puncture? Can I be of any assistance?"

Was it indeed Mannering's voice, or were my ears deceiving me? The
intonation was remarkably like that of the stranger, who so short a time
previously had bade us stand and deliver, that I sprang to my feet with
an exclamation of astonishment. My eyes at once convinced me that my
ears had played me false. There was no mistaking Mannering's lumbering
old car for the graceful shape of the Motor Pirate's vehicle. I resumed
my seat, taking my nerves seriously to task for generating the
suspicion, if suspicion it could be called, which had flashed across my
mind. If anything further had been needed to dispel it, the reply
vouchsafed to Winter's query as to whether he had met any one on the
road would have done so.

"Met any one?" said Mannering; "I should think I have. Met the most
wonderful motor I've ever seen, about a couple of miles back. 'Pon my
soul, I'm not sure even now whether it was not a big night bird, for it
just swooped by me with about as much noise as a humming-top might make.
It must have been travelling eighty miles an hour at least. Reckless
sort of devil the driver must be too. He hadn't a single light. I
suppose his lamps must have been put out by the rapidity with which he
was travelling. Never had such a scare in my life. I'd like to meet the
Johnny. I'd welcome an opportunity of telling him what I thought of his
conduct."

"So should I," replied Winter, grimly; "and I fancy Sutgrove would not
be averse to a meeting with him."

"Why, what has he been doing?" asked Mannering.

"It's too long a story to tell you now," said Winter, as he climbed back
into his seat; "but if you will come up to my place as soon as you have
put your car to bed, I'll tell you all about it."

"Right!" sang out Mannering, as we once more set out upon our homeward
way. We had not much further to go. In two minutes we had pulled up at
Colonel Maitland's door.

I leaned back and shouted, "Here we are, Colonel," in the slumbering
warrior's ear.

"Eh! What--what?" he replied, as he awakened with a start. "When are we
going to start?"

"Start? Why we've brought you safely home to your own threshold," said
Winter.

"'Pon my soul! I remember now," he answered. "I just shut my eyes to
keep the dust out of 'em, and---- You will come in for a peg, of
course," he continued, as he emerged from the rugs in which he had been
enveloped.

I glanced at the windows. There was only a light in