thenshe peered over the ledge. She started back, stifling a cry with herhand. A man's head had almost come in contact with her own as sheleaned out. A man's hand reached over and grasped the inner ledge ofthe casement, and then a man's face was dimly revealed to her startledgaze. 

CHAPTER XIV

A FLIGHT, A STONE-CUTTER'S SHED, AND A VOICE OUTSIDE

He saw her standing in the middle of the room, her clenched handspressed to her lips. At the angle from which he peered into the room, her head was in line with the lighted transom. 

His grip on the ledge was firm but his foothold on the latticeprecarious. He felt himself slipping. Exerting all of his strength hedrew himself upward, free of the vines that had begun to yield to hisweight. 

An almost inaudible "Whew!" escaped his lips as he straddled the sill. An instant later he was in the room. 

"Why have you come up here?" She came swiftly to his side. 

"Thank the Lord, I made it, " he whispered, breathlessly. "I came upbecause there was nowhere else to go. I thought I heard voices--a manand a woman speaking. They seemed to be quite close to me. Don't bealarmed, Miss Cameron. I am confident that I can--"

"And now that you are here, trapped as I am, what do you purpose todo? You cannot escape. Go back before it is too late. Go--"

"Is Sprouse--where is he?"

"He is somewhere in the house. I have heard no sound. I was to waituntil he--Oh, Mr. Barnes, I--I am terrified. You will never know the--"

"Trust him, " he said. "He is a marvel. We'll be safely out of here ina little while, and then it will all look simple to you. You are readyto go? Good! We will wait a few minutes and if he doesn't show upwe'll--Why, you are trembling like a leaf! Sit down, do! If he doesn'treturn in a minute or two, I'll take a look about the house myself. Idon't intend to desert him. I know this floor pretty well, and thelower one. The stairs are--"

"But the stairway is closed at the bottom by a solid steel curtain. Itis made to look like a panel in the wall. Mr. Curtis had it put in toprotect himself from burglars. You are not to venture outside thisroom, Mr. Barnes. I forbid it. You--"

"How did Sprouse get out? You said your door was locked. "

He sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. She was still tremblingviolently. He took her hand in his and held it tightly. 

"He had a key. I do not know where he obtained--"

"Skeleton key, such as burglars use. By Jove, what a wonderful burglarhe would make! Courage, Miss Cameron! He will be here soon. Then comesthe real adventure, --my part of it. I didn't come here to-night to getany flashy old crown jewels. I came to take you out of--"

"You--you know about the crown jewels?" she murmured. Her body seemedto stiffen. 

"Very little. They are nothing to me. "

"Then you know who I am?"

"No. You will tell me to-morrow. "

"Yes, yes, --to-morrow, " she whispered, and fell to shivering again. 

For some time there was silence. Both were listening intently forsounds in the hall; both were watching the door with unblinking eyes. She leaned closer to whisper in his ear. Their shoulders touched. Hewondered if she experienced the same delightful thrill that ranthrough his body. She told him of the man who watched across the hallfrom the room supposed to be occupied by Loeb the secretary, and ofSprouse's incomprehensible daring. 

"Where is Mr. Curtis?" he asked. 

Her breath fanned his cheek, her lips were close to his ear. "There isno Mr. Curtis here. He died four months ago in Florida. "

"I suspected as much. " He did not press her for further revelations. "Sprouse should be here by this time. It isn't likely that he has metwith a mishap. You would have heard the commotion. I must go out thereand see if he requires any--"

She clutched his arm frantically. "You shall do nothing of the kind. You shall not--"

"Sh! What do you take me for, Miss Cameron? He may be sorely in needof help. Do you think that I would leave him to God knows what sort offate? Not much! We undertook this job together and--"

"But he said positively that I was to go in case he did not return in--in fifteen minutes, " she begged. "He may have been cut off and wascompelled to escape from another--"

"Just the same, I've got to see what has become of--"

"No! No!" She arose with him, dragging at his arm. "Do not befoolhardy. You are not skilled at--"

"There is only one way to stop me, Miss Cameron. If you will come withme now--"

"But I must know whether he secured the--"

"Then let me go. I will find out whether he has succeeded. Stand overthere by the window, ready to go if I have to make a run for it. "

He was rougher than he realised in wrenching his arm free. She uttereda low moan and covered her face with her hands. Undeterred, he crossedto the door. His hand was on the knob when a door slammed violentlysomewhere in a distant part of the house. 

A hoarse shout of alarm rang out, and then the rush of heavy feet overthickly carpeted floors. 

Barnes acted with lightning swiftness. He sprang to the open window, half-carrying, half-dragging the girl with him. 

"Now for it!" he whispered. "Not a second to lose. Climb upon my back, quick, and hang on for dear life. " He had scrambled through the windowand was lying flat across the sill. "Hurry! Don't be afraid. I amstrong enough to carry you if the vines do their part. "

With surprising alacrity and sureness she crawled out beside him andthen over upon his broad back, clasping her arms around his neck. Holding to the ledge with one hand he felt for and clutched the thickvine with the other. Slowly he slid his body off of the sill and swungfree by one arm. An instant later he found the lattice with the otherhand and the hurried descent began. His only fear was that the vinewould not hold. If it broke loose they would drop fifteen feet or moreto the ground. A broken leg, an arm, or even worse, --But her hair wasbrushing his ear and neck, her arms were about him, her heart beatagainst his straining back, and--Why be a pessimist?

His feet touched the ground. In the twinkling of an eye he picked herup in his arms and bolted across the little grass plot into theshrubbery. She did not utter a sound. Her arms tightened, and now hercheek was against his. 

Presently he set her down. His breath was gone, his strengthexhausted. 

"Can you--manage to--walk a little way?" he gasped. "Give me yourhand, and follow as close to my heels as you can. Better that I shouldbump into things than you. "

Shouts were now heard, and shrill blasts on a police whistle split theair. 

Her breathing was like sobs, --short and choking, --but he knew she wasnot crying. Apprehension, alarm, excitement, --anything but hysteria. The fortitude of generations was hers; a hundred forebears had passedcourage down to her. 

On they stumbled, blindly, recklessly. He spared her many an injury bytaking it himself. More than once she murmured sympathy when hecrashed into a tree or floundered over a log. The soft, long-drawn "o-ohs!" that came to his ears were full of a music that made himimpervious to pain. They had the effect of martial music on him, asthe drum and fife exalts the faltering soldier in his march to death. 

Utterly at sea, he was now guessing at the course they were taking. Whether their frantic dash was leading them toward the Tavern, orwhether they were circling back to Green Fancy, he knew not. Panting, he forged onward, his ears alert not only for the sound of pursuit butfor the shot that would end the career of the spectacular Sprouse. 

At last she cried out, quaveringly:

"Oh, I--I can go no farther! Can't we--is it not safe to stop for amoment? My breath is--"

"God bless you, yes, " he exclaimed, and came to an abrupt stop. Sheleaned heavily against him, gasping for breath. "I haven't thefaintest idea where we are, but we must be some distance from thehouse. We will rest a few minutes and then take it easier, morecautiously. I am sorry, but it was the only thing to do, rough as itwas. "

"I know, I understand. I am not complaining, Mr. Barnes. You will findme ready and strong and--"

"Let me think. I must try to get my bearings. Good Lord, I wishSprouse were here. He has eyes like a cat. He can see in the dark. Weare off the path, that's sure. "

"I hope he is safe. Do you think he escaped?"

"I am sure of it. Those whistles were sounding the alarm. There wouldhave been no object in blowing them unless he had succeeded in gettingout of the house. He may come this way. The chances are that yourflight has not been discovered. They are too busy with him to think ofyou, --at least for the time being. Do you feel like going on? We mustbeat them to the Tavern. They--"

"I am all right now, " she said, and they were off again. Barnes nowpicked his way carefully and with the greatest caution. If at times hewas urged to increased speed through comparatively open spaces it wasbecause he realised the peril that lay at the very end of theirjourney: the likelihood of being cut off by the pursuers before hecould lodge her safely inside of the walls. He could only pray that hewas going in the right direction. 

An hour, --but what seemed thrice as long, --passed and they had notcome to the edge of the forest. Her feet were beginning to drag; hecould tell that by the effort she made to keep up with him. From timeto time he paused to allow her to rest. Always she leaned heavilyagainst him, seldom speaking; when she did it was to assure him thatshe would be all right in a moment or two. There was no sentimentalmotive behind his action when he finally found it necessary to supporther with an encircling arm, nor was she loath to accept this tributeof strength. 

"You are plucky, " he once said to her. 

"I am afraid I could not be so plucky if you were not so strong, " shesighed, and he loved the tired, whimsical little twist she put intoher reply. It revived the delightful memory of another day. 

To his dismay they came abruptly upon a region abounding in hugerocks. This was new territory to him. His heart sank. 

"By Jove, I--I believe we are farther away from the road than when westarted. We must have been going up the slope instead of down. "

"In any case, Mr. Barnes, " she murmured, "we have found something tosit down upon. "

He chuckled. "If you can be as cheerful as all that, we sha'n't missthe cushions, " he said, and, for the first time, risked a flash of theelectric torch. The survey was brief. He led her forward a few pacesto a flat boulder, and there they seated themselves. 

"I wonder where we are, " she said. 

"I give it up, " he replied dismally. "There isn't much sense inwandering over the whole confounded mountain, Miss Cameron, and notgetting anywhere. I am inclined to suspect that we are above GreenFancy, but a long way off to the right of it. My bump of directiontells me that we have been going to the right all of the time. Admitting that to be the case, I am afraid to retrace our steps. TheLord only knows what we might blunder into. "

"I think the only sensible thing to do, Mr. Barnes, is to makeourselves as snug and comfortable as we can and wait for the firstsigns of daybreak. "

He scowled, --and was glad that it was too dark for her to see hisface. He wondered if she fully appreciated what would happen to him ifthe pursuers came upon him in this forbidding spot. He could almostpicture his own body lying there among the rocks and rotting, whileshe--well, she would merely go back to Green Fancy. 

"I fear you do not realise the extreme gravity of the situation. "

"I do, but I also realise the folly of thrashing about in this brushwithout in the least knowing where our steps are leading us. Besides, I am so exhausted that I must be a burden to you. You cannot go onsupporting me--"

"We must get out of these woods, " he broke in doggedly, "if I have tocarry you in my arms. "

"I shall try to keep going, " she said quickly. "Forgive me if I seemedto falter a little. I--I--am ready to go on when you say the word. "

"You poor girl! Hang it all, perhaps you are right and not I. Sitstill and I will reconnoitre a bit. If I can find a place where we canhide among these rocks, we'll stay here till the sky begins tolighten. Sit--"

"No! I shall not let you leave me for a second. Where you go, I go. "She struggled to her feet, suppressing a groan, and thrust adetermined arm through his. 

"That's worth remembering, " said he, and whether it was a muscularnecessity or an emotional exaction that caused his arm to tighten onhers, none save he would ever know. 

After a few minutes prowling among the rocks they came to the face ofwhat subsequently proved to be a sheer wall of stone. He flashed thelight, and, with an exclamation, started back. Not six feet ahead ofthem the earth seemed to end; a yawning black gulf lay beyond. Apparently they were on the very edge of a cliff. 

"Good Lord, that was a close call, " he gasped. He explained in a fewwords and then, commanding her to stand perfectly still, dropped tothe ground and carefully felt his way forward. Again he flashed thelight. In an instant he understood. They were on the brink of ashallow quarry, from which, no doubt, the stone used in building thefoundations at Green Fancy had been taken. 

Lying there, he made swift calculations. There would be a road leadingfrom this pit up to the house itself. The quarry, no longer of use tothe builder, was reasonably sure to be abandoned. In all probabilitysome sort of a stone-cutter's shed would be found nearby. It wouldprovide shelter from the fine rain that was falling and from the chillnight air. He remembered that O'Dowd, in discussing the erection ofGreen Fancy the night before, had said that the stone came from a pittwo miles away, where a fine quality of granite had been found. Thequarry belonged to Mr. Curtis, who had refused to consider any offerfrom would-be purchasers. Two miles, according to Barnes's quickcalculations, would bring the pit close to the northern boundary ofthe Curtis property and almost directly on a line with the point wherehe and Sprouse entered the meadow at the beginning of their advanceupon Green Fancy. That being the case, they were now quite close tothe stake and rider fence separating the Curtis land from that of thefarmer on the north. Sprouse and Barnes had hugged this fence duringtheir progress across the meadow. 

"Good, " he said, more to himself than to her. "I begin to see light. "

"Oh, dear! Is there some one down in that hole, Mr. --"

"Are you afraid to remain here while I go down there for a lookaround? I sha'n't be gone more than a couple of minutes. "

"The way I feel at present, " she said, jerkily, "I shall never, neverfrom this instant till the hour in which I die, let go of your coat-tails, Mr. Barnes. " Suiting the action to the word, her fingersresolutely fastened, not upon the tail of his coat but upon his sturdyarm. "I wouldn't stay here alone for anything in the world. "

"Heaven bless you, " he exclaimed, suddenly exalted. "And, since youput it that way, I shall always contrive to be within arm's length. "

And so, together, they ventured along the edge of the pit until theyreached the wagon road at the bottom. As he had expected, there was aramshackle shed hard by. It was not much of a place, but it wasdeserted and a safe shelter for the moment. 

A workman's bench lay on its side in the middle of the earthen floor. He righted it and drew it over to the boarding.... She laid her headagainst his shoulder and sighed deeply.... He kept his eyes glued onthe door and listened for the first ominous sound outside. A long timeafterward she stirred. 

"Don't move, " he said softly. "Go to sleep again if you can. I will--"

"Sleep? I haven't been asleep. I've been thinking all the time, Mr. Barnes. I've been wondering how I can ever repay you for all the pain, and trouble, and--"

"I am paid in full up to date, " he said. "I take my pay as I go and amsatisfied. " He did not give her time to puzzle it out, but went onhurriedly: "You were so still I thought you were asleep. "

"As if I could go to sleep with so many things to keep me awake!" Sheshivered. 

"Are you cold? You are wet--"

"It was the excitement, the nervousness, Mr. Barnes, " she said, drawing slightly away from him. He reconsidered the disposition of hisarm. "Isn't it nearly daybreak?"

He looked at his watch. "Three o'clock, " he said, and turned the lightupon her face. "God, you are--" He checked the riotous words that weredriven to his lips by the glimpse of her lovely face. "I-I beg yourpardon!"

"For what?" she asked, after a moment. 

"For--for blinding you with the light, " he floundered. 

"Oh, I can forgive you for that, " she said composedly. 

There ensued another period of silence. She remained slightly aloof. 

"You'd better lean against me, " he said at last. "I am softer than thebeastly boards, you know, and quite as harmless. "

"Thank you, " she said, and promptly settled herself against hisshoulder. "It IS better, " she sighed. 

"Would you mind telling me something about yourself, Miss Cameron?What is the true story of the crown jewels?"

She did not reply at once. When she spoke it was to ask a question ofhim. 

"Do you know who he really is, --I mean the man known to you as Mr. Loeb?"

"Not positively. I am led to believe that he is indirectly in line tosucceed to the throne of your country. "

"Tell me something about Sprouse. How did you meet him and whatinduced him to take you into his confidence? It is not the usual waywith government agents. "

He told her the story of his encounter and connection with the secretagent, and part but not all of the man's revelations concerningherself and the crown jewels. 

"I knew that you were not a native American, " he said. "I arrived atthat conclusion after our meeting at the cross-roads. When O'Dowd saidyou were from New Orleans, I decided that you belonged to one of theFrench or Spanish families there. Either that or you were a fairyprincess such as one reads about in books. "

"And you now believe that I am a royal--or at the very worst--a noblelady with designs on the crown?" There was a faint ripple in her lowvoice. 

"I should like to know whether I am to address you as Princess, Duchess, or--just plain Miss. "

"I am more accustomed to plain Miss, Mr. Barnes, than to either of thetitles you would give me. "

"Don't you feel that I am deserving of a little enlightenment?" heasked. "I am working literally as well as figuratively in the dark. Who are you? Why were you a prisoner at Green Fancy? Where and what isyour native land?"

"Sprouse did not tell you any of these things?"

"No. I think he was in some doubt himself. I don't blame him forholding back until he was certain. "

"Mr. Barnes, I cannot answer any one of your questions withoutjeopardising a cause that is dearer to me than anything else in allthe world. I am sorry. I pray God a day may soon come when I canreveal everything to you--and to the world. I am of a strickencountry; I am trying to serve the unhappy house that has ruled it forcenturies and is now in the direst peril. The man you know as Loeb isa prince of that house. I may say this to you, and it will serve toexplain my position at Green Fancy: he is not the Prince I was led tobelieve awaited me there. He is the cousin of the man I expected tomeet, and he is the enemy of the branch of the house that I wouldserve. Do not ask me to say more. Trust me as I am trusting you, --asSprouse trusted you. "

"May I ask the cause of O'Dowd's apparent defection?"

"He is not in sympathy with all of the plans advanced by his leader, "she said, after a moment's reflection. 

"Your sympathies are with the Entente Allies, the prince's areopposed? Is that part of Sprouse's story true?"

"Yes. "

"And O'Dowd?"

"O'Dowd is anti-English, Mr. Barnes, if that conveys anything to you. He is not pro-German. Perhaps you will understand. "

"Wasn't it pretty risky for you to carry the crown jewels around in atravelling bag, Miss Cameron?"

"I suppose so. It turned out, however, that it was the safest, surestway. I had them in my possession for three days before coming to GreenFancy. No one suspected. They were given into my custody by thecommittee to whom they were delivered in New York by the men whobrought them to this country. "

"And why did you bring them to Green Fancy?"

"I was to deliver them to one of their rightful owners, Mr. Barnes, --aloyal prince of the blood. "

"But why HERE?" he insisted. 

"He was to take them into Canada, and thence, in good time, to thepalace of his ancestors. "

"I am to understand, then, that not only you but the committee youspeak of, fell into a carefully prepared trap. "

"Yes. "

"You did not know the man who picked you up in the automobile, MissCameron. Why did you take the chance with--"

"He gave the password, or whatever you may call it, and it could havebeen known only to persons devoted to our--our cause. "

"I see. The treachery, therefore, had its inception in the loyal nest. You were betrayed by a friend. "

"I am sure of it, " she said bitterly. "If this man Sprouse does notsucceed in restoring the--oh, I believe I shall kill myself, Mr. Barnes. "

The wail of anguish in her voice went straight to his heart. 

"He has succeeded, take my word for it. They will be in your handsbefore many hours have passed. "

"Is he to come to the Tavern with them? Or am I to meet him--"

"Good Lord!" he gulped. Here was a contingency he had not considered. Where and when would Sprouse appear with his booty? "I--I fancy we'llfind him waiting for us at the Tavern. "

"But had you no understanding?"

"Er--tentatively. " The perspiration started on his brow. 

"They will guard the Tavern so closely that we will never be able toget away from the place, " she said, and he detected a querulous notein her voice. 

"Now don't you worry about that, " he said stoutly. 

"I love the comforting way you have of saying things, " she murmured, and he felt her body relax. 

For reasons best known to himself, he failed to respond to thisinteresting confession. He was thinking of something else: his amazingstupidity in not foreseeing the very situation that now presenteditself. Why had he neglected to settle upon a meeting place withSprouse in the event that circumstances forced them to part company inflight? Fearing that she would pursue the subject, he made haste tobranch off onto another line. 

"What is the real object of the conspiracy up there, Miss Cameron?"

