ed intently at something Leslie's eye could not yet
discern.

It was only by following the direction of his gaze that she presently
realized there was something moving on the beach somewhere in front of
Curlew's Nest. Then her heart actually did seem to stop beating for an
instant, for in the growing light she at last could distinguish a dark
form moving stealthily about by the old log where Rags had dug up the
"Dragon's Secret!"

"Oh! who can it be? And what are they doing there?" she whispered
distractedly to Rags. The dog's only reply was to growl a little louder,
and she promptly silenced him.

"Be a good dog, Rags! Don't make a sound! It will rouse Aunt Marcia, and
besides I _must_ see who is there, if possible!" Rags settled down again
to a quieter watch with evident reluctance.

With every passing moment, day was approaching nearer, and the scene out
over the ocean was one of surprising beauty, had Leslie only been less
occupied and had time to observe it. The band of pink had melted into
gold, and a thousand rosy little clouds dimpled the sky above. It was now
so light that the dark shape on the beach stood out with comparative
clearness. It had been bending down and rising up at intervals, and it
took little guessing on Leslie's part to conjecture what was happening.
Some one was digging in the spot where the "Dragon's Secret" had been
hidden!

"What if it is Miss Ramsay?" thought Leslie. "Oh, it _must_ be she! Who
else could it be? She's looking for that box, and she can't find it
because we've taken it away. Oh, what ought I to do about it? If only
Phyllis were here!"

At this moment she realized from the actions of the unknown person that
the search was evidently abandoned. The figure stood upright, struck its
hands together, and threw away some implement like a board, with which
the digging had been done. Then, with a discouraged shrug of the
shoulders and a hasty glance back at the two cottages, it turned and
walked away down the beach and was shortly out of sight.

And it was then that Leslie sank back on the window seat with a little
gasp of sheer astonishment.

The figure was not--_could_ not have been that of Miss Ramsay! It was a
_man_--a tall, burly man; and as he walked away, his gait gave evidence
of a decided limp!

CHAPTER XI

AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR

So anxious was Leslie to impart this newest development to Phyllis tha