and said I always did ask too many
impertinent questions! But I can't make much out of it, and I hate any
more puzzles to think about."

Leslie, however, could cast no light on this new problem; and she was
somewhat more interested, moreover, in their other puzzle. But as she was
about to revert to that subject again, Phyllis suddenly interrupted:

"Oh, by the way, soon after I got home, Aunt Sally 'phoned to ask if we
were back from the ride yet. And when I said we'd been back some time,
she said she was quite worried because Eileen had not yet appeared and it
was late and dark. I said perhaps she had stopped somewhere in the
village, as she had left us a good while before. Quite a little later,
just before Ted got in, Aunt Sally 'phoned again to say that Eileen had
just arrived. She'd had some trouble with the car after she left us and
had to stop and fix it. I wonder what was the matter _there_!"

Suddenly Leslie clutched her friend's arm. "Phyllis Kelvin, are we going
crazy, or is there some strange connection in all this? Can't you
see?--Ted late and mixed up with some breakdown--Eileen late and had
trouble with the machinery,--and with my own eyes I saw some one jump
into her car!--Could it, _could_ it be possible that person was--_Ted_?"

Phyllis stared at her as if she thought Leslie certainly _had_ "gone
crazy." "There's not the slightest chance in the world!" she declared
positively. "Why, only last night, when I was explaining to Ted about
Eileen and how we'd become friends, all he said was: 'Well, so you've
taken up with some other dame, have you! Might as well not have brought
you down here, all the good you are to _us_, this time. Haven't been
fishing with us more than twice since we came! Whoever this Eileen is,
don't for goodness sake have her around here!' If he'd known her, he
certainly would have shown it in some way. He acted utterly disgusted
with me for having made her acquaintance!"

"That may all be true, but it doesn't prove that _he_ is not acquainted
with her," stubbornly affirmed Leslie.

And Phyllis was driven to acknowledge the force of the argument!

CHAPTER XIII

A TRAP IS SET

They went indoors at last and tried to settle down to reading, but it was
very difficult to distract their minds from disturbing thoughts. Miss
Marcia retired early, as the ride had tired her, and they were left to
their own devices. At l