he squire's
little car. The drifting fog made an inky blackness of the night, and
progress was very slow under the trees.

"We should be quicker walking," said Dick impatiently.

"It'll be better when we reach the open road," said Fielding, frowning at
the darkness.

The light at the lodge-gates flung a wide glare through the mist, and
he steered for it with more assurance. They passed through and turned
into the road.

And here the squire pulled up with a jerk, for immediately in front of
them another light shone.

"What the devil is that, Dick?"

"It's another car," said Dick and jumped out. "Hullo, there! Anything the
matter?" he called.

"Damnation, yes!" answered a voice. "I've run into this infernal wall and
damaged my radiator. Lost my mascot, too, damn it! Sort of thing that
always happens when you're in a hurry."

"Who is it?" said Dick sharply.

He was standing almost touching the car, but he could not see the speaker
who seemed to be bent and hunting for something on the ground.

A sound that was curiously like a chuckle answered him out of the
darkness, but no reply came in words.

Dick stood motionless. "Saltash!" he said incredulously. "Is it Saltash?"

"Why shouldn't it be Saltash?" said a voice that laughed. "Thank you,
Romeo? Come and help me out of this damn fix! Oh, I'm fed up with
playing benevolent fool. It gives me indigestion. Curse this fog!
Afraid I've knocked a few chips off your beastly wall. Ah! Here's the
mascot! Now perhaps my infernal luck will turn! What are you keeping so
quiet about? Aren't you pleased to see me? Not that you can--but
that's a detail."

"Are you--alone?" Dick said, an odd tremor in his voice.

"Of course I'm alone! What did you expect? No, no, my Romeo, I may be a
fool, but I'm not quite such a three-times-distilled imbecile as that
amounts to. Have you got a gun there?"

"No!" Dick's voice sounded half-strangled, as though he fought against
some oppression that threatened to overwhelm him. "What have you come
back for? Tell me that!"

"I'll tell you anything you like," said Saltash generously; "including
what I think of you, if you will help me to shove this thing into a more
convenient locality and then take me in and give me a drink."

"You'd better get the car up the drive here," came Fielding's voice out
of the darkness. "You can see more or less what you're doing under the
lamp. Wait while I get my own out of the way!"

"Excellent!" said Sa