ou
are trying to play on us. Why isn't there any breakfast and why aren't
there any people. Come on, 'fess up!"

Jessie threw up her hands wearily. "We ought to know enough to suspect
him by this time," she sighed. "But I guess we'll never get over being
taken in."

"By the position of the sun," quoth Evelyn, "it ought to be about six
thirty."

"Just about," Lucile corroborated. "No wonder we were sleepy."

All this time the boys had been regarding the victims of their deception
with an assumption of innocence, made ineffective by the suppressed
laughter in their eyes.

"Now I guess we're even for all the insults you've heaped upon my
unoffending head in days gone by, Jet," Phil gibed. "Routing you up at
six o'clock evens up for a lifetime."

"You needn't take so much credit to yourself, brother, dear," Lucile
countered. "We were going to get up, anyway, weren't we, girls," to which
the girls agreed shamelessly.

"It's a compliment, anyway," said Jessie, philosophically. "They were so
eager for our society that they even had to resort to tricks."

"Right you are," laughed Jack. "Now that we have some time, let's make
good use of it. Come on; we'll hike," and, taking Lucile's arm, he
started down the drive.

"Where to?" called Phil.

"Makes no difference to me where we go," Jack flung back, recklessly.
"Let the girls decide."

"Make Lucile take the lead," Jessie suggested. "Maybe she can unearth
some more mysteries."

"No, she won't; she's through," said Phil, decidedly. "If there are any
more clues floating around loose, it's going to be her brother that will
find them. I want that distinctly understood."

Meanwhile, Lucile and Jack had swung off into a narrow and much more
difficult road than the one they were on, and Phil shouted a
remonstrance.

"Why not stick to the road we know about?" he shouted, and they stopped
and looked back. "That looks like a pretty stiff climb."

"We know as much about this as we do the other," Jack shouted back, "and
this is lots prettier. Come on; if it gets too steep, we can always go
back."

"No, I guess we'll stick to this one," Phil decided. "It looks like too
much work where you are," and the trio walked on.

Lucile started to follow, but Jack laid a restraining hand on her arm.
"We don't have to follow them," he pleaded. "It's so long since I've seen
you, and I haven't been able to talk to you yet."

Lucile hesitated; then, "Well, just for a short distance,"