o lie very low so
that his chances of coming across any of them were of the most
meager.

Following the directions he had received, he made his way easily
back to the main road. He halted under a street-lamp to catch the
eye of any passing taxi which might happen to be disengaged. A
dirty faced man in a greasy old suit and a spotted handkerchief
knotted about his throat came slouching along the pavement,
keeping close to the wall. On catching sight of Desmond's face by
the light of the lamp, he stopped irresolutely and then advanced
slowly towards him.

"Excuse me, sir!" he said falteringly.

Desmond looked round at the sound of the man's voice and seeing a
typical street loafer, asked the fellow to get him a taxi.

"It is Captain Okewood," said the loafer, "you don't remember me,
sir?"

Desmond looked at the dirty, rather haggard face with its
unshaven chin and shook his head.

"I don't think I do," he answered, "though you seem to know my
name!"

The vagrant fumbled in his pocket for a minute and extracting a
scrap of paper, unfolded it and held it out to Desmond.

"That's me, sir!" he said, "and, oh, sir! if you would kindly
help me with a word of good advice, just for old times' sake, I'd
be very grateful!"

Desmond took the scrap of paper which the man tendered and held
it so as to catch the rays of the lamp. It was a fragment torn
from a newspaper. He had hardly set eyes on the cutting than he
stretched out his hand to the vagrant.

"Why, Gunner Barling," he cried, "I didn't know you! How on
earth do you come to be in this state?"

The man looked shamefacedly down on the ground.

"I'm a deserter, sir!" he said in a low voice.

"Are you, by George?" replied Desmond, "and now I come to think
of it, so am I!"

CHAPTER XXV. TO MRS. MALPLAQUET'S

Clasping Barbara's wrist in a bony grip, Mrs. Malplaquet sat at
the girl's side in the back seat of the limousine whilst Bellward
placed himself on the seat opposite. The car was powerfully
engined; and, once the cart track up to the inn was passed and
the main road reached, Strangwise opened her out.

By the track leading to the inn the high road made a right angle
turn to the right. This turn they took, leaving the Mill House
away in the distance to the left of them, and, after skirting the
fen for some way and threading a maze of side roads, presently
debouched on a straight, broad road.

Dazed and shaken by her experiences, Barbara lost all co