seeing that he hesitated, "I will give
you a couple of guineas to take me direct to the vicarage."

"Well, ma'am," the constable said, "if you are sure Mr. Withers will
not be angry at being called up at such an hour I will take you; but
you know he is a magistrate, and it would never do to play tricks upon
him."

"There are no tricks, constable. He knows me very well, and will be
pleased to see me even at this hour."

Greatly puzzled over the whole proceeding the constable turned, and
still keeping a firm hold of her collar walked his horse back toward
the village.

"You really need not hold me so tightly," Mrs. Conway said. "If I
wanted to get away I could have done so in a moment; for I have a
pistol in my pocket, and could have shot you the moment you turned
your lantern away from me."

Somewhat startled at this information the constable released his hold,
satisfied that his prisoner could not escape by speed. As a measure of
precaution he made her walk a pace or two ahead, and kept the light of
his lantern upon her while he held his pistol ready for action in his
hand in case she should suddenly turn upon him. They went through the
village, and five minutes afterward entered the gate of the vicarage.
On reaching the door Mrs. Conway rang the bell. A moment later a
window above opened.

"What is it?" a man's voice asked. "Am I wanted anywhere?"

"I am the mounted patrol, sir," the constable said, "and I have met a
suspicious sort of person in the road. She said she was coming to you,
and you knew her; and though it didn't seem a likely sort of story, I
thought it better to run the risk of disturbing you instead of taking
her to the lockup."

"It is I, Mr. Withers," Mrs. Conway said, taking off her hat and
stepping out so that the light of the policeman's lantern fell upon
her. "Please let me in, I have got it."

"Good heavens!" Mr. Withers exclaimed, startled out of his usual
tranquillity. "It is all right, constable, I will be down in a
minute."

"There, constable, you see I spoke truly," Mrs. Conway said, and
taking her purse from her pocket she extracted by the light of the
lantern two guineas and handed them to the man.

"Oh, I don't want to take your money, ma'am," he said apologetically.
"You must excuse my not believing you, but it did seem a rum start."

"You are quite right, constable," she replied. "The circumstances were
suspicious, and you only did your duty. However, you might have made