evised a hundred plausible methods of revealing his
identity--was not Mrs. Devar, marriage-broker and adroit sycophant,
ready to hand and purchasable?--and there was small room for doubt
that a girl's natural vanity would be fluttered into a blaze of
romance by learning that her chauffeur was heir to an old and
well-endowed peerage. But honor forbade, nor might he dream of winning
her affections while flying false colors. True, it would not be his
fault if they did not come together again in the near future. He meant
to forestall any breach of confidence on the part of Simmonds by
writing a full explanation of events to Cynthia herself. If his
harmless escapade were presented in its proper light, their next
meeting should be fraught with laughter rather than reproaches; and
then--well, then, he might urge a timid plea that his repute as a
careful pilot during those three memorable days was no bad
recommendation for a permanency!

But now, in a flash, the entire perspective had changed. The Frenchman
and Mrs. Devar, between them, threatened to upset his best-laid plans.
It was one thing to guess the nature of the sordid compact revealed at
Brighton; it was quite another to be brought face to face with its
active development at Cheddar. The intervening hours had disintegrated
all his pet theories. In a word, the difference lay in himself--before
and after close companionship with Cynthia.

It must not be imagined that Medenham indulged in this species of
self-analysis while fetching a pail of water to replace the wastage
from the condenser. He was merely in a very bad temper, and could not
trust himself to speak until he had tended to his beloved engine.

He determined to set doubt at rest forthwith by the simple expedient
of finding Miss Vanrenen, and seeing whether or not Marigny had
waylaid her already.

"Keep an eye on my machine for a minute," he said to the guardian of
the Du Vallon. "By the way, is Captain Devar here?" he added, since
Devar's presence might affect his own actions.

"Oh, you know _him_, do you?" cried the other. "No, he didn't come
with us. We left him at Bristol. He's a bird, the captain. Played some
johnny at billiards last night for a quid, and won. He told the
guv'nor this morning that there is another game fixed for to-day, and
you ought to have seen him wink. It's long odds again' the Bristol
gent, or I'm very much mistaken. Yes, I'll keep any amatoor paws off
your car, and off my own as