tor.

"That Bob hasn't come out to meet us. He should have heard us long
ago--or smelt us. What's that queer noise?"

"Sounds to me like a gate creaking," said the Doctor. "Maybe it's Luke's
door, only we can't see the door from here; it's on the far side of the
shack."

"I hope Bob isn't sick," said Jip; and he let out a bark to see if that
would call him. But the only answer he got was the wailing of the wind
across the wide, salt fen.

We hurried forward, all three of us thinking hard.

When we reached the front of the shack we found the door open, swinging
and creaking dismally in the wind. We looked inside. There was no one
there.

"Isn't Luke at home then?" said I. "Perhaps he's out for a walk."

"He is ALWAYS at home," said the Doctor frowning in a peculiar sort of
way. "And even if he were out for a. walk he wouldn't leave his
door banging in the wind behind him. There is something queer about
this--What are you doing in there, Jip?"

"Nothing much--nothing worth speaking of," said Jip examining the floor
of the hut extremely carefully.

"Come here, Jip," said the Doctor in a stern voice. "You are hiding
something from me. You see signs and you know something--or you guess
it. What has happened? Tell me. Where is the Hermit?"

"I don't know," said Jip looking very guilty and uncomfortable. "I don't
know where he is."

"Well, you know something. I can tell it from the look in your eye. What
is it?"

But Jip didn't answer.

For ten minutes the Doctor kept questioning him. But not a word would
the dog say.

"Well," said the Doctor at last, "it is no use our standing around here
in the cold. The Hermit's gone. That's all. We might as well go home to
luncheon."

As we buttoned up our coats and started back across the marsh, Jip ran
ahead pretending he was looking for water-rats.

"He knows something all right," whispered the Doctor. "And I think he
knows what has happened too. It's funny, his not wanting to tell me. He
has never done that before--not in eleven years. He has always told me
everything--Strange--very strange!"

"Do you mean you think he knows all about the Hermit, the big mystery
about him which folks hint at and all that?"

"I shouldn't wonder if he did," the Doctor answered slowly. "I noticed
something in his expression the moment we found that door open and the
hut empty. And the way he sniffed the floor too--it told him something,
that floor did. He saw signs we couldn't see