n, and with a bow he handed the missing lunch to
Betty. The girls said afterward that her hand did not tremble a bit as
she accepted it. And then the Little Captain did something most
unexpected.

"Perhaps you are hungry, too," she said, with one of her winning smiles,
a smile that seemed to set her face in a glow of friendliness. "We are
on a tramping tour--I mean a walking tour," she hastily corrected
herself, feeling that perhaps the man would object to the word "tramp."
She went on:

"We are on a walking tour, visiting friends and relatives. We generally
take a lunch at noon."

"Yes, that seems to be the universal custom," agreed the man. "That is,
for some persons," and he smiled, showing his white teeth.

"Are you--are you hungry?" asked Betty, bluntly.

"I am!" He spoke decidedly.

"Then perhaps--I'm sure we have more here than we can eat--and we'll
soon--I mean comparatively soon--be at a friend's house--perhaps--"

She hesitated.

"I would be very glad," and again the man bowed.

Betty opened the little satchel--it was a miniature suitcase--and a
veritable wealth of lunch was disclosed. There were sandwiches without
number, pickles, olives, chunks of cake, creamy cheese--

"Are you sure you can spare it?" asked the man. "I'm sure I don't
want to--"

"Of course we can spare it," put in Mollie, quickly.

"Well then I will admit that I am hungry," spoke the unknown. "I am not
exactly what I seem," he added.

Betty glanced curiously at him.

"Don't be alarmed," he went on quickly. "I am not exactly sailing under
false colors except in a minor way. Now, for instance, you took me for a
tramp; did you not?" He paused and smiled.

"I--I think we did," faltered Mollie.

"And I don't blame you. I have, for the time being, assumed the
habiliments of a knight of the road, for certain purposes of my own. I
am--well, to be frank, I am trying to find something. In order to carry
out my plans I have even begged my way, and, not always successfully.
In fact--"

"You are hungry!" exclaimed Grace, and her chums said she made a move as
though to bring out some chocolates. Grace, later, denied this.

"I am hungry," confessed the tramp--as he evidently preferred to appear.

Betty took out a generous portion of food.

"It is too much," the wayfarer protested.

"Not at all," Betty insisted. "We have a double reason for giving it to
you. First, you are hungry. Second, please accept it as a reward for--"

"F