to
Septimus Rainer's proposal to fit it out with fresh tires, declaring that
the tires on it, worn in her service, had become one of his most
cherished possessions; and in the end turned upon Tinker with
outstretched arms, and cried, "Embrace me! I have called you a
good-for-nothing! But you are a hero!"

With infinite quickness Tinker seized the nearest hand, wrung it warmly,
and ducked out of the way of the embrace. Then he explained that unless
the police caught the kidnappers, they desired to let the matter drop,
for the gossip would be unpleasant to Dorothy. The Frenchman understood;
and assured them that as far as he was concerned, it should be buried in
the most secret depths of his bosom.

With that he took his leave of them; and on his heels came two Italian
detectives to inquire into the kidnapping. Sir Tancred was summoned to
the conference; and for all that their questioners assumed a good deal of
the air of inquisitors with all the horrors of the torture-chamber behind
them, he and Tinker saw to it that they went away very little wiser than
they came.

At dejeuner Septimus Rainer told them that now he was in Europe he
proposed to stay in Europe, and enjoy a little of his daughter's society.
He could carry on all of his business he wanted to by cablegram and
letter. One thing, however, he must have, and that was clothes, for in
his haste he had come away with a gripsack and nothing more. Sir Tancred
suggested that Tinker, who knew his Nice, should take him over there, and
put him in the hands of the right tailor, hatter, hosier, and bootmaker;
and Septimus Rainer accepted the offer gratefully.

Accordingly the two of them caught a train early in the afternoon, and
went to Nice. Septimus Rainer had supposed the getting of clothes to be
a simple and tiresome affair of a few minutes; you went to a tailor and
said, "Make me suits of clothes," or to a bootmaker and said, "Make me
pairs of boots." He was vastly mistaken. He found himself embarked upon
a serious business.

He awoke to the seriousness of it in the train, when he found Tinker, who
had taken his commission to heart, regarding him with a cold, calculating
air, very disquieting. He endured it as long as he could, then he said
cautiously, "You aren't measuring me for my coffin; are you, sonny?"

"Oh, no!" said Tinker with a reassuring smile of a seraphic sweetness.
"I was only thinking how you ought to be dressed."

"Oh, anything will