"You must bear with me a little longer, Mr. Barnes, " she said, appealingly. "I cannot say anything now. I am in a very perplexingposition. You see, I am not quite sure that I am right in myconclusions, and it would be dreadful if I were to make a mistake. "

"If they are up to any game that may work harm to the Allies, theymust not be allowed to go on with it, " he said sternly. "Don't waittoo long before exposing them, Miss Cameron. "

"I--I cannot speak now, " she said, painfully. 

"You said that to-morrow night would be too late. What did you mean bythat?"

"Do you insist on pinning me down to--"

"No. You may tell me to mind my own business, if you like. "

"That is not a nice way to put it, Mr. Barnes. I could never say sucha thing to you. "

He was silent. She waited a few seconds and then removed her head fromhis shoulder. He heard the sharp intake of her breath and felt theconvulsive movement of the arm that rested against his. There was nomistaking her sudden agitation. 

"I will tell you, " she said, and he was surprised by the harshnessthat came into her voice. "To-morrow morning was the time set for mymarriage to that wretch up there. I could have avoided it only bydestroying myself. If you had come to-morrow night instead of to-nightyou would have found me dead, that is all. Now you understand. "

"Good God! You--you were to be forced into a marriage with--why, it isthe most damnable--"

"O'Dowd, --God bless him!--was my only champion. He knew my father. He--"

"Listen!" he hissed, starting to his feet. 

"Don't move!" came from the darkness outside. "I have me gun leveled. I heard me name taken in vain. Thanks for the blessing. I waswondering whether you would say something pleasant about me, --and, thank the good Lord, I was patient. But I'd advise you both to sitstill, just the same. "

A chuckle rounded out the gentle admonition of the invisible Irishman. 

CHAPTER XV

LARGE BODIES MOVE SLOWLY, --BUT MR. SPROUSE WAS SMALLER THAN THEAVERAGE

There was not a sound for many seconds. The trapped couple in thestone-cutter's shed scarcely breathed. She was the first to speak. 

"I am ready to return with you, Mr. O'Dowd, " she said, distinctly. "There must be no struggle, no blood-shed. Anything but that. "

She felt Barnes's body stiffen and caught the muttered execration thatfell from his lips. 

O'Dowd spoke out of the darkness: "You forget that I have your ownword for it that ye'll be a dead woman before the day is over. Wouldn't it be better for me to begin shooting at once and spare yoursoul the everlasting torture that would begin immediately after yourself-produced decease?"

A little cry of relief greeted this quaint sally. "You have my wordthat I will return with you quietly if--"

"Thunderation!" exclaimed Barnes wrathfully. "What do you think I am?A worm that--"

"Easy, easy, me dear man, " cautioned O'Dowd. "Keep your seat. Don't bedeceived by my infernal Irish humour. It is my way to be alwayspolite, agreeable and--prompt. I'll shoot in a second if ye move onestep outside that cabin. "

"O'Dowd, you haven't the heart to drag her back to that beast of a--"

"Hold hard! We'll come to the point without further palavering. Whereare ye dragging her yourself, ye rascal?"

"To a place where she will be safe from insult, injury, degradation--"

"Well, I have no fault to find with ye for that, " said O'Dowd. "Bedad, I didn't believe you had the nerve to tackle the job. To be honestwith you, I hadn't the remotest idea who the divvil you were, eitherof you, until I heard your voices. You may be interested to know thatup to the moment I left the house your absence had not been noticed, my dear Miss Cameron. And as for you, my dear Barnes, your visit isnot even suspected. By this time, of course, the list of the missingat Green Fancy is headed by an honourable and imperishable name, --which isn't Cameron, --and there is an increased wailing and gnashingof teeth. How the divvil did ye do it, Barnes?"

"Are you disposed to be friendly, O'Dowd?" demanded Barnes. "If youare not, we may just as well fight it out now as later on. I do notmean to submit without a--"

"You are not to fight!" she cried in great agitation. "What are youdoing? Put it away! Don't shoot!"

"Is it a gun he is pulling" inquired O'Dowd calmly. "And what thedeuce are you going to aim at, me hearty?"

"It may sound cowardly to you, O'Dowd, but I have an advantage overyou in the presence of Miss Cameron. You don't dare shoot into thisshed. You--"

"Lord love ye, Barnes, haven't you my word that I will not shootunless ye try to come out? And I know you wouldn't use her for ashield. Besides, I have a bull's-eye lantern with me. From theluxurious seat behind this rock I could spot ye in a second. Confoundyou, man, you ought to thank me for being so considerate as not toflash it on you before. I ask ye now, isn't that proof that I'm agentleman and not a bounder? Having said as much, I now proposearbitration. What have ye to offer in the shape of concessions?"

"I don't know what you mean. "

"I'll be explicit. Would you mind handing over that tin box inexchange for my polite thanks and a courteous good-by to both of ye?"

"Tin box?" cried Barnes. 

"We have no box of any description, Mr. O'Dowd, " cried she, triumphantly. "Thank heaven, he got safely away!"

"Do you mean to tell me you came away without the--your belongings, Miss Cameron?" exclaimed O'Dowd. 

"They are not with me, " she replied. Her grasp on Barnes's armtightened. "Oh, isn't it splendid? They did not catch him. He--"

"Catch him? Catch who?" cried O'Dowd. 

"Ah, that is for you to find out, my dear O'Dowd, " said Barnes, assuming a satisfaction he did not feel. 

"Well, I'll be--jiggered, " came in low, puzzled tones from the rocksoutside. "Did you have a--a confederate, Barnes? Didn't you do thewhole job yourself?"

"I did my part of the job, as you call it, O'Dowd, and nothing more. "

"Will you both swear on your sacred honour that ye haven't the jewelsin your possession?"

"Unhesitatingly, " said Barnes. 

"I swear, Mr. O'Dowd. "

"Then, " said he, "I have no time to waste here. I am looking for a tinbox. I beg your pardon for disturbing you. "

"Oh, Mr. O'Dowd, I shall never forget all that you have--"

"Whist, now! There is one thing I must insist on your forgettingcompletely: all that has happened in the last five minutes. I shallput no obstacles in your way. You may go with my blessings. The onlyfavour I ask in return is that you never mention having seen me to-night. "

"We can do that with a perfectly clear conscience, " said Barnes. "Youare absolutely invisible. "

"What I am doing now, Mr. Barnes, " said O'Dowd seriously, "would be mydeath sentence if it ever became known. "

"It shall never be known through me, O'Dowd. I'd like to shake yourhand, old man. "

"God bless you, Mr. O'Dowd, " said the girl in a low, small voice, singularly suggestive of tears. "Some day I may be in a position to--"

"Don't say it! You'll spoil everything if you let me think you are inmy debt. Bedad, don't be so sure I sha'n't see you again, and soon. You are not out of the woods yet. "

"Tell me how to find Hart's Tavern, old man. I'll--"

"No, I'm dashed if I do. I leave you to your own devices. You ought tobe grateful to me for not stopping you entirely, without asking me togive you a helping hand. Good-bye, and God bless you. I'm praying thatye get away safely, Miss Cameron. So long, Barnes. If you were a crowand wanted to roost on that big tree in front of Hart's Tavern, I daresay you'd take the shortest way there by flying as straight as abullet from the mouth of this pit, following your extremely good-looking nose. "

They heard him rattle off among the loose stones and into the brush. Along time afterward, when the sounds had ceased, Barnes said, from thebottom of a full heart:

"I shall always feel something warm stirring within me when I think ofthat man. "

"He is a gallant gentleman, " said she simply. 

They did not wait for the break of day. Taking O'Dowd's hint, Barnesdirected his steps straight out from the mouth of the quarry andpressed confidently onward. Their progress was swifter than before andless cautious. The thought had come to him that the men from GreenFancy would rush to the outer edges of the Curtis land and seek tointercept, rather than to overtake, the fugitive. In answer to aquestion she informed him that there were no fewer than twenty-fivemen on the place, all of them shrewd, resolute and formidable. 

"The women, who are they, and what part do they play in thisenterprise?" he inquired, during a short pause for rest. 

"Mrs. Collier is the widow of a spy executed in France at thebeginning of the war. She is an American and was married to a--to aforeigner. The Van Dykes are very rich Americans, --at least she has agreat deal of money. Her husband was in the diplomatic service someyears ago but was dismissed. There was a huge gambling scandal and hewas involved. His wife is determined to force her way into courtcircles in Europe. She has money, she is clever and unprincipled, and--I am convinced that she is paying in advance for future favours andposition at a certain court. She--"

"In other words, she is financing the game up at Green Fancy. "

"I suppose so. She has millions, I am told. Mr. De Soto is a Spaniard, born and reared in England. All of them are known in my country. "

"I can't understand a decent chap like O'Dowd being mixed up in arotten--"

"Ah, but you do not understand. He is a soldier of fortune, anadventurer. His heart is better than his reputation. It is the love ofintrigue, the joy of turmoil that commands him. He has been mixed up, as you say, in any number of secret enterprises, both good and bad. His sister's children are the owners of Green Fancy. I know her well. It was through Mr. O'Dowd that I came to Green Fancy. Too late herealised that it was a mistake. He was deceived. He has known me foryears and he would not have exposed me to----But come! As he has said, we are not yet out of the woods. "

"I cannot, for the life of me, see why they took chances on invitingme to the house, Miss Cameron. They must have known that--"

"It was a desperate chance but it was carefully considered, you may besure. They are clever, all of them. They were afraid of you. It wasnecessary to deal openly, boldly, with you if your suspicions were tobe removed. "

"But they must have known that you would appeal to me. "

She was silent for a moment, and when she spoke it was with greatintensity. "Mr. Barnes, I had your life in my hands all the time youwere at Green Fancy. It was I who took the desperate chance. I shuddernow when I think of what might have happened. Before you were asked tothe house, I was coolly informed that you would not leave it alive ifI so much as breathed a word to you concerning my unhappy plight. Thefirst word of an appeal to you would have been the signal for--foryour death. That is what they held over me. They made it very clear tome that nothing was to be gained by an appeal to you. You would die, and I would be no better off than before. It was I who took thechance. When I spoke to you on the couch that night, I--oh, don't yousee? Don't you see that I wantonly, cruelly, selfishly risked YOURlife, --not my own, --when I--"

"There, there, now!" he cried, consolingly, as she put her hands toher face and gave way to sobs. "Don't let THAT worry you. I am hereand alive, and so are you, and--for Heaven's sake don't do that! I--Isimply go all to pieces when I hear a woman crying. I--"

"Forgive me, " she murmured. "I didn't mean to be so silly. "

"It helps, to cry sometimes, " he said lamely. 

The first faint signs of day were struggling out of the night whenthey stole across the road above Hart's Tavern and made their waythrough the stable-yard to the rear of the house. His one thought wasto get her safely inside the Tavern. There he could defy the legionsof Green Fancy, and from there he could notify her real friends, deliver her into their keeping, --and then regret the loss of her!

The door was locked. He delivered a series of resounding kicks uponits stout face. Revolver in hand, he faced about and waited for theassault of the men who, he was sure, would come plunging around thecorner of the building in response to the racket. He was confidentthat the approach to the Tavern was watched by desperate men fromGreen Fancy, and that an encounter with them was inevitable. But therewas no attack. Save for his repeated pounding on the door, there wasno sign of life about the place. 

At last there were sounds from within. A key grated in the lock and abolt was shot. The door flew open. Mr. Clarence Dillingford appearedin the opening, partially dressed, his hair sadly tumbled, his eyesblinking in the light of the lantern he held aloft. 

"Well, what the--" Then his gaze alighted on the lady. "My God, " hegulped, and instantly put all of his body except the head and one armbehind the door. 

Barnes crowded past him with his faltering charge, and slammed thedoor. Moreover, he quickly shot the bolt. 

"For the love of--" began the embarrassed Dillingford. "What the dev--I say, can't you see that I'm not dressed? What the--"

"Give me that lantern, " said Barnes, and snatched the article out ofthe unresisting hand. "Show me the way to Miss Thackeray's room, Dillingford. No time for explanations. This lady is a friend of mine. "

"Well, for the love of--"

"I will take you to Miss Thackeray's room, " said Barnes, leading herswiftly through the narrow passage. "She will make you comfortable forthe--that is until I am able to secure a room for you. Come on, Dillingford. "

"My God, Barnes, have you been in an automobile smash-up? You--"

"Don't wake the house! Where is her room?"

"You know just as well as I do. All right, --all right! Don't bite me!I'm coming. "

Miss Thackeray was awake. She had heard the pounding. Through theclosed door she asked what on earth was the matter. 

"I have a friend here, --a lady. Will you dress as quickly as possibleand take her in with you for a little while?" He spoke as softly aspossible. 

There was no immediate response from the inside. Then Miss Thackerayobserved, quite coldly: "I think I'd like to hear the lady's voice, ifyou don't mind. I recognise yours perfectly, Mr. Barnes, but I am notin the habit of opening my--"

"Mr. Barnes speaks the truth, " said Miss Cameron. "But pray do notdisturb--"

"I guess I don't need to dress, " said Miss Thackeray, and opened herdoor. "Come in, please. I don't know who you are or what you've beenup to, but there are times when women ought to stand together. Andwhat's more, I sha'n't ask any questions. "

She closed the door behind the unexpected guest, and Barnes gave agreat sigh of relief. 

"Say, Mr. Barnes, " said Miss Thackeray, several hours later, comingupon him in the hall; "I guess I'll have to ask you to explain alittle. She's a nice, pretty girl, and all that, but she won't openher lips about anything. She says you will do the talking. I'm a goodsport, you know, and not especially finicky, but I'd like to--"

"How is she? Is she resting? Does she seem--"

"Well, she's stretched out in my bed, with my best nightie on, and sheseems to be doing as well as could be expected, " said Miss Thackeraydryly. 

"Has she had coffee and--"

"I am going after it now. It seems that she is in the habit of havingit in bed. I wish I had her imagination. It would be great to imaginethat all you have to do is to say 'I think I'll have coffee and rollsand one egg' sent up, and then go on believing your wish would cometrue. Still, I don't mind. She seems so nice and pathetic, and introuble, and I--"

"Thank you, Miss Thackeray. If you will see that she has her coffee, I'll--I'll wait for you here in the hall and try to explain. I can'ttell you everything at present, --not without her consent, --but what Ido tell will be sufficient to make you think you are listening to achapter out of a dime novel. "

He had already taken Putnam Jones into his confidence. He saw no otherway out of the new and somewhat extraordinary situation. 

His uneasiness increased to consternation when he discovered thatSprouse had not yet put in an appearance. What had become of the man?He could not help feeling, however, that somehow the little agentwould suddenly pop out of the chimney in his room, or sneak in througha crack under the door, --and laugh at his fears. 

His lovely companion, falling asleep, blocked all hope of a council ofwar, so to speak. Miss Thackeray refused to allow her to be disturbed. She listened with sparkling eyes to Barnes's curtailed account of theexploit of the night before. He failed to mention Mr. Sprouse. It wasnot an oversight. 

"Sort of white slavery game, eh?" she said, with bated breath. "Goodgracious, Mr. Barnes, if this story ever gets into the newspapersyou'll be the grandest little hero in--"

"But it must never get into the newspapers, " he cried. 

"It ought to, " she proclaimed stoutly. "When a gang of white slaverskidnap a girl like that and--"

"I'm not saying it was that, " he protested, uncomfortably. 

"Well, I guess I'll talk to her about that part of the story, " saidMiss Thackeray sagely. "And as you say, mum's the word. We don't wantthem to get onto the fact that she's here. That's the idea, isn't it?"

"Absolutely. "

"Then, " she said, wrinkling her brow, "I wouldn't repeat this story toMr. Lyndon Rushcroft, father of yours truly. He would blab it all overthe county. The greatest press stuff in the world. Listen to it:'Lyndon Rushcroft, the celebrated actor, takes part in the rescue of abeautiful heiress who falls into the hands of So and So, the king ofkidnappers. ' That's only a starter. So we'd better let him think shejust happened in. You fix it with old Jones, and I'll see that Dillykeeps his mouth shut. I fear I shall have to tell Mr. Bacon. " Sheblushed. "I have always sworn I'd never marry any one in theprofession, but--Mr. Bacon is not like other actors, Mr. Barnes. Youwill say so yourself when you know him better. He is more like a--a--well, you might say a poet. His soul is--but, you'll think I'm nuttyif I go on about him. As soon as she awakes, I'll take her up to theroom you've engaged for her, and I'll lend her some of my duds, blessher heart. What an escape she's had! Oh, my God!"

She uttered the exclamation in a voice so full of horror that Barneswas startled. 

"What is it, Miss Thack--"

"Why, they might have nabbed me yesterday when I was up there in thewoods! And I don't know what kind of heroism goes with a poeticnature. I'm afraid Mr. Bacon--"

He laughed. "I am sure he would have acted like a man. "

"If you were to ask father, he'd say that Mr. Bacon can't act like aman to save his soul. He says he acts like a fence-post. "

Shortly before the noon hour, Peter Ames halted the old automobilefrom Green Fancy in front of the Tavern and out stepped O'Dowd, followed by no less a personage than the pseudo Mr. Loeb. There were anumber of travelling bags in the tonneau of the car. 

Catching sight of Barnes, the Irishman shouted a genial greeting. 

"The top of the morning to ye. You remember Mr. Loeb, don't you? Mr. Curtis's secretary. "

He shook hands with Barnes. Loeb bowed stiffly and did not extend hishand. 

"Mr. Loeb is leaving us for a few days on business. Will you be movingon yourself soon, Mr. Barnes?"

"I shall hang around here a few days longer, " said Barnes, considerably puzzled but equal to the occasion. "Still interested inour murder mystery, you know. "

"Any new developments?"

"Not to my knowledge. " He ventured a crafty "feeler. " "I hear, however, that the state authorities have asked assistance of thesecret service people in Washington. That would seem to indicate thatthere is more behind the affair than--"

"Have I not maintained from the first, Mr. O'Dowd, that it is a casefor the government to handle?" interrupted Loeb. He spoke rapidly andwith unmistakable nervousness. Barnes remarked the extraordinarypallor in the man's face and the shifty, uneasy look in his dark eyes. "It has been my contention, Mr. Barnes, that those men were trying tocarry out their part of a plan to inflict--"

"Lord love ye, Loeb, you are not alone in that theory, " broke inO'Dowd hastily. "I think we're all agreed on that. Good morning, Mr. Boneface, " he called out to Putnam Jones who approached at thatjuncture. "We are sadly in want of gasoline. "

Peter had backed the car up to the gasoline hydrant at the corner ofthe building and was waiting for some one to replenish his tank. Barnes caught the queer, perplexed look that the Irishman shot at himout of the corner of his eye. 

"Perhaps you'd better see that the scoundrels don't give us shortmeasure, Mr. Loeb, " said O'Dowd. Loeb hesitated for a second, andthen, evidently in obedience to a command from the speaker's eye, moved off to where Peter was opening the intake. Jones followed, bawling to some one in the stable-yard. 

O'Dowd lowered his voice. "Bedad, your friend made a smart job of itlast night. He opened the tank back of the house and let every damn'bit of our gas run out. Is she safe inside?"

"Yes, thanks to you, old man. You didn't catch him?"

"Not even a whiff of him, " said the other lugubriously. "The devil'sto pay. In the name of God, how many were in your gang last night?"

"That is for Mr. Loeb to find out, " said Barnes shrewdly. 

"Barnes, I let you off last night, and I let her off as well. Inreturn, I ask you to hold your tongue until the man down there gets afair start. "O'Dowd was serious, even imploring. 

