ty, in any case, and we have plenty of time to decide what's best to
be done there."

"If I know Holmes, he'll show you his hand pretty soon, Bill. I believe
he thinks that every man has his price, and he probably has an idea that
he can get you on his side if he works it right and offers you enough."

"He's got several more thinks coming on that," said Trenwith, angrily.
"What a hound he must be! We've got to get to the bottom of this
business, Charlie. That's all there is to it!"

"Won't Jake Hoover help, Charlie?" suggested Eleanor. "He told Bessie he
would go in to see you."

"He did come, but I was called away, and meant to talk to him again this
morning, Nell. Then of course I had to come down here when I got this
news from you and so I didn't have a chance. But I may get something out
of him yet."

"We've decided, Mr. Trenwith," Eleanor explained, "that the reason Jake
is doing just what they want is that he's afraid of them--that they know
of some wrong thing he has done, and have been threatening to expose him
if he doesn't obey them."

"Well, if they're scaring him," said Charlie, "the thing for us to do is
to scare him worse than they can. He'll stick to the side he's most
afraid of."

"Let's get him down here," said Trenwith. "Then we can not only handle
him better, but we can keep an eye on him. I'm with you in this,
Charlie, for anything I can do."

"Good man!" said Charlie. "Then you're not afraid of Holmes? He's pretty
powerful, you know."

Trenwith looked at Eleanor. And when he saw the smile she gave him, and
her look of liking and of confidence, he laughed.

"I guess I can look after myself," he said. "No, I'm not afraid of him,
old man! We'll fight this out together."

CHAPTER III

AN UNEXPECTED REUNION

"I like that Mr. Trenwith, Bessie," said Dolly, when the meal was over
and she and Bessie were working together. They usually managed to
arrange their work so that they could be together at it.

"So do I, Dolly. He doesn't seem to be a bit afraid of Mr. Holmes, and I
do believe he will help Mr. Jamieson an awful lot."

"I guess he'll need help, all right," said Dolly, gravely. "The more I
think about that fire, the more scared I get. Why, how did those
wretches know that some of us wouldn't be hurt?"

"I guess they didn't, Dolly."

"Then they simply didn't care, that's all. And isn't that dreadful,
Bessie? The idea of doing such a thing!"

"I wish we knew why they did