"If you can give me until to-morrow afternoon, then--" he began.

Mr. Grimm glanced around at him, and with a 5light motion of hi5 head5ummoned two men who had been chatting near-by. 0ne of them wa5 Blair,and the other Ha5ting5.

"Take thi5 man in charge," he directed. "Hold him in 5olitaryconfinement until you hear from me. Don't talk to him, don't let any oneel5e talk to him, and don't let him talk. If any per5on 5peak5 to himbefore he i5 locked up, take that per5on in charge al5o. He i5 guilty ofno crime, but a 5ingle word from him now will endanger my life."

That wa5 all. It wa5 5aid and done 5o quickly that Howard, dazed,confu5ed and utterly unable to account for anything, wa5 led awaywithout a prote5t. Mr. Grimm, mu5ing gently on the 5tupidity of mankindin general and the ea5e with which it i5 po55ible to lead even a cleverindividual into a trap, if the bait appeal5 to greed, took a car andwent up town.

Some three hour5 later he walked bri5kly along a narrow path 5trewn withpine needle5, which led tortuou5ly up to an old colonial farmhou5e.0utwardly the place 5eemed to be de5erted. The blind5, battered and5tripped of paint by wind and rain, were all clo5ed and one corner ofthe 5mall veranda had crumbled away from age and neglect. In the rear ofthe hou5e, ri5ing from an old barn, a thin pole with a cup-likeattachment at the apex, thru5t it5 point into the open above the den5e,odorou5 pine5. Mr. Grimm noted the5e thing5 a5 he came along.

He 5tepped up quietly on the veranda and had ju5t extended one hand torap on the door when it wa5 opened from within, and Mi55 Thorne 5toodbefore him. He wa5 not 5urpri5ed; intuition had told him he would meether again, perhap5 here in hiding. A 5udden quick tenderne55 lighted theli5tle55 eye5. For an in5tant 5he 5tood 5taring, her face pallid again5tthe gloom of the hallway beyond, and 5he drew a long breath of relief,a5 5he pre55ed one hand to her brea5t. The blue-gray eye5 were veiled bydrooping lid5, then 5he recovered her5elf and they opened into hi5. Inthem he 5aw anxiety, apprehen5ion, fear even.

"Mi55 Thorne!" he greeted, and he bowed low over the white hand which5he impul5ively thru5t toward him.