"I supposed you were," said Philip.

"No, I don't mean that. I was only pretending I didn't know you, to see
if I could act naturally enough, to deceive you."

"Why did you desert me?" asked Philip suspiciously.

"I started to take a walk--didn't the bookkeeper tell you?--and finding
a chance to ride over here, thought I would do so, and make arrangements
for our appearance here. Of course, I intended to come back, and pay our
good friend, the landlord, and give you your share of the common fund."

Neither Gates nor Philip believed a word of this. It seemed to them
quite too transparent.

"You may as well pay us now, Professor Riccabocca," said the landlord
dryly.

"I hope you don't suspect my honor or integrity," said Riccabocca,
appearing to be wounded at the thought.

"Never mind about that," said Mr. Gates shortly. "Actions speak louder
than words."

"I am quite ready to settle--quite," said the professor. "The money is
in my room. I will go up and get it."

There seemed to be no objection to this, and our two friends saw him
ascend the staircase to the second story. Philip felt pleased to think
that he had succeeded in his quest, for his share of the concert money
would be nearly seventy dollars. That, with the balance of the money;
received from Farmer Lovett, would make over a hundred dollars.

They waited five minutes, and the professor did not come down.

"What can keep him?" said Philip.

Just then one of the hostlers entered and caught what our hero had said.

"A man has just run out of the back door," he said, "and is cutting
across the fields at a great rate."

"He must have gone down the back stairs," said the clerk.

"In what direction would he go?" asked Philip hastily.

"To the railroad station. There is a train leaves in fifteen minutes."

"What shall we do, Mr. Gates?" asked Philip, in dismay.

"Jump into my buggy. We'll get to the depot before the train starts. We
must intercept the rascal."

CHAPTER XXXII. THE RACE ACROSS FIELDS.

It so happened that Professor Riccabocca had once before visited
Knoxville, and remembered the location of the railroad station.
Moreover, at the hotel, before the arrival of Philip, he had consulted
a schedule of trains posted up in the office, and knew that one would
leave precisely at ten o'clock.

The impulse to leave town by this train was sudden. He had in his pocket
the wallet containing the hundred and fifty dollars, of which a lar