" she sobbed.

By Jove, I almost fell myself! So _that_ was the way the wind lay! And I
had never even so much as suspected. _That_ was why he had raved so
about her beauty! Beauty! Poor old Jack! If I had been sad about him
before, it was a devilish sight worse now--

Worse? Why, dash it, she _kissed_ him!

And to see him standing there, kind of batting and rolling his eyes and
looking like a girl does when she's trying a strange piece of candy out
of the box--oh, it just broke me all up!

No wonder he was crazy! Why, dash it, he would _have_ to be crazy!

He was muttering to himself.

"Remarkable!" I heard. "Singularly sensate and exhilarating! Now, I
never would have thought--um!"

And then he very deliberately took her head between his hands
and--kissed her. Then he looked upward thoughtfully and did it
again--like a chicken drinks water--_you_ know!

And then while we--that is, Jenkins and I--were trying to urge him on,
out came the note-book again and he scribbled rapidly, muttering
audibly: "Labial osculation--extraordinary stimulation--sensatory
ganglia--mucous membrane--"

"Police!" I whispered brutally in the frump's ear. "Better let's get him
away!" And, by Jove, that woke her out of her trance! In two minutes she
had cajoled him to the car and we had him inside on the cushions. We
bunched blankets and rugs about him to hide the pajamas.

"Jacky, dear," gushed the Chinese freak, "wouldn't you like for me to
sit by you and hold your poor hand?"

It looked as if he would.

The frump turned to me. "Can you drive the car, Mr. Lightnut?"

_Could_ I? Well, I would show her! Especially as Frances had changed to
the front as she saw us bringing out Billings.

"Take the train--get Billings' things from the club," I called to
Jenkins. "Sharp, now! And here, unhook that number there on the
back--give it here!"

Jenkins hesitated. "I think there's a heavy fine, sir," he hinted.

I snapped my fingers at him and he jumped to obey.

"Worse things than a jolly fine," I said, looking at poor Billings
smiling crazily over the frump. I threw the number plate into the car.

And just in time!

Around the corner whirled a policeman--and, by Jove, no less than that
fat Irishman, O'Keefe! With him was the professor's man.

"Don't tell me," panted the officer; "I know my--"

And then he gave a shout and sprang for the car.

"It's that fellow that was prowling around the station house!" he
yelled. "Here,