"What would she say to that, O'Dowd? I have to consider her interests, you know. "

"She'd give him a chance for his white alley, I'm sure, in spite ofthe way he treated her. There is a great deal at stake, Barnes. Aday's start and--"

"Are you in danger too, O'Dowd?"

"To be sure, --but I love it. I can always squirm out of tight places. You see, I am putting myself in your hands, old man. "

"I would not deliberately put you in jeopardy, O'Dowd. "

"See here, I am going back to that house up yonder. There is stillwork for me there. What I'm after now is to get him on the train atHornville. I'll be here again at four o'clock, on me word of honour. Trust me, Barnes. When I explain to her, she'll agree that I'm doingthe right thing. Bedad, the whole bally game is busted. Another weekand we'd have--but, there ye are! It's all up in the air, thanks toyou and your will-o'-the-wisp rascals. You played the deuce witheverything. "

"Do you mean to say that you are coming back here to run the risk ofbeing--"

"We've had word that the government has men on the way. They'll behere to-night or to-morrow, working in cahoots with the fellows acrossthe border. Why, damn it all, Barnes, don't you know who it was thatengineered that whole business last night?" He blurted it out angrily, casting off all reserve. 

Barnes smiled. "I do. He is a secret agent from the embassy--"

"Secret granny!" almost shouted O'Dowd. "He is the slickest, cleverestcrook that ever drew the breath of life. And he's got away with thejewels, for which you can whistle in vain, I'm thinking. "

"For Heaven's sake, O'Dowd--" began Barnes, his blood like ice in hisveins. 

"But don't take my word for it. Ask her, --upstairs there, God blessher!--ask her if she knows Chester Naismith. She'll tell ye, my bucko. He's been standing guard outside her window for the past three nights. He's--"

"Now, I know you are mistaken, " cried Barnes, a wave of relief surgingover him. "He has been in this Tavern every night--"

"Sure he has. But he never was here after eleven o'clock, was he?Answer me, did ye ever see him here after eleven in the evening? Youdid not, --not until last night, anyhow. In the struggle he had withNicholas last night his whiskers came off and he was recognised. That's why poor old Nicholas is lying dead up there at the house now, --and will have a decent burial unbeknownst to anybody but hisfriends. "

"Whiskers? Dead?" jerked from Barnes's lips. 

"Didn't you know he had false ones on?"

"He did not have them on when he left me, " declared Barnes. "Good God, O'Dowd, you can't mean that he--he killed--"

"He stuck a knife in his neck. The poor devil died while I was outskirmishing, but not before he whispered in the chief's ear the nameof the man who did for him. The dirty snake! And the chief trusted himas no crook ever was trusted before. He knew him for what he was, buthe thought he was loyal. And this is what he gets in return for savingthe dog's life in Buda Pesth three years ago. In the name of God, Barnes, how did you happen to fall in with the villain?"

Barnes passed his hand over his brow, dazed beyond the power ofspeech. His gaze rested on Putnam Jones. Suddenly something seemed tohave struck him between the eyes. He almost staggered under theimaginary impact. Jones! Was Jones a party to this--He startedforward, an oath on his lips, prepared to leap upon the man andthrottle the truth out of him. As abruptly he checked himself. Thecunning that inspired the actions of every one of these people hadcommunicated itself to him. A false move now would ruin everything. Putnam Jones would have to be handled with gloves, and gently at that. 

"He--he represented himself as a book-agent, " he mumbled, striving tocollect himself. "Jones knew him. Said he had been around here forweeks. I--I--

"That's the man, " said O'Dowd, scowling. "He trotted all over thecounty, selling books. For the love of it, do ye think? Not much. Hehad other fish to fry, you may be sure. I talked with him the nightyou dined at Green Fancy. He beat you to the Tavern, I dare say. Itwas his second night on guard below the--below her window. He told mehow he shinned up and down one of these porch posts, so as not to letold Jones get onto the fact he was out of his room. He had old Jonesfooled as badly--What are you glaring at HIM for? I was about to sayhe had old Jones as badly fooled as you--or worse, damn him. Barnes, if we ever lay hands on that friend of yours, --well, he won't have tofry in hell. He'll be burnt alive. Thank God, my mind's at rest on onescore. SHE didn't skip out with him. They all think she did. Not oneof them suspects that she came away with you. There is plenty ofevidence that she let him in through her window--"

"All ready, O'Dowd, " called Loeb. "Come along, please. "

"Coming, " said the Irishman. To Barnes: "Don't blame yourself, oldman. You are not the only one who has been hoodwinked. He fooled men along shot keener than you are, so--All right! Coming. See you later, Barnes. So long!"

CHAPTER XVI

THE FIRST WAYFARER VISITS A SHRINE, CONFESSES, AND TAKES AN OATH

How was he to find the courage to impart the appalling news to her? Hewas now convinced beyond all doubt that the so-called Sprouse had madeoff with the priceless treasure and that only a miracle could bringabout its recovery. O'Dowd's estimate of the man's cleverness wasamply supported by what Barnes knew of him. He knew him to be thepersonification of craftiness, and of daring. It was not surprisingthat he had been tricked by this devil's own genius. He recalled hisadmiration, his wonder over the man's artfulness; he groaned as hethought of the pride he had felt in being accorded the privilege ofhelping him!

Sitting glumly in a corner of the tap-room, watching but not listeningto the spouting Mr. Rushcroft, (who was regaling the cellarer and twovastly impressed countrymen with the story of his appearance beforeQueen Victoria and the Royal Family), Barnes went over the events ofthe past twenty-four hours, deriving from his reflections a few fairlyreasonable deductions as to his place in the plans of the dauntlessMr. Sprouse. 

In the first place, Sprouse, being aware of his somewhat ardentinterest in the fair captive, took a long and desperate chance on hissusceptibility. With incomprehensible boldness he decided to make anaccomplice of the eager and unsuspecting knight-errant! His cunninglydevised tale, --in which there was more than a little of the truth, --served to excite the interest and ultimately to win the co-operationof the New Yorker. His object in enlisting this support was nowperfectly clear to the victim of his duplicity. Barnes had admittedthat he was bound by a promise to aid the prisoner in an effort toescape from the house; even a slow-witted person would have reachedthe conclusion that a partial understanding at least existed betweencaptive and champion. Sprouse staked everything on that conviction. Through Barnes he counted on effecting an entrance to the almosthermetically sealed house. 

Evidently the simplest, and perhaps the only, means of gainingadmission was through the very window he was supposed to guard. Onceinside her room, with the aid and connivance of one in whom theoccupant placed the utmost confidence, he would be in a position toemploy his marvellous talents in accomplishing his own peculiar ends. 

Barnes recalled all of the elaborate details preliminary to the actualperformance of that amazing feat, and realised to what extent he hadbeen shaped into a tool to be used by the master craftsman. He sawthrough the whole Machiavellian scheme, and he was now morally certainthat Sprouse would have sacrificed him without the slightesthesitation. 

In the event that anything went wrong with their enterprise, the manwould have shot him dead and earned the gratitude and commendation ofhis associates! There would be no one to question him, no one to saythat he had failed in the duty set upon him by the master of thehouse. He would have been glorified and not crucified by his friends. 

Up to the point when he actually passed through the window Sprousecould have justified himself by shooting the would-be rescuer. Up tothat point, Barnes was of inestimable value to him; after that, --well, he had proved that he was capable of taking care of himself. 

Mr. Dillingford came and pronounced sentence. He informed the ruefulthinker that the young lady wanted to see him at once in MissThackeray's room. 

With a heavy heart he mounted the stairs. At the top he paused todeliberate. Would it not be better to keep her in ignorance? What wasto be gained by revealing to her the--But Miss Thackeray was luringhim on to destruction. She stood outside the door and beckoned. Thatin itself was ominous. Why should she wriggle a forefinger at himinstead of calling out in her usual free-and-easy manner? There wasforeboding--

"Is Mr. Barnes coming?" His heart bounded perceptibly at the sound ofthat soft, eager voice from the interior of the room. 

"By fits and starts, " said Miss Thackeray critically. "Yes, he hasstarted again. "

She closed the door from the outside, and Barnes was alone with thecousin of kings and queens and princes. 

"I feared you had deserted me, " she said, holding out her hand to himas he strode across the room. S he did not rise from the chair inwhich she was seated by the window. The lower wings of the old-fashioned shutters were closed except for a narrow strip; lightstreamed down upon her wavy golden hair from the upper half of thecasement. She was attired in a gorgeously flowered dressing-gown; hehad seen it once before, draping the matutinal figure of MissThackeray as she glided through the hall with a breakfast tray whichMiss Tilly had flatly refused to carry to her room: being no servant, she declared with heat. 

"I saw no occasion to disturb your rest, " he mumbled. "Nothing--nothing new has turned up. "

"I have been peeping, " she said, looking at him searchingly. A littleline of anxiety lay between her eyes. "Where is Mr. Loeb going, Mr. Barnes?"

He noted the omission of Mr. O'Dowd. "To Hornville, I believe. Theystopped for gasoline. "

"Is he running away?" was her disconcerting question. 

"O'Dowd says he is to be gone for a few days on business, " heequivocated. 

"He will not return, " she said quietly. "He is a coward at heart. Oh, I know him well, " she went on, scorn in her voice. 

"Was I wrong in not trying to stop him?" he asked. 

She pondered this for a moment. "No, " she said, but he caught thedubious note in her voice. "It is just as well, perhaps, that heshould disappear. Nothing is to be gained now by his seizure. Nextweek, yes; but to-day, no. His flight to-day spares--but we are moreinterested in the man Sprouse. Has he returned?"

"No, Miss Cameron, " said he ruefully. And then, without a singlereservation, he laid bare the story of Sprouse's defection. When heinquired if she had heard of the man known as Chester Naismith, sheconfirmed his worst fears by describing him as the guard who watchedbeneath her window. He was known to her as a thief of internationalfame. The light died out of her lovely eyes as the truth dawned uponher; her lips trembled, her shoulders drooped. 

"What a fool I've been, " she mourned. "What a fool I was to accept theresponsibility of--"

"Don't blame yourself, " he implored. "Blame me. I am the fool, thestupidest fool that ever lived. He played with me as if I were thesimplest child. "

"Ah, my friend, why do you say that? Played with you? He has trickedsome of the shrewdest men in the world. There are no simple childrenat Green Fancy. They are men with the brains of foxes and the heartsof wolves. To deceive you was child's play. You are an honest man. Itis always the honest man who is the victim; he is never the culprit. If honest men were as smart as the corrupt ones, Mr. Barnes, therewould be no such thing as crime. If the honest man kept one hand onhis purse and the other on his revolver, he would be more than a matchfor the thief. You were no match for Chester Naismith. Do not look soglum. The shrewdest police officers in Europe have never been able tocope with him. Why should you despair?"

He sprang to his feet. "By gad, he hasn't got away with it yet, " hegrated. "He is only one man against a million. I will set every cog inthe entire police and detective machinery of the United States going. He cannot escape. They will run him to earth before--"

"Mr. Barnes, I have no words to express my gratitude to you for allthat you have done and all that you still would do, " she interrupted. "I may prove it to you, however, by advising you to abandon allefforts to help me from now on. You did all that you set out to do, and I must ask no more of you. You risked your life to save a womanwho, for all you know, may be deceiving you with--"

"I have not lost all of my senses, Miss Cameron, " he said bluntly. "The few that I retain make me your slave. I shall abandon neither younor the effort to recover what my stupidity has cost you. I will runthis scoundrel down if I have to devote the remainder of my life tothe task. "

She sighed. "Alas, I fear that I shall have to tell you a little moreabout this wonderful man you know as Sprouse. Six months ago thefriends and supporters of the legitimate successor to my country'sthrone, consummated a plan whereby the crown jewels and certaindocuments of state were surreptitiously removed from the palacevaults. The act, though meant to be a loyal and worthy one, wasnevertheless nullified by the most stupendous folly. Instead ofdepositing the treasure in Paris, it was sent to this country incharge of a group of men whose fealty could not be questioned. I amnot at liberty to tell you how this treasure was brought into theUnited States without detection by the Customs authorities. Suffice itto say, it was delivered safely to a committee of my countrymen in NewYork. There are two contenders for the throne in my land. One is aprisoner in Austria, the other is at liberty somewhere in--in theworld. The Teutonic Allies are now in possession of my country. It hasbeen ravished and despoiled. "

"So far Sprouse's story jibes, " said he, as she paused. 

"My countrymen conceived the notion that Germany would one day conquerFrance and over-run England. It was this notion that urged them to putthe treasure beyond all possible chance of its being seized by theconquerors and turned over to the usurping prince who would be placedon our throne. 

"As for my part in this unhappy project, it is quite simple. I was notthe only one to be deceived by plotters who far outstripped theoriginal conspirators in cleverness and guile. The man you know asLoeb is in reality my cousin. I have known him all my life. He is theyoungest brother of the pretender to the throne, and a cousin of theprince who is held prisoner by the Austrians. This prince has abrother also, and it was to him that I was supposed to deliver thejewels. He came to Canada a month ago, sent by the embassy in Paris. Itravelled from New York, but not alone as you may suspect. I wascarefully protected from the time I left my hotel there until--well, until I arrived in Boston. 

"While there I received a secret message from friends in Canadadirecting me to go to Spanish Falls, where I would be met andconducted to Green Fancy by Prince Sebastian himself. I was on my wayto Halifax when this message changed my plans. Moreover, the reasongiven for this change was an excellent one. It had been discoveredthat the two men who acted secretly as my escort were traitors. Theywere to lead me into a trap prepared at Portland, where I was to berobbed and detained long enough for the wretches to make off in safetywith their booty. I need not describe my feelings. I obeyed thedirections and stole away at night, eluding my protectors, and came bydevious ways to the place mentioned in the message. 

"As you may have guessed by this time, the whole thing was a carefullyplanned ruse. The company at Green Fancy, --you may some day know whythey were there, --learned through the man Naismith that the treasurehad been entrusted to me for delivery to Prince Sebastian and hisfriends in Halifax. Let me interrupt myself to explain why the Princedid not come to New York in person, instead of arranging to have thejewels taken to him at Halifax. He is an officer of high rank in thearmy. His trip across the ocean was known to the German secretservice. The instant he landed on American soil, a demand would havebeen made by the German Embassy for his detention here for theduration of the war. 

"I was informed in the message that Prince Sebastian would take me tothe place called Green Fancy, which was near the Canadian border. Asafe escort would be provided for us, and we would be on British soilwithin a few hours after our meeting. It is only necessary to add thatwhen I arrived at Green Fancy I met Prince Ugo, --and understood! I hadcarefully covered my tracks after leaving Boston. My real friendswere, and still are, completely in the dark as to my movements, soskilfully was the trick managed. I shall ask you directly, Mr. Barnes, to wire my friends in New York and in Halifax, acquainting them withmy present whereabouts and safety. Now, that we know the jewels havebeen stolen again, that message need not be delayed. 

"And now for Chester Naismith. It was he who, acting for the misguidedloyalists and recommended by certain young aristocrats who by virtueof their own dissipations had come to know him as a man of infiniteresourcefulness and daring, planned and carried out the pillaging ofthe palace vaults. Almost under the noses of the foreign guards hesucceeded in obtaining the jewels. No doubt he could have made offwith them at that time, but he shrewdly preferred to have them broughtto America by some one else. It would have been impossible for him todispose of them in Europe. The United States was the only place in theworld where he could have sold them. You see how cunning he is?

"This much I know: he came to New York with the men who carried thejewels. He tried to rob them in New York but failed. Then hedisappeared. So carefully guarded were the jewels that he knew therewas no chance of securing them without assistance. For nearly sixmonths they remained in a safety vault on Fifth Avenue. Evidently hegave up hope and, falling in with Prince Ugo, joined his party. I donot know this to be the case, but I am now convinced that he learnedof the plan to send the jewels to Halifax. It was he, I am sure, whoconveyed this news to Prince Ugo, who at once invented the scheme todivert me to this place. 

"And now comes the remarkable part of the story. When I arrived atSpanish Falls, there was no one to meet me. The agent, seeing me onthe platform and evidently at a loss which way to turn, accosted me. He offered to secure a conveyance for me, and was very considerate, but I decided to call up Green Fancy on the telephone. I wanted to besure that there was no trick. To my surprise, O'Dowd came to thetelephone. I was greatly relieved when I actually heard his voice. Ihave known him for years, and the belief that he had at last alliedhimself with Prince Sebastian, --after being on the opposite side, yousee, --was cause for rejoicing. 

"He was amazed. It seems that I was not expected until the nextafternoon. The car was out on an errand to some little village in themountains, he said, but he would telephone at once to see if it couldbe located. Afterwards it turned out that the message announcing myarrival a day ahead of the time agreed upon was never delivered. "

"Sprouse's fine work, I suppose, " put in Barnes. 

"I haven't the remotest doubt. Nor do I doubt that he intended towaylay me at some point along the road. O'Dowd failed to catch the carat the village and was on the point of starting off on horseback tomeet me, when it returned. He sent it ahead and followed on horseback. You know how I was picked up at the cross-roads. It is all so like oneof those picture puzzles. By putting the meaningless pieces togetherone obtains a complete design. The last piece to go into this puzzleis the mishap that befell Naismith on that very afternoon. He was nodoubt thwarted in his design to waylay me on the road from SpanishFalls by a singular occurrence in this tavern. He was attacked in hisroom here shortly after the noon hour, overpowered, bound and gaggedby two men. They carried him to another room, where he remained untillate in the night when he managed to extricate himself. I have reasonto believe that this part of his story is true. He knew the men. Theywere thieves as clever and as merciless as himself. They too werewatching for me. I may say to you now, Mr. Barnes, that he has neverposed as an honest man among his associates at Green Fancy. He gloriesin his fame as a thief, but until now no one would have questioned hisloyalty to his friends. I do not know how these men learned of myintention to come to Green Fancy. They--"

"They came to this tavern four or five days in advance of your arrivalat Green Fancy, " he interrupted. 

"Are you sure?" she asked in surprise. 

"Absolutely. "

"In that case, they could not have known, " she said, deeply perplexed. 

"Sprouse told me that they were secret service men from abroad andthat he was working with them. Putnam Jones, I am sure, believes thatthey were detectives. He also believes the same to be true of Sprouse. My theory is this, and I think it is justified by events. The men werereally secret agents, sent here to watch the movements of the gang upthere. They came upon Sprouse and recognised him. On the day mentionedthey overpowered him and forced him to reveal certain facts connectedwith affairs at Green Fancy. Possibly he led them to believe that youwere one of the conspirators. They waited for your arrival and thenrisked the hazardous trip to Green Fancy. They were discovered andshot. "

She could hardly wait for him to finish. "I believe you are right, "she cried. "A little while before the shooting occurred, the house wasroused by a telephone call. I was in my room, but not asleep. I hadjust realised my own dreadful predicament. There was a great commotiondownstairs, and I distinctly heard some one say, in my own language, that they were not to get away alive. It must have been Naismith whotelephoned. One of the men, I have been told, was killed not far fromour gates. He was shot, I am sure, by the man called Nicholas, notedas one of the most marvellous marksmen in our little army. The otherwas accounted for by Naismith himself, who had managed to reach thecross-roads in time to head him off. Naismith openly boasted of thefeat. The greatest consternation prevailed at Green Fancy because themen succeeded in reaching the highway before they were shot. PrinceUgo was distracted. He said that the attention of the public would bedirected to Green Fancy and curious investigators were certain tointerfere with the great project he was carrying on. "

"I believe we have accounted for Mr. Sprouse, and I am no longerinterested in the unravelling of the mystery surrounding the deaths ofRoon and Paul, " said he. "There is nothing to keep me here any longer, Miss Cameron. I suggest that you allow me to escort you at once toyour friends, wherever they--"

She was opposed to this plan. While there was still a chance thatSprouse might be apprehended in the neighbourhood, or the possibilityof his being caught by the relentless pursuers, she declined to leave. 

