irty-six
hours to go to Washington, spend a brief time there and return. It was
going to take five days to go to South Carolina, remain long enough to
transact his business--was it business?--and come back. And there had
been no more attempts to write letters by way of an amanuensis. The
affection for his assistant in his manner to her was genuine, she did
not doubt that, but it did not deceive her for a moment. So, she did
not let her eyes meet his. They rested, instead, on the scarfpin which
Buller had termed a "peach," but they did not see it. She could not
remember when it had been so hard to maintain that quiet control of
herself which had long since made her employer cease to reckon with the
possibilities of fire beneath.

R. P. Burns stole away with Johnny and the Imp, without so much as
letting his neighbours know of his intentions. He had made sure that
they were all well; that no incipient scarlet fever or invading measles
was threatening them. He smiled to himself as the car went past the
Chester house, to think how interested they would be to know where he
was going. But he got safely off and nobody opened a door at sound of
the Imp to call to him to come in a minute because somebody seemed not
quite well.

And then, after all, he ran upon Arthur Chester--and at the city
station, to which he had taken the precaution to go, although the
ten-thirty stopped for a half-minute at the village. It must be admitted
that he tried to dodge his best friend, but he did not succeed. His
shoulders were too conspicuous: he could not get away.

"Going to see an out-of-town patient at this hour of night?" queried
Chester, coming up warmly interested, as best friends have a trick of
being, in spite of all that can be done to avert their curiosity.

"Where else would I be going?"

"I don't know where else, but I doubt if it's to see a patient. There's
an air about you that's not professional. You--er--you can't be going to
Washington? There's nobody there now."

"No, only a few Government officials and some odds and ends of
hangers-on. To be sure, Congress is in session, but there's nobody
there. My train's been called, Ches; so long."

"Let me carry your bag." Chester reached for it. "I say, this isn't a
tool-kit--this is a stunner of a regulation travelling bag. See here,
Red," he was rushing along on the other's side, fairly running to keep
up with Burns's strides--"how long are you going to be gone?"

"Long enoug