a trip like this."

All his affection for the girl had revived at this unexpected sight of
her, and with a lover's righteous anxiety he resented Fleck's having
exposed her to the probable perils of this expedition to the enemy's
secret lair.

"They needed me," she said simply, "to show them the way."

"That need exists no longer," he protested, "since I am here. The Chief
must send you back."

"Don't be absurd," she objected warmly.

"But it is no place for a woman," he insisted doggedly, kicking
meaningly at the rifles on the floor of the car. "There may be a fight.
These men are desperate and dangerous and more than likely will resist
any attempt to arrest them."

"I want to be there to see it if they do," said Jane calmly.

"Please, won't you, for my sake," he begged, "go back home or at least
wait here for us?"

"I won't," said the girl doggedly.

"I'll ask the Chief to send you back."

"Don't you dare," she retorted hotly, resenting his air of protection
toward her.

She was glad for the presence of the two other men in the car. She
sensed that it was only their being there that kept Dean from making a
scene. There was nothing in his manner toward her now of the obsequious
chauffeur. While she admitted to herself that there was no longer the
necessity for his continuing in his fictitious character she strongly
resented his loverlike jealousy for her welfare and welcomed the chief's
return, for she saw from his face, as he came running up to the car,
that he had received some sort of news that had highly delighted him.

Almost before he was in the car he had given orders to start, leaving no
opportunity for Dean to make his threatened protest against
Jane's presence.

"I got Carter on the 'phone," Fleck explained hurriedly as they swung
out of the park and turned northward. "He has succeeded in locating the
place the Hoffs go every week. It is about three miles back off the
road, over toward the river from the place where you two had that
accident yesterday. Away off there in the woods in a deserted locality
is a sort of club, the members of which are Austrians or Germans. They
have given it out that they are health enthusiasts and mountain
climbers, 'Friends of the Air,' they call themselves."

"Who are they really? What are they doing there?" asked Jane
interestedly.

"Carter has not had time yet to learn much about them. The place was
some sort of a health resort or sanitarium that failed seve