ith is alive!"

XVI

An hour later, alone and heading for the inspector's office, Keith felt
in battle trim. His head was fairly singing with the success of the
morning. Since the opening of Conniston's chest many things had
happened, and he was no longer facing a blank wall of mystery. His
chief cause of exhilaration was Mary Josephine. She wanted to go away
with him. She wanted to go with him anywhere, everywhere, as long as
they were together. When she had learned that his term of enlistment
was about to expire and that if he remained in the Service he would be
away from her a great deal, she had pleaded with him not to reenlist.
She did not question him when he told her that it might be necessary to
go away very suddenly, without letting another soul know of their
movements, not even Wallie. Intuitively she guessed that the reason had
something to do with John Keith, for he had let the fear grow in her
that McDowell might discover he had been a traitor to the Service, in
which event the Law itself would take him away from her for a
considerable number of years. And with that fear she was more than ever
eager for the adventure, and planned with him for its consummation.

Another thing cheered Keith. He was no longer the absolute liar of
yesterday, for by a fortunate chance he had been able to tell her that
John Keith was alive. This most important of all truths he had confided
to her, and the confession had roused in her a comradeship that had
proclaimed itself ready to fight for him or run away with him. Not for
an instant had she regretted the action he had taken in giving Keith
his freedom. He was peculiarly happy because of that. She was glad John
Keith was alive.

And now that she knew the story of the old home down in the clump of
timber and of the man who had lived there, she was anxious to meet
Miriam Kirkstone, daughter of the man he had killed. Keith had promised
her they would go up that afternoon. Within himself he knew that he was
not sure of keeping the promise. There was much to do in the next few
hours, and much might happen. In fact there was but little speculation
about it. This was the big day. Just what it held for him he could not
be sure until he saw Shan Tung. Any instant might see him put to the
final test.

Cruze was pacing slowly up and down the hall when Keith entered the
building in which McDowell had his offices. The young secretary's face
bore a perplexed and rather anxious