and you all know how I managed
_that_--and also the ride, a day or two later. When I was returning from
the ride that night, at dusk, Ted signaled me from the bushes near
Curlew's Nest, jumped into the car, and told me what had happened in the
afternoon. He had gone off to the village first, then hurried back,
slipped up here by way of the creek, and hidden himself in a clump of
rushes across the road. Just as he had suspected, he saw his suspicious
fisherman sneak up here after a while, scout around the outside of the
bungalow, disappear into it for a time, by the side door, come out,
apparently empty-handed, stare at the outside again for a long time, and
then at your bungalow, and finally disappear. But that was not all.

"He waited where he was a few minutes, thinking possibly the man might
come back, and he was just about to come out, when along came an
automobile with _two_ men in it, which stopped directly in front of
Curlew's Nest. He could not see their faces, for they had slouch hats
pulled far down on their heads. They got out and walked about a bit,
evidently to see if any one was around. Then, thinking themselves alone,
they hurried up to the bungalow, worked at the side door, and finally got
in. Shortly after, they came out again and walked down to the beach,
where he could not see them. Then they came back, got into the car, and
drove off.

"By that time it was growing so late that he concluded he would stay
where he was and wait for me to come back, which he did. Before he left
me, we had a slight breakdown, and in helping me fix it, he hurt his
hand. But that same night, long after midnight, he got into Curlew's Nest
again to see if he could find out what had happened, and he found a very
strange message left on the table--a type-written warning to the one who
had taken the article (as it was called!) from its hiding-place to return
it, and underneath, a printed note in pencil, saying it would be
returned. He thought probably the first man had left the type-written
part, and the other two had printed the answer underneath. That was all
he could make of it.

"It was all very mysterious, but while we couldn't make much out of it,
at least it showed that something concerning the affair was going on and
that the place must be closely watched. Ted volunteered to keep this
watch. Meanwhile, Grandfather had had a very bad turn and I was with him
constantly. He was terribly depressed over the whole affair. Ev