you mean?" said Adele. "What have we done?"

"Done?" cried Jonah. "Done? Where d'you think we've been?"

"It can't have been goats that stopped you," said Berry, "because I had
all the goats. There was a great rally of goats at St. Calais this
afternoon. It was a wonderful smell--I mean sight."

"Guess again," said Jonah grimly.

"You haven't been waiting for us on the road?" said I.

"You're getting warmer," was the reply.

Adele gave a sudden cry.

"O-o-oh, Jonah," she gasped, "you've been at Vendome!"

I started violently, and Berry, who was about to speak, choked.

"That's right," said Jonah shortly. "Nice little place--what I saw of
it.... Lovely view from the police-station." He leaned against the
mantelpiece and lighted a cigarette. "It may amuse you to know," he
added, "that the expiation of your crime took us six and a half hours
and cost five hundred francs."

In response to our thirsty enquiries, the tale came bubbling.

My surmise that the blue-nosed _gendarme_ would telephone to Vendome
had been well-founded. He had forwarded an exact description of Pong,
together with the letters and the first three figures of the four
appearing upon the number-plate. Six minutes later Ping had sailed
innocently into Vendome--and up to her doom....

The Vendome police could hardly believe their eyes. Here was the
offending car, corresponding in every particular to the one described
to them, admittedly fresh from Chateaudun, yet having covered the
thirty-nine kilometres in eleven minutes. It was amazing ... almost
incredible ... almost.... Of outlaws, however, all things were
credible--even a speed of one hundred and thirty-six miles an hour.
For it was without doubt that outlaw which had flouted Authority at
Chateaudun. Oh, indubitably. And, having thus flouted Authority, what
was more natural than that it should endeavour to outstrip the
consequences of its deed? But, _mon Dieu_, what wickedness!

In vain had Jonah protested and Daphne declared their innocence. The
telephone was again requisitioned, and the blue-nosed _gendarme_
summoned and cross-examined. As luck would have it, he could not speak
to the passengers, beyond affirming that they included one man and one
woman.... When he gratuitously added that the reason why he could not
swear to the whole of the number was because of the terrible pace at
which the car was moving, the game was up....

Finding that the accusation of trav