I've
been a fool to break parole, as you have done, with that man with the
hawk eyes in the Castle even at this minute. But so much hangs upon
it--Ross, so much! Look up and speak to me, and, whoever your companion
is, tell him to go away until we have had a word together. Look up, look
up--_do_!"

CHAPTER XXIV

HARE AND HOUNDS

To say that Cleek was startled was to underestimate the matter
altogether. Here was a pretty kettle of fish indeed! It took exactly
three seconds for him to act, and to act in such an extraordinary
fashion as to call forth a gasp from Dollops, whose head was still half
ducked, with one arm upthrown to hide it from the woman's eyes, and to
register in his loyal heart the fact that this master whom he served was
a miracle-worker indeed.

For Cleek's hand had flashed up in the darkness and taken the moustache
from his lip, and as the woman still continued to plead with him in her
soft voice Dollops, peering through the upthrown arm, saw the features
of the man he loved writhe suddenly as though they had been made of
rubber, saw him twitch up his hand and muffle his coat-collar about his
neck, and then realized with a gasp that here at his side lay such a
fair representative of Ross Duggan as might even be mistaken for that
gentleman in this dark hour of the night.

And from the lips of this astonishing person proceeded Ross Duggan's
voice, with its curious clipped Scotch inflection and the little habit
of clearing the throat which was so indicative of the man, and which
Dollops--trained as he was by Cleek's quick observation--had already
noticed for himself in the couple of times he had seen and listened
unseen to the gentleman.

He saw Cleek get to his feet, and twitch his shoulders up and his cap
down, as he faced the lady in her thin dark wrap through which the
glimmer of some light satiny material showed like a line of fire.

"My dear girl," said Ross Duggan's voice a trifle testily, "what a fool
you are to come out here at this time--if you'll excuse my saying so!
Sit down, for heaven's sake, if you must be here, and don't let those
men down there see you. I'm--I'm making some observations on my own, but
at any minute someone may come up here--and I wouldn't answer for the
consequences. You've fallen into a hornet's nest, Catherine, and only a
woman with some desperate plan of action would do that. Don't you know
what's being carried on down there?"

She shook her dark head