speak. Finally, "Where did you find
them?" I gasped.

Terry regarded me with a tantalizing laugh.

"Exactly where I thought I'd find them. Oh, I've been out early this
morning! I saw the sun rise, and breakfasted in Kennisburg at six
forty-five. I'm ready for another breakfast though. Hurry up and dress.
We've got a day's work before us. I'm off to the stables to talk
'horses' with Uncle Jake; when you're ready for breakfast send Solomon
after me."

"Terry," I implored, "where on the face of the earth did you find those
bonds?"

"At the mouth of the passage to hell," said Terry gravely, "but I'm not
quite sure myself who put them there."

"Mose?" I queried eagerly.

"It might have been--and it might not." He waved his hand airily and
withdrew.

CHAPTER XX

POLLY MAKES A CONFESSION

At breakfast Terry drank two cups of coffee and subsided into thought. I
could get no more from him on the subject of the bonds; he was not sure
himself, was all the satisfaction he would give. When the meal was half
over, to Solomon's dismay, he suddenly rose without noticing a new dish
of chicken livers that had just appeared at his elbow.

"Come on," he said impatiently, "you've had enough to eat. I've got to
see those marks while they're still there. I'm desperately afraid an
earthquake will swallow that cave before I get a chance at them."

Fifteen minutes later we were bowling down the lane behind the fastest
pair of horses in the Gaylord stables, and through the prettiest country
in the State of Virginia. Terry sat with his hands in his pockets and
his eyes on the dash-board. As we came to the four corners at the
valley-pike I reined in.

"Would you rather go the short way over the mountains by a very rough
road, or the long way through Kennisburg?" I inquired.

"What's that?" he asked. "Oh, the short way by all means--but first I
want to call at the Mathers's."

"It would simply be a waste of time."

"It won't take long--and since Radnor won't talk I've got to get at the
facts from the other end. Besides, I want to see Polly myself."

"Miss Mathers knows nothing about the matter," said I as stiffly as
possible.

"Doesn't she!" said Terry. "She knows a good many things, and it's about
time she told them.--At any rate, you must admit that she's the owner of
the unfortunate coat that caused the trouble; I want to ask her some
questions about that. Why can't girls learn to carry their own coats? It
would sa