ght now. First I wanted you all to
understand clearly that we are being watched and for what purpose.
Langford convicted himself when he asked for the double room next to the
one occupied by Katherine and me and offered to pay the regular rate for
two. He thinks that he is able to maintain an appearance of utter
disinterest in us and throw us off our guard. But he overdoes the thing.
He makes too big an effort to appear unconscious of our presence. It
doesn't jibe at all with the expression of decided interest I have
caught on his face on two or three occasions. And I flatter myself that
I successfully concealed my interest in his interest in us.

"Now, there are two things I want to say to you, and we will return.
First, do your best, every one of you, to throw Langford off the track
by affecting the most innocent disinterest in him as of no more
importance to us than the most obscure tourist on earth. Don't overdo
it. Just make yourselves think that he is of no consequence and act
accordingly without putting forth any effort to do so. The best way to
effect this is to forget all about our mission when he is around.

"Second, we must find out where the Graham cottage is and then determine
where we want to locate our camp--somewhere in the vicinity of the
Graham cottage, of course."

"Let me go out on a scouting expedition to find out where they live,"
Katherine requested.

"And let me go with her," begged Ruth Hazelton.

"All right," Miss Ladd assented. "I'll commission you two to act as
spies to approach the border of the enemy's country and make a map of
their fortifications. But whatever you do, don't get caught. Keep your
heads, don't do anything foolish or spasmodic, and keep this thing well
in mind, that it is far better for you to come back empty handed than to
make them suspicious of any ulterior motive on your part."

CHAPTER IX.

FURTHER PLANS.

"Now, girls," said Miss Ladd, addressing Katherine and Hazel, "let me
hear what your plan is, if you have any. If you haven't any, we must get
busy and work one out, for you must not start such an enterprise without
having some idea as to how you should go about it. But I will assume
that a suggestion must have come to you as to how best to get the first
information we want or you would not have volunteered."

"Can't we work out an honor plan as we decide upon our duties and how we
are to perform them?" Hazel inquired.

"Certainly," the Guardian re