The van had been concealed in a ravine
which led from the lane. The work of loading the horse with the sacked
supplies, and the ascent of the mountain, had consumed hours. Twilight
was sifting into the valleys by the time they had unloaded the stuff and
stabled the horse in a lean-to.

There was a stove in the camp, and the place was furnished after a
fashion with chairs and a table fashioned from birch saplings. The
blankets of Wagg's camp equipment made the bunks comfortable.

Wagg had been the cook as well as the captain of the expedition. He did
better that evening with the wood-burning stove than he had done with
the oil stove of his kit.

After supper, before he turned in, Vaniman went out on a spur of
Devilbrow and gazed down on the scattered lights of the village of
Egypt. As best he could he determined the location of the Harnden house.
He felt as helplessly aloof as if he were a shade revisiting the scene
of his mortal experiences.

CHAPTER XXV

THE FIRST PEEP BEHIND THE CURTAIN

The next day Wagg went out and shot two partridges and contrived a stew
which fully occupied his attention in the making and the eating. He had
suggested to Vaniman that he'd better come along on the expedition
after the birds. Vaniman found a bit more than mere suggestion in
Wagg's manner of invitation. With his shotgun in the hook of his arm
he presented his wonted appearance as the guard at the prison. It
was perfectly apparent that Mr. Wagg proposed to keep his eye on the
promiser of the fifty-fifty split. But Wagg did not refer to the matter
of the money while they strolled in the woods.

As a matter of fact, days went by without the question coming up.

Wagg had previously praised himself as a patient waiter; the young man
confessed in his thoughts that his guardian merited the commendation.
Wagg was plainly having a particularly good time on this outing. He
displayed the contentment of a man who had ceased to worry about the
future; he was taking it easy, like a vacationer with plenty of money
in the bank. On one occasion he did mention the money in the course of a
bit of philosophizing on the situation:

"I suppose that, when you look at it straight, it's stealing, what I'm
doing. I've seen a lot of big gents pass through that state prison,
serving sentences for stealing. Embezzlement, forgery, crooked stock
dealing--it's all stealing. They were tempted. I've been tempted. I've
fell. I ain't an angel, any more