awful noise; something's the matter over there, you may
depend--and I can see lights, can you?"

"Yes," she answered unsteadily. "I saw them a few minutes ago. I didn't
stay with Ellen, but went up the road a piece, for my head was aching
too, and I thought a little air would do me good--and I believe I got
frightened seeing the lights--I heard the sheep too--it's dreadful to
think what it means."

Mrs. Caukins turned and looked at her sharply; the light from the
kitchen shone out on the porch.

"Well, I must say you look as if you'd seen a ghost; you're all of a
shiver; you'd better go in and warm you and take a hot water bag up to
bed with you; it's going to be a frosty night. I'm going to stay here
till 'Lias comes back. I'm thankful the twins are abed and asleep, or I
should have three of you on my hands. Just as soon as 'Lias gets back,
I'm going into my room to lie down--I can't sleep, but if I stay up on
my feet another hour I shall collapse with my nerves and my head; you
can do what you've a mind to."

Aileen went into the kitchen. When Mrs. Caukins came in, fifteen minutes
later, with the information that she could see by the motion of 'Lias'
lantern that he was near the house, she found the girl huddled by the
stove; she was still wrapped in her cape. A few minutes afterwards she
went up to her room for the night.

Late in the evening there was a rumor about town that Champney Googe had
been murdered in the Colonel's sheepfold. Before midnight this was
contradicted, and the fact established that 'Lias had found his dog
stabbed to death in the fold, and that he said he had seen traces of a
terrific struggle. The last news, that came in over the telephone from
the quarries, was to the effect that no trace of the fugitive was found
in the quarry woods and the posse were now on the county line scouring
the hills to the north. The New York detectives, arriving on the evening
train, were carried up to join the Flamsted force.

The next day the officers of the law returned, and confirmed the report,
already current in the town, that Champney Googe had outwitted them and
made his escape. Every one believed he would attempt to cross the Canada
border, and the central detective agency laid its lines accordingly.

XV

Since Champney Googe's escape on that October night, two weeks had been
added to the sum of the hours that his friends were counting until they
should obtain some definite word of his fate. Duri