. Sir Justin now stared at it.

"Bunker--Count Bunker," he repeated in a musing tone, and then turned
to the present holder of that dignity with a look in his eye which the
adventurer disliked exceedingly.

"I will confer with you later," he observed. "Mackenzie, remove my
portmanteau."

In a voice inaudible to the Count he gave another order, which was
followed by Mackenzie also removing the Count's clothes from their
chair.

"I say, Mackenzie!" expostulated Bunker, now beginning to feel seriously
uneasy; but heedless of his protest the butler hastened with them from
the room.

Then, with a grim smile and a surprising alacrity of movement, Sir
Justin changed the key into the outside of the lock, passed through the
door, and shut and locked it behind him.

"The devil!" ejaculated Count Bunker.

Here was a pretty predicament! And the most ominous feature about it
appeared to him to be the deliberation with which his captor had acted.
It seemed that he had got himself into a worse scrape than he could
estimate.

He wasted no time in examining his prison with an eye to the possibility
of an escape, but it became very quickly evident that he was securely
trapped. From the windows he could not see even a water-pipe within
hail, and the door was unburstably ponderous. Besides, a gentleman
attired either in pajamas or evening dress will naturally shrink from
flight across country at nine o'clock in the morning. It seemed to the
Count that he was as well in bed as anywhere else, and upon this opinion
he acted.

In about an hour's time the door was cautiously unlocked, and a tray,
containing some breakfast, laid upon the floor; but at the same time he
was permitted to see that a cordon of grooms and keepers guarded
against his flight. He showed a wonderful appetite, all circumstances
considered, smoked a couple of cigars, and at last decided upon getting
up and donning his evening clothes. Thereafter nothing occurred, beyond
the arrival of a luncheon tray, till the afternoon was well advanced;
by which time even his good spirits had become a trifle damped, and his
apprehensions considerably increased.

At last his prison door was again thrown open, this time by Sir Justin
himself.

"Come in, my dear," he said in a grave voice; and with a downcast eye
and scarlet cheek the fair Julia met her guest again.

Her father closed the door, and they seated themselves before their
prisoner, who, after a profound obeisance