trail that ran along the hillside from
the town to a neighboring mine. There was nothing to be learned here
and Foster went back dejectedly to the hotel. Dinner was being served
when he arrived, but he did not see Walters and felt annoyed when
Telford stopped him as he was coming out.

"I haven't seen you since last night and thought we might have had a
game," he said. "Where have you been all morning?"

"I didn't come here to play pool," Foster replied. "There was
something I had to see about."

"Then I hope you found business pretty good," Telford remarked with a
quiet smile that Foster found disturbing.

He thought the fellow would see him if he went to the clerk's office,
and beckoning the bell-boy into a passage gave him a coin.

"Do you know if the lame gentleman with the dark hair is out?" he asked,

"He's certainly out. Left on the Montreal express this morning."

"You're quite sure of that?"

"Yep," said the lad. "I put his baggage in the transfer wagon for the
depot."

Foster went to the rotunda and sat down to smoke. He felt savage, for
there was no doubt that he had muddled things. Daly had again escaped
him, but he thought he saw what Walters' visit meant. Three of the
gang had met to make some plot, which might threaten Lawrence, whom
they no doubt thought dangerous. It was ominous that Walters had gone
east. Daly was obviously afraid of arrest, but the others seemed to
think themselves safe and Telford was stopping at the hotel, although
it looked as if he were being watched. Foster wondered whether the
fellow suspected this.

Another matter demanded consideration. News of what he had done in
Newcastle had probably reached the gang, and he had a check belonging
to a member of it in his wallet. If they knew this, which was
possible, he might be in some danger, and taking it for granted that
the watcher was a detective or acting for Hulton, it would simplify
things and free him from a grave responsibility if he told what he
knew. For all that, he did not mean to do so. His object was to save
his comrade's name.

In the afternoon he played pool with Telford, who carelessly asked him
a few clever questions, which Foster answered with a misleading
frankness that he hoped would put the other off the track. In the
evening he read the newspapers and tried to overcome a growing anxiety
about Lawrence. He ought to follow Daly, but did not know where he had
gone, and thought that if