"Then, I shall also stay, " said he promptly, and was repaid by thetremulous smile she gave him. His heart was beating like mad, and heknew, in that instant, just what had happened to him. He washelplessly in love with this beautiful cousin of kings and queens. Andwhen he thought of kings and queens he realised that beyond allquestion his love was hopeless. 

"You are very good to me, " she said softly. 

He got up suddenly and walked away. After a moment, in which heregained control of himself, he returned to her side. 

"What effect will Mr. Loeb's flight have on the scheme up there, MissCameron?" he inquired, quite steadily. 

"They will scatter to the four winds, those people, " she said. "Hewould not have fled unless disaster was staring him in the face. Something has transpired to defeat his ugly plan. They will all run tocover like so many rats. "

"The government of the United States is a good rat-catcher, " he said. 

"The United States would do well to keep the rats out, Mr. Barnes, instead of allowing them to come here and thrive and multiply and gnawinto its very vitals. "

CHAPTER XVII

THE SECOND WAYFARER IS TRANSFORMED, AND MARRIAGE IS FLOUTED

Mr. Rushcroft sent for Barnes at three o'clock. "Come to my room assoon as possible, " was the message delivered by Mr. Bacon. Barnes wastaking a nap. More than that, he was pleasantly dreaming when thepounding fell upon his door. Awakened suddenly from this elysian dreamhe leaped from his bed and rushed to the door, his heart in his mouth. Something sinister was back of this imperative summons! She was infresh peril. The gang from Green Fancy had descended upon the Tavernin force and--

"Sorry to disturb you, " said Mr. Bacon, as the door flew open, "but hesays it's important. He says--"

"I wish you would tell him to go to the devil, " said Barneswrathfully. 

"Superfluous, I assure you, sir. He says that everything and everybodyis going to the devil, so--"

"If he wants to see me why doesn't he come to my room? Why should I goto his?"

"Lord bless you, don't you know that it's one of the prerogatives of astar to insist on people coming to him instead of the other way about?What's the use of being a star if you can't--"

"Tell him I will come when I get good and ready. "

"Quite so, " said Mr. Bacon absently. He did not retire, but stood inthe door, evidently weighing something that was on his mind andconsidering the best means of relieving himself of the mental burden. "Ahem!" he coughed. "Miss Thackeray advises me that you have expresseda generous interest in our personal"--(He stepped inside the room andclosed the door)--"er--in our private future, so to speak, and I takethis opportunity to thank you, Mr. Barnes. If it isn't asking too muchof you, I'd like you to say a word or two in my behalf to the old man. You might tell him that you believe I have a splendid future beforeme, --and you wouldn't be lying, let me assure you, --and that there isno doubt in your mind that a Broadway engagement is quite imminent. Aword from you to one of the Broadway managers, by the way, would--"

"You want me to intercede for you in the matter of two engagementsinstead of one, is that it?"

"I am already engaged to Miss Thackeray, --in a way. The better way toput it would be for you to intercede in the matter of one marriage andone engagement. I think he would understand the situation much betterif you put it in that way. "

"Have you spoken to Mr. Rushcroft about it?"

"Only in a roundabout way. I told him I'd beat his head off if he everspoke to Miss Thackeray again as he did last night. "

"Well, that's a fair sort of start, " said Barnes, who was brushing hishair. "What did he say to that?"

"I don't know. I had to close the door rather hastily. If he saidanything at all it was after the chair hit the door. Ahem! That waslast night. He is as nice as pie this afternoon, so I have an ideathat he busted the chair and doesn't want old Jones to find out aboutit. "

"I will say a good word for you, " said Barnes, grinning. 

He found Mr. Rushcroft in a greatly perturbed state of mind. 

"I've had telegrams from the three people I mentioned to you, Barnes, and the damned ingrates refuse to join us unless they get theirrailroad fares to Crowndale. Moreover, they had the insolence to sendthe telegrams collect. The more you do for the confounded bums, themore they ask. I once had a leading woman who--"

Barnes was in no humour to listen to the long-winded reminiscences ofthe "star, " so he cut him short at once. He ascertained that the"ingrates" were in New York, on their "uppers, " and that they couldnot accomplish the trip to Crowndale unless railroad tickets wereprovided. The difficulty was bridged in short order by telegramsrequesting the distant players to apply the next day at his office inNew York where tickets to Crowndale would be given them. Hetelegraphed his office to buy the tickets and hold them for MissMilkens, Mr. Hatcher and Mr. Fling. 

"That completes one of the finest companies, Mr. Barnes, that evertook the road, " said Mr. Rushcroft warmly, forgetting his animosity. "You will never be associated with a more evenly balanced company ofplayers, sir. I congratulate you upon your wonderful good fortune inhaving such a cast for 'The Duke's Revenge. ' If you can maintain asimilar standard of excellence in all of your future productions, youwill go down in history as the most astute theatrical manager of theday. "

Barnes winced, but was game. "When do you start rehearsals, Rushcroft?"

"It is my plan to go to Crowndale to-morrow or the next day, where Ishall meet my company. Rehearsals will undoubtedly start at once. Thatwould give us--let me see--Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday--fourdays. We open on Tuesday night. Oh, by the way, I have engaged a youngwoman of most unusual talent to take the minor part of Hortense. Youmay have noticed her in the dining-room. Miss Rosamond--er--where didI put that card?--ah, yes, Miss Floribel Blivens. The poor idiotinsists on Blivens, desiring to perpetuate the family monicker. I havegotten rid of her spectacles, however, and the name that theprehistoric Blivenses gave her at the christening. "

"You--you don't mean Miss Tilly?"

"I do. She is to give notice to Jones to-day. There are more ways thanone of getting even with a scurvy caitiff. In this case, I take oldJones's best waitress away from him, and, praise God, he'll never findanother that will stick to him for eighteen years as she has done. "

O'Dowd returned late in the afternoon. He was in a hurry to get backto Green Fancy; there was no mistaking his uneasiness. He drew Barnesaside. 

"For the love of Heaven, Barnes, get her away from here as soon aspossible, and do it as secretly as you can, " he said. "I may as welltell you that she is in more danger from the government secret servicethan from any one up yonder. Understand, I'm not pleading guilty toanything, but I shall be far, far away from here meself before anothersunrise. That ought to mean something to you. "

"But she has done no wrong. She has not laid herself liable to--"

"That isn't the point. She has been up there with us, and you don'twant to put her in the position of having to answer a lot of nastyquestions they'll be after asking her if they get their hands on her. She might be weeks or months clearing herself, innocent though she be. Mind you, she is as square as anything; she is in no way mixed up withour affairs up there. But I'm giving you the tip. Sneak her out assoon as you can, and don't leave any trail. "

"She may prefer to face the music, O'Dowd. If I know her at all, shewill refuse to run away. "

"Then ye'll have to kidnap her, " said the Irishman earnestly. "Therewill be men swarming here from both sides of the border by to-morrownight or next day. I've had direct information. The matter is in thehands of the people at Washington and they are in communication withOttawa this afternoon. Never mind how I found it out. It's the gospeltruth, and--it's going to be bad for all of us if we're here when theycome. "

"Who is she, O'Dowd? Man to man, tell me the truth. I want to knowjust where I stand. "

O'Dowd hesitated, looked around the tap-room, and then leaned acrossthe table. 

"She is the daughter of Andreas Mara-Dafanda, former minister of warin the cabinet of Prince Bolaroz the Sixth. Her mother was firstcousin to the Prince. Both father and mother are dead. And for thatmatter, so is Bolaroz the Sixth. He was killed early in this war. Hisbrother, a prisoner in Austria, as you may already know, is the nextin line for the throne, --if the poor devil lives to get it back fromthe Huns. Miss Cameron is in reality the Countess Therese Mara-Dafanda--familiarly and lovingly known in her own land as the CountessTed. She was visiting in this country when the war broke out. If it isof any use to you, I'll add that she would be rich if Aladdin couldonly come to life and restore the splendours of the demolished castle, refill the chests of gold that have been emptied by the conquerors, and restock the farms that have been pillaged and devastated. In theabsence of Aladdin, however, she is almost as poor as the ancientchurch-mouse. But she has a fortune of her own. Two of the mostglorious rubies in the world represent her lips; her eyes aresapphires that put to shame the rocks of all the Sultans; when shesmiles, you may look upon pearls that would make the Queen of Sheba'strinkets look like chinaware; her skin is of the rarest and richestvelvet; her hair is all silk and a yard wide; and, best of all, shehas a heart of pure gold. So there you are, me man. Half the royalprogeny of Europe have been suitors for her hand, and the other halfwould be if they didn't happen to be of the same sex. "

"Is she likely to--er--marry any one of them, O'Dowd?"

"Do you mean, is she betrothed to one of the royal nuts? If I were herworst enemy I couldn't wish her anything as bad as that. The world isfull of regular men, --like meself, for example, --and 'twould be a pityto see her wasted upon anything so cheap as a king. "

"Then, she isn't?"

"Isn't what?"

"Betrothed. "

"Oh!" He squinted his eyes drolly. "Bedad, if she is, she's kept it asecret from me. Have you aspirations, me friend?"

"Certainly not, " said Barnes sharply. "By the way, you have mentionedPrince Bolaroz the Sixth, but you haven't given a name to the countryhe ruled. "

O'Dowd stared. "The Saints preserve us! Is the man a numbskull? Areyou saying that you don't know who and what--My God, such ignorancebewilders me!"

"Painful as it may be to you, O'Dowd, I don't seem able to placeBolaroz in his proper realm. "

"Whist, then!" He put his hand to his mouth and whispered a name. 

An incredulous expression came into Barnes's eyes. "Are you jestingwith me, O'Dowd?"

"I am not. "

"But I thought it was nothing more than a make-believe, imaginaryland, cooked up by some hair-brained novelist for the purpose of--"

"Well, ye know better now, " said O'Dowd crisply. "Good-bye. I must beon my way. Deliver my best wishes to her, Barnes, and say that if sheever needs a friend Billy O'Dowd is the boy to respond to any call shesends out. God willing, I may see her again some day, --and I'll saythe same to you, old man. " He arose and held out his hand. "I'mtrusting to you to get her away from these parts before the rat-catchers come. Don't let 'em bother her. Good-bye and good luckforever. "

"You are a brick, O'Dowd. I want to see you again. You will alwaysfind me--"

"Thanks. Don't issue any rash invitations. I might take you up. " Hestrode to the door, followed by Barnes. 

"Is there anything to be feared from this Prince Ugo or the crowd upthere?"

"There would be if they knew where they could lay their hands on herinside of the next ten hours. She could a tale unfold, and theywouldn't like that. Keep her under cover here till--well, till THATdanger is past and then keep her out of the danger that is to come. "

Barnes started upstairs as soon as O'Dowd was off, urged by aneagerness that put wings on his feet and a thrill of excitement in hisblood. Half way up he stopped short. A new condition confronted him. What was the proper way to approach a person of royal blood? Certainlyit wasn't right to go galumping upstairs and bang on her door, andsaunter in as if she were just like any one else. He would have tothink. 

When he resumed his upward progress it was with a chastened anddeferential mien. Pausing at her door, he was at once aware of voicesinside the room. He stood there for some time before he realised thatMiss Thackeray was repeating, with theatric fervour, though haltingly, as much of her "part" as she could remember, evidently to thesatisfaction of the cousin of princes, for there were frequentinterruptions which had all the symptoms of applause. 

He rapped on the door, but so timorously that nothing came of it. Hissecond effort was productive. He heard Miss Thackeray say "goodgracious, " and, after a moment, Miss Cameron's subdued: "What is it?"

"May I come in?" he inquired, rather ashamed of his vigour. "It's onlyBarnes. "

"Come in, " was her lively response. "It was awfully good of you, MissThackeray, to let me hear your lines. I think you will be a greatsuccess in the part. "

"Thanks, " said Miss Thackeray drily. "I'll come in again and let youhear me in the third act. " She went out, mumbling her lines as shepassed Barnes without seeing him. 

"Forgive me for not arising, Mr. Barnes, " said Royalty, a wry littlesmile on her lips. "I fear I twisted it more severely than I thoughtat first. It is really quite painful. "

"Your ankle?" he cried in surprise. "When and how did it happen? I'msorry, awfully sorry. "

"It happened last night, just as we were crossing the ditch in front--"

"Last night? Why didn't you tell me? Don't you know that it's wrong towalk with a sprained ankle? Don't--"

"Don't be angry with me, " she pleaded. "You could not have doneanything. "

"Couldn't I, though? I certainly could have carried you the rest ofthe way, --and upstairs. " He was conscious of a strange exasperation. He felt as though he had been deliberately cheated out of something. 

"You poor man! I am quite heavy. "

"Pooh! A hundred and twenty-five at the outside. Do you think I'm aweakling?"

"Please, please!" she cried. "You look so--so furious. I know you arevery, very strong, --but so am I. Why should I expect you to carry meall that distance when--"

"But, good Lord, " he blurted out, "I would have loved to do it. Ican't imagine anything more--I--I--" He broke off in confusion. 

She smiled divinely. "Alas, it is too late now. But--" she went ongaily, "you may yet have the pleasure of carrying me downstairs, Mr. Barnes. Will that appease your wrath?"

He flushed. "I'm sorry I--"

"See, " she said, "it is nicely bandaged, --and if you could see throughthe bandages you would find it dreadfully swollen. That nice MissThackeray doctored me. What a quaint person she is. "

His brow clouded once more. "I hope you will feel able to leave thisplace to-morrow, Countess. We must get away almost immediately. "

"Ah, you have been listening to O'Dowd, I see. "

"Yes. He tells me it will be dangerous to--"

"I was thinking of something else that he must have told you. Youforgot to address me as Miss Cameron. "

"I might have gone even farther and called you the Countess Ted, " hesaid. 

She sighed. "It was rather nice being Miss Cameron to you, Mr. Barnes. You will not let it make any difference, will you? I mean to say, youwill be just the same as if I were still Miss Cameron and not--someone else?"

"I will be just the same, " he said, leaning a little closer. "I am notso easily frightened as all that, you know. "

She looked into his eyes for a moment, and then turned her own swiftlyaway. Entranced, he watched the delicate colour steal into her cheek. 

"You are just like other women, " he said thickly, "and I am like othermen. We can't help being what we are, Countess. Flesh and bloodmortals, that's all. If a cat may look at a king, why may not I lookat a countess?"

She met his gaze, but not steadily. Her deep blue eyes were filledwith a vague wonder; she seemed to be searching for something in histo explain the sudden embarrassment that had come over her. 

"Ah, I do not understand you American men, " she murmured, shaking herhead. "A king would have found as much pleasure in looking at MissCameron as at a countess. Why shouldn't YOU?" A radiant smile lightedher face. "The king would not think of reproving the cat. I see noreason why you should not look at a poor little countess withimpunity. "

"Do you think it would be possible for you to understand me any betteras Miss Cameron?" he asked bluntly. 

"I think perhaps it would, " she said, the smile fading. 

"Then, I shall continue to look upon you as Miss Cameron, Countess. Itwill make it easier for both of us. "

"Yes, " she said, a little sadly, "I am sure Miss Cameron would not behalf so dense as the Countess. She would understand perfectly. She hasgrown to be a very discerning person, Mr. Barnes, notwithstanding herextreme youth. Miss Cameron is only four days old, you see. "

He bowed very low and said: "My proudest boast is that I have knownher since the day she was born. If I had the tongue and the courage ofO'Dowd I might add a great deal to that statement. "

"A great deal that you would not say to a countess?" she asked, playing with fire. 

"A great deal that a child four days old could hardly be expected tograsp, Miss Cameron, " he replied, pointedly. "Having lived to a greatage myself, and acquired wisdom, I appreciate the futility of utteringprofound truths to an infant in arms. "

She beamed. "O'Dowd could not have done any better than that, " shecried. Then quickly, even nervously, as he was about to speak again:"Now, tell me all that Mr. O'Dowd had to say. "

He seated himself and repeated the Irishman's warning. Her eyesclouded as he went on; utter dejection came into them. 

"He is right. It would be difficult for me to clear myself. My ownpeople would be against me. No one would believe that I did notdeliberately make off with the jewels. They would say that I--oh, itis too dreadful!"

"Don't worry about that, " he exclaimed. "You have me to testify that--"

"How little you know of intrigue, " she cried. "They would laugh at youand say that you were merely another fool who had lost his head over awoman. They would say that I duped you--"

"No!" he cried vehemently. "Your people know better than you think. You are disheartened, discouraged. Things will look brighter to-morrow. Good heavens, think how much worse it might have been. That--that infernal brute was going to force you into a vile, unholymarriage. He--By the way, " he broke off abruptly, "I have beenthinking a lot about what you told me. He couldn't have married youwithout your consent. Such a marriage would never hold in a court of--"

"You are wrong, " she said quietly. "He could have married me withoutmy consent, and it would have held, --not in one of your law courts, Idare say, but in the court to which he and I belong by laws that weremade centuries before America was discovered. A prince of the royalhouse may wed whom and when he chooses, provided he does not look toofar beneath his station. He may not wed a commoner. The state wouldnot recognise such a union. My consent was not necessary. "

"But you are in my country now, not in yours, " he argued. "Our lawswould have protected you. "

"You do not understand. Marriages such as he contemplated are madeevery year in Europe. Do you suppose that the royal marriages you readabout in the newspapers are made with the consent of the poor littleprinces and princesses? Your laws are one thing, Mr. Barnes; ourcourts are another. Need I be more explicit?"

"I think I understand, " he said slowly. "Poor wretches!"

"Prince Ugo is of royal blood. I am not too far beneath him. In mycountry his word is the law. The marriage that was to have beencelebrated to-day at Green Fancy would have bound me to him forever. It would have been recognised in my country as legal. I have not theright of appeal. I would not even be permitted to question his rightto make me his wife against my will. He is a prince. His will is law. "

"Isn't love allowed to enter into a--"

"Love?" she scorned. "What has love to do with it? There isn't a queenin all the world who loves--or loved, I would better say, --the man shemarried. Some of them may have grown afterwards to love their kings, because all kings are not alike. You may be quite sure, however, thatthe wives of kings and princes did not marry their ideals; they didnot marry the men they loved. So, you see, it wouldn't have matteredin the least to Prince Ugo whether I loved him or hated him. It wasall the same to him. It was enough that he loved me and wanted me. Andbesides, laying sentiment aside, it wouldn't have been a bad stroke ofbusiness on his part. He has a fair chance to sit on the throne of ourcountry. By placing me beside him on the throne he would be taking along step toward uniting the factions that are now bitterly opposingeach other. I am able to discuss all this very calmly with you now, Mr. Barnes, for the nightmare is ended. I am here with you, alive andwell. If you had not come for me last night, I would now be sleepingthe long sleep at Green Fancy. "

"You--you would have taken your own life?" he said, in a shockedvoice. 

"I would have spared myself the horror of letting him destroy it in aslower, more painful fashion, " she said, compressing her lips. 

