ng to Sheldon?"

"No."

"And you'll see this--this niece of the housekeeper's?"

"Yes."

The man gave a gasp of relief and sank into his chair.

"Now go, Nichols--and shift your clothes. Peggy's going about four. Come
back here and I'll give you a letter and a check."

Peter nodded and reached the door. As he opened it, Stryker straightened
and bowed uncomfortably. But Peter knew that he had been listening at
the keyhole.

CHAPTER IX

SHAD IS UNPLEASANT

Peter returned from New York on Thursday night, having accomplished his
curious mission. He had first intercepted Beth on her way to the kitchen
and sworn her to secrecy, advising her to say nothing to Mrs. Bergen
about the events of the previous night. And she had agreed to respect
his wishes. On the way to New York he had sat in the rumble of the low
red runabout, Miss Peggy McGuire at the wheel, driving the fashionable
Freddy. Miss McGuire after having yielded, the night before, to the
musical predilections of Miss Delaplane, had apparently reconsidered
Peter's social status and had waved him to the seat in the rear with a
mere gesture and without apologies. And Peter, biting back a grin and
touching his hat, had obeyed. The familiarities tolerable in such a
wilderness as Black Rock could not of course be considered in the halls
of the fashionable hotel where Miss Peggy lived in New York, and where
by dint of great care and exclusiveness she had caught a hold of the
fringe of society. But Peter sat up very straight, trying not to hear
what was said in front. If he could only have worn his Colonel's uniform
and decorations, or his Grand Ducal coronet, and have folded his arms,
the irony would have been perfection.

He had gone to Sheldon, Senior, in the morning and in return for
McGuire's check had been given cash in the shape of ten virginal five
hundred dollar bills. This money had been put into an envelope and was
now folded carefully in Peter's inside pocket. Sheldon, Senior, to be
sure, had asked questions, but with a good grace Peter had evaded him.
Dick Sheldon was out of town, so Peter put in the remaining period
before his train-time in a music store where he spent all the money that
remained of his salary, on books, a few for the piano but most of them
for Beth. Peter had wasted, as he had thought, two perfectly good years
in trying to learn to sing. But those two years were not going to be
wasted now--for Beth was to be his mouthpiece.