hat Mr. Burke had made up
his mind about one thing.

Namely, that he meant to start first from the inn where we'd lunched!

He rose to say good-bye, and to add that he must be "off" so very
firmly, and just after he had helped me to another plateful of
raspberries drowned in cream.

We shook hands, and in a few seconds we heard him starting his motor--or
rather, the Super-car that I conclude he had borrowed, or "wangled," or
whatever he calls it, from one of his many wealthy friends. Through the
window I caught a flashing glimpse of this hedge-sparrow-blue car with
her silver mascot whizzing past--on the road to Lewes.

This was odd, I thought.

For there was no doubt that when we pulled up at the inn, that car's
nose had been towards home, and London.

Then we, too, started off for Lewes, and the inquiries we had to make
there.

This was when I discovered that Mr. Jessop and I were, as I've said,
"shadowed."

Mr. Burke, in that gorgeous car of his, had evidently determined, for
some obscure reason, not to lose sight of us.

We overtook him, tooling leisurely along, a mile this side of Uckfield.

We waved; we caught a cheery gleam of his white teeth and black-lashed
blue eyes. I thought that would be the last of him. Oh, dear, no. A
quarter of a mile further on he appeared to the right by some
cross-road. And from then on he and the light-blue car kept appearing
and disappearing in our field of vision.

At one moment the light-blue and silver gleam of his motor would flash
through the midsummer green of trees overshadowing some lane ahead of
us. Again he would appear a little behind and to the left. Presently,
again, to the right....

"That friend of yours seems to know the country considerable well,"
remarked the American to me. "Looks like as if he was chasing
butterflies all over it. Is he a great Nature-lover, Miss Smith?"

"I couldn't tell you," I said vaguely, and feeling rather annoyed. "I
don't know this Mr. Burke at all well."

"Is that so?" said the young American gravely.

Near Lewes we lost sight of that glittering car; it seemed finally.

I felt thoroughly relieved at that. He was a most embarrassing sort of
travelling companion, the Honourable Jim!

CHAPTER XXIV

WE SEEK "THE REFUGE"

WE (Mr. Jessop and I) drove slowly to the first post-office.

There we both alighted. And I in my impatience fairly flung myself
agains