kton Inn at Stamford. Visitors from
Stamford would hardly send in to the city for a machine."

I bade him wait while I called the Elkton by telephone. No such person
as Giuseppe Montani had spent the night there or had been a guest of the
house within the memory of the clerk. Antoine's chest swelled at this
confirmation of his suspicions.

"If the man returns, treat him as you did last night--as though he were
entitled to the highest consideration."

"He won't come back--not the same way," said Antoine. "He mentioned the
Elkton just to throw you off. The next you hear of him will be quite
different."

"You mean he'll come as a burglar?"

"That's what's in my mind, Mr. Singleton. Everything seems very queer,
sir."

"Such as what, Antoine?"

"The widow has been telegraphing and telephoning considerable, sir."

"There must be no spying upon these ladies!" I admonished severely. "All
the people on the place must remember that Mrs. Bashford is mistress
here, and entitled to fullest respect."

He had hardly gone before Torrence had me on the wire to hear my report
and to say that Raynor had left Washington for a weekend in Virginia.

"That lets us out for a few days, but I'll have to report that Mrs.
Bashford is at Barton the moment I learn that he is back in Washington."

I assured him that nothing had occurred to encourage a suspicion that
Mrs. Bashford was not all that she pretended to be. The day was marked
by unusual activities on the part of the waiters and bell-hops. Instead
of the company drills to which I had become accustomed they moved about
in pairs along the shore and the lines of the fences. I learned that
Antoine had ordered this, and the "troops" were obeying him with the
utmost seriousness. The "service" on the estate was certainly abundant.
It was only necessary to whistle and one of the Tyringham veterans would
come running.

In spite of the complete satisfaction I had expressed to Torrence as to
the perfect integrity and honest intentions of the two women, the
curiosity of the American State Department and the visit of Montani
required elucidation beyond my powers. At dinner they were in the
merriest humor. The performances of the little army throughout the day
had amused them greatly.

"How delightfully feudal!" exclaimed Alice. "Really we should have a
moat and drawbridge to make the thing perfect. Constance and I are the
best protected women in the world!"

We extracted all the fun pos