estion," Miss Ladd said curiously; "but why did you put
one person in a double room when it was the only double room you had and
there were vacant single rooms in the house?"

The hotel keeper smiled pleasantly, as if the question was the simplest
in the world to answer.

"Because he insisted on having it and paid me double rate in advance,"
was the landlord's startling reply.

CHAPTER VIII.

PLANNING IN SECRET.

Without a word of comment relative to this remarkable information, Miss
Ladd turned and started back upstairs, and Katherine followed. In the
hall at the upper landing, the Guardian whispered thus in the ear of her
roommate:

"Sh! Don't say a word or commit an act that could arouse suspicion. He's
probably listening, or looking, or both. Just forget this subject and
talk about the new middy-blouse you are making, or something like that.
Don't gush, either, or he may suspect your motive. We want to throw him
off the track if possible."

But Katherine preferred to say little, for she was tired, and made haste
to get into bed. It was not long before the subject of their plans and
problems and visions of spies and "jam-stained fists" were lost in the
lethe of dreamland.

They were awakened in the morning by the first breakfast bell and arose
at once. They dressed hurriedly and went at once to the dining-room,
where they found two of the girls ahead of them. The others appeared
presently.

As the second bell rang, Pierce Langford sauntered into the room and
took a seat near the table occupied by Helen Nash and Violet Munday. He
looked about him in a half-vacant inconsequential way and then began to
"jolly" the waitress, who approached and sung off a string of alternates
on the "Hooverized" bill of fare which she carried in her mind. She
coldly ignored his "jollies," for it was difficult for Langford to be
pleasing even when he tried to be pleasant, took his order, and
proceeded on her way.

The girls paid no further attention to the supposed spy-lawyer during
breakfast, and the latter appeared to pay no further attention to them.
After the meal, Miss Ladd called the girls together and suggested that
they take a walk. Then she dismissed them to prepare. Twenty minutes
later they reassembled, clad in khaki middy suits, brown sailor hats,
and hiking shoes, and the walk was begun along a path that led down a
wooded hill behind the hotel and toward the nearest lake.

It was not so much for exercise