idea of any help from us."

"Wouldn't take a cent, eh?" rejoined Judge Trent. He turned toward
Dunham. "I'll take that twenty-five then, Boy. It's pay-day for
Hannah."

Dunham started from his leaning posture by the mantelpiece, and the
lawyer watched his embarrassed countenance as he began a search through
his pockets. He succeeded in extracting bills from two.

"I've only eight dollars here, Judge," he said at last, avoiding the
other man's eyes.

"H'm. You and Miss Lacey must have painted the town," remarked Judge
Trent, accepting the money. "Had a good appetite for dinner in spite of
your troubles, hadn't you, Martha?"

"We didn't have luncheon together," returned Miss Martha, indignant at
her friend's flippancy. "Do you suppose I cared whether I ever ate
again or not?"

"The boy deserted you, did he? Didn't I tell you to take care of Miss
Lacey?"

Dunham caught Judge Trent's eye for a second, and looked away. "_I_
think I took care of her," he replied coldly.

"Of course you did," said Miss Martha impatiently. "He had business to
attend to. Now perhaps you'll choose some other time for joking, Calvin
Trent, and tell me what you propose to do while valuable minutes are
flying."

The judge drummed thoughtfully now on his desk. "That was a bright idea
of yours concerning Thinkright," he remarked musingly.

"Then make it worth something!" responded Miss Lacey. His deliberate
manner was driving her to frenzy. "Send a telegram if you can't send a
detective. Say, 'News to your advantage coming,' or something like
that. Anything to keep her there while we send for Thinkright."

"Send for him, eh?" mused the judge aloud.

"Why, of course!" responded Martha, in the very throes of impatience.
"She wouldn't come with me, would she? She certainly wouldn't come with
_you_!" The speaker brought out the last pronoun with a vicious
satisfaction.

"Too bad of you to blacken me to her like that," remarked the judge. "I
sent, as I supposed, an entirely capable representative. John admitted
that he could carry off the affair with flying colors. How about that
hand you had tied behind you, Boy?"

Dunham changed his position. "It was a very strange and hard situation,
Judge Trent," he replied stiffly. "Most unexpected and uncomfortable
all around."

"Then I may assume that you untied the hand?"

The young man did not reply. His indignation at his employer's
imperturbability was becoming as pronounced as Miss Lacey's