s chair. A silence
as of the grave had fallen upon the two MacMorroghs. It was the senior
partner who broke it.

"'Tis as ye say, Misther Eckstein. A man--a safe man, that'll do what
he's told to do--will be at Ford's heels till this thing do be settled.
And now for yourself: 'tis betther that ye kape dark. Four of us know
that you're in the camp--no wan else need know. I've a room and a bed,
and ye'll be nadin' the lasht, I'm thinking."

The two MacMorroghs were bestirring themselves, and Penfield was
slipping through the door into the commissary when Eckstein's fingers
closed upon his arm.

"Your part is to keep tab on the programme," he whispered "Get word
instantly to Brian if there is any change. And if you weaken, Arthur,
I'll promise you just one thing: I'll pull you in with the rest of us if
I have to swear to a string of lies a mile long. Remember that."

Penfield escaped at length, and stumbled through the littered
end-of-track yard to where the lighted windows of the Nadia marked the
berth of the president's car. Out of the shadow of the car a man rose up
and confronted him. It was Frisbie, and he asked a single question:

"Say, Penfield, who was that fellow who rode around to the MacMorroghs'
back door just after dark?"

"It was Eckstein." The secretary let slip the name before he could lay
hold of his discretion.

"Oh: all right That's all," said the engineer; and he vanished.

Climbing to the observation platform, Penfield let himself into the
cheerful central compartment of the Nadia quietly enough to surprise two
people who were sitting together on one of the broad divans. The two
were Ford and Miss Alicia Adair, with Aunt Hester Adair, reading under
the drop-light at the table, for the only other occupant of the
compartment. It was Miss Alicia who told the secretary that he was not
needed.

"Mr. Colbrith was very tired, and he has gone to bed," she said; and
Penfield, still pallid and curiously unready of speech, said he believed
he'd go, too.

Ford got up when Penfield had disappeared in the curtained vestibule
leading to the state-rooms.

"I shall wait one more day, because you want me to," he said, resuming
the conversation which had been broken off by Penfield's incoming. "But
I'll tell the truth: I came here to-night to have it over with. We were
as near quarreling to-day as I want to come, and if Frisbie hadn't got
between--"

"Good Mr. Frisbie!" she said. "Some day I hope to get a