He did not speak at once. Looking into her troubled eyes, he said, after a soulful moment: "I am glad that I came in time. You were madeto love and be loved. The man you love, --if there ever be one sofortunate, --will be my debtor to the end of his days. I glorify myselffor having been instrumental in saving you for him. "

"If there ever be one so fortunate, " she mused. Suddenly her moodchanged. A new kind of despair came into her lovely eyes, a plaintivenote into her voice. (I may be pardoned for declaring that she became, in the twinkling of an eye, a real flesh and blood woman. ) "I don'tknow what I shall do unless I can get something to wear, Mr. Barnes. Ihaven't a thing, you see. This suit is--well, you can see what it is. I--"

"I've never seen a more attractive suit, " he pronounced. "I said asmuch to myself the first time I saw it, the other evening at thecross-roads. It fits--"

"But I cannot LIVE in it, you know. My boxes are up at Green Fancy, --two small ones for steamer use. Everything I have in the world is inthem. Pray do not look so forlorn. You really couldn't have carriedthem, Mr. Barnes, and I shudder when I think of what would havehappened to you if I had tumbled them out of the window upon yourhead. You would have been squashed, and it isn't unlikely that youwould have aroused every one in the house with your groans andcurses. "

"I dropped a trunk on my toes one time, " he said, grinning with adelight that had nothing to do with the reminiscence. She was quaintlyhumorous once more, and he was happy. "I think one swears moreprodigiously when a trunk falls on his toes than he does when it dropson his head. There is something wonderfully quieting and soothingabout a trunk lighting on one's head from a great height. Don't worryabout your boxes. I have a feeling it will be perfectly safe to callfor them with a wagon to-morrow. "

"I don't know what I should do without you, " she said. 

That evening at supper, Barnes and Mr. Rushcroft, to say nothing ofthree or four "transients, " had great cause for complaint about theservice. Miss Tilly was wholly pre-occupied. She was memorising her"part. " Instead of asking Mr. Rushcroft whether he would have beansoup or noodles, she wanted to know whether she should speak the linethis way or that. She had a faraway, strained look in her eyes, andshe mumbled so incessantly that one of the guests got up and went outto see Mr. Jones about it. Being assured that she was just a plaindamn' fool and not crazy, he returned and said a great many unpleasantthings in the presence of Miss Tilly, who fortunately did not hearthem. 

"You've spoiled a very good waitress, Rushcroft, " said Barnes. 

"And a very good appetite as well, " growled the Star. 

Late in the night, Barnes, sitting at his window dreaming dreams, sawtwo big touring cars whiz past the tavern. The next morning PeterAmes, the chauffeur, called him up on the telephone to inquire whetherhe had heard anything more about the job on his sister's place. He wasanxious to know, he said, because everybody had cleared out of GreenFancy during the night and he had received instructions to lock up thehouse and look for another situation. 

CHAPTER XVIII

MR. SPROUSE CONTINUES TO BE PERPLEXING, BUT PUTS HIS NOSE TO THEGROUND

The morning air was soft with the first real touch of spring. A quiethaze lay over the valley; the lofty hills were enjoying a peacefulsmoke, and the sky was as blue as the turquoise. Birds shrilled afresh, gay carol; the song of the anvil had a new thrill of joy inevery inspiring note; the cawing of crows travelled melodiously acrossthe fields, roosters split their throats in vociferous acclaim to thedistant sun, and hens clucked a complacent chorus. The rattle ofkitchen pans was melody to the ear instead of torture; the squeakingof pigs in the sty beyond the stable yard took on the dignity ofmusic; and the blue smoke that rose from chimneys near and far wentdancing up to wed the smiling sky. 

Barnes was abroad early. Very greatly to his annoyance, he had sleptlong and soundly throughout the night. He was annoyed because he hadmade up his mind that as her protector he would be most negligent ifhe went to sleep at all, with all those frightened varlets hoveringaround ready to go to any extreme in order to save their skins. 

Indeed, he left his door slightly ajar and laid his revolver on achair beside the bed, in which, with the aid of a lantern, he promisedhimself to keep the vigil, stretched out in his daytime garb, preparedfor instant action, the while he enriched his mind by reading "The Manof Property. " But he fell to dreaming with his eyes wide open, and fewwere the pages he turned. 

Suddenly it was broad daylight and the wick in the lantern smelledhorribly. He popped from the bed, rubbed his eyes, and then dashed outin the hall, expecting to come upon sanguinary evidence of a raidduring the night. To his amazement, there were no visible signs of anattack upon the house. It seemed incredible that his defection had notbeen attended by results too horrible to contemplate. By all the lawsof fate, she should now be either dead or at the very least, frightfully mutilated. Something like that invariably happens when asentinel sleeps at his post, or an engineer drowses in his cab. Butnothing of the sort had happened. 

Mr. Bacon, sweeping the front stairs, assured him between yawns thathe hadn't heard a sound in the Tavern after half-past ten, --at whichhour he went to bed and to sleep. 

Barnes was at breakfast when Peter Ames called up. An inspirationseized him when the chauffeur mentioned the wholesale exodus: he hiredPeter forthwith and ordered him to report immediately, --with the car. He was going up to Green Fancy for Miss Cameron's "boxes. "

Whether it was the fresh, sweet smell of the earth that caused him tosaunter forth from the Tavern, and to adventure across the road to thefoot of the great old oak, or the ripening of spring in his blood, isof no immediate consequence here. He had no reason for going overthere to lean against the tree and light his after-breakfast pipe, --unless, of course, it be argued that the position afforded a fair andexcellent view of the window in Miss Cameron's room. The shutters wereopen and the low sash was raised. 

Presently she appeared at the window, and smiled down upon him. Thespell was at its height; the charm that had clothed the morning withenchantment was now complete. 

He waved his hand. "The top o' the morning, " he cried. 

"I detect coffee, " she returned, "and, oh, how good it smells. Haveyou had yours?"

"Ages ago, " he replied, ecstatically. 

She placed her elbows on the sill and her chin in the palms of herhands. The loose sleeves of Miss Thackeray's bizarre dressing gownfell away, revealing two round, smooth, white arms. The sun shot itsmellow light into the ripples of her tousled hair, and it shone likeburnished gold. Her white teeth gleamed against the red of her smilinglips. He was fascinated. 

The automobile driven by Peter Ames too soon came roaring and rattlingup the pike. She withdrew her head, after twice being warned by Barnesnot to reveal herself to the view of skulkers who might infest thewood beyond, --and each time his reward was a delightfully stubbornshake of the head and the ruthless assertion that on such a heavenlymorning as this she didn't mind in the least if all the spies in theworld were gazing at her. 

Two minutes after Peter drove up to the Tavern he was on the way backto Green Fancy again, and seated beside him was Thomas KingsburyBarnes, his new master. 

"Needn't be afraid of trespassin', " said Peter when Barnes advised himto go slow as they turned off the road into the forest. "Nobody'sgoing to object. You c'n yell, and shoot, and raise all the thunderyou want, an' there won't be nobody runnin' out to tell you to shutup. Might as well try to disturb a graveyard. "

There was not a sign of human life about the place. Peter, withoutcompunction, admitted his employer through the back door of the house, and accompanied him upstairs to the room recently occupied by MissCameron. 

"Course, " he said, but not uneasily, "I'm not supposed to let anybodyremove anything from the house as long as I'm employed as caretaker. "

"But you are no longer employed as caretaker. You were discharged andyou are now working for me, Peter. "

"That's so, " said Peter, scratching his head. "Makes all thedifference in the world. I never thought of that. Come to think of it, I guess Miss Cameron needs clothes as much as anybody. The rest of 'emtook all their duds away with 'em, you c'n bet. Would you know MissCameron's clothes if you was to see 'em?"

"Perfectly, " said Barnes. 

"That's good, " said Peter, relieved. "Clothes seem to look purty muchalike to me, specially women's. "

They found the two small leather trunks, thickly belabelled, in theroom upstairs. Both were locked. 

"I don't see how you're going to identify 'em without seein' 'em, "said Peter dubiously. 

Barnes looked at him sternly. "Peter, be good enough to remember thatyou are working for a man of the most highly developed powers ofdivination. Do you get that?"

"No, sir, " said Peter honestly; "I don't. "

"Well, if I were to say to you that I possess the singular ability tosee a thing without actually seeing it, what would you say?"

"I wouldn't say anything, because I don't think it helps a man any tocall his boss a liar. "

"You take this one, " said Barnes, without further parley, "and I willmanage the other. " He was in a hurry to get away from the house. Therewas no telling when the government agents would descend upon theplace. He was at a loss to understand O'Dowd's failure to remove thetrunks which would so surely draw the attention of the authorities tothe girl he seemed so eager to shield. "And, by the way, " he added, asthey descended the stairs with the trunks on their backs, "you may aswell get your own things together, Peter. We start on a long motortrip to-night. I am afraid we shall have to steal the automobile, ifyou don't mind. "

"It belongs to me, sir, " said Peter. "Mr. O'Dowd gave it to meyesterday, with his compliments. It seems that he had word from hissister to reward me for long and faithful service. Special cablegramfrom London or England, I forget which. "

"Did Mr. Curtis leave with the others last night?" inquired Barnes, setting the trunk down on the brick pavement outside the door. 

"'Pears that he left a couple of days ago, " said Peter, vastlyperplexed. "By gosh, I don't see how he done it, 'thout me knowin'anything about it. Derned queer, that's all I got to say, man as sickas he is. "

Barnes did not enlighten him. He helped Peter to lift the trunks intothe car and then ordered him to start at once for Hart's Tavern. 

"You can return later on for your things, " he said. 

"I got 'em tied up in a bundle in the garage, Mr. Burns, " he said. "Won't take a second to get 'em out. " He hurried around the corner ofthe house, leaving Barnes alone with the car. 

A dry, quiet chuckle fell upon Barnes's ears. He glanced about insurprise and alarm. No one was in sight. 

"Look up, young man, " and the startled young man obeyed. His gazehalted at a window on the second story, almost directly over his head. 

Mr. Sprouse was looking down upon him, his sharp features fixed in asardonic grin. 

"Well, I'll be damned!" burst from Barnes's lips. He could not believehis eyes. 

"Surprised to see me, eh? If you're not in a hurry, I'd certainlyappreciate a lift as far as the Tavern, old man. I'll be down in ajiffy. "

"Hold on! What the deuce does all this mean? How do you happen to behere, and where are the--"

"Sh! Not so loud! Don't get excited. I dare say you know all there isto know about me by this time, so we needn't waste time over trifles. Stand aside! I'm going to drop. " A moment later he swung over thesill, and dropped lightly to the ground eight feet below. Dusting hishands, he advanced and extended one of them to the bewildered Barnes. "Oh, you won't shake, eh? Well, it doesn't matter. I don't blame you. "

"See here, Sprouse or whatever your name is, --"

"Cool off! I'll explain in ten words. I didn't get the stuff. I cameback this morning to have a quiet, undisturbed look around. My onlyreason for revealing myself to you now, Barnes, is to ask yourassistance in--"

"Ask my assistance, you infernal rogue!" roared Barnes. "Why, I'll--I'll--"

"Better hear me out, " broke in Sprouse calmly. 

"I could drill a hole through you so quickly you'd never know what didit, " he went on. His hand was in his coat pocket, and a quick glancerevealed to Barnes a singularly impressive angle in the cloth, thepoint of which seemed to be directed squarely at his chest. "But I'mnot going to do it. I just want to set myself straight with you. In aword, I never got anywhere near the room in which the jewels werehidden. This is God's truth, Barnes. I didn't stick a knife into thatpoor devil up there the other night. Here's what actually happened. I--"

"Wait a moment. You intended to steal the jewels, didn't you? You werenot playing fair with me then, so why should I put any faith in younow?"

"Honest confession is good for the soul, " said Sprouse easily. "Iwasn't the only one who was trying to get the baubles, my friend. Itwas a game in which only the best man could win. "

"I know the truth now about Roon and Paul, " said Barnes significantly. 

"You do?" sneered Sprouse. "I'll bet you a thousand to one you do not. If the girl told you what she believes to be true, she didn't have itstraight at all. She was led to believe that they were a couple ofcrooks and that they fixed me in that Tavern down there. Isn't thatwhat she told you? Well, that story was cooked up for her specialbenefit. I don't mind telling you the truth about them, and you cantell it to her. Roon was the Baron Hedlund--But all this can wait. Now--"

"Did you shoot either of those men?"

"I did not. Baron Hedlund was shot, I firmly believe, by Prince Ugo. Imight as well go on with the story now and have it over with. Tellthat chauffeur to take a little stroll. He doesn't have to hear thestory, you know. Hedlund came up here a week or so ago to keep a look-out for his wife. The Baroness is supposed to be deeply enamoured ofPrince Ugo. He found letters which seemed to indicate that she wasplanning to join the Prince up here. In any event, he came to watch. Well, she didn't come. She had been headed off, but he didn't knowthat. When he heard of the arrival of a lady at Green Fancy the otherafternoon, he got busy. He went right up there with blood in his eye. I admit that I am the gentleman who telephoned the warning up to thePrince. They tried to head the Baron and his man off at the cross-roads, but he beat them to it. If there was to be a fight, they didn'twant it to happen anywhere near the house. Part of them, led by Ugohimself, took a short cut up through the woods and met the two men inthe road. 

"There is only one man in the world to-day who is a better shot atnight than Prince Ugo, and modesty keeps me from mentioning hisillustrious name. That's why I believe Ugo is the one who got theBaron, --or Roon, as you know him. The other fellow was halted at thecross-roads when he made a run for it. A couple of men had been sentthere for just such an emergency. Hedlund was a curiously chivalrouschap. He went to extreme measures to protect his wife's good name bywiping out all means of identification. His wife's good name! It is tolaugh! Now, that is the true story of the little affair, and if youare as much of a gentleman as I take you to be, Barnes, you willrespect Hedlund's desire to shield the woman he loved, and let him lieup yonder in an unmarked grave. That is what he figured on, you know, in case things went against him, and I'll stake my head that if youput it up to the Countess Therese, she will feel as I do about it. Shewill beg you to keep the secret. Hedlund was a lifelong friend of herfamily. He was beloved by all of them. He married an actress in Viennathree or four years ago. On second thoughts, if I were you I'd sparethe Countess. I'd let her go on thinking that the story she has heardis true, --at least for the time being. She's a nice girl and there'sno sense in giving her any unnecessary pain. But that's up to you. Youcan do as you please about it. 

"Now to go back to my own troubles. When I got out into the hall nightbefore last, after leaving her room, I heard voices whispering inPrince Ugo's room. Naturally I thought that some one had lamped us onthe outside, and that I was likely to be in a devil of a mess if Iwasn't careful. The last place for me to go was back into her room. They would cut me off from the outside. So I beat it up the stairwayinto the attic. Nothing happened, so I sneaked down to have a peeparound. The door to Ugo's room was open, but there was no light on theinside. He came to the door and looked up and down the hall. Then someone else came out and started to sneak away. I leave you to guess thesex. 

"Nicholas butted in at this unfortunate juncture. He made the mistakeof his life. I could see him as plain as day, standing in the hallgrinning like an ape. Ugo jumped back into his room. In less than asecond he was out again. He landed squarely on Nicholas's back as thefellow turned to escape. I saw the steel flash. Poor old Nick wentdown in a heap, letting out a horrible yell. Ugo dragged him into theroom and dashed back into his own. A moment later he came out again, yelling for help. I heard him shouting that the house had beenrobbed, --and in two seconds there was an uproar all over the place. Ithought I was done for. But he had them all rushing downstairs, yelling that the thief had gone that way. There was only one thingleft for me to do and that was to get out on the roof if possible, andwait for things to quiet down. I got out through a trap door andstayed there for an hour or so. They were beating the forest for thethief, and I give you my word, believe it or not, I actually sent up aprayer, Barnes, that you had got off safely with the girl. I prayedharder than I ever dreamed a man could pray. 

"Well, to shorten the story, I finally took a chance and slid down tothe eaves where I managed to find the limb of a tree big enough tosupport me, --just as if the Lord had ordered it put there for myspecial benefit. I was soon on the ground, and that meant safety forme. I had heard Ugo tell the others that Nicholas said the man whostabbed him was yours truly. Can you beat it? And then every mother'sson of them declared it was a feat that no one else in the world couldhave pulled off but me, and as I was nowhere to be found, it was onlynatural that all of them should believe the lie that Ugo told. 

"And now comes the maddening part of the whole business. He said thatthe crown jewels were gone! I heard him telling how he was awakenedout of a sound sleep by a man with a gun, who forced him to open thesafe and hand over the treasure. Then he said he was put to sleepagain by a crack over the head with a slung-shot. He was onlypartially stunned, --Lord, what a liar!--and came to in time to hearthe struggle across the hall. The thief was running downstairs when hestaggered to the door. It seems that the door at the bottom of thesteps had not been closed that night. 

"Now, my dear Mr. Barnes, when I asked you to lend your assistanceawhile ago, it was only to have you tell me when it was that Mr. Loebleft this place, which way he went, and who accompanied him. If we areto find the crown jewels, my friend, we will first have to find PrinceUgo. He has them. "

Barnes had not taken his eyes from the face of this amazing rascalduring the whole of the recital. He had been deceived in him before;he was determined not to be fooled again. 

"I don't believe a word of this yarn, " he said flatly. "You have thejewels and--"

"Don't be an ass, " snapped Sprouse. "If I had them do you suppose I'dbe fiddling around here to-day? Not much. I saw the gang making theirgetaway last night, and I saw Peter depart this morning. I concludedto have a look about the place. Hope springs eternal, you know. Therewas a bare possibility that he might have forgotten them!" He scowledas he grinned, and never had Barnes looked upon a countenance so evil. 

"Why should I tell YOU anything about Prince Ugo? It would only behelping you to carry out the game--"

"Look here, Mr. Barnes, I'm not going to double-cross you again. That's all over. I want to get that scurvy dog who knifed poor oldNick. Nick was a decent, square man. He wasn't a crook. He was apatriot, if such a thing exists in this world to-day. If you can giveme a lead, I'll try to run Prince Ugo down. And if I do, we'll get thejewels. "

"We? You amuse me, Sprouse. "

"Well, I can't do any more than give my promise, my solemn oath, orsomething like that. I can't give a bond, you know. I swear to youthat if I lay hands on that stuff, I will deliver it to you. Mightjust as well trust me as Ugo. You won't get them from him, that'ssure; and you may get them from me. "

"Is it revenge you're after?"

"My God, " almost shouted Sprouse in his exasperation, "didn't he giveme a black eye among my friends up here? Didn't he put me in wrongwith all of them? Do you think I'm going to stand for that? Think I'mgoing to let him get away with it? You don't know me, my friend. I'vegot a reputation at stake. No one has ever double-crossed me and gotaway with it. I want to prove to the world that I didn't take thosejewels. I--"

"Just what do you mean by 'the world, ' Sprouse?"

"My world, " he replied succinctly. "I'm not a piker, you know, " hewent on, cocking one eye in a somewhat supercilious manner. "Thestakes are always high in my game. I don't play for pennies. "

"Get in the car, " said Barnes suddenly. He had decided to take achance with the resourceful, indefatigable rascal. There was nothingto be lost by setting him on the track of Prince Ugo, who, if theman's story was true, had betrayed his best friends. There wassomething convincing about Sprouse's version of the affair at GreenFancy. He called out to Peter. 

