hat
resembled a circle, as if he were chasing his own tail, and at last
Bessie determined to speak to him and try to make him show his hand. The
suspense of waiting for something to happen was making her nervous. She
felt that even the realization of her fears would be welcome, since
then, at least, she could do something.

"Mr. Holmes," she said, "I really think you'd better be taking us back.
It's very late, and I'm afraid Miss Mercer will be worried about us."

"Not she!" said Holmes, cheerfully. "The fact is, I've rather lost my
way, and those stupid men at that store where we stopped did not seem to
be able to do much toward setting me right. So, knowing that we might be
late, I took the liberty of telephoning to Miss Mercer and said that, if
she didn't mind, I'd take you two to luncheon somewhere and bring you
back in the afternoon."

Bessie gasped at the cool daring of the way in which he told the lie.
But then she reflected, just in time to keep her from taxing him with
having told an untruth, that he knew nothing of her eavesdropping, and
therefore thought it was safe to tell her anything he liked.

"Oh!" she said. "I--I didn't know you'd done that. You said you were
going to send a message to a friend--"

"Well, I flatter myself that Miss Mercer and I are friends," said
Holmes, smiling. "Why don't you cheer up, Miss Bessie? It's all
right--really it is! You ought to know that I wouldn't get you into
trouble with Miss Mercer for the world. Why, I'm old enough to be your
father!"

"But if you're lost, how do you know where you're going?" asked Bessie,
sticking to her guns.

"I don't know, of course--not exactly, that is. But I know that if I
keep on going this way I'll come to some place here we can get a nice
luncheon. This is pretty thickly settled country around here, you know,
and it's used a lot by automobile parties. So we're sure to find some
sort of a place soon. They have them wherever they think they can
persuade motorists to stop and spend their money."

"If Miss Mercer knows where we are and said it was all right for us to
stay it must be all right, Bessie, mustn't it?" asked Dolly, who had
overheard what they were saying. "Oh, I'm so glad, Bessie! That shows
you were mistaken, doesn't it, and that it wasn't so wicked of me to get
you to come?"

"Hush, Dolly!" said Bessie, in a whisper. "I can't let Mr. Holmes know
it now, of course, but don't you remember that I heard him while he was
te