ut
five minutes."

"You might have been born here," said I.

"I was," said Agatha. She nodded towards a beech wood that stood a
furlong away. "The trees hide the house. But we left when I was seven,
and only came back to the County five years ago. And here's our field."

The five-barred gate was padlocked. I looked at my companion.

"Shall I get over, advance ten paces, and gaze Into the middle distance?
Or aren't you that sort?"

Miss Deriot flung back her head and laughed.

"I'd rather you gave me a leg up," she said.

With a hand on my shoulder and a foot in my hand she was up and over in
an instant. I vaulted after her.

"You know," I said, "we ought to perform, you and I. With a painter's
ladder, a slack wire, and a little practice, we should do wonders. On
non-matinee days I might even lift you with my teeth. That always goes
well, and no one would know you were as light as a rose-leaf."

"Seven stone three in the bathroom," said Agatha. "Without stockings.
Some rose-leaf."

We were going uphill. The meadow through which we were passing sloped to
an oaken fence, stoutly constructed to save the cattle from a perilous
fall. For on its farther side the ground fell away sheer, so that at
this point a bluff formed one high wall of the sunken road for which we
were making. _The Thatcher_, I remembered, stood immediately opposite to
the rough grass-grown steps, hewn years ago for the convenience of such
passengers as we. There was a stile set in the fence, and as I swung
myself over I glanced down past the edge of the bluff and into the road
below.

In the little curved space that fronted the inn the Rolls was standing
silent and unoccupied.

I must have exclaimed, for Agatha was over the stile In an instant, and
asking me what was the matter. Then she saw, and the words died on her
lips. Together we stood spell-bound.

The door of the inn was shut, and there was no one in sight.

My first impulse was to dart down the steps, beat upon the door of the
tavern, and confront the thief. But valour yielded to discretion. The
great thing was to recover the car. I had but a slip of a girl with me,
the spot was a lonely one, and it was more than likely that the
highwayman was not working alone. Besides, Agatha must not be involved
in any violence.

I turned to my lady.

"You stay here. I'm going to take her and drive straight to the
police-station. I'll pick up some police and come back just as quickly
as ev