tore order. But the fury of Frankie's mother
contrasted so ill with Miss Orrin's glacial calm, that it seemed
possible enough that "Frankie" had indeed invented the little
circumstance to add to his importance, after hearing of the loss and
disappearance of "teacher."

"Moreover," said Miss Orrin, "since Mr. Stennis is too ill to have his
bedchamber and house invaded in this way, in future Dr. Hector will
arrange for special protection from the police at Longtown. And after
this warning let any one cross the moat at their peril."

There was no more to be done. Aphra Orrin had beaten us completely.
The baffled tide ebbed back the way it came, and Deep Moat Grange was
left alone once more with the secrets it had been successful in
guarding in the teeth of a whole countryside in arms and aroused to a
high pitch of curiosity.

The two clergymen waited behind, but the sick man would have nothing to
do with them, declaring his intention, if he must, of dying as a good
Presbyterian. He was the most intractable of invalids, even
threatening to break a bottle over Dr. Hector's head if, as he
proposed, he should venture to bring with him from Longtown a minister
of his own denomination.

"Hobby Stennis is none so ill as that," he said stoutly, "if only I had
my will in a safe place, and had seen the little lass, who is all my
kith and kin, I would ask no more from doctor or minister in this
world."

"I will take charge of the will myself if no better may be," said Dr.
Hector. And so, none saying him nay, he rode back to Longtown with the
holograph in his breast pocket, jesting with two farmers riding that
way as he went. Had he only known, a few sheets of a folio account
book covered with close writing in the hand of Mr. Stennis was
considerably more dangerous to carry about with him than the latest
discovered high explosive!

It was with considerable astonishment that on the evening of his next
visit to Deep Moat Grange, about midway between the edge of the woods
and the lonely alehouse where my father had alighted, Dr. Hector was
suddenly aware of a noose of rope which circled about his neck with a
whiz. The next moment he was dragged from his horse. He lay
unconscious for an hour on the road, and then coming to himself turned
and walked back to Longtown, very stiff and very angry, but conscious
of no other loss than that of several copies of prescriptions which he
kept in his breast pocket.

"What they can wa