from here."

"Where did this occur?" asked Banborough.

"On Fourteenth Street," replied Smith, "Spotts and I met Miss
Arminster, and she called out as she passed me, 'Don't forget "The
Purple Kangaroo!"' A minute later the police arrested her, and when the
crowd heard that she was a Spanish spy, I swear I think they'd have torn
her in pieces if the officers hadn't put her in a prison van and got her
away."

The tragedian paused, shivering from his recent agitation, and Cecil,
seeing his condition, rang for some brandy.

"But what does it all mean?" asked the actor, tossing off his drink.

"I know what it means," cried Banborough, "but there's no time to talk
now. We've not a moment to lose!" and he rushed downstairs.

Spotts met them at the doorway, and, as they walked rapidly along, the
young Englishman poured into his companions' ears an account of what he
had learned from Marchmont of the Spanish plot and the unforeseen use
which had been made of the title of his book, while the tragedian
rehearsed again the story of Miss Arminster's arrest, of his own
hair-breadth escape from the clutches of the law, of his prodigies of
valour in connection with Spotts, whom he had met in his headlong
flight, and who, it seemed, had prevailed on his more timid companion to
follow the prisoner in a hansom.

"It's a bad business," admitted Cecil; "but what's to be done?"

"Done!" exclaimed Smith in tragic tones. "Why, rescue the lady instantly
and leave the city without delay. In the present excited state of the
public no amount of explanation will avail. We may all be arrested as
confederates. We must act!"

"You're talking sense for once," said Spotts. "Heroic measures are the
only ones worth considering, and if you"--turning to Banborough--"will
stand by us, we may come out on top after all."

"You can depend on me to any extent," declared the young author. "I've
got you into this scrape, and I'll do my best to get you out of it."

"That's just what I expected of you, Bishop!" exclaimed Spotts, grasping
his hand. "We can't waste time in talking. You must go and find the
other members of the company, Tyb, and warn them of their danger. Now
where can we rendezvous outside the city? Speak quickly, some one!"

"The leading hotel in Yonkers," said Smith.

"Right you are," replied Spotts. "Get there as soon as possible and wait
for us to turn up. How about funds?"

"I've plenty of ready money with me," volunteered Cecil,