ut seven or so in the evening--a telegram came to the Dunlops
saying Mrs. Heselton was taken very ill, and would Miss Dunlop go over?
And away she went there and then, on her bicycle, and alone--and she
never reached the place!"

"How do you know that?" demanded Mr. Lindsey.

"Because," answered Chisholm, "about nine o'clock this morning in comes
one of the Heselton lads to Dunlop to tell him his mother had died during
the night; and then, of course, they asked did Miss Dunlop get there in
time, and the lad said they'd never set eyes on her. And--that's all
there is to tell, Mr. Lindsey."

I was for starting off, with, I think, the idea of instantly mounting
my bicycle and setting out for Heselton's farm, when Mr. Lindsey
seized my elbow.

"Take your time, lad," said he. "Let's think what we're doing. Now then,
how far is it to this place where the girl was going?"

"Seventeen miles," said I, promptly.

"You know it?" he asked. "And the road?"

"I've been there with her--many a time, Mr. Lindsey," I answered. "I
know every inch of the road."

"Now then!" he said, "get the best motor car there is in the town, and be
off! Make inquiries all the way along; it'll be a queer thing if you
can't trace something--it would be broad daylight all the time she'd be
on her journey. Make a thorough search and full inquiry--she must have
been seen." He turned to Mr. Smeaton, who had stood near, listening. "Go
with him!" he said. "It'll be a good turn to do him--he wants company."

Mr. Smeaton and I hurried outside the station--a car or two stood in the
yard, and we picked out the best. As we got in, Chisholm came up to us.

"You'd better have a word or two with our men along the road, Mr. Hugh,"
said he. "There's not many between here and the part you're going to, but
you'd do no harm to give them an idea of what it is you're after, and
tell them to keep their eyes open--and their ears, for that matter."

"Aye, we'll do that, Chisholm," I answered. "And do you keep eyes and
ears open here in Berwick! I'll give ten pounds, and cash in his hand, to
the first man that gives me news; and you can let that be known as much
as you like, and at once--whether Andrew Dunlop thinks it's throwing
money away or not!"

And then we were off; and maybe that he might draw me away from over much
apprehension, Mr. Smeaton began to ask me about the road which Maisie
would take to get to the Heseltons' farm--the road which we, of course,
wer