Resistance to the course of events marked by the
stars is bound to result in confusion. And here's another striking
coincidence: You mentioned casually that Isabel spoke of buried treasure
in the far north. I'm overpowered by that. The sweet influences of
Pleiades have long beguiled me with the promise of a quest for hidden
gold; for years, Archie, the thing has haunted me."

"You talk like a nonsense book! How much luggage are we taking?"

"Take everything you've got! This is going to be the most important of
all my enterprises, Archie. It's just as well to be fully prepared."

He rang for Timmons to do their packing and fell upon a time table.

"We shall take it easy tomorrow, arriving at Rochester, the city of
dreams, just as the shades of night are falling fast. Run along now;
I've got a lot to think about."

Archie was roused the next morning by the Governor, who flung an armful
of newspapers on his bed.

"The police have confessed with unusual frankness that they were duped
in the park kidnaping. You and the attractive Mrs. Congdon both stepped
into the void. The names and addresses are found to be imaginary and
they're in the air! You stirred up a pretty row, you two."

"I'd give something handsome to know where she went," said Archie. "I
ought to have stood by to help her instead of leaving her and her
troubles at a hotel door."

"Having shot her husband, your concern for her safety and happiness does
you credit! If the fellow died on the beach and his body was washed out
to sea Mrs. Congdon is a widow. And in that event it's rather up to you
to offer to marry her. The conventions of good society demand it. Your
story gave me a restless night. I'm flabbergasted by the way things are
happening. For a modest fellow you are certainly capable of stirring up
a queer mess of situations. And the singular thing about it is that for
thousands of years we've been moving toward each other out of the void!
And all the other people who were to influence our destinies were on the
way to join us--scores of 'em, Archie!"

"Detectives, policemen, and all the rest of them! Grand juries,
prosecuting officers, judges of criminal courts and prison wardens!"

"You're going to bore me one of these days by that sort of prattle. On
to Rochester!"

V

They wrote themselves down on the hotel register at Rochester as
Saulsbury and Comly and were quickly in the rooms the Governor had
engaged by wire.

"We dress, of course;