t worth visiting, they felt curious to see it. It turned out to
be a straggling row of rather slummy-looking cottages, with a post
office, a general shop, and a public-house. Miss Norton must have
already passed through it, for she was nowhere to be seen. Dona stood
for a moment gazing into the window of the shop, where a variety of
miscellaneous articles were displayed.

"They've actually got Paradise drops!" she murmured. "I haven't bought
any for months. I'm going to get some for Ailsa."

Followed by the faithful Hodson, the girls entered the shop. While Dona
made her purchase, Marjorie stood by the counter, staring idly out into
the road. She saw the door of the post office open, and Miss Norton
appeared. The mistress looked carefully up and down the village, then
walked hurriedly across the road, and bolted into "The Royal George"
opposite. Marjorie gasped. That the august house mistress of St.
Elgiva's should visit an obscure and second-rate public-house was surely
a most unusual circumstance. She could not understand it at all. She
discussed it with Dona on the way back.

"Wanted some ginger pop, perhaps," suggested Dona.

"She could have got that at the shop. They had a whole case of bottles.
No, Dona, there's something funny about it. The fact is, I'm afraid Miss
Norton is a pro-German. She was sympathizing ever so much with those
prisoners who were being marched into camp. She may have come here to
leave some message for them. You know it was never found out who put
that lamp in the Observatory window; it was certainly a signal, and I
had seen Norty up there. I've had my eye on her ever since, in case
she's a spy."

"She can talk German jolly well," observed Dona.

"I know she can. She's spent two years in Germany, and said it was the
happiest time of her life. She can't be patriotic at heart to say that.
Do you know, Winifrede told me that a few days ago she and Jean had
noticed such a queer light dancing about on the hills near the camp. It
was just as if somebody was heliographing."

"What's heliographing?"

"Dona, you little stupid, you know that! Why, it's signalling by
flashing lights. There's a regular code. It's done with a mirror. Well,
Brackenfield is right opposite the camp, and it would be quite possible
for Norty to be helioing to the prisoners. They're always on the
look-out for somebody to communicate with them and help them to escape.
I suppose there are hundreds of spies going about i