he knew it
veiled a grave distrust.

"Why," Nora asked, "don't you tell us what the case is?"

The inspector walked around the desk and with a sigh settled himself in
his easy chair.

"That's the rumpus," he answered, and Garth saw that his eyes were not
quite steady. "Don't know anything about it myself unless they'd like
Garth to chase a few spooks. Here's the lay-out. It's a man who's done
me a good many favors. There's no secret--political ones. I'm in his
debt, and he's asked me for a good detective to go up to his place in
New England--not as a detective, mind you, Garth. That's the queer side,
the side I don't like. He insists on his man's showing up as a guest,
knowing no more than a random guest would know. Sounds like tommy-rot,
but he isn't sure himself there's anything out of the way. He wants you,
if you take it up, to live quietly in the house, keeping your eyes
peeled. He expects you to put him wise to the trouble or to stake your
reputation that there isn't any trouble at all. Are you willing to jump
into a chase blindly that way? He'd like the fellow that swung the
Hennion job, but if you turned it down cold I couldn't help it, could
I?"

"Nonsense, chief," Garth answered. "Never heard of such a thing, but it
sounds interesting. I'll take a shot at it."

The inspector wrote hurriedly on a piece of paper.

"Here's his name and address. Catch the ten o'clock from the Grand
Central and you'll get up there to-night."

Garth took the slip. Before placing it in his pocket he glanced it over.

"Andrew Alden," he saw. "Leave Boston from North Station on four o'clock
train and get off at Deacon's Bay."

"I've heard of Mr.--" Garth began.

The inspector's quick, angry shake of the head in Nora's direction
brought him to an abrupt pause. He walked to Nora and took her hand.

"Then I won't see you until after my holiday," he said with a smile.

Her eyes were vaguely uneasy.

"I agree with father," she said. "It isn't safe to walk through the
dark. Won't you tell me where you're going?"

Garth's laugh was uncomfortable. He didn't pretend to understand, but
his course had been clearly enough indicated.

"I'll leave that for the inspector," he answered. "I have to rush to
pick up my things on the way to the train."

The uneasiness in her eyes increased.

"You know, Jim, as father says, you can turn it down. It might be
wiser."

His heart responded to her anxiety. In view of her fear it was a tri