ing his doings while he made his investigation. He anticipated a
swift and quiet job, to be done in a few minutes.

But there was another individual in Wrychester who knew just as much of
the geography of Paradise as Pemberton Bryce knew. Dick Bewery and
Betty Campany had of late progressed out of the schoolboy and schoolgirl
hail-fellow-well-met stage to the first dawnings of love, and in spite
of their frequent meetings had begun a romantic correspondence between
each other, the joy and mystery of which was increased a hundredfold
by a secret method of exchange of these missives. Just within the
wicket-gate entrance of Paradise there was an old monument wherein was a
convenient cavity--Dick Bewery's ready wits transformed this into love's
post-office. In it he regularly placed letters for Betty: Betty stuffed
into it letters for him. And on this particular evening Dick had gone
to Paradise to collect a possible mail, and as Bryce walked leisurely up
the narrow path, enclosed by trees and old masonry which led from Friary
Lane to the ancient enclosure, Dick turned a corner and ran full into
him. In the light of the single lamp which illumined the path, the two
recovered themselves and looked at each other.

"Hullo!" said Bryce. "What's your hurry, young Bewery?"

Dick, who was panting for breath, more from excitement than haste, drew
back and looked at Bryce. Up to then he knew nothing much against Bryce,
whom he had rather liked in the fashion in which boys sometimes like
their seniors, and he was not indisposed to confide in him.

"Hullo!" he replied. "I say! Where are you off to?"

"Nowhere!--strolling round," answered Bryce. "No particular purpose,
why?"

"You weren't going in--there?" asked Dick, jerking a thumb towards
Paradise.

"In--there!" exclaimed Bryce. "Good Lord, no!--dreary enough in the
daytime! What should I be going in there for?"

Dick seized Bryce's coat-sleeve and dragged him aside.

"I say!" he whispered. "There's something up in there--a search of some
sort!"

Bryce started in spite of an effort to keep unconcerned.

"A search? In there?" he said. "What do you mean?"

Dick pointed amongst the trees, and Bryce saw the faint glimmer of a
light.

"I was in there--just now," said Dick. "And some men--three or
four--came along. They're in there, close up by the nave, just where you
found that chap Collishaw. They're--digging--or something of that sort!"

"Digging!" muttered Bryce. "Di