scious of keen relief. They waited until Mordaunt's steps died away
and then Bernard got up.

"What has happened to-night is done with; I think you understand," he
said, and turned to Mrs. Halliday. "We will join our friends, and if
they wonder why we have been absent so long, we will leave you to
satisfy their curiosity."

They found the others in the drawing-room, but although Mrs. Halliday
began to talk and Bernard was now and then ironically humorous, Dick
was quiet and Jim rather stern. All were ready to go when Mrs.
Halliday got up, but Bernard kept Carrie a moment when the Langrigg car
throbbed at the steps.

"This house is big and empty, my dear," he said. "If Jim is not very
much occupied, you will bring him now and then."

Carrie wondered when the car rolled off. Bernard had pressed her hand
and his voice was gentle. She blushed, for his imagining she could
persuade Jim was significant, but it was puzzling. He knew Jim was
going to marry Evelyn.

Presently Jim stopped the car, and getting down beckoned Jake.

"You can drive home, Carrie," he said. "There's something we must look
after but we won't be long."

Carrie started the car and when it rolled away Jake looked at his
comrade. Jim wore thin shoes and a light coat over his dinner jacket;
the road was wet and the low ground dotted by shining pools. It was
some time after high-water and a gentle breeze blew across the marsh.
A half-moon shone between slowly-drifting clouds.

"I suppose you mean to see Shanks," Jake remarked. "On the whole, it
might be wiser to send him notice to quit. You can't put the police on
his track."

"I'm going to see him. If I hadn't been able to swim well, Carrie
would have been drowned."

"For that matter, we would all have been drowned," Jake said dryly.

"It's a curious argument for leaving Shanks alone. I suspected we took
some chances when we blew up the dabbin."

"You blew up the dabbin," Jake rejoined.

"Anyhow, Carrie had nothing to do with the thing, and she ran the worst
risk when we were on the sands. It was hard to hold myself when I
thought about it. I was forced to let Mordaunt go, but my grounds for
sparing him don't apply to Shanks."

"You haven't even a stick and the fellow has a gun."

"I've got my hands," said Jim. "If I can get hold of Tom Shanks, I
won't need a gun. But I've no use for talking. Come along!"

They made for a ridge of high ground that dropped to the marsh, a