ation that had stirred that good-natured humourist for
many a day. Miss Holland was not in her room, and no more, apparently,
were her belongings. The toilette table was stripped, the wardrobe was
empty; in fact, the only sign of her was her trunk, strapped and locked.

Moving with exceptional velocity, Mr Craigie made straight for the lane
beyond the garden. The brown suit-case had disappeared.

"Well, I'm jiggered!" murmured the baffled humourist.

Very slowly and soberly he returned to the house, lit a fresh pipe, and
steadied his nerves with a glass of grog. When Mrs Craigie returned,
she found him sufficiently revived to jest again, though in a minor key.

"To think of the girl having the impudence to make me carry her luggage
out of the house for her!" said he. "Gad, but it was a clever dodge to
get clear with no one suspecting her! Well, anyhow, my reputation is
safe again at last, Selina."

"Your reputation!" replied Mrs Craigie in a withering voice. "For
what? Not for common-sense anyhow!"

"You're flustered, my dear," said the laird easily. "It's a habit
women get into terrible easy. You should learn a lesson from Miss
Eileen Holland. Dashed if I ever met a cooler hand in my life!"

"And what do you mean to do about it?" demanded his wife.

"Do?" asked Mr Craigie, mildly surprised. "Well, we might leave the
pantry window open at night, so that she can get in again if she's
wanting to; or----"

"It's your duty to inform the authorities, Richard!"

"Duty?" repeated the laird, still more surprised. "Fancy me starting
to do my duty at my time of life!"

"Anyhow," cried Mrs Craigie, "we've still got her trunk!"

"Ah," said Mr Craigie, happily at last, "so we have! Well, that's all
right then."

And with a benign expression the philosopher contentedly lit another
pipe.

PART III.

LIEUTENANT VON BELKE'S NARRATIVE RESUMED

I.

THE MEETING.

As the dusk rapidly thickened and I lay in the heather waiting for the
signal, I gave myself one last bit of good advice. Of "him" I was to
meet, I had received officially a pretty accurate description, and
unofficially heard one or two curious stories. I had also, of course,
had my exact relationship to him officially defined. I was to be under
his orders, generally speaking; but in purely naval matters, or at
least on matters of naval detail, my judgment would be accepted by him.
My last word of advice to myself simply was to be