or, two things struck Puffin. One was that
the Major looked at the open door behind him as if meditating retreat,
the second that he carried a Gladstone bag. Simultaneously Major Flint
spoke, if indeed that reverberating thunder of scornful indignation can
be called speech.

"Ha! I guessed right then," he roared. "I guessed, sir, that you might
be meditating flight, and I--in fact, I came down to see whether you
were running away. I was right. You are a coward, Captain Puffin! But
relieve your mind, sir. Major Flint will not demean himself to fight
with a coward."

Puffin gave one long sigh of relief, and then, standing in front of his
own Gladstone bag, in order to conceal it, burst into a cackling laugh.

"Indeed!" he said. "And why, Major, was it necessary for you to pack a
Gladstone bag in order to stop me from running away? I'll tell you what
has happened. You were running away, and you know it. I guessed you
would. I came to stop you, you, you quaking runaway. Your wound troubled
you, hey? Didn't want another, hey?"

There was an awful pause, broken by the entry from behind the Major of
the outside porter, panting under the weight of a large portmanteau.

"You had to take your portmanteau, too," observed Puffin witheringly,
"in order to stop me. That's a curious way of stopping me. You're a
coward, sir! But go home. You're safe enough. This will be a fine story
for tea-parties."

Puffin turned from him in scorn, still concealing his own bag.
Unfortunately the flap of his coat caught it, precariously perched on
the bench, and it bumped to the ground.

"What's that?" said Major Flint.

They stared at each other for a moment and then simultaneously burst
into peals of laughter. The train rumbled slowly into the station, but
neither took the least notice of it, and only shook their heads and
broke out again when the station-master urged them to take their seats.
The only thing that had power to restore Captain Puffin to gravity was
the difficulty of getting the money for his ticket refunded, while the
departure of the train with his portmanteau in it did the same for the
Major.

* * * * *

The events of that night and morning, as may easily be imagined, soon
supplied Tilling with one of the most remarkable conundrums that had
ever been forced upon its notice. Puffin's housemaid, during his absence
at the station, found and read not only the notice intended for her
eyes, but