ine cheek. Then his own cheek received a slap which made his head
ring, and the hall echoed with a shrill scream.

"Labe!" shrieked Azuba. "Oh, Labe! Help! Come quick!"

Mr. Ginn came up the back stairs three steps at a time.

"What is it? What's the matter, Zuby?" he demanded.

"A man! A man! He--he--"

"Where is he? What's he doin'?"

"He--there he is. Hear him? There!"

Mr. Hungerford, paralyzed with astonishment and dizzy from the slap, had
moved, injudiciously. Laban heard him.

"Hey?" he bellowed. "Ah! I've got him. Stand still, dum you! I've got
him, Zuby. Who is he? What did he do?"

"I--I don't know who he is," panted the frightened housekeeper. "He--he
kissed me."

"KISSED you! YOU? Why--"

"It's a mistake!" cried Cousin Percy, frantically struggling in the
grasp of his captor. "I--Stop! Stop! Help! Help!"

The hall became a pandemonium of thumps, struggles, cries for help,
and pleas for mercy. Azuba added her shrieks to the tumult. From above
Captain Dan shouted and Serena screamed. Then the chandelier blazed.
Gertrude had pressed the button at the top of the stairs.

"Let him be!" ordered the young lady, rushing to the rescue. "Don't!
don't! Azuba, stop him!"

"Labe! stop! stop!" pleaded the housekeeper. "You--My soul! it's Mr.
Hungerford."

It was what there was left of Mr. Hungerford. Mr. Ginn extended the
disheveled, whimpering remnant at arm's length and regarded it.

"Humph!" he grunted. "You know him, do you?"

"Know him! Of course I do. But--but I must say--"

Captain Dan came tearing down the stairs, his bathrobe fluttering and
a slipper missing. In one hand he held a pair of scissors, the only
offensive weapon which he had found available at the moment.

"What in blazes?" he demanded. "Burglars, is it?"

Gertrude answered. "No, Daddy," she said gravely. "It's no one but
Cousin Percy. And--and Mr. Ginn. Why, Mr. Ginn, is--is it you?"

Laban nodded. "It's me, all right," he observed grimly. "Who the devil
is this? That's what I want to know."

Daniel turned to the captive.

"Why--why, Percy!" he gasped. "What--what's happened to you? Let go of
him, Labe Ginn! Percy Hungerford, what--what's all this?"

Mr. Hungerford, suddenly freed from the grasp upon his torn shirt
collar, staggered against the wall.

"It's--it's a mistake," he panted. "I--I--this--this blackguard
assaulted me. I--I--"

"Assaulted you! I should say he had. Labe Ginn, what did you assault him
for?"