he asked.

"Absolutely alone," I replied.

"And why?" he demanded.

"To see if I could get any news of Miss Dunlop," I answered.

"Why should you think to find Miss Dunlop here--in this old ruin?" he
argued; and I could see he was genuinely curious. "Come now--straight
talk, Moneylaws!--and it'll be all the better for you."

"She's missing since last night," I replied. "It came to me that she
likely took a short cut across these grounds, and that in doing so she
fell in with Sir Gilbert--or with you--and was kept, lest she should let
out what she'd seen. That's the plain truth, Mr. Hollins."

He was keeping his eyes on me just as steadily as he kept the revolver,
and I saw from the look in them that he believed me.

"Aye!" he said. "I see you can draw conclusions, if it comes to it.
But--did you keep that idea of yours strictly to yourself, now?"

"Absolutely!" I repeated.

"You didn't mention it to a soul?" he asked searchingly.

"Not to a soul!" said I. "There isn't man, woman, or child knows
I'm here."

I thought he might have dropped the muzzle of the revolver at that, but
he still kept it in a line with my nose and made no sign of relaxing
his vigilance. But, as he was silent for the moment, I let out a
question at him.

"It'll do you no harm to tell me the truth, Mr. Hollins," I said. "Do you
know anything about Miss Dunlop? Is she safe? You've maybe had a young
lady yourself one time or another--you'll understand what I'm feeling
about it?"

He nodded solemnly at that and in quite a friendly way.

"Aye!" he answered. "I understand your feelings well enough,
Moneylaws--and I'm a man of sentiment, so I'll tell you at once that the
lass is safe enough, and there's not as much harm come to her as you
could put on a sixpence--so there! But--I'm not sure yet that you're safe
yourself," he went on, still eyeing me consideringly. "I'm a soft-hearted
man, Moneylaws--or else you wouldn't have your brains in their place at
this present minute!"

"There's a mighty lot of chance of my harming you, anyway!" said I, with
a laugh that surprised myself. "Not so much as a penknife on me, and you
with that thing at my head."

"Aye!--but you've got a tongue in that head," said he. "And you might be
using it! But come, now--I'm loth to harm you, and you'd best tell me a
bit more. What's the police doing?"

"What police do you mean?" I inquired.

"Here, there, everywhere, anywhere!" he exclaimed. "No quibbles,