up for you if you are really
anxious to see him, Miss Alden."

Phyllis turned pale with embarrassment. She made no reply.

Madge answered for her. "No, Mr. Thornton," she returned quietly, "it
won't be necessary. We _did_ wish to see Lieutenant Lawton on a little
matter of business. It was not important. We shall probably see him
some other time. We are sorry to have disturbed you."

Madge spoke calmly, but her cheeks were flushed. It did look rather
ridiculous for them to be searching the hotel grounds for a young man
who had not even waited to see them.

Alfred Thornton insisted on walking back to the hotel with Phyllis and
Madge. He even accompanied them to the motor launch, but as the girls
were going aboard he purposely dropped behind the party, apparently to
talk to Flora Harris. He had seen Lieutenant Lawton reappear among the
group of his friends. The young officer went straight up to Phyllis,
handing her the oblong box under the cover of the darkness. "Here is
the box," he whispered, when he caught Miss Jones looking directly at
him.

Phil took the box. It was extremely heavy. She could scarcely hold it.
But she never put it down until she had safely reached the shelter of
the houseboat and had placed it at the bottom of her steamer trunk.

Alfred Thornton did not cross to the camping grounds with Tom Curtis in
his motor launch that night. He had decided, for reasons best known to
himself, to spend the night on the Virginia side of the bay. After
seeing Madge and Phyllis to the launch, he returned to the hotel in
time to walk home with Flora Harris.

"By the way," she exclaimed, as they were about to say good night,
"didn't you once ask me to tell you if I ever heard that Lieutenant
Lawton were about to leave Fortress Monroe? Why did you wish to know?"

Alfred Thornton glanced sharply at his companion. His father had
promised him ten thousand dollars if he managed his detective work
successfully. Was it possible that this girl possessed valuable
information concerning the affairs of Lieutenant Lawton?

"Oh, I have a personal reason," he answered with an assumed
carelessness.

Flora Harris was not deceived. She had read eagerness in his quick
glance. She therefore intended to tell him that which he wished to
know, because she desired having him on her side if any difficulty
should arise between herself and Madge Morton.

"Well," she continued, after a moment's pause, "I am telling you a
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