and I'm afraid I've got a
touch of it myself! Father started off to have adventures like the people
in that book and dragged me along to get my mind off Tommy----"

"Tommy?"

"Mr. Torrence!"

Billy swallowed this with a gulp.

"But, Billy," Constance continued seriously, "there's really something on
father's mind; he thinks he's looking for somebody, and I'm not sure
whether he is or not. That's how I come to be here. He made me answer an
advertisement and take this position to spy on these people."

"My God!" Deering gasped, "gone clean mad, the whole bunch of us. Who the
deuce are these lunatics anyhow?"

"I don't know, Billy; honestly I don't! You know nearly as much about
them as I do. Their mail goes to a bank in town, and I met my employer at
a lawyer's office in Hartford. Father suspects something and made me do
it, so I might watch them. The mother and daughter have been abroad a
great deal, and just came home a month ago. I never saw this man Hood
until to-night. The mother and daughter and the old gentleman call each
other by the names you heard at the table, and the books in the library
are marked with half a dozen names. Even the silver gives no clew. I've
been here a week and only one person has come to the house" (she lowered
her voice to a whisper), "and that was Ned Ranscomb!"

He clutched her hands, and the words he tried to utter became a queer,
inarticulate gurgle in his throat.

"Ned came here to see a girl," she went on: "an artist who made the
pictures for 'The Madness of May.' He's quite crazy about her. I did get
that much out of Pierrette. This artist's a victim of the madness too,
and seems to be leading Ned a gay dance!"

"Took my two hundred thousand and got me to steal two more," he groaned,
"and then went chasing a girl all over creation! And the fool always
bragged that he was immune; that no girl----"

"Another victim of the same disease, that's all," answered Constance with
a wry smile.

"Not Ned; not Ranscomb! That settles it! We've all gone loony!"

"Well, even so, we mustn't be caught here," said Constance with decision
as the music ceased.

"Tell me, quick, where can I find the governor?" Deering demanded.

"If you _must_ know, Billy," she replied, her lips quivering with mirth,
"our dear parent is in jail--in _jail_! Tommy collected those glad
tidings at the garage."

Having launched this at her astounded brother, she pushed him from her
and ran away through the c