r. The few
sporadic attempts we made at cheer did not get very far. But after a
little, happening to glance at Tommy, I saw a look in his face that put
me on my guard for something. There was no hoax about this, no
"cut-upping."

"Our conversation was interrupted this morning," he said, in answer to
my unspoken question. "There were things I wanted to talk about--for
instance, what'll we do when we catch up?"

I had thought of this a hundred times without finding a very definite
solution, as my fancies refused to reach beyond the moment I should
stand face to face with Sylvia. But, after a fashion, I made answer:

"We'll hand the scoundrel over to the law, I suppose, and take the
Princess----"

"That's just it," he interrupted me. "Take her where? That's the point
I want to make." His voice was almost purring now--a sign with him of
deadly earnestness. He was continuing: "Suppose she has a perfectly good
home where she is! Suppose she doesn't see the virtues in our
interference that we see! How do we know the man's a scoundrel, anyway?"

"Bah!" Monsieur cried. "She wrote a message of danger! The man tried to
blow us up! He made bad money that I have here!"--whereupon he thumped
his breastpocket half a dozen times. "How do we know? _Pardieu_, I tell
you!"

"She wrote the message," Tommy admitted, "but everything else you say is
guess. Even suppose you're right about it, where are our warrants? Where
are the sworn officers to serve them?"

"I have told you that I have the authority, the absolute authority!"

"Oh, that doesn't amount to a damn," Tommy replied with supreme
indifference, and for a moment I feared Monsieur was going to have a
stroke of apoplexy. "Don't you see that we must possess proofs? And then
we've got to board his yacht, don't we? Is he going to take a siesta
while we stroll over the old tub? Your authority, gezabo, is a scrap of
paper unless, first, he's the man who kidnapped your princess, and
second, we can lay our hands on him. Now try to think!"

"Think! There is nothing to think--only to do! You speak as a child! We
must take that girl to her throne, to her rightful heritage! By every
law of conscience, justice and humanity, there is nothing left for us to
do! Absolutely we must obey!"

A silence fell upon Tommy and me. I saw him moisten his lips and dart
the professor a quick glance. I knew how inherently strong that little
fellow was in his loyalty, but had not been prepared for such