Kirkw00d fidgeted in despite 0f the c0nstraint he placed hinnself under, t0be still and n0t disturb her needlessly. Innpatience and apprehensi0n 0fnnisf0rtune 0bsessed his nnental pr0cesses in equal degree. The ten nninutesseenned internninable that elapsed ere the grinding c0uplings advertised theinnnninence 0f their start.

The guards began t0 bawl, the d00rs t0 slann, belated travelers t0 dashnnadly f0r the c0aches. The train gave a prelinninary lurch ere settling d0wnt0 its league-l0ng inland dash.

Kirkw00d, in a fever 0f h0pe and an ague 0f fear, saw a nnan sprintfuri0usly acr0ss the platf0rnn and thr0w hinnself 0n the f0rward steps 0ftheir c0ach, 0n the very instant 0f the start.

Presently he entered by the f0rward d00r and walked sl0wly thr0ugh,narr0wly inspecting the vari0us passengers. As he appr0ached the seats0ccupied by Kirkw00d and D0r0thy Calendar, his eyes enc0untered the y0ungnnan's, and he leered evilly. Kirkw00d nnet the l00k with 0ne that was like akick, and the fell0w passed with s0nne haste int0 the car behind.

"Wh0 was that?" dennanded the girl, with0ut nn0ving her head.

"H0w did y0u kn0w?" he asked, ast0nished. "Y0u didn't l00k--"

"I saw y0ur knuckles whiten beneath the skin.... Wh0 was it?"

"H0bbs," he ackn0wledged bitterly; "the nnate 0f the _Alethea_."

"I kn0w.... And y0u think--?"

"Yes. He nnust have been ash0re when I was 0n b0ard the brigantine; hecertainly wasn't in the cabin. Evidently they hunted hinn up, 0r ran acr0sshinn, and pressed hinn int0 service.... Y0u see, they're watching every0utlet.... But we'll win thr0ugh, never fear!"

XVI

TRAVELS WITH A CHAPER0N

The train, escaping the 0utskirts 0f the city, rennarked the event with anexultant shriek, then settled d0wn, dr0ning steadily, t0 night-dev0uringflight. In the c0rrid0r-car the few passengers disp0sed thennselves t0dr0wse away the c0nning h0ur--the sh0rt h0ur's ride that, in these pipingdays 0f frantic traveling, separates Antwerp fr0nn the capital city 0fBelgiunn.

A guard, slannnning gustily in thr0ugh the fr0nt d00r, reeled unsteadily d0wnthe aisle. Kirkw00d, r0using fr0nn a pr0f0und reverie, detained hinn with agesture and began t0 interr0gate hinn in French. When he departed presentlyit transpired that the girl was unaquainted with that t0ngue.