g the house. I just saw a man by the
garage."

"Oh! I'll call the police!"

"No, wait!" Penny commanded. "I may have been mistaken." She said it
to reassure the housekeeper.

Mrs. Gallup came to the window and peered out. There was no sign of
anyone about the grounds.

"I'll take a flashlight and investigate," Penny proposed.

Mrs. Gallup caught her firmly by the arm. "You'll do nothing of the
kind. We'll lock all the doors and not stir from the house until your
father returns!"

The housekeeper insisted upon drawing all the blinds and fastening the
doors and windows. It seemed an unnecessary precaution to Penny who
believed that the prowler had gone.

An hour slipped by and the man was not seen again. Penny went wearily
to bed, but Mrs. Gallup was so nervous that she declared her intention
of remaining up until Mr. Nichols arrived home.

The detective drove in shortly after ten o'clock and Penny could hear
the two talking in the living room. She dropped off to sleep before
her father came upstairs.

In the morning Penny awoke feeling refreshed and cheerful again. After
breakfast she walked to the post office, stationing herself near the
General Delivery window. For an hour she watched men and women come
and go, claiming their mail at the little window. George Hoges did not
appear, but Penny had scarcely dared to hope that he would come so soon.

Presently, she walked over to the window and questioned the clerk who
was in charge.

"Can you tell me if a man by the name of George Hoges gets his mail
here?"

The clerk thumbed through a stack of letters before answering. "I
don't remember the man but he'll probably call here sooner or later for
he has two letters."

Penny retreated to her post near the door. It was tedious waiting.

"When I get to be a taxpayer I'll vote for chairs in every post
office!" she thought.

Penny spent nearly the entire day waiting for George Hoges to appear.
By nightfall she was so weary she could scarcely stumble home. She
felt certain she would not have the fortitude to resume her watch the
following day.

Mr. Nichols was amused when she told him of her unpleasant experience.

"A detective must learn to spend half of his time just waiting," he
declared. "Why, I've handled cases where we assign men to watch a
certain street corner. Perhaps they'll be required to keep it up for
six months."

"That's a long time."

"Not if the man you're after comes al