ing he figures I will not calculate upon." Mr.
Crowninshield rubbed his hands and laughed. "Little does he know we
have him down cold already! And it has all been so quietly and
promptly done. That is the beauty of it. You must have got home from
your walk very soon after the wretch had left. Therefore the loss was
discovered sooner than he had planned. Doubtless he was delayed by
Jerry's being about and had to wait until his accomplice up in
Brockton called him off. I presume they had agreed upon some hour when
they would summon the unsuspecting caretaker to the telephone." As the
scheme of the robbery began to unfold, Walter mirrored his employer's
smile.

"And if the other chap is in Brockton doesn't that indicate that this
fellow who was here will most likely expect to pass through there and
pick him up?" he ventured, feeling very much of a personage to be thus
taken into Mr. Crowninshield's confidence.

"Exactly!"

His Highness glowed with satisfaction. Some of his self-esteem was
returning.

"Fortunately your brother had the good sense to warn his allies to act
carefully and not alarm the thief, so that the life of the dog might
not be jeopardized. He seems to have thought of everything, this
brother Bob of yours. If we get Lola back it will be largely his
doing--and yours. I sha'n't forget the fact, either."

Walter flushed under the great man's praise.

"It was just a happen," murmured he. "I thought I had blundered."

He saw Mr. Crowninshield color at having his own word hurled back at
him.

"Some of the most fortunate strokes in our lives are achieved by
chance," replied he, laughing. "See how capable I am of shifting my
philosophy," he added with good humor. "Nevertheless, although this
indiscretion of yours has turned out well I still maintain that,
generally speaking, a silent tongue is a great asset. In nine cases
out of ten keeping still does far less harm than talking. Jerry is a
shining example of my creed. In all the years he has been here he has
never let his tongue outrun his solid judgment. And yet," concluded he
with a twinkle, "had we trusted to Jerry, we should never have heard
of his Brockton telephone communication. So there you are! Which is
the better way? It seems to be a toss up in this case."

"I guess the better way is never to make a mistake," smiled Walter.

"Do you know the infallible person who can boast such a record?" came
whimsically from Mr. Crowninshield.

"N--o, s