"I suppose you know that the whole game is up, Naismith, " he said, lowering his voice. Peter was wrathfully cranking the car. "Thegovernment is going to take a hand in this business up here. "

"If you mean that as a hint to me, it's unnecessary. I'll be on my wayinside of an hour. This is no place for me. And that Tavern is noplace for--er--for her, Barnes. Just mention that you saw me and thatI'm going after Mr. Loeb. If I get the stuff, I'll do the square thingby her. Not for sentimental reasons, bless you, but just because Ilike to do things that make people wonder what the hell I'll do next. Tell her the whole story if you feel like it, but if I were you I'dwait till she is safe among her friends, where she won't be nervous. Hit it up a bit, Peter, old boy. I'm in a hurry. "

Peter eyed him in an unfriendly manner. "Where did you come from, Mr. Perkins? Mighty queer you--"

Sprouse spoke softly out of the corner of his mouth. "Nice old NewEngland name, isn't it, Barnes?" To Peter: "It's a long story. I'llwrite it to you. Speed up. "

Barnes told all that he knew of Prince Ugo's flight. Sprouse lookedthoughtful for a long time. 

"So O'Dowd knows that I really was after the swag, eh? He believes Igot it?"

"I suppose so. "

"The only one who thinks I'm absolutely innocent is Ugo, of course, --and Mrs. Van Dyke. That's good. " Sprouse smacked his lips. "Just sendme on to Hornville in the car, and don't give me another thought tillyou hear from me. I've got a pretty fair idea where I can find Mr. Loeb. It will take a little time, --a couple of days, perhaps, --butsooner or later he'll turn up in close proximity to the beautifulbaroness. "

CHAPTER XIX

A TRIP BY NIGHT, A SUPPER, AND A LATE ARRIVAL

Shortly after sundown that evening, the Rushcroft Company evacuatedHart's Tavern. They were delayed by the irritating and, to Mr. Rushcroft, unpardonable behaviour of two officious gentlemen, latelyarrived, who insisted politely but firmly on prying into the past, present and future history of the several members of the organisation, including the new "backer" or "angel, " as one of the operatives slylyobserved to the other on beholding Miss Thackeray. 

Barnes easily established his own identity and position, and was notlong in convincing the investigators that his connection with thestranded company was of a purely philanthropic nature, --yes, evenplatonic, he asseverated with some heat when the question was put tohim. 

They examined him closely concerning his solitary visit to GreenFancy, and he described to the best of his ability all but one of theinmates. He neglected to mention Miss Cameron. Realising that he wouldbe storing up trouble for himself if he failed to mention his trip tothe house that morning, --they were sure to hear of it in time, --he sethis mind to the task of constructing a satisfactory explanation. Heconcluded to sacrifice Peter Ames, temporarily at least. Taking Peteraside, he explained the situation to him, impressing upon him theimportance of leaving Miss Cameron and her luggage out of theinterview, and to say nothing about the return of "Mr. Perkins. "

Fortified by Barnes's promise to protect him if he followed theseinstructions, Peter consented to tell all that he knew about thepeople at Green Fancy. Whereupon his new employer informed the secretservice men that he had gone up to Green Fancy that morning inresponse to an appeal from Peter Ames, who had applied to him for aposition a day or two before. On his arrival there he confirmed thebewildered chauffeur's story that the whole crowd had stolen awayduring the night. He guaranteed to produce Peter at any time he wasneeded, and was perfectly willing to discommode himself to the extentof leaving the man behind if they insisted on holding him. 

The officers, after putting him through a rather rigid examination, held private consultation over Peter. To Barnes's surprise andsubsequent dismay, they announced that there was nothing to be gainedby holding the man; he was at liberty to depart with his employer, provided he would report when necessary. 

Barnes was some time in fathoming the motive behind this seemingindifference on the part of the secret service men. It came to himlike a flash, and its significance stunned him. They had decided thatthere was more to be gained by letting Peter Ames think he was abovesuspicion than by keeping him on the anxious seat. Peter unrestrainedwas of more value to them than Peter in durance vile. And from thatmoment forward there would not be an hour of the day or night when hewas far ahead of the shadower who followed his trail. There would be asly, invisible pursuer at his heels, and an eye ever ready to detectthe first false move that he made. They were counting on Peter to leadthem, in his own good time, to the haunts of his comrades. He couldnot escape. And he could make the fatal mistake of considering them apack of fools!

Barnes, perceiving all this, was in a state of perturbation. He haddevised a very clever plan for getting Miss Cameron away from theTavern without attracting undue attention. She was to leave in one ofthe automobiles that he had engaged to convey the players toCrowndale. It should go without saying that she was to travel with himin Peter's ramshackle car. In case of detention or inquiry, she was topose as a stage-struck young woman who had obtained a place with thecompany at the last moment through his influence. 

Mr. Rushcroft was not in the secret. Barnes merely announced that hewanted to give a charming young friend of the family a chance to seewhat she could do on the stage, and that he had taken the liberty ofsending for her. The star was magnanimous. He slapped Barnes on theback and declared that nothing could give him greater joy than totransform any friend of his into an actress, and he didn't give a hangwhether she had talent or not. 

"We'll write in a part for her to-night, " he said, "and we'll make ita small one at first, so that she won't have any difficulty inlearning it. From night to night we'll build it up, Barnes, so that bythe end of our first month your protegee practically will be a co-starwith me. There's nothing mean about me, old chap. Any friend of yourscan have--"

Barnes made haste to explain that he did not want any one to know thatthis friend of the family was going on the stage, and that he would begreatly indebted to Rushcroft if he would keep "mum" about it for thetime being. 

"Certainly. Not a word. I understand, " said Mr. Rushcroft amiably. "I've had it happen before, " he went on, a perfectly meaninglessremark that brought a flush to Barnes's cheek. 

It had been Barnes's intention to spirit his charge away from Hart'sTavern under cover of darkness, in company with his other"responsibilities, " but the fresh turn of affairs now presenteddifficulties that were likely to upset his hastily conceived strategy. He had but one purpose in view, and that was to spare her anunpleasant encounter with the government officials, --an encounter thatconceivably might result in very distressing complications. He hadrevealed his plan to her and she apparently was very much taken withit, --indeed, she was quite enthusiastic over the prospect of beingwhisked unceremoniously to Crowndale, and thence to the home of hissister in New York City, where she could at once put herself incommunication with friends and supporters. 

He was looking forward with dubious hopes to a possible extension ofhis guardianship, involving a voyage across the Atlantic and thetriumphant delivery of the Countess, so to speak, into the eager armsof her country's ambassador at Paris. He was now in a state of mindthat inspired him with the belief that it would be a joy to die forher. If he died for her, she would always remember him as a brave, devoted champion; she would exalt him; in her tender, grateful heartthere would always be a corner for him, even to the end of her days, --even to the end of her days on the throne of her country's ruler. Farbetter that he should die for her, --and have it all over with, --thanthat he should live to see her the wife of--But invariably he ceaseddreaming at this point and admitted that it would be infinitely moresatisfying to live. It was his matter-of-fact contention that whilethere is life there is hope. 

When the hour came for the departure from Hart's Tavern hedeliberately engaged the two secret service men in conversation in thetap-room. Miss Cameron left the house by the rear door and was safelyensconced in Peter's automobile long before he shook hands with the"rat-catchers" and dashed out to join her. Tommy Gray's car, occupiedby the four players, was moving away from the door as he sprang inbeside her and slammed the door. The interior of the car was as blackas pitch. 

"Are you there?" he whispered. 

"Yes. Isn't it jolly, running away like this? It must be wonderfullyexciting to be a criminal, always dodging and--"

"Sh! Even a limousine may have ears!"

But if the limousine had possessed a thousand ears they would havebeen rendered useless in the stormy racket made by Peter's muffler andthe thunderous roar of the exhaust as the car got under way. 

Sixty miles lay between them and Crowndale. Tommy Gray guaranteed thatthe distance could be covered in three hours, even over the vilemountain roads. Ten o'clock would find them at the Grand Palace Hotel, none the worse for wear, provided (he always put it parenthetically)they lived to tell the tale! The luggage had gone on ahead of themearlier in the day. 

Peter's efforts to stay behind Tommy's venerable but surprisinglyenergetic Buick were the cause of many a gasp and shudder from thecouple who sat behind him in the bounding car. He had orders to keepback of Tommy but never to lose sight of his tail light. 

Peter was like the celebrated Tam O' Shanter. He was pursued byspectres. The instant that he discovered that he was lagging a trifle, he shot the car up to top speed, with the result that he had to jam onthe brakes violently in order to avoid crashing into Tommy's taillight, and at such times Miss Cameron and Barnes sustained unpleasantjars. Something seemed to be telling Peter that the law was stretchingout its cruel hand to clutch him from behind; he was determined tokeep out of its reach. 

There was small opportunity for conversation. The trip was not at allas Barnes had imagined it would be. After the car had raced throughHornville he decided that it was not necessary to keep Tommy's taillight in view, and so directed Peter. After that conversation waspossible, but the gain was counterbalanced by a distinct sense ofloss. She relinquished her rather frenzied grasp upon his arm, andsank back into the corner of the seat. 

"Oh, dear, what a relief!" she gasped. 

"What arrant stupidity, " he growled, and she never knew that theremark bore no relation whatsoever to Peter. 

He confessed his fears to her, and was immeasurably consoled by herenthusiastic scorn for the consequences of his mistake. 

"Let them follow poor old Peter, " she said. "We will outwit them, never fear. If necessary, Mr. Barnes, we can travel with the companyfor days and days. I think I should rather enjoy it. If you can manageto get word to my friends in New York, to relieve their anxiety, Ishall be more than grateful. I am sure they will decide that you areacting for the best in every particular. It would grieve them, --yes, it would distress them greatly, --if I were to be subjected to aninquiry at the hands of the authorities. The notoriety would be--harrowing, to say the least. Moreover, the disclosures would certainlybring disaster upon those who are working so loyally to right a gravewrong. They will understand, and they will thank you not only for allthat you have done for me but for the cause I support. "

"The first time I ever saw you, I said to myself that you were abrave, indomitable little soldier, " he said warmly. "I am more thanever convinced of it now. "

"The men of my family have been soldiers for ten generations, " shesaid simply, as if that covered everything. "They haven't all beenheroes but none of them has been a coward. "

"I can believe that, " he said. "Blood will tell. "

"If God gives back my country to my people, Mr. Barnes, " she said, after a long silence, "will you not one day make your way out there tous, so that we may present some fitting expression of the gratitude--"

"Don't speak of gratitude, " he exclaimed. "I don't want to be thanked. Good Lord, do you suppose I--"

"There, there! Don't be angry, " she cried. "But you must come to mycountry. You must see it. You will love it. "

"But suppose that God does not see fit to restore it to you. Supposethat he leaves it in the hands of the vandals. What then? Will you goback to--that?"

She was still for a long time. "I shall not return to my country untilit is free again, Mr. Barnes, " she said, and there was a break in hervoice. 

"You--you will remain in MY country?" he asked, leaning closer to herear. 

"The world is large, " she replied. "I shall have to live somewhere. Itmay be here, it may be France, or England or Switzerland. "

"Why not here? You could go far and do worse. "

"Beggars may not be choosers. The homeless cannot be very particular, you know. If the Germans remain in my country, I shall be without ahome. "

His voice was tense and vibrant when he spoke again, after a moment'sreflection. "I know what O'Dowd would say if he were in my place. "

"O'Dowd has known me a great many years, " she said. "When you haveknown me as many months as he has years, you will thank your luckystar that you do not possess the affability that the gods havebestowed upon O'Dowd. "

"Don't be too sure of that, " he said, and heard the little catch inher breath. He found her hand and clasped it firmly. His lips wereclose to her ear. "I have known you long enough to--"

"Don't!" she cried out sharply. "Don't say it now, --please. I couldlisten to O'Dowd, but--but you are different. He would forget by to-morrow, and I would forget even sooner than he. But it would not be soeasy to forget if you were to say it, --it would not be easy for eitherof us. "

"You are not offended?" he whispered hoarsely. 

"Why should I be offended? Are you not my protector?"

The subtle implication in those words brought him to his senses. Washe not her protector? And was he not abusing the confidence she placedin him?

"I shall try to remember that, --always, " he said abjectly. 

"Some day I shall tell you why I am glad you did not say it to me to-night, " she said, a trifle unsteadily. She squeezed his hand. "You arevery good to me. I shall not forget that either. "

And she meant that some day she would confess to him that she was sotired, and lonely, and disconsolate on this journey to Crowndale, andso in need of the strength he could give, that she would havesurrendered herself gladly to the comfort of his arms, to the passionthat his touch aroused in her quickening blood!

Soon after ten o'clock they entered the town of Crowndale and drew upbefore the unattractive portals of the Grand Palace Hotel. An arc lampswinging above the entrance shed a pitiless light upon the dreary, God-forsaken hostelry with the ironic name. 

Mr. Rushcroft was already at the desk, complaining bitterly ofeverything seen and unseen. As a matter of habit he was roaring abouthis room and, while he hadn't put so much as his nose inside of it, heinsisted on knowing what they meant by giving it to him. Mr. Bacon andMr. Dillingford were growling because there was no elevator to hoistthem two flights up, and Miss Thackeray was wanting to know WHY shecouldn't have a bit of supper served in her room. 

"They're all alike, " announced Mr. Rushcroft despairingly, addressingthe rafters. He meant hotels in general. 

"They're all alike, " vouchsafed the clerk in an aside to the "drummer"who leaned against the counter, meaning stage-folk in general. 

"You're both right, " said the travelling salesman, who knew. 

"Is there a cafe in the neighbourhood?" inquired Barnes, withauthority. 

"There's a rest'rant in the next block, " replied the clerk, instantlyimpressed. Here was one who obviously was not "alike. " "A two-minutes'walk, Mr. --" (looking at the register)--"Mr. Barnes. "

"That's good. We will have supper in Miss Thackeray's room. Let mehave your pencil, please. Send over and have them fill this orderinside of twenty minutes. " He handed what he had written to theblinking clerk. "For eight persons. Tell 'em to hurry it along. "

"Maybe they're closed for the night, " said the clerk. "And besides--"

"My God! He even hesitates to get food for us when--" began Mr. Rushcroft. 

"Besides there's only one waiter on at night and he couldn't get off, I guess. And besides it's against the rules of this house to servedrinks in a lady's--"

"You tell that waiter to close up when he comes over here with whatI've ordered, and tell him that I will pay double for everything, andto-morrow morning you can tell the proprietor of this house that webroke the rules to-night. "

For the first time in her life Miss Tilly sat down to a meal served bya member of her late profession. She sat on the edge of MissThackeray's bed and held a chicken sandwich in one hand and a fullglass of beer in the other. Be it said to the credit of her forebears, she did not take even so much as a sip from the glass, but sevensandwiches, two slices of cold ham, half a box of sardines, a plate ofpotato salad, a saucer of Boston baked beans, two hardboiled eggs, apiece of apple pie and two cups of coffee passed her freshly carminedlips. She was in her seventh heaven. She was no longer dreaming offame: it was a gay reality. Emulating the example of Miss Thackeray, she addressed Mr. Dillingford as "dear, " and came near to being thecause of his death by strangulation. 

Miss Cameron submitted to the contagion. She had had no such dreams asMiss Tilly's, but she was quite as thrilled by the novelty of hersurroundings, the informality of the feast, and the sprightliness ofthese undaunted spirits. She sat on Miss Thackeray's trunk, her backagainst the wall, her bandaged foot resting on a decrepit suit-case. Her eyes were sparkling, her lips ever ready to part in the joy oflaughter, the colour leaping into her cheeks in response to theamazing quips of these unconventional vagabonds. 

She too was hungry. Food had never tasted so good to her. From time totime her soft, smiling eyes sought Barnes with a look of mingledwonder and confusion. She always laughed when she caught theexpression of concern in his eyes, and once she slyly winked at him. He was entranced. 

He crossed over and sat beside her. "They are a perfectlyirresponsible lot, " he said in a low voice. "I hope you don't mindtheir--er--levity. "

"I love it, " she whispered. "They are an inspiration. One would thinkthat they had never known such a thing as trouble. I am takinglessons, Mr. Barnes. "

She was still warmly conscious of the thrill that had come into herblood when he carried her up the stairs in his powerful arms, disdaining the offer of assistance from the suddenly infatuated TommyGray. 

"Rehearsal at eleven sharp, " announced Mr. Rushcroft, arising from thewindow-sill on which he was seated. "Letter perfect, every one of you. No guessing. By the way, Miss--er--'pon my soul, I don't believe I gotyour name?"

"Jones, " said the new member, shamelessly. 

"Ah, " said he, smiling broadly, "a word oft spoken in jest--ahem!--howdoes it go? No matter. You know what I mean. I have not had time towrite in the part for you, Miss Jones, but I shall do so the firstthing in the morning. Now that I see how difficult it is for you toget around, I have hit upon a wonderful idea. I shall make it asitting part. You won't have to do anything with your legs at all. Most beginners declare that they don't know what to do with theirhands, but I maintain that they know less about what to do with theirlegs. Fortunately you are incapacitated--"

"Perhaps it would be just as well to excuse Miss Jones from rehearsalin the morning, " broke in Barnes hastily. "She is hardly fit to--"

"Just as you say, old chap. Doesn't matter in the least. Good night, everybody. Sleep tight. "

"I sha'n't sleep a wink, " said Miss Tilly. 

"Homesick already?" demanded Mr. Bacon, fixing her with a pityingstare. 

"Worrying over my part, " she explained. 

"Haven't you committed it yet? Say it now. 'It is half past seven, mylord. ' All you have to do is to remember that it comes in the secondact and not in the first or third. "

"Good night, " said Miss Cameron, giving her hand to Barnes at thedoor. She was leaning on Miss Thackeray's arm. He never was to forgetthe deep, searching look she sent into his eyes. She seemed to beasking a thousand questions. 

He went down to the dingy lobby. A single, half-hearted electric bulbshed its feeble light on the desk, in front of which stood a manregistering under the sleepy eye of the night clerk. 

After the late arrival had started upstairs in the wake of the clerk, Barnes stepped up to inspect the book. The midnight express from thenorth did not stop at Crowndale, he had learned upon inquiry, and itwas the only train touching the town between nightfall and dawn. 

The register bore the name of Thomas Moore, Hornville. There was notthe slightest doubt in Barnes's mind that this was the man who hadbeen detailed to shadow the luckless Peter. Only an imperative demandby government authorities could have brought about the stopping of theexpress at Hornville and later on at Crowndale. 

Barnes smiled grimly. "I've just thought of a way to fool you, myfriend, " he said to himself, and was turning away when a familiarvoice assailed him. 

Whirling, he looked into the face of a man who stood almost at hiselbow, --the sharp, impassive face of Mr. Sprouse. 

CHAPTER XX

THE FIRST WAYFARER HAS ONE TREASURE THRUST UPON HIM--AND FORTHWITHCLAIMS ANOTHER

That fellow is a rat-catcher, " said Sprouse. "What are you doinghere?" demanded Barnes, staring. He seized the man's arm and inquiredeagerly: "Have you got the jewels?"

"No; but I will have them before morning, " replied Sprouse coolly. Heshot a furtive glance around the deserted lobby. "Better not act asthough you knew me. That bull is no fool. He doesn't know me, but bythis time he knows who you are. "

"He is trailing Peter Ames. "

"Ship Peter to-morrow, " advised Sprouse promptly. 

"I had already thought of doing so, " said Barnes, surprised by theuncanny promptness of the man in hitting upon the strategy he hadworked out for himself after many harassing hours. "He goes to mysister's place to-morrow morning. "

"Send him by train. He will be easier to follow. There is a trainleaving for the south at 9:15. "

"You were saying that before morning you would--"

"Be careful! Don't whisper. People don't whisper to utter strangers. Step over here by the front door. Would you be surprised if I were totell you that his royal nibs is hiding in this town? Well, hecertainly is. He bought a railway ticket for Albany at Hornville theday he beat it, but he got off at the second station, --which happensto be this one. "

"How can you be sure of all this?"

