arden at this time of night. Come in at once!"

It was Lady Knob-Kerrick. There was no mistaking her disapproving
voice. Bindle grinned as he recollected the inglorious figure she had
cut at the Temperance Fete.

"Ethel, where are you?" The voice cut sharply through the still air.

"Steady, sir," whispered Bindle to Dick Little, who had lifted Miss
Kerrick off the wall.

"I'll keep the ole gal jawin'. Tell ole Spit-and-Speak to get off
quietly."

"Strint!" Lady Knob-Kerrick's voice again rang out. "Strint, where
are you?"

Bindle heard the sound of feet hastening down the path. He was
standing on the wall, grasping with one hand the top of the ladder used
by Miss Kerrick, which reached some three feet above the top of the
wall. He had taken the precaution of putting his uniform in his pocket
"in case I gets nabbed," as he explained to Dick Little.

Bindle heard a suppressed "gug-gug" from Guggers, on whose head Miss
Kerrick had alighted. He wondered why Guggers had not started the
engine.

Somewhere below him he heard Lady Knob-Kerrick moving about. Would she
find the ladder? If she did, how was he to cover the retreat of the
car? He was conscious of enjoying to the full the excitement of the
situation.

"Where is Miss Knob-Kerrick?" Lady Knob-Kerrick always insisted on the
"Knob." Her voice came from out of the darkness immediately below
where Bindle was standing.

"I'm afraid----" began another voice, that of Miss Strint, when
suddenly several things seemed to happen at once. There was a
triumphant "Ah!" from Lady Knob-Kerrick, as she found the ladder and
wrenched it from the wall, a yell from Bindle as he lost his balance,
and an agonised shriek from Miss Strint, as she was swept from her feet
by what she thought was a bomb, but what in reality was the ladder,
which fell, pinning her to the earth.

"Help! Help!! Murder!!!" shrieked Lady Knob-Kerrick, until Bindle
reached the ground, marvelling at the softness of the substance on
which he had fallen, when her cries ceased suddenly and only the moans
of Miss Strint were to be heard by the servants, who rushed from the
house to the rescue.

On the other side of the wall the two occupants of the car held their
breath, but Guggers saw in the sudden pandemonium that for which he had
been waiting, and the Rolls-Royce leapt forward.

"Stop, Guggers," whispered Dick Little, leaning forward, "we can't
leave him like this."

"Gug-gug-go to