tric Uncle Joshua," Jack told him, with a shrug of his shoulders, as
though miracles were an every-day occurrence with him.

"But I certainly saw you again and again, and heard you talk at the same
time just before I left for Havre to sail!" cried Randolph, nevertheless
convinced that at least this was the real flesh-and-blood Jack Parmly
standing before him.

"Oh! did you?" remarked Jack, mockingly. "Perhaps it was a dream. Perhaps
I had an understudy over there. Perhaps a whole lot of things. But the
one positive fact about which there isn't any doubt is that I'm here
ahead of you, and you've lost out in your game, that's all."

"But--it's impossible, incredible!" continued the other, hardly able yet
to believe his own eyes.

"Still, you must admit that I'm Jack Parmly, and quite in the flesh,
which after all is enough to settle the matter," he was calmly told. "My
family here have received me as their own; and Mr. Smedley had no
trouble in recognizing me. So perhaps you'd better be packing your grip
again, Cousin Randolph, and returning to your secret Government duties
over in France!"

"But--how could you have reached here so far ahead of me?" gritted the
disgusted Randolph weakly.

"Please don't forget that I'm an aviator, and we fliers are able to put
over all sorts of stunts these days," laughed Jack; though his manner
implied that he might be joking when saying this. At any rate, it could
not enter the mind of any one to believe such a thing as flying across
the Atlantic within the bounds of reason.

Carringford of course saw that his room was more desired than his
company. Besides, he had not heart or desire to linger any longer, since
he had received such a staggering blow.

Accordingly he took his departure, and acted quite like a "bear with a
sore head," as Jack described his ugly way of slamming the door and
hurrying out to the station hack that had been all this while waiting for
him at the gate.

Now that the one great object which Jack had in view was accomplished, he
and the other two began to consider the best way in which they could
return to France without attracting too much attention.

"I have a scheme that may work admirably," said Beverly. "And it happens
that the boat my good old friend is master of is due to sail from New
York the day after to-morrow. We'll go on that as stowaways."

Then, seeing the look of astonishment and also bewilderment that came
into the faces of his hearers