aid Elaine. "We must have moved out to
Northumberland, in the night."

Davila smiled, a feeble sort of smile. It was not a morning to promote
light-heartedness, and particularly under such circumstances.

"Is this anything like Northumberland?" she asked.

"Yes!--Only Northumberland is more so. For a misty day, this would be
remarkably fine.--With us, it's midnight at noon--all the lights
burning, in streets, and shops, and electric cars, bells jangling,
people rushing, pushing, diving through the dirty blackness, like
devils in hell. Oh, it's pleasant, when you get used to it.--Ever been
there?"

"No," said Davila, "I haven't."

"We must have you out--say, immediately after the holidays. Will you
come?"

"I'll be glad to come, if I'm alive--and we ever get out of this awful
place."

"It _is_ stupid here," said Elaine. "I thought there was something
novel in being abducted, but it's rather dreary business. I'm ready to
quit, are you?"

"I was ready to quit before we started!" Davila laughed.

"We will see what can be done about it. We'll have in the head jailer."
She struck the bell. "Ask the chief to be kind enough to come here a
moment," she said, to the girl who attended them.

In a few minutes, he appeared--suave, polite, courteous.

"You sent for me, Miss Cavendish?" he inquired.

"I did. Sit down, please, I've something to say to you, Mr.----"

"Jones, for short," he replied.

"Thank you!" said Elaine, with a particularly winning smile. "Mr.
Jones, for short--you will pardon me, I know, if I seem unduly
personal, but these quarters are not entirely to our liking."

"I'm very sorry, indeed," he replied. "We tried to make them
comfortable. In what are they unsatisfactory?--we will remedy it, if
possible."

"We would prefer another locality--Hampton, to be specific."

"You mean that you are tired of captivity?" he smiled. "I see your
point of view, and I'm hopeful that Mr. Croyden will see it, also, and
permit us to release you, in a few days."

"It is that very point I wish to discuss a moment with you," she
interrupted. "I told you before, that Mr. Croyden didn't find the
jewels and that, therefore, it is impossible for him to pay."

"You will pardon me if I doubt your statement.--Moreover, we are not
privileged to discuss the matter with you. We can deal only with Mr.
Croyden, as I think I have already intimated."

"Then you will draw an empty covert," she replied.

"That remains to be