adie."

"And have you asked her? Not surely while we were here this
afternoon."

"Oh, I saw her later--when she came to-night with your aunt, while
your aunt was searching all over the place for you. Not that I really
asked her then, but we looked at each other, you know, and I think we
liked each other--and that's a big start. I just know we'll get
married--we're soul-mates! There isn't any doubt of it."

"Well, it strikes me," said Helen severely, "that you're a trifle
conceited."

"Indeed I am," was his startling response. "You've got to be, in love.
If you don't think you're pretty fine how are you going to convince
anybody else that you are? But you'll have to excuse me for a
moment--these bracelets are cutting my wrists to pieces. I must find
that man who locked me up. You must stay here till I come back--I
won't be a minute," and the young man darted out of the room with a
ludicrous diving motion of his arms as he parted the heavy crimson
silk hangings at the doorway and caromed against the big policeman on
guard.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

KEARNEY MEETS HIS MATCH.

There was no turning Whitney Barnes away with a soft answer. His
appeals for admission were rising to a strident pitch when his friend
opened the door and yanked him in.

"Have you seen him?" demanded Barnes, looking about wildly.

"No," Gladwin returned. "I think he escaped."

"Oh, I don't mean the robber Johnny," complained Barnes, shaking out
his handcuffed wrists. "I mean the damned idiot who locked these
things on me."

"He's searching the house," said Gladwin, smiling at his friend's
tragic earnestness.

Detective Kearney came into the room alert as a race horse.

"We've been through the house from cellar to roof," he spat out while
his eyes searched every corner of the room.

"I say--look here," said Barnes, "can you unlock me?"

"No!" Kearney would not even look at him.

"Confound it, somebody ought to unlock me!" exclaimed the frantic
Barnes. "This is the most annoying position I was ever in in my life.
My valet even couldn't undress me with these things on."

"What's out that way?" asked Kearney, pointing to the panel door that
opened upon the backstairs hallway.

"Kitchen," said Gladwin, going to the door and opening it.

"Oh, yes," said Kearney, "the captain's back there?"

"But look here, detective," cried Barnes again, "who was that
inordinate ass who locked me up?"

"Ryan!" said Kearney, freezing a smile as