seen better days,
covered his head.

"Good-morning, miss," he wheezed.

"Why were you running away, Mr. Jaggs?" she asked, a little out of
breath.

"Not runnin' away, miss," he said, glancing at her sharply from under
his heavy white eyebrows. "Just havin' a look round!"

"Do you spend all your nights looking round?" she smiled at him.

"Yes, miss."

At that moment a cyclist gendarme came into view. He slowed down as he
approached the two and dismounted.

"Good morning, madame," he said politely, and then looking at the man,
"is this man in your employ? I have seen him coming out of your house
every morning?"

"Oh, yes," said Lydia hastily, "he's my----"

She was at a loss to describe him, but old Jaggs saved her the trouble.

"I'm madame's courier," he said, and to Lydia's amazement he spoke in
perfect French, "I am also the watchman of the house."

"Yes, yes," said Lydia, after she had recovered from her surprise.
"M'sieur is the watchman, also."

"_Bien_, madame," said the gendarme. "Forgive my asking, but we have so
many strangers here."

They watched the gendarme out of sight. Then old Jaggs chuckled.

"Pretty good French, miss, wasn't it?" he said, and without another
word, turned and limped in the trail of the police.

She looked after him in bewilderment. So he spent every night in the
grounds, or somewhere about the house? The knowledge gave her a queer
sense of comfort and safety.

When she went back to the villa she found the servants were up. Jean did
not put in an appearance until breakfast, and Lydia had an opportunity
of talking to the French housekeeper whom Mrs. Cole-Mortimer had engaged
when she took the villa. From her she learnt a bit of news, which she
passed on to Jean almost as soon as she put in an appearance.

"The gardener's little boy is going to get well, Jean."

Jean nodded.

"I know," she said. "I telephoned to the hospital yesterday."

It was so unlike her conception of the girl, that Lydia stared.

"The mother is in isolation," Lydia went on, "and Madame Souviet says
that the poor woman has no money and no friends. I thought of going down
to the hospital to-day to see if I could do anything for her."

"You'd better not, my dear," warned Mrs. Cole-Mortimer nervously. "Let
us be thankful we've got the little brat out of the neighbourhood
without our catching the disease. One doesn't want to seek trouble. Keep
away from the hospital."

"Rubbish!" said Jean bris