achine, and Harry recognized
the voice of Hicks.

"Miss Marvin--carried away in the balloon!" cried Owen in a tone of
excitement that was not all feigned. He joined Hicks beside the
runabout.

Harry sprang to the seat of his touring car. It seemed to leap
forward. He shot past the two conspirators and heard Owen's voice
calling after him:

"Wait! Where are you going? I'll go with you."

"You're too late," shouted Harry bitterly, over his shoulder. An
envelope of dust sealed itself around the spinning wheels of the big
machine as he took the road after the balloon.

Steadfast but hopeless he fixed his eyes upon the unconquerable thing
in its unassailable element--a thing that seemed to be fleeing from
him as if inspired by a human will. Death rode beside him at his
breakneck speed, but he did not know it. He knew only that he must
follow that black beacon in the sky--that he must be there when its
flight was over--when the end came.

He did not know that Owen and Hicks, in the runabout, were also
following--that they, too, watched with an interest as deep as his,
with a hope as poignant as his hopelessness, the dizzy voyage of
Pauline.

CHAPTER XI

FROM CLOUD TO CLIFF

"Wonder what he thinks he can do," growled Hicks as they sat in the
runabout and watched Harry pass them.

"Trying to break his own neck--for nothing," replied Owen. "If he
keeps up that speed we'll get both birds with one sand bag."

"I hope so. He didn't speak, did he? You can see by the way he acts
he don't want us around--even now."

"It doesn't matter what he wants--it's what he does."

"You don't think he can save her?"

"He might--and I don't want her saved this time, Hicks, you
understand. I can't afford it this time. I've said too much."

"Well?"

"Where did you get this runabout?"

"Upper East Side--private party; I didn't want to do any business
near home."

"That's right."

"How much is this machine worth?" asked Owen irrelevantly.

"Oh, six or seven hundred--it ain't new. Why?"

"If anything should happen to it, there wouldn't be any trouble,
provided the bill was paid, would there?"

"I got an idea the owner would grab at $300 for this here buggy.
But why?"

"And if this automobile disappeared, vanished--no trace of it; you're
sure there wouldn't be any investigation?" pursued Hicks.

"Yes--it would be all right, I tell you. But I want to know what
your scheme is. How can you use th