The Elk Mountain pilot., 1923-05-03
he was asleep, breathing regularly an


easily. -,--,---'-.- --'~-'--------s-,,..
1t was a doglike sleep. of which
some men hold the faculty, and yer.
doglike was the. manner In which Billy
reused himself some hours later. In
moment he was broad awake, and
swinging his legs of, the bed, sat lis
tening with cooked ears. He moved
swiftly to the window and peered out
There was nothing to be seen. Billy
remained where he was for some sec
onds. all his senses alert. Then. with
a gesture Of decision. he snatched up
his cap, heaved himself out of the
window, and climbed down the trellis
He came. silently under Aimee's
bedroom window. glanced up at the
| open, easement, took 4 little. nickel'
torch from his vest pocket, and eberit
down. Shading the glow WITH his
hand, he EXAMINED the soft soil be
meath, the window. There were i've
unmistakable heat little snoe-prints
visible; the first pair deep !ahd point
ing inwsrds to the wall, the others
leading ,putwards. q 's iis
VI, Billy at once ran nolselessly round
Ia the garden gate ana peefed up and
| down fhs ldne.N No bhss visible. He
returned quickly. got RAKE from the
Shed. dhd Carefully rakeds over the
footprints also those beneath his own
| window. Then. he made for the gate
and. after a moments thought. un-:
locked, the shed. where the. Flying
L. Io.l ~
cycle out. freeing the engine, and tip
toed softly do~ n the path with it.
Not till he was clear Of the lane
and well out On the high road did Billy
start the Sphinx. and then only at q
very gentle pace. At an easy seven
miles an Eour he ambled along the
road, heading for Jervaulx abbey.
1t would have surprised Aimee
Scroope considerably had she guessed
for one moment how far Billy was
abreast OF, affairs. The carefree, in
souciant Billy. who seemed to live for
nothing but the Sphinx, was infinitely
more wideawake than people gave
him credit for. The cool blue eyes
missed very little; the brain behind
, them was able to connect facts to-
gether shrewdly.
Aimee had not the faintest suspi-
ciOn that anybody at Ivy cottage knew,
by the window the night before. Billy,
however, was perfectly well aware of
the fact. Early that same morning.
before setting OFF for Syderford, he,
had observed the footprints beneath
her window. which, to a keen eve,
told plainly that Aimee had dropped
from the trellis, and later on had re-
| gained her room by the same path.
Clearly the partner had made mid
night excursion for a very definite OH
ject; people do not roam the country
side in the small hours for nothing.
| The incident of the carriage on the
Stanhoe road puzzled Billy; he had
mentioned the carriage casually TO
Mrs. Sunning-saying nothing about
the collision-and learned that il could
belong to none other than Lady Ery
thea Of Jervaulx abbey, He was told
good deal about that establishment.
1t was easier to. start Mrs. Summing
talking than to stop her.
H.. obviously, Amy had something to
fear from 1eryaulx something that
bound her to secrecy. ana led her to
run risks. 1t snnoyed Blny that she.
should haye ahythips IT, fear what
ever. =
Sometimes" said Billy to himself,
as the lodge gates of tsrvauli came
in,. sight. y 6rpncho niiy, with the,
spring. blood In her will get ,doin'
stunts an salloping among the gopher
holes. When they 10 ahat they're
liable to fall an break q canpon-bone.
It's the same with her; II she doesn't
want me. why she doesn't. But II she
does, I'm going to be right there"
He dism0unted some little distance
short Of the park entrance. The dark
pile. of the. abbey was visible, quar-
ter Of a mile across the grasslands.
Billy paused and reflected. The
journey could be nothing more than n
scouting expedition. He wished very
much that he had been closer on Al
mee's tracks. ses' i'F
Just then he observed a light flash
out in one Of the abbey windows.
Faint, tintinnabulatory sounds were
borne to him upon the night breeze
the changing of bell.gN '1s
He, watched the house with alert
and thoughtful eyes. In a few mo-
ments two dim figures became visible,
moving swiftly. An Imaginative on
locker might have thought them to be
goblins, gamboling across the sward
But they kept an uncommonly straight
line. crossing the park and heading
for a, point few hundred yards TO
Billy's right. Two people-running
swiftly.
Billy followed them with his eyes.
The foremost was long-limbed, scud
ding along with giant strides. The
other, close behind, moved no less
swiftly, but 1t was figure of vague
outlines, apparently wearing cloak
or dust-coat They vanished from