ement. He
ventured to raise his head and confront his judge.

Mr. Crowninshield was sitting looking far out to sea exactly as before
and Walter actually began to wonder whether he had been turned to
stone or had been stricken with deafness.

"Mr. Crowninshield!" he at last ejaculated when the silence had become
intolerable.

"Yes."

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, sonny."

"Well--well--what are you going to do with me?"

"Nothing, my boy."

"_What?_"

"This job about Lola is nothing to do with you, my son. It has
evidently been planned for a long time and carefully executed by
professionals. Had you been on the spot they would have contrived to
circumvent you just as they did Jerry. A gang have beaten us, that's
all. But I will show them I am not to be beaten so easily. I'll have
that dog back if it takes every dollar I have in the world. And I'll
land those chaps behind the bars, every one of them, or my name isn't
Crowninshield."

A tide of angry color surged over the face of the speaker and he rose
abruptly, as if forgetting the lad's presence.

"Yes, sir!" he continued. "I'll round up those thieves. They needn't
put me down for such an ass. Of course it's Daly and that New York
bunch that set them on. They have always wanted Lola and been mad as
hatters that I refused to sell her. Only the last time I saw Jake Daly
he said, 'What I can't get by fair means I sometimes get by foul,
Crowninshield, so you'd better look out for your precious dog.' I did
not heed the threat at the time, attributing it to temper. But
evidently he meant just what he said. He intended to have the dog,
whether or no. But by thunder," Mr. Crowninshield brought down his
fist on the piazza rail, "he won't win out in the deal! I'll jail him
and all his tribe--see if I don't!"

Walter, watching, hardly knew whether to go or stay. The man's rage
was terrible and he thanked his lucky stars that it was not directed
toward himself.

"Is--is--there anything I can do, Mr. Crowninshield?" he at last
managed to stammer after the master had ceased his pacing of the
veranda and at length became conscious of his presence.

"Not a thing, little chap," returned his employer, flashing him one of
his rare smiles. "You have been mighty white about this, though. I
guess it took some nerve to come up here and tell me this, didn't it?"

"Yes, sir, it did."

"I wondered what you'd do."

"Wondered?"

"Yes. Mrs. Crowninshield told me about