y sordid and generally disagreeable. We must have nothing
like that in our story."

"You didn't finish your enumeration of characters," I suggested. "Is my
part an important one or am I only a lay figure?"

"My dear boy," cried Mrs. Farnsworth, "you are the hero! You have been
the hero from the hour the story began. If you should desert us now,
whatever should we do!"

"If I'm the hero," I replied in her own key, "I shall begin making love
to Alice at once."

Alice, far from being disturbed by my declaration, nodded her head
approvingly.

"Oh, we had expected that! But you needn't be in a hurry. In a story
like this one, that runs right on from day to day, we must leave a lot
to chance. And there are ever so many chances----"

"Not all on the side of failure, I hope?"

"We _must_ be going." She laughed. I wished she hadn't that
characteristic little turn of the head that was so beguiling!

Folly rode with us all the way to Barton. If anything sensible was
uttered on the drive, I can't recall it. Our talk, chiefly of knights
and ladies, and wild flights from imaginary enemies, had the effect of
spurring Flynn to perilous spurts of speed.

"Flynn has caught the spirit!" cried Alice exultingly. "Haven't you,
Flynn?"

Flynn, turning to confirm this, caused the car to swerve and graze a
truck piled high with household goods.

"We may elude the pursuing knights," I suggested, "but some village
constable may take it into his head to pinch us."

"Oh, that would be lovely," cried Alice. "And we'd telegraph dear Mr.
Torrence to come and bail us out."

We reached Barton at nine o'clock and after an informal supper I
listened to Antoine's solemn reports as I walked to the garage. The
prisoner had made no sign, he said, and nothing had occurred during the
day.

"But there's this, Mr. Singleton, which you ought to know, sir. The old
Tyringham people don't like the goings on here. You'll admit it's all
mighty queer. I don't complain, sir, but some of the boys threatens to
leave, sir. And I look at it this way, that nobody understanding what
the spying and bribes offered and taking prisoners is all about, is most
peculiar. We got to know where we stand, that's what it's come to, sir.
And the widow being flighty-like and Flynn coming home and saying
nothing, but shaking his head when we ask him where he's been--You see
for yourself, sir, how it looks to us."

What he said as to the general aspect of things was true,