some one else," Sadie assured her.

"Yes, you bet I am," continued Barnes, striving his best to appear his
usual jaunty self. "I'm some one else entirely different--I-I'm not
Gladwin in the least."

"What are you doing here?" shot out Mrs. Burton.

"Ah, that's it," he responded. "I'm on guard--keeping watch!"

"I knew it! I knew it!" and the shrill voice rose to a plangent pitch
again. "You have hidden her away. Helen! Helen!"

"Now, now, now--my dear lady," broke in Barnes, soothingly.

"I'm not your dear lady," she flashed on him.

"My dear auntie"--Mrs. Burton's hysteria was becoming contagious--"I
beg your pardon," he added hastily, "your niece, Miss Helen, is not
here. I've been watching for hours, and she's not here--no one is
here."

"That shirt-sleeved man is here--and you're here!"

"But, auntie, he's a friend of Mr. Gladwin's," interposed Sadie.

"Ah, ha! I knew it!" screamed Mrs. Burton. "He's in the plot." And
again she plunged for him, crying, "You're his friend--you're helping
him to steal my niece. But you shan't--I'll prevent it--I'll search
the house. Come, Sadie!"

Barnes dodged skilfully and permitted Mrs. Burton to pass out into the
hallway. Sadie was about to follow when the young man stopped her.

"But I must go with auntie," Sadie objected.

"Never mind auntie now. I want to tell you about your cousin."

"Then you've seen her?"

"No."

"But you know where she is?"

"No."

"Then what can you tell me about her?"

"Everything! Sit down, please. Remember you asked me to help you and I
promised to do so."

Mrs. Burton had managed to switch on the lights in the big reception
room back of the hallway and was searching behind curtains, under
books, behind pictures and in innumerable other places, after the
manner of hysterical women.

"I said I would help you, you know," ran on Barnes.

"Yes," and Sadie looked up into his eyes confidently.

"Do you know why I promised?"

"No. Why did you?"

Barnes bent down toward her and said with all the ardor he could
command:

"Because from the moment I saw you I became your slave. When I saw how
distressed you were about your cousin this evening my heart went out
to you--the instant you left I decided to act and I've been acting
ever since."

"Oh, how kind--what have you done?"

"I've watched."

"Watched?"

"Yes, watched. You don't understand that, but it's a very serious
matter. If you only knew how serious this whole thing