chine," she said to Hugh.

"And fired the bridge behind. They must have poured gasoline over it
and lighted it at both ends."

She sat with one hand still straining at the driving wheel, the other
playing with the gear lever.

"There's no other way across that ravine, I suppose," Hugh questioned
her.

"The other road's back more than a mile, and two miles about." She
threw in the reverse and started to turn. Hugh shook his head.
"That's no use."

"No," she agreed, and stopped the car again. Hugh stepped down on the
ground. A man appeared on the other side of the ravine. He stood and
stared at the burning span and, seeing the machine on the other side,
he scrambled down the slope of the ravine. Eaton met him as he came up
to the road again. The man was one of the artisans--a carpenter or
jack-of-all-work--who had little cottages, with patches for garden,
through the undivided acreage beyond the big estates. He had hastily
and only partly dressed; he stared at Eaton's hurt with astonishment
which increased as he gazed at the girl in the driving seat of the car.
He did not recognize her except as one of the class to whom he owed
employment; he pulled off his cap and stared back to Eaton with wonder.

"What's happened, sir? What's the matter?"

Eaton did not answer, but Harriet now recognized the man. "Mr.
Blatchford was shot to-night at Father's house, Dibley," she said.

"Miss Santoine!" Dibley cried.

"We think the men went this way," she continued.

"Did you see any one pass?" Eaton challenged the man.

"In a motor, sir?"

"Yes; down this road in a motor."

"Yes, sir."

"When?"

"Just now, sir."

"Just now?"

"Not five minutes ago. Just before I saw the bridge on fire here."

"How was that?"

"I live there just beyond, near the road. I heard my pump going."

"Your pump?"

"Yes, sir. I've a pump in my front yard. There's no water piped
through here, sir."

"Of course. Go on, Dibley."

"I looked out and saw a machine stopped out in the road. One man was
pumping water into a bucket for another."

"Then what did you do?"

"Nothing, sir. I just watched them. Motor people often stop at my
pump for water."

"I see. Go on."

"That's all about them, sir. I thought nothing about it--they wouldn't
wake me to ask for water; they'd just take it. Then I saw the fire
over there--"

"No; go back," Eaton interrupted. "First, how many men were there in
the car?"

"How many