colm Sage before taking further steps.

One by one the guests drifted down to breakfast, went out to the
garage to see for themselves, and then returned to discuss the
affair over coffee and kidneys, tea and toast.

It subsequently transpired that without exception the cars had been
entirely put out of commission. From each the pencil had been
removed from the magneto, and the float from the carburettor. From
the bicycles the pedals had been taken away, with the exception of
those belonging to Miss Blair and one of the housemaids, the only
two ladies' machines in the place.

"A veritable Claude Duval," someone remarked; but this brought
little consolation to the owners of the wrecked cars. It was a fine
day, too, which added to their sense of hardship.

As Sir Lyster left the breakfast-room he encountered Miss Blair
crossing the hall. She looked very fresh and pretty, with a demure,
almost childlike expression of feature. Her cheeks were flushed with
health and exercise.

"Would you like me to cycle over to Odford to the police?" she
enquired. "My machine is quite all right. I have just been for a
spin."

"No--en--not at present, thank you, Miss Blair," said Sir Lyster, a
little embarrassed at having to refuse to do the obvious thing. He
passed across the hall into the library, and Miss Blair, having
almost fallen over the Japanese valet, "lost" in a corridor leading
to the billiard-room, went out to condole with Richards and tell
him of a strange epidemic of mishaps that seemed to have descended
upon the neighbourhood. She herself had passed a motor-cycle, two
push-bicycles, and a Ford car, all disabled by the roadside.

All that morning the Prime Minister, Sir Lyster, and Lord Beamdale
waited and wondered. Finding the strain of trying to look cheerful
too much for them, they shut themselves up in the library on the
plea of pressing official business; this, in spite of Sir Lyster's
well-known week-end rule.

Hour after hour passed; yet not only did Malcolm Sage fail to put in
an appearance, but nothing was heard or seen of the promised bogus
official messengers.

At luncheon more than one guest remarked upon the distrait and
absent-minded appearance of the three Ministers, and deduced from
the circumstance a grave political crisis.

The afternoon dragged its leaden course. Throughout the house there
was an atmosphere of unrest. Among themselves the guests complained
because no action had been taken to tra