one of these sudden illumings of the night,
a farm wagon, drawn by a tired horse, splashing along the road past the
mill, and turning off, just below it, on the road leading to the house
on the hill.

The driver, a tall, spare man, thin-faced and stoop-shouldered, sat with
head bent forward, to keep the rain from beating in his face. He was
letting the horse, familiar with the way, pick the road for itself.

All at once, however, he sat upright, drew the reins in sharply, and
peered back in the direction of the mill.

"Well, I'm jiggered!" he exclaimed. "If that isn't the mill. I must be
crazy. It can't run itself. Yes, but it is, though. What on earth's got
loose? It's twenty years and it's never done a thing like that. Back,
there. Back, confound you! I'll have a look."

The horse most unwillingly backing and turning, headed once more toward
the main road, and then was drawn up short again.

"Well, I must have been dreaming, sure enough," muttered the driver. "I
don't hear anything now. Well, we'll keep on, anyway. I'll have a turn
around the old place. There's more there than some folks know of. I'll
see that all's safe, if it rains pitchforks and barn-shovels. Giddap
Billy."

A few moments later, Henry Burns and Harvey, having tucked themselves
snugly in among the meal-sacks close by the fire, with the lantern
extinguished, roused up, astounded and dismayed, at the sound of
carriage wheels just outside, and the click of a key in the lock of the
door. They had barely time to spring from their places, and dart up the
stairs that led from the middle of the main floor to the one next above,
before the door was thrown open and a man stepped within.

They were dressed, most fortunately, for canoeing; and they had gained
the security of the upper floor, thanks to feet clad in tennis shoes,
without noise. Now they crouched at the head of the stairs, in utter
darkness, not knowing whither to move, or whether or not a step might
plunge them into some shaft.

"It must be Ellison," whispered Harvey. "What'll we do?"

"Nothing," answered Henry Burns, "and not make any noise about it
either. He heard your ship, Jack. Sh-h-h. We don't want to be put out
into the rain again."

Farmer Ellison shut the door behind him, and they heard him take a few
steps across the floor; then he was apparently fumbling about in the
dark for something, for they heard him say, "It isn't there. Confound
that boy! He never puts that lantern