anding by his side in the sumptuous library
while he telephoned. It could be seen that the daughter, even more than
her grim old father, wished Mr. Throckmorton to be at the Long Island
country home.

Later Throckmorton was seen driving his high-powered roadster,
accompanied only by his valet, to the Gordon country home on Long
Island, a splendid mansion surrounded by its landscaped grounds where
fountains played and roses bloomed against the feathery background of
graceful eucalyptus trees. Merton Gill here saw that he must learn to
drive a high-powered roadster. Probably Baird would want some of that
stuff, too.

A round of country-house gaieties ensued, permitting Throckmorton to
appear in a series of perfectly fitting sports costumes. He was seen on
his favourite hunter, on the tennis courts, on the first tee of the golf
course, on a polo pony, and in the mazes of the dance. Very early it was
learned that the Gordon daughter had tired of mere social triumphs
and wished to take up screen acting in a serious way. She audaciously
requested Throckmorton to give her a chance as leading lady in his next
great picture.

He softened his refusal by explaining to her that acting was a difficult
profession and that suffering and sacrifice were necessary to round out
the artist. The beautiful girl replied that within ten days he would be
compelled to admit her rare ability as an actress, and laughingly they
wagered a kiss upon it. Merton felt that this was the sort of thing he
must know more about.

Throckmorton was courteously gallant in the scene. Even when he said,
"Shall we put up the stakes now, Miss Gordon?" it could be seen that he
was jesting. He carried this light manner through minor scenes with the
beautiful young girl friends of Miss Gordon who wooed him, lay in
wait for him, ogled and sighed. Always he was the laughingly tolerant
conqueror who had but a lazy scorn for his triumphs.

He did not strike the graver note until it became suspected that there
were crooks in the house bent upon stealing the famous Gordon jewels.
That it was Throckmorton who averted this catastrophe by sheer nerve and
by use of his rare histrionic powers--as when he disguised himself in
the coat and hat of the arch crook whom he had felled with a single blow
and left bound and gagged, in order to receive the casket of jewels from
the thief who opened the safe in the library, and that he laughed
away the thanks of the grateful milliona