"Simple as falling off a log, " said Sprouse, squinting over hisshoulder. "The Baroness Hedlund has been here for a week or ten days. The Baron wasn't so far wrong in his suspicions, you see. He losttrack of her, that's all. I happened to overhear a conversation atHart's Tavern between him and his secretary. I have a way of hearingthings I'm not supposed to hear, you know. By a curious coincidence Ihappened to be taking the air late one night just outside his windowat the Tavern, --on the roof of the porch, to be accurate. I told Ugowhat I'd heard and he nearly broke his neck trying to head her off. O'Dowd and De Soto rushed over to Hornville and telegraphed for her toleave the train at the first convenient place and return to New York. She was on her way up here, you see. She got off at Crowndale andeverybody supposed that she had taken the next train home. But shedidn't do anything of the kind. She is a silly, obstinate fool andshe's crazy about Ugo, --and jealous as fury. She hated to think of himbeing up here with other women. A day or so later she sent him aletter. No one saw that letter but Ugo, and--your humble servant. 

"I happened to be the one to go to Spanish Falls for the mail thatday. The postmark excited my curiosity. If I told you what I did tothat letter before delivering it to Mr. Loeb, you could send me to afederal prison. But that's how I came to know that she had decided towait in Crowndale until he sent word that the coast was clear. Shewent to the big sanatorium outside the town and has been there eversince, incognito, taking a cure for something or other. She goes bythe name of Mrs. Hasselwein. I popped down here this afternoon andfound out that she is still at the sanatorium but expects to leaveearly to-morrow morning. Her trunks are over at the station now, to beexpressed to Buffalo. I made another trip out there this evening andwaited. About eight o'clock Mr. Hasselwein strolled up. He sat on theverandah with her for half an hour or so and then left. I followedhim. He went to one of the little cottages that belong to thesanatorium. I couldn't get close enough to hear what they said, but Ibelieve he expects to take her away in an automobile early in themorning. It is a seventy mile ride from here to the junction wherethey catch the train for the west. I'm going up now to make a call onMr. Hasselwein. Would you like to join me?"

Barnes eyed him narrowly. "There is only one reason why I feel that Iought to accompany you, " he said. "If you have it in your mind to killhim, I certainly shall do everything in my power to prevent--"

"Possess your soul in peace. I'm not going to do anything foolish. Time enough left for that sort of thing. I will get him some day, butnot now. By the way, what is the number of your room?"

"Twenty-two, --on the next floor. "

"Good. Go upstairs now and I'll join you in about ten minutes. I willtap three times on your door. "

"Why should you come to my room, Sprouse? We can say all that is to besaid--"

"If you will look on the register you will discover that Mr. J. H. Prosser registered here about half an hour ago. He is in room 30. Heleft a call for five o'clock. Well, Prosser is another name for Ugo. "

"Here in this hotel? In room 30?" cried Barnes, incredulously. 

"Sure as you're alive. Left the cottage an hour ago. Came in a jitneyor I could have got to him on the way over. "

Barnes, regardless of consequences, dashed over to inspect theregister. Sprouse followed leisurely, shooting anxious glances up thestairs at the end of the lobby. 

"See!" cried Barnes, excitedly, putting his finger on the name "MissJones. " "She's in room 32, --next to his. By gad, Sprouse, do yousuppose he knows that she is here? Would the dog undertake anything--"

"You may be sure he doesn't know she's here, or you either, for thatmatter. The country's full of Joneses and Barneses. Go on upstairs. Leave everything to me. "

He strolled away as the clerk came shuffling down the steps. As Barnesmounted them, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Sprouse take up asuitcase near the door and return to the desk, evidently for thepurpose of engaging a room for the night. 

Before going to his room, he strode lightly down the hall in thedirection of room 30. There was no light in the transom. Steppingclose to the door, he listened intently for sounds from within. Hestarted back almost instantly. The occupant was snoring with extremeheartiness. 

A glance revealed a light in the transom of room 32. As he looked, however, it disappeared. Abashed, he turned and went swiftly away. Shewas going to bed. He felt like a snooping, despicable "peeping Tom"caught in the act. 

He had been in his room for twenty minutes before he heard the tappingon his door. He opened it and Sprouse slid into the room. The instantthe door closed behind him, he threw open his coat and coolly produceda long, shallow metal box, such as one finds in safety vaults. 

"With my compliments, " he said drily, thrusting the box into Barnes'shands. "You'd better have the Countess check them up and see ifthey're all there. I am not well enough acquainted with the collectionto be positive. "

Barnes was speechless. He could only stare, open-mouthed, at thisamazing man. 

"Grip 'em tight, " went on Sprouse, grinning. "I may relieve you ofthem if you get too careless. My advice to you is to hide them andkeep your lips closed--"

"My God, Sprouse, have you been in that man's room since I saw youdown--"

"I forgot to say that no questions were to be asked, " broke in theother. 

"But I insist upon having everything cleared up. Here am I with a boxof jewels stolen from a lodger's room, God knows how, and in danger ofbeing slapped into jail if they catch me with the--"

"All you have to do is to keep quiet and look innocent. Stay out ofthe hall to-night. Don't go near the door of No. 30. Act like a manwith brains. I said I would square myself with you and with him, too. Well, I've done both. Maybe you think it is easy to give up thisstuff. There is a half million dollars' worth of nice little things inthat box, small as it is. I went to a lot of trouble to get 'em, andall I'll receive for my pains is a thank you from Mr. Thomas K. Barnes, New York. "

"I cannot begin to thank you enough, " said Barnes. "See here, you mustallow me to reward you in some way commensurate with your--"

"Cut that out, " said Sprouse darkly. "I'm not so damned virtuous thatI have to be rewarded. I like the game. It's the breath of life tome. "

"The time will surely come when I can do you a good turn, Sprouse, andyou will not find me reluctant, " said Barnes, lamely. He wascompletely at a loss in the presence of the master-crook. He felt verysmall, and stupid, and inadequate, --as one always feels whenconfronted by genius. Moreover, he was utterly stupefied. 

"That's different. If I ever need a friendly hand I'll call on you. It's only fair that I should give you a tip, Barnes, just to put youon your guard. I've lived up to my word in this business, and I'vedone all that I said I would. From now on, I'm a free agent. I want toadvise you to put that stuff in a safe place. I'll give you two days'start. After that, if I can get 'em away from you, or whoever may havethem, I'm going to do it. They will be fair plunder from then on. Notwithstanding the fact that I put them in your hands to-night, --andso wash my own of them temporarily, --I haven't a single scruple aboutrelieving you of them on some later occasion. I may have to crack youover the head to do it, --so a word to the wise ought to be sufficient. If you don't guard them pretty closely, my friend, you will regainconsciousness some day and find you haven't got them any longer. Goodnight--and good-bye for the present. Stick close to your room tillmorning and--then beat it with her for New York. I give you two days'start, remember. "

He switched off the light suddenly. Barnes gasped and prepared todefend himself. Sprouse chuckled. 

"Don't be nervous. I'm merely getting ready to leave you with yourill-gotten gains. It isn't wise, you see, to peep out of a door with alight in the room behind you. Keep cool. I sha'n't be more than aminute. "

There was no sound for many seconds, save the deep breathing of thetwo men. Then, with infinite caution, Sprouse turned the knob andopened the door a half inch or so. He left the room so abruptly thatBarnes never quite got over the weird impression that he squeezedthrough that slender crack, and pulled it after him!

Many minutes passed before he turned on the light. The key of the boxwas tied to the wire grip. With trembling fingers he inserted it inthe lock and opened the lid.... "A half-million dollars' worth of nicelittle things, " Sprouse had said!

He did not close his eyes that night. Daybreak found him lying in bed, with the box under his pillow, a pistol at hand, and his eyes wide-open. He was in a graver quandary than ever. Now that he had thetreasure in his possession, what was he to do with it? He did not dareto leave it in the room, nor was it advisable to carry it about withhim. The discovery of the burglary in room 30 would result in a searchof the house, from top to bottom. 

Cold perspiration started out on his brow. The situation was far frombeing the happy one that he had anticipated. 

He solved the breakfast problem by calling downstairs for a waiter andordering coffee and rolls and eggs sent up to his room. Singularlyenough the waiter solved the other and more disturbing problem forhim. 

"SOME robbery last night, " said that worthy, as he re-appeared withthe tray. Barnes was thankful that the waiter was not looking at himwhen he hurled the bomb, figuratively speaking. He had a moment's timeto recover. 

"What robbery?" he enquired, feigning indifference. 

"Feller up in one of the cottages at the sanatorium. All beat up, something fierce they say. "

"Up in--Where?" almost shouted Barnes, starting up. 

The man explained where the cottages were situated, Barnes listeningas one completely bereft of intelligence. 

"Seems he was to leave by auto early this mornin', and they didn'tknow anything was wrong till Joe Keep--he's driving a Fierce-Arrowthat Mr. Norton has for rent--till Joe'd been settin' out in front fornearly half an hour. The man's wife was waitin' fer him up at the mainbuildin' and she got so tired waitin' that she sent one of the clerksdown to see what was keeping her husband. Well, sir, him and Joecouldn't wake the feller, so they climb in an open winder, an' bygosh, Joe says it was terrible. The feller was layin' on the bed, feetan' hands tied and gagged, and blood from head to foot. He wasinconscious, Joe says, an'--my God, how his wife took on! Joe says hecouldn't stand it, so he snook out, shakin' like a leaf. He says she'sa pippin, too. Never seen a purtier--"

"Is--is the man dead?" cried Barnes, aghast. He felt that his face wasas white as chalk. 

"Nope! Seems like it's nothing serious: just beat up, that's all. Terrible cuts on his head and--"

"What is his name?" demanded Barnes. 

"Something like Hackensack. "

"Have they caught the thief?"

"I should say not. The police never ketch anything but drunks in thisburg, and they wouldn't ketch them if they could keep from stumblin'. "

"What time did all this happen?" Barnes was having great difficulty inkeeping his coffee from splashing over. 

"Doc Smith figgers it was long about midnight, judgin' by the way theblood co'gulated. "

"Did they get away with much?"

"Haven't heard. Joe says the stove pipe in the feller's room wasknocked down and they's soot all over everything. Looks like they musthave been a struggle. Seems as though the burglar, --must ha' beenmore'n one of 'em, I say, --wasn't satisfied with cracking him over thehead. He stuck the point of a knife or something into him, --just alittle way, Joe says--in more'n a dozen places. What say?"

"I--I didn't say anything. "

"I thought you did. Well, if I hear anything more I'll let you know. "

"Anything for a little excitement, " said Barnes casually. 

He listened at the door until he heard the waiter clattering down thestairway, and then went swiftly down the hall to No. 30. Mr. Prosserwas sleeping just as soundly and as resoundingly as at midnight!

"By gad!" he muttered, half aloud. Everything was as clear as day tohim now. Bolting into his own room, he closed the door and stoodstock-still for many minutes, trying to picture the scene in thecottage. 

No stretch of the imagination was required to establish the facts. Sprouse had come to him during the night with Prince Ugo's blood onthe hands that bore the treasure. He had surprised and overpowered thepseudo Mr. Hasselwein, and had actually tortured him into revealingthe hiding place of the jewels. The significance of the scatteredstove pipe was not lost on Barnes; it had not been knocked down in astruggle between the two men. Prince Ugo was not, and never had been, in a position to defend himself against his wily assailant. Barnes'sblood ran cold as he went over in his mind the pitiless methodemployed by Sprouse in subduing his royal victim. And the coolness, the unspeakable bravado of the man in coming direct to him with thebooty! His amazingly clever subterfuge in allowing Barnes to thinkthat room No. 30 was the scene of his operations, thereby forcing himto remain inactive through fear of consequences to himself and theCountess if he undertook to investigate!

He found a letter in his box when he went downstairs, after stuffingthe tin box deep into his pack, --a risky thing to do he realised, butno longer perilous in the light of developments. It was no longerprobable that his effects would be subjected to inspection by thepolice. He walked over to a window to read the letter. Before he slitthe envelope he knew that Sprouse was the writer. The message wasbrief. 

"After due consideration, I feel that it would be a mistake for you toabandon your present duties at this time. It might be misunderstood. Stick to the company until something better turns up. With thisthought in view I withdraw the two days' limit mentioned recently toyou, and extend the time to one week. Yours very truly, J. H. Wilson. "

"Gad, the fellow thinks of everything, " said Barnes to himself. "He ispositively uncanny. "

He read between the lines, and saw there a distinct warning. It hadnot occurred to him that his plan to leave for New York that day withMiss Cameron might be attended by disastrous results. 

On reflection, he found the prospect far from disagreeable. A week orso with the Rushcroft company was rather attractive under thecircumstances. The idea appealed to him. 

But the jewels? What of them? He could not go gallivanting about thecountry with a half million dollars' worth of precious stones in hispossession. A king's ransom strapped on his back! He would not be ableto sleep a wink. Indeed, he could see himself wasting away to a mereshadow through worry and dread. Precious stones? They would developinto millstones, he thought, with an inward groan. 

He questioned the advisability of informing Miss Cameron that thecrown jewels were in his possession. Her anxiety would be far greaterthan his own. There was nothing to be gained by telling her in anycase; so he decided to bear the burden alone. 

The play was not to open in Crowndale until Tuesday night, three fulldays off. He revelled in the thought of sitting "out front" in theempty little theatre, watching the rehearsals. At such times he wasconfident that his thoughts would not be solely of the jewels. Hewould at least have surcease during these periods of forgetfulness. 

He spent the early part of the forenoon in wandering nervously aboutthe hotel, --upstairs and down. The jewels were locked in his packupstairs. He went up to his room half a dozen times and almostinstantly walked down again, after satisfying himself that the packhad not been rifled. 

Exasperation filled his soul. Ten o'clock came and still no sign ofthe lazy actors. Rehearsal at eleven, and not one of them out of bed. 

Peter came to the hotel soon after ten. He had forgotten Peter and hisdecision to send him down to the Berkshires that day, and was sharplyreminded of the necessity for doing so by the appearance of the manwho had registered just before midnight. This individual strolledcasually into the lobby a few seconds behind Peter. 

He acted at once and with decision. The stranger took a seat in thewindow not far away. Barnes, in a brisk and business-like tone, informed Peter that he was to leave on the one o'clock train for thesouth, and to go direct to his sister's place near Stockbridge. He wasto leave the automobile in Crowndale for the present. 

"Here is the money for your railroad fare, " he announced inconclusion. "I have telegraphed Mrs. Courtney's man that you willarrive this evening. He will start you in on your duties to-morrow. Iunderstand they are short-handed on the place. And now let me impressupon you, Peter, the importance of holding yourself ready to reportwhen needed. You know what I mean. Remember, I have guaranteed thatyou will appear. "

The stranger drank in every word that passed between the two men. Whenthe one o'clock train pulled out of Crowndale, it carried Peter Amesin one of the forward coaches, and a late guest of the Grand PalaceHotel in the next car behind. Barnes took the time to assure himselfof these facts, and smiled faintly as he drove away from the railwaystation after the departure of the train. Miss Cameron, her veillowered, sat beside him in the "hack. "

For the next three days and nights rehearsals were in full swing, withscarcely a moment's let-up. The Rushcroft company was increased by thearrival of three new members and several pieces of baggage. The dingybarn of a theatre was the scene of ceaseless industry, both peacefuland otherwise. The actors quarrelled and fumed and all but fought overtheir grievances. Only the presence of the "backer" and the extremelypretty and cultured "friend of the family" in "front" preventedsanguinary encounters among the male contenders for the centre of thestage. The usually placid Mr. Dillingford was transformed into asnarling beast every time one of his "lines" was cut out by therelentless Rushcroft, and there were times when Mr. Bacon loudlyaccused his fiancee of "crabbing" his part. Everybody called everybodyelse a "hog, " and God was asked a hundred times a day to bear witnessto as many atrocities. 

Each day the bewildered, distressed young woman who sat with Barnes inthe dim "parquet, " whispered in his ear:

"Can they ever be friendly again?"

And every night at supper she rejoiced to find them all on the best ofterms, calling each other "dearie, " and "old chap, " and "honey, " anddeclaring that no such company had ever been gotten together in thehistory of the stage! Such words as "slob, " "fat-head, " "boob" or "youpoor nut" never found their way outside the sacred precincts of thetheatre. 

Mr. Rushcroft magnanimously offered to coach "Miss Jones" in the parthe was going to write in for her just as soon as he could get aroundto it. 

"No use writing a part for her, Mr. Barnes, until I get throughbeating the parts we already have into the heads of these poor foolsup here. I've got trouble enough on my hands. "

And so the time crept by, up to the night of the performance. MissCameron remained in ignorance of the close proximity of the jewels, and the police of Crowndale remained in even denser ignorance as tothe whereabouts of the man who robbed Mr. Hasselwein of all his sparecash and an excellent gold watch. 

Hasselwein's story was brief but dramatic. He was recovering rapidlyfrom his experience and the local newspaper, on Tuesday, announcedthat he would be strong enough to accompany his wife when she left the"city" toward the end of the week. (Considerable space was employed bythe reporter in "writing up" the wonderful devotion of Mrs. Hasselwein, who, despite the fact that she was quite an invalid, conducted herself with rare fortitude, seldom leaving her husband'sroom in the hospital. )

According to the injured man, his assailant was a huge, powerfulindividual, wearing a mask and armed to the teeth. He came in throughan open window and attacked him while he was asleep in bed. Notwithstanding the stunning blow he received while prostrate, Mr. Hasselwein struggled to his feet and engaged the miscreant--(while theword was used at least twenty times in the newspaper account, Ipromise to use it but once)--in a desperate conflict. Loss of bloodweakened him and he soon fell exhausted upon the bed. To make thestory even shorter than Prince Ugo made it, not a word was said aboutthe jewels, and that, after all, is the only feature of the case inwhich we are interested. 

Barnes smiled grimly over Ugo's failure to mention the jewels, and themisleading description of the thief. He was thankful, however, andrelieved to learn that the one man who might recognise Miss Cameronwas not likely to leave the hospital short of a week's time. 

No time was lost by the Countess in getting word to her compatriots inNew York. Barnes posted a dozen letters for her; each contained thetidings of her safety and the assurance that she would soon follow inperson. 

Those three days and nights were full of joy and enchantment forBarnes. True, he did not sleep very well, --indeed, scarcely at all, --but it certainly was not a hardship to lie awake and think of herthroughout the whole of each blessed night. He recalled and secretlydilated upon every sign of decreasing reserve on her part. He shamedhimself more than once for deploring the fact that her ankle wasmending with uncommon rapidity, and that in a few days she would bequite able to walk without support. And he actually debased himself bywishing that the Rushcroft company might find it imperative to go onrehearsing for weeks in that dim, enchanted temple. 

It was not a "barn of a place" to him. It was paradise. He sat forhours in one of the most uncomfortable seats he had ever known, devouring with hungry eyes the shadowy, interested face so close tohis own, --and never tired. 

And then came a time at last when conversation became difficultbetween them; when there were long silences fraught with sweet peril, exceeding shyness, and a singular form of deafness that defied eventhe roars of the players and yet permitted them to hear, with amazingclearness, the faintest of heart-beats. 

