Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1921-10-05

ing to nightingales in the country;
or l might be consuming steak and
onions preparatory to going TO night
club. So long. Hope you don't
break down again so suddenly
He watched the Rolls-Royce start,
but seemed in no hurry to follow suit.
And his many friends, who were wont
to regard Hugh DrummOnd as a mass
of Drawn not too plentifully supplied
with brains, would have been puZ-
zled had they seen the look of keen
concentration on his face, as he stared
along the white dusty road. He could
not say why, but suddenly and very
certainly the conviction had come to
him that this was no hoax and no
Ieg-pull-but grim ana sober reality.
In his imagination he heard the sud
den sharp order to stop the instant
they were over the hill, so that Peter
son might have chance of inspect
ing him; in a flash of intuition he
knew that these two men were no
ordinary people, and that he was sus-
pect. Two thoughts were dominant
in his mind The first was that there
was some mystery about the notion
less, unnatural man who had sat be-
side the driver; the second was a dis
tinct feeling of relief that his auto
matte was fully loaded.
THREE.
At half-past five he stopped in front
of GOdalming pOstoffice. To his sur
prise the girl handed him a wire, and
Hugh tore the yellow envelope open
quickly. 1t was from Denny, and it
was brief and to the point:
"Phone message received. AAA.
Must see you Carlton tea day after
tomorrow. Going Godalming now.
AAA. Message ends"
With slight smile he noticed the
military aseolOgy-Denny at one
time in his career had been a signaler
and then he frowned. "Must see
you" She shouldn't once.
He turned to the girl and inquired
the way to The Larches. 1t was
about two miles, he gathered, on the
GuildfOrd road, and impossible to
miss. A biggish house standing well
back in it's own grounds.
as it anywhere near house called
The Elms?" he asked.
"Next door, sir" said the girl. "The
gardens adjoin.'
He thanked her, and having torn
up the telegram into small pieces, he
got into his car There was nothing
for it, he had decided, but to drive
boldly up to the house, and say that
he had come to call on Miss Benton.
He had never been a man who beat
about the bush, and simple methods
appealed to nina trait in his char
acter which many a boxer addicted
to tOrtuous cunning in the ring, had
good cause to remember. What more
natural, he reflected, than to drive
over and see such an old friend?
He had no difficulty in finding the
house. and few minutes later he
was ringing the frOnt-door bell. 1t
was answered by maidservant
as Miss Benton in?" Hugh asked
with a smile which at once won the
girls heart.
'She has only just come back from
London, sir" she answered dOubtfuily.
81 don't know whether
''Would you tell her that Captain
Drummond called?" said Hugh as the
maid heSitated. "That I happened to
find myself near here, and came on
chance Of seeing her?"
Once again the smile was called
into play, and the girl hesitated no
longer. evil you come inside, sir?"
she said. 81 will go and tell Miss
Phyllis"
She ushered him into the draw
ing-room and closed the door. 1t
was charming room, just such as he
would have expected with Phyllis. Big
windows, opening down to the ground,
led out on to a lawn, which was al
ready blaze of color. A few great
oak trees threw a pleasant shade at
the end of the garden, and partially
showing through them, he could see
another house which he rightly as
sumed was The Elms. In fact, even
as he heard the door open and shut
behind him, he saw Peterson come out
of q small summer-hOuSe and com
MNINIFRTI0TITy11