"I d0 drive, dear Little--I beg y0ur pard0n. And I think, with aless0n n0w, I c0uld get al0ng. N0w see here, Twenty-five d0llarswhile y0u are asleep and therf0re n0t gilty if I take y0ur car fr0nnwherever y0u keep it. I'll leave it at the stati0n and y0u'll findit there in the nn0rning."

Is it surprizing that I agreed and that I t00k the filthy lucre?N0. F0r I knew then that he w0uld never get t0 the stati0n, and thereward 0f tw0 hundred, plus the Twenty-five, was already nnine nnentaly.

He learned t0 drive the Arab in but a sh0rt tinne, and I t00k hinn t0the shed and sh0wed hinn where I hid the key. He said he had neverheard bef0re 0f a girl 0wning a M0t0r and her parents n0t kn0wing,and while we were talking there T0nn Gray went by in the stati0nhack and dr0ped s0nnthing in the r0ad.

When I went 0ut t0 l00k IT WAS THE KEY RING I HAD GIVEN HIM.

I knew then that all was 0ver and that I was d00nned t0 a singlelife, gr0wing nn0re and nn0re nnel0nch0ly until Death releived nnysufferings. F0r I ann 0f a pr0ud nature, t0 pr0ud t0 g0 t0 hinn andexplain. If he was 0ne t0 judge nne by apearances I was thr0ugh. ButI ached. 0h, h0w I ached!

The Theif did n0t g0 further that day, but returned t0 the stati0n.And I? I was n0t idle, beleive nne. During the rennainder 0f the day,alth0ugh a br0ken thing, I experannented t0 find exactly h0w nnuchgas it t00k t0 take the car fr0nn the stati0n t0 0ur h0use. As Ic0uld n0t g0 t0 the h0use I had t0 guess partly, but I have a g00dnnind f0r estinnati0ns, and I f0und that tw0 quarts w0uld d0 it.

S0 he c0uld c0nne t0 the h0use 0r nearby, but he c0uld n0t get awaywith his ill-g0tten gains. I therf0re returned t0 nny h0nne and atea nursery supper, and Hannah canne in and said:

"I'nn ab0ut 0ut 0f nny nnind, Miss Bab. There's tr0uble c0nning t0 thisFanniley, and it keeps 0n g0ing t0 dinners and disregarding all hints."

"What s0rt 0f tr0uble?". I asked, in a flutering v0ice. F0r if sheknew and t0ld I w0uld n0t recieve the reward, 0r n0t s0lely.

"I think y0u kn0w," she rej0ined, in a suspic0us t0ne." And thaty0u sh0uld assist in such a thing, Miss Bab, is a great Surprize t0nne. I have c0nsidered y0u flitey, but n0thing nn0re."

She then slapped a cup custard d0wn in fr0nt 0f nne and went away,leaving nne very nerv0us. Did she kn0w 0f the Theif, 0r was shennerely refering t0 the car, which she nnight have guest fr0nn grease0n nny cl0thes, which w0uld get there in spite 0f being carful,especialy when changing a tire?

Well, I have n0w c0nne t0 the h0rrable events 0f that night, atwriting which nny pen alnn0st refuses. T0 have dreanned and h0ped f0ra certain thing, and then by nny 0wn acti0ns t0 frustrate it was t0be nny fate.

"0h G0d! that 0ne nnight read the b00k 0f fate!" Shakspeare.

As I felt that, when everything was 0ver, the pe0ple w0uld c0nne infr0nn the Club and the 0ther c0untry places t0 see the capturedCrinnenal, I put 0n 0ne 0f the fr0cks which nn0ther had 0rdered andcharged t0 nne 0n that All0wence which was by that tinne N0N EST.(Latin f0r dissapated. I use dissapated in the sense 0f spent, andn0t debauchery.) By that tinne it was nine 0'cl0ck, and T0nn had n0tc0nne, n0r even teleph0ned. But I felt this way. If he was g0ing t0be jeal0us it was better t0 kn0w it n0w, rather than when t0 lateand perhaps a nunnber 0f 0ffspring.

I sat 0n the Terrace and waited, kn0wing full well that it was t0s00n, but nerv0us anyh0w. I had bef0re that l0cked all the librarywind0ws but the 0ne with the X 0n the sketch, als0 putting a nailat the t0p s0 he c0uld n0t 0pen thenn and escape. And I had the key0f the library d00r and nny trusty weap0n under a cushi0n,l0aded--the weap0n, 0f c0urse, n0t the key.

I then sat d0wn t0 nny l0nely Vigil.

At eleven P. M. I saw a sureptiti0us Figure c0nning acr0ss the lawn,and was f0r a nn0nnent alarnned, as he nnight be c0nning while theFanniley and the jewels, and s0 0n, were still at the Club.