On the afternoon of the dress rehearsal, he led her, after an hour ofalmost insupportable repression, to the rear of the auditorium, in theregion made gloomy by the shelving gallery overhead. Dropping into theseat beside her, he blurted out, almost in anguish:

"I can't stand it any longer. I cannot be near you without--why, I--I--well, it is more than I can struggle against, that's all. You'veeither got to send me away altogether or--or--let me love you withoutrestraint. I tell you, I can't go on as I am now. I must speak, I musttell you all that has been in my heart for days. I love you--I loveyou! You know I love you, don't you? You know I worship you. Don't befrightened. I just had to tell you to-day. I could not have held itback another hour. I should have gone mad if I had tried to keep it upany longer. " He waited breathlessly for her to speak. She sat silentand rigid, looking straight before her. "Is it hopeless?" he went onat last, huskily. "Must I ask your forgiveness for my presumption and--and go away from you?"

She turned to him and laid her hand upon his arm. 

"Am I not like other women? Have you forgotten that you once said thatI was not different? Why should I forgive you for loving me? Doesn'tevery woman want to be loved? No, no, my friend! Wait! A moment ago Iwas so weak and trembly that I thought I--Oh, I was afraid for myself. Now I am quite calm and sensible. See how well I have myself in hand?I do not tremble, I am strong. We may now discuss ourselves calmly, sensibly. A moment ago--Ah, then it was different! I was being drawninto--Oh! What are you doing?"

"I too am strong, " he whispered. "I am sure of my ground now, and I amnot afraid. "

He had clasped the hand that rested on his sleeve and, as he pressedit to his heart, his other arm stole over her shoulders and drew herclose to his triumphant body. For an instant she resisted, and thenrelaxed into complete submission. Her head sank upon his shoulder. 

"Oh!" she sighed, and there was wonder, joy--even perplexity, in thetremulous sign of capitulation. "Oh, " came softly from her parted lipsagain at the end of the first long, passionate kiss. 

CHAPTER XXI

THE END IN SIGHT

Barnes, soaring beyond all previous heights of exaltation, rangeddizzily between "front" and "back" at the Grand Opera House thatevening. He was supposed to remain "out front" until the curtain wentup on the second act. But the presence of the Countess in MissThackeray's barren, sordid little dressing-room rendered itexceedingly difficult for him to remain in any fixed spot for morethan five minutes at a stretch. He was in the "wings" with her, whispering in her delighted ear; in the dressing-room, listening toher soft words of encouragement to the excited leading-lady; on thenarrow stairs leading up to the stage, assisting her to mount them, --and not in the least minding the narrowness; out in front for a jiffy, and then back again; and all the time he was dreading the moment whenhe would awake and find it all a dream. 

There was an annoying fly in the ointment, however. Her languoroussurrender to love, her physical confession of defeat at the hands ofthat inexorable power, her sweet submission to the conquering arms ofthe besieger, left nothing to be desired; and yet there was somethingthat stood between him and utter happiness: her resolute refusal tobind herself to any promise for the future. 

"I love you, " she had said simply. "I want more than anything else inall the world to be your wife. But I cannot promise now. I must havetime to think, time to--"

"Why should you require more time than I?" he persisted. "Have we notshown that there is nothing left for either of us but to make theother happy? What is time to us? Why make wanton waste of it?"

"I know that I cannot find happiness except with you, " she replied. "No matter what happens to me, I shall always love you, I shall neverforget the joy of THIS. But--" She shook her head sadly. 

"Would you go back to your people and marry--" he swallowed hard andwent on--"marry some one you could never love, not even respect, withthe memory of--"

"Stop! I shall never marry a man I do not love. Oh, please be patient, be good to me. Give me a little time. Can you not see that you areasking me to alter destiny, to upset the teachings and traditions ofages, and all in one little minute of weakness?"

"We cannot alter destiny, " he said stubbornly. "We may upsettradition, but what does that amount to? We have but one life to live. I think our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren will be quite aswell pleased with their ancestors as their royal contemporaries willbe with theirs a hundred years from now. "

"I cannot promise now, " she said gently, and kissed him. 

The first performance of "The Duke's Revenge" was incredibly bad. Thelittle that Barnes saw of it, filled him with dismay. Never had hewitnessed anything so hopeless as the play, unless it was the actorsthemselves. But more incredible than anything else in connection withthe performance was the very palpable enjoyment of the audience. Hecould hardly believe his ears. The ranting, the shouting, the howlingof the actors sent shivers to the innermost recesses of his being. Then suddenly he remembered that he was in the heart of the "barn-stormer's" domain. The audience revelled in "The Duke's Revenge"because they had never seen anything better!

Between the second and third acts Tommy Gray rushed back with the box-office statement. The gross was $359. The instant that fact becameknown to Mr. Rushcroft he informed Barnes that they had a "knockout, "a gold mine, and that never in all his career had he known a season tostart off so auspiciously as this one. 

"It's good for forty weeks solid, " he exclaimed. Both Barnes and thewide-eyed Countess became infused with the spirit of jubilation thatfilled the souls of these time-worn, hand-to-mouth stragglers. Theyrejoiced with them in their sudden elevation to happiness, andoverlooked the vain-glorious claims of each individual in the matterof personal achievement. Even the bewildered Tilly bleated out herlittle cry for distinction. 

"Did you hear them laugh at the way I got off my speech?" she criedexcitedly. 

"I certainly did, " said Mr. Bacon amiably. "By gad, I laughed at itmyself. "

"Parquet $217. 50, dress circle $105, gallery $36. 50, " announced TommyGray, as he donned his wig and false beard for the third act. "Sixty-forty gives us $215. 40 on the night. Thank God, we won't have to worryabout the sheriff this week. "

In Miss Thackeray's dressing-room that level-headed young woman brokedown and wept like a child. 

"Oh, Lord, " she stuttered, "is it possible that we're going to stayabove water at last? I thought we had gone down for the last time, andhere we are bobbing up again as full of ginger as if we'd never hitthe bottom. "

The Countess kissed her and told her that she was the rarest girl shehad ever known, the pluckiest and the best. 

"If I had your good looks, Miss Cameron, " said Mercedes, "added to mynatural ability, I'd make Julia Marlowe look like an old-fashionedone-ring circus. Send Mr. Bacon to me, Mr. Barnes. I want tocongratulate him. "

"He gave a fine performance, " said Barnes promptly. 

"I don't want to congratulate him on his acting, " said she, smilingthrough her tears. "He's going to be married to-morrow. And I am goingto have Miss Cameron for my bridesmaid, " she added, throwing an armabout the astonished Countess. "Mr. Bacon will want Dilly for his bestman, but he ought to think more of the general effect than that. Dillyonly comes to his shoulder. " She measured the stalwart figure ofThomas Barnes with an appraising eye. "What do you say, Mr. Barnes?"

"I'll do it with the greatest pleasure, " he declared. 

The next afternoon in the town of Bittler the Countess Mara-Dafanda, daughter of royalty, and Thomas Kingsbury Barnes "stood up" with thehappy couple during a lull in the hastily called rehearsal on thestage of Fisher's Imperial Theatre, and Lyndon Rushcroft gave thebride away. There was $107 in the house that night, but no one wasdown-hearted. 

"You could do worse, dear heart, than to marry one of us care-freeAmericans, " whispered Barnes to the girl who clung to his arm sotightly as they entered the wings in the wake of the bride and groom. 

And she said something in reply that brought a flush of mortificationto his cheek. 

"Oh, it would be wonderful to marry a man who will never have to go towar. A brave man who will not have to be a soldier. "

The unintentional reflection on the fighting integrity of his countrystruck a raw spot in Barnes's pride. He knew what all Europe wassaying about the pussy-willow attitude of the United States, and hesquirmed inwardly despite the tribute she tendered him as anindividual. He was not a "peace at any price" citizen. 

He gave the wedding breakfast at one o'clock that night. 

Three days later he and "Miss Jones" said farewell to the strollersand boarded a day train for New York City. They left the company in acondition of prosperity. The show was averaging two hundred dollarsnightly, and Mr. Rushcroft was already booking return engagements forthe early fall. He was looking forward to a tour of Europe at theclose of the war. 

"My boy, " he said to Barnes on the platform of the railway station, "Itrust you will forgive me for not finding a place in our remarkablywell-balanced cast for your friend. I have been thinking a great dealabout her in the past few days, and it has occurred to me that shemight find it greatly to her advantage to accept a brief New Yorkengagement before tackling the real proposition. It won't take herlong to find out whether she really likes it, and whether she thinksit worth while to go on with it. Let me give you one bit of advice, mydear Miss Jones. This is very important. The name of Jones will notget you anywhere. It is a nice old family, fireside name, but it lacksromance. Chuck it. Start your new life with another name, my dear. Godbless you! Good luck and--good-bye till we meet on the Rialto. "

"I wonder how he could possibly have known, " she mused aloud, the pinkstill in her cheeks as the train pulled out. 

"You darling, " cried Barnes, "he doesn't know. But taking it by andlarge, it was excellent advice. The brief New York engagement meetswith my approval, and so does the change of name. I am in a positionto supply you with both. "

"Do you regard Barnes as an especially attractive name?" she inquired, dimpling. 

"It has the virtue of beginning with B, entitling it to a place welltoward the top of alphabetical lists. A very handy name forpatronesses at charity bazaars, and so forth. People never look belowB unless to make sure that their own names haven't been omitted. Youought to take that into consideration. If you can't be an A, take thenext best thing offered. Be a B. "

"You almost persuade me, " she smiled. 

His sister met them at the Grand Central Terminal. 

"It's now a quarter to five, " said Barnes, after the greeting andpresentation. "Drop me at the Fifth Avenue Bank, Edith. I want toleave something in my safety box downstairs. Sha'n't be more than fiveminutes. "

He got down from the automobile at 44th Street and shot across thesidewalk into the bank, casting quick, apprehensive glances throughthe five o'clock crowd on the avenue as he sprinted. In his hand helugged the heavy, weatherbeaten pack. His sister and the Countessstared after him in amazement. 

Presently he emerged from the bank, still carrying the bag. He wasbeaming. A certain worried, haggard expression had vanished from hisface and for the first time in eight hours he treated his travellingwardrobe with scorn and indifference. He tossed it carelessly into theseat beside the chauffeur, and, springing nimbly into the car, sankback with a prodigious sigh of relief. 

"Thank God, they're off my mind at last, " he cried. "That is the firstgood, long breath I've had in a week. No, not now. It's a long storyand I can't tell it in Fifth Avenue. It would be extremely annoying tohave both of you die of heart failure with all these people lookingon. "

He felt her hand on his arm, and knew that she was looking at him withwide, incredulous eyes, but he faced straight ahead. After a moment ortwo, she snuggled back in the seat and cried out tremulously:

"Oh, how wonderful--how wonderful!"

Mrs. Courtney, in utter ignorance, inquired politely:

"Isn't it? Have you never been in New York before, Miss Cameron?Strangers always find it quite wonderful at the--"

"How are all the kiddies, Edith, and old Bill?" broke in her brotherhastily. 

He was terribly afraid that the girl beside him was preparing to shedtears of joy and relief. He could feel her searching in her jacketpocket for a handkerchief. 

Mrs. Courtney was not only curious but apprehensive. She hadn't thefaintest idea who Miss Cameron was, nor where her brother had pickedher up. But she saw at a glance that she was lovely, and her soul wasfilled with strange misgivings. She was like all sisters who have petbachelor brothers. She hoped that poor Tom hadn't gone and made a foolof himself. The few minutes' conversation she had had with thestranger only served to increase her alarm. Miss Cameron's voice andsmile--and her eyes!--were positively alluring. 

She had had a night letter from Tom that morning in which he said thathe was bringing a young lady friend down from the north, --and wouldshe meet them at the station and put her up for a couple of days? Thatwas all she knew of the dazzling stranger up to the moment she sawher. Immediately after that, she knew, by intuition, a great deal moreabout her than Tom could have told in volumes of correspondence. Sheknew, also, that Tom was lost forever!

"Now, tell me, " said the Countess, the instant they entered theCourtney apartment. She gripped both of his arms with her firm littlehands, and looked straight into his eyes, eagerly, hopefully. She hadforgotten Mrs. Courtney's presence, she had not taken the time toremove her hat or jacket. 

"Let's all sit down, " said he. "My knees are unaccountably weak. Comealong, Ede. Listen to the romance of my life. "

And when the story was finished, the Countess took his hand in hersand held it to her cool cheek. The tears were still drowning her eyes. 

"Oh, you poor dear! Was that why you grew so haggard, and pale, andhollow-eyed?"

"Partly, " said he, with great significance. 

"And you had them in your pack all the time? You--!"

"I had Sprouse's most solemn word not to touch them for a week. He isthe only man I feared. He is the only one who could have--"

"May I use your telephone, Mrs. Courtney?" cried she, suddenly. Shesprang to her feet, quivering with excitement. "Pray forgive me forbeing so ill-mannered, but I--I must call up one or two people atonce. They are my friends. I have written them, but--but I know theyare waiting to see me in the flesh or to hear my voice. You willunderstand, I am sure. "

Barnes was pacing the floor nervously when his sister returned afterconducting her new guest to the room prepared for her. The Countesswas at the telephone before the door closed behind her hostess. 

"I wish you had been a little more explicit in your telegram, Tom, "she said peevishly. "If I had known who she is I wouldn't have put herin that room. Now, I shall have to move Aunt Kate back into it to-morrow, and give Miss Cameron the big one at the end of the hall. "Which goes to prove that Tom's sister was a bit of a snob in her way. "Stop walking like that, and come here. " She faced him accusingly. "Have you told me ALL there is to tell, sir?"

"Can't you see for yourself, Ede, that I'm in love with her?Desperately, horribly, madly in love with her. Don't giggle like that!I couldn't have told you while she was present, could I?"

"That isn't what I want to know. Is she in love with YOU? That's whatI'm after. "

"Yes, " said he, but frowned anxiously. 

"She is perfectly adorable, " said she, and was at once aware of aguilty, nagging impression that she would not have said it to him halfan hour earlier for anything in the world. 

The Countess was strangely white and subdued when she rejoined themlater on. She had removed her hat. The other woman saw nothing but thewealth of sun-kissed hair that rippled. Barnes went forward to meether, filled with a sudden apprehension. 

"What is it? You are pale and--what have you heard?"

She stopped and looked searchingly into his eyes. A warm flush rose toher cheeks; her own eyes grew soft and tender and wistful. 

"They all believe that the war will last two or three years longer, "she said huskily. "I cannot go back to my own country till it is allover. They implore me to remain here with them until--until myfortunes are mended. " She turned to Mrs. Courtney and went on withoutthe slightest trace of indecision or embarrassment in her manner. "Yousee, Mrs. Courtney, I am very, very poor. They have taken everything. I--I fear I shall have to accept the kind, the generous proffer of a--"her voice shook slightly--"of a home with my friends until the Hunsare driven out. "

Barnes's silence was more eloquent than words. Her eyes fell. Mrs. Courtney's words of sympathy passed unheard; her bitter excoriation ofthe Teutons and Turks was but dimly registered on the inattentive mindof the victim of their ruthless greed; not until she expressed thehope that Miss Cameron would condescend to accept the hospitality ofher home until plans for the future were definitely fixed was there asign that the object of her concern had given a thought to what shewas saying. 

"You are so very kind, " stammered the Countess. "But I cannot think ofimposing upon--"

"Leave it to me, Ede, " said Barnes gently, and, laying his hand uponhis sister's arm, he led her from the room. Then he came swiftly backto the outstretched arms of the exile. 

"A very brief New York engagement, " he whispered in her ear, he knewnot how long afterward. Her head was pressed against his shoulder, hereyes were closed, her lips parted in the ecstasy of passion. 

"Yes, " she breathed, so faintly that he barely heard the strongestword ever put into the language of man. 

Half-an-hour later he was speeding down the avenue in a taxi. Hisblood was singing, his heart was bursting with joy, --his head waslight, for the feel of her was still in his arms, the voice of her inhis enraptured ears. 

He was hurrying homeward to the "diggings" he was soon to desertforever. Poor, wretched, little old "diggings"! As he passed thePlaza, the St. Regis and the Gotham, he favoured the great hostelrieswith contemplative, calculating eyes; he even looked with speculativeenvy upon the mansions of the Astors, the Vanderbilts and theHuntingtons. She was born and reared in a house of vast dimensions. Even the Vanderbilt places were puny in comparison. His reflectionscarried him back to the Plaza. There, at least, was somethingcomparable in size. At any rate, it would do until he could lookaround for something larger! He laughed at his conceit, --and pinchedhimself again. 

He was to spend the night at his sister's apartment. When he issuedforth from his "diggings" at half-past seven, he was attired inevening clothes, and there was not a woman in all New York, young orold, who would have denied him a second glance. 

Later on in the evening three of the Countess's friends arrived at theCourtney home to pay their respects to their fair compatriot, and todiscuss the crown jewels. They came and brought with them theconsoling information that arrangements were practically completed forthe delivery of the jewels into the custody of the French Embassy atWashington, through whose intervention they were to be allowed toleave the United States without the formalities usually observed incases of suspected smuggling. Upon the arrival in America of trustedmessengers from Paris, headed by no less a personage than theambassador himself, the imperial treasure was to pass into hands thatwould carry it safely to France. Prince Sebastian, still in Halifax, had been apprised by telegraph of the recovery of the jewels, and wasexpected to sail for England by the earliest steamer. 

And while the visitors at the Courtney house were lifting theirglasses to toast the prince they loved, and, in turn, the beautifulcousin who had braved so much and fared so luckily, and the tallwayfarer who had come into her life, a small man was stooping over arifled knapsack in a room far down-town, glumly regarding the resultof an unusually hazardous undertaking, even for one who could perform, such miracles as he. Scratching his chin, he grinned, --for he was thekind who bears disappointment with a grin, --and sat himself down atthe big library table in the centre of the room. Carefully selecting apen-point, he wrote:

"It will be quite obvious to you that I called unexpectedly to-night. The week was up, you see. I take the liberty of leaving under thepaperweight at my elbow a two dollar bill. It ought to be amplepayment for the damage done to your faithful traveling companion. Havethe necessary stitches taken in the gash, and you will find the kit asgood as new. I was more or less certain not to find what I was after, but as I have done no irreparable injury, I am sure you will forgivemy love of adventure and excitement. It was really quite difficult toget from the fire escape to your window, but it was a delightfulexperience. Try crawling along that ten inch ledge yourself some day, and see if it isn't productive of a pleasant thrill. I shall notforget your promise to return good for evil some day. God knows I hopeI may never be in a position to test your sincerity. We may meetagain, and I hope under agreeable circumstances. Kindly pay my deepestrespects to the Countess Ted, and believe me to be, "Yours VERYrespectfully, "Sprouse. 

"P. S. --I saw O'Dowd to-day. He left a message for you and theCountess. Tell them, said he, that I ask God's blessing for themforever. He is off to-morrow for Brazil. He was very much relievedwhen he heard that I did not get the jewels the first time I wentafter them, and immensely entertained by my jolly description of how Iwent after them the second. By the way, you will be interested tolearn that he has cut loose from the crowd he was trailing with. Mostly nuts, he says. Dynamiting munition plants in Canada was a grandproject, says he, and it would have come to something if the damnedwomen had only left the damned men alone. The expletives areO'Dowd's. "

Ten hours before Barnes found this illuminating message on his librarytable, he stood at the window of a lofty Park Avenue apartmentbuilding, his arm about the slender, yielding figure of the only otheroccupant of the room. Pointing out over the black house-tops, hedirected her attention to the myriad lights in the upper floors of agreat hostelry to the south and west, and said, "THAT is where you are going to live, darling. "

THE END