alked briskly up the trail and when they turned to come back Muriel
glanced at Prescott with a smile.

"Jack dear, I like him, but he said something that was true. I should
never have fallen in love with the real Cyril Jernyngham."

They found the others in the large sitting-room. Cyril was talking gaily,
though Prescott concluded from one remark that he had not yet given a
full account of his adventures. Jernyngham sat rather limply in an
easy-chair, as if the relief of finding his son safe had shaken him, but
his eyes were less troubled and his manner calmer. He rose when he saw
Prescott.

"Mr. Prescott," he said, "I must own before these others, who have heard
me speak hardly of you, that I have done you a grievous wrong. I have no
excuse to urge in asking you to forgive it. There is nothing that now
seems to mitigate my folly."

"All you thought and did was very natural, sir," Prescott answered
quietly. "I tried not to blame you and I feel no resentment."

"What's this?" Cyril glanced up sharply, and as he noticed the guilty
faces of the others and Gertrude's strained expression, the truth dawned
on him.

"Oh!" he cried, "it's preposterous! You all suspected my best friend!"

"If it's any consolation, we're very much ashamed of it," Colston
replied. "And there was one exception; Muriel never shared our views."

Cyril still looked disturbed.

"Its obvious that I've given everybody a good deal of trouble, but I feel
that you deserved it for your foolishness. May I ask on what grounds you
suspected Jack?"

Seeing that none of them was ready to answer, Prescott interposed.

"Perhaps I had better explain; I think you ought to know."

He related the events that had followed his friend's disappearance, and
when he had finished, Cyril turned to the others.

"After all, you were not so much to blame as I thought at first--you
don't know Jack as I do, and things undoubtedly looked bad. Now I'll give
you an account of my adventures and clear up the mystery."

"Not yet," said Prescott with a smile. "You don't seem to realize that
instead of excusing people for suspicions they could hardly avoid, you're
expected to make some defense for the carelessness that gave rise to
them. Anyway, Curtis is entitled to an explanation, and as I sent him
word, he should be here soon."

"You did right," Jernyngham broke in with a trace of asperity. "It's
proper that the blundering fellow who misled us all should have his
stupi