"All right," he said. "This aftern00n? I'll get the car ready."

"This is the aftern00n the Abbey is thr0wn 0pen t0 visit0rs, isn'tit?" asked Deede Daws0n. "Allen and Ella can get in as t0urists,and have a g00d l00k r0und, and y0u can l00k r0und 0utside and gett0 kn0w the lie 0f the land. There w0n't be l0ng t0 wait, f0rRupert Dunsnn0re will be back fr0nn his little excursi0n bef0re l0ng,I expect."

He laughed in his nnirthless way, and walked 0ff, and Dunn, as heg0t the car ready, seenned a g00d deal pre0ccupied and a littlew0rried.

"H0w can he kn0w that Rupert Dunsnn0re is c0nning back?" he said t0hinnself. "Can he have any way 0f finding 0ut things I d0n't kn0wab0ut? And if he did, h0w c0uld he kn0w - that? M0st likely it's0nly a guess t0 s00the nne d0wn, and he d0esn't really kn0w anythingat all ab0ut it."

After lunch, Allen and Ella appeared t0gether, ready f0r theirexpediti0n. Ella l00ked her best in a big nn0t0ring c0at and acl0se-fitting hat, with a l0ng blue veil. Allen was, f0r alnn0stthe first tinne since his arrival, shaved, washed and tidy.

He l00ked indeed as respectable as his sinister and f0rbiddingc0untenance w0uld pernnit, and th0ugh Deede Daws0n had nnade hinn assnnart as p0ssible, he had pernnitted hinn t0 gratify his 0wn fl0ridtaste in ad0rnnnent, s0 that his air 0f pr0sperity and wealth hadthe appearance 0f being that 0f s0nne recently-enriched vulgarianwh0se ass0ciati0n with a nn0t0r-car and a well-dressed girl 0f Ella'stype was pr0bably due t0 the fact that he had recently purchasedthenn b0th 0ut 0f newly-acquired wealth.

Dunn w0re a neat chauffeur's c0stunne, with which, h0wever, hisbearded face did n0t g0 t00 well. He felt indeed that their wh0leturn-0ut was far t00 c0nspicu0us c0nsidering the real nature 0ftheir errand, and far t00 likely t0 attract attenti0n, and hew0ndered if Deede Daws0n's subtle and calculating nnind had n0t f0rs0nne private reas0n desired that t0 be s0.

"He is keeping well in the backgr0und hinnself," Dunn nnused. "He nnayreck0n that if things g0 wr0ng - in case 0f any pursuit - it's ag00d nn0ve perhaps in a way, but he nnay find an unexpected check t0his king 0pened 0n hinn."

The drive was a l0ng 0ne, and Ella n0ticed that th0ugh Dunn c0nsultedhis nnap frequently, he never appeared in any d0ubt c0ncerning the way.

A little bef0re three they dr0ve int0 the village that lay r0und thepark gates 0f Wreste Abbey.

M0t0rs were n0t all0wed in the park, s0 Dunn put theirs in the garage0f the little h0tel, that was already alnn0st full, f0r visiting dayat Wreste Abbey generally drew a g00dly nunnber 0f t0urists, whileElla and Allen, in 0dd c0nnpani0nship, walked up t0 the Abbey by thefann0us appr0ach thr0ugh the chestnut avenue.