have my orders and I'm going to find him, if it takes ten years."

Shirley nodded and clasped her fingers together. Her elbows resting on
the high arms of her chair caused her cloak to flow sweepingly away from
her shoulders. At the end of the room, with his back to the portieres,
stood Oscar, immovable. Claiborne reexamined the message, and extended it
again to Shirley.

"There's no doubt of that being Chauvenet's writing, is there?"

"I think not, Dick. I have had notes from him now and then in that hand.
He has taken pains to write this with unusual distinctness."

The color brightened in her cheeks suddenly as she looked toward Oscar.
The curtains behind him swayed, but so did the curtain back of her. A
May-time languor had crept into the heart of April, and all the windows
were open. The blurred murmurs of insects stole into the house. Oscar,
half-forgotten by his captor, heard a sound in the window behind him and
a hand touched him through the curtain.

Claiborne crumpled the paper impatiently.

"Shirley, you are against me! I believe you have seen Armitage here, and
I want you to tell me what you know of him. It is not like you to shield
a scamp of an adventurer--an unknown, questionable character. He has
followed you to this valley and will involve you in his affairs without
the slightest compunction, if he can. It's most infamous, outrageous, and
when I find him I'm going to thrash him within an inch of his life before
I turn him over to Marhof!"

Shirley laughed for the first time in their interview, and rose and
placed her hands on her brother's shoulders.

"Do it, Dick! He's undoubtedly a wicked, a terribly wicked and dangerous
character."

"I tell you I'll find him," he said tensely, putting up his hands to
hers, where they rested on his shoulders. She laughed and kissed him, and
when her hands fell to her side the message was in her gloved fingers.

"I'll help you, Dick," she said, buttoning her glove.

"That's like you, Shirley."

"If you want to find Mr. Armitage--"

"Of course I want to find him--" His voice rose to a roar.

"Then turn around; Mr. Armitage is just behind you!"

"Yes; I needed my man for other business," said Armitage, folding his
arms, "and as you were very much occupied I made free with the rear
veranda and changed places with him."

Claiborne walked slowly toward him, the anger glowing in his face.

"You are worse than I thought--eavesdropper, housebreaker!"

"Yes