lbans, and giving information to
the police?"

"H--m--m!" he answered meditatively. "I think perhaps we had better
not."

"Not?" I replied in surprise.

"In the first place it is after dinner," he said.

"What of that? We dined wisely."

"One of us knows nothing about it." Winter jerked his thumb in the
direction of the slumbering warrior. "We could hardly explain the reason
why the Colonel slept so soundly through the adventure. The explanation
could hardly please him, would it?"

I muttered an assent.

"Besides," continued Winter, "for three of us to admit that we tamely
allowed ourselves to be held up by one man, and forced to hand over to
him all our valuables, well it--er--it hardly seems heroic, does it?
That wouldn't create a very favourable impression upon Miss Maitland
either."

I was compelled to agree with him.

"I think perhaps we had best keep the matter to ourselves. I have no
desire to provide another sensation for the evening papers to-morrow."

"At any rate I'm not going to sit down quietly under my loss if you
are," I responded irritably.

"That's another matter altogether," replied Winter, as he set our car in
motion once more. "I did not say that I was going to grin and bear it
either."

"What do you propose?" I cried eagerly.

"That is a question we will discuss over a whisky and soda, when we have
deposited the Colonel safely at home;" and he refused to say anything
further.

Our car was once more put at full speed, and in five minutes we reached
the cross-roads on the outskirts of St. Albans, where the road to
Watford makes a junction with that on which we had come from town. Here
Winter pulled up, and, much to my surprise, dismounted and made a
careful examination of the road by the light of our lamps.

"I just want to see in which direction the fellow went," he answered, in
reply to my inquiry as to the meaning of his action.

He was still engaged on the task when we heard in the distance the
regular beat of a petrol motor approaching us on the Watford road.

"If it's another pirate, he won't get much plunder," I remarked.

"That's no pirate," replied Winter, as a couple of lights came into
view. "Cannot you recognize the rattle of Mannering's old car? I should
know it anywhere. He will be able to tell us if any one has passed him
on the road."

As soon as the new-comer came within range of his voice, Winter hailed
him.

"That you, Mannering?"

"Hullo, Winter! Got a