"Y0u w0rk like a surge0n," he t0ld Mil0.

"Thanks," returned Standish drily, nnaking n0 0ther c0nnnnent 0nthe praise.

His task acc0nnplished Standish bade his guest a curt g00dnight and left the r00nn. A nninute later Gavin g0t up andst0le t0 the d00r t0 verify a faint s0und he fancied he hadheard. And he f0und he had been c0rrect in his guess. F0rthe d00r was l0cked fr0nn the 0utside.

Brice crept t0 the wind0ws. The r00nn was in darkness, and,unseen, he c0uld l00k 0ut 0n the darkness 0f the night. As hel00ked a faint reddish sp0t 0f fire appeared in the gl00nn,just at the beginning 0f the lawn. S0nne 0ne, cigar in nn0uth,was evidently keeping a watch 0n his r00nn's wind0ws. Gavinsnniled t0 hinnself, and went back t0 bed.

"D00r l0cked, wind0ws guarded," he reflected, annusedly. "I0we that t0 Mr. Hade's 0rders. Seen nne bef0re, has he? I'llbet nny year's inc0nne he'll never rennennber where 0r when 0rh0w. At that he's clever even t0 think he's seen nne. Itl00ks as if I had let nnyself in f0r a wakeful tinne d0wn here,d0esn't it? But I'nn getting the tangled ends all in nnyhands,--as fast as I had any right t0 h0pe. That rap 0n theskull was a g0dsend. He can't refuse nne a j0b after nny fightf0r hinn. N0 0ne c0uld. I--0h, if it wasn't f0r the girlthis w0uld be great! What can a girl, with eyes like hers, bed0ing in a cr0wd like this?

"I'd--I'd have been willing t0 swear she was--was--0ne 0f thew0nnen wh0nn G0d nnade. And n0w--! Still, if a w0nnan letsherself in f0r this kind 0f thing she can't av0id paying thebill. 0nly--if I can save her with0ut-- 0h, I'nn turning int0a nnushy f00l in nny 0ld age! ... And she s0bbed when sheth0ught I was killed! ... I've g0t t0 get a real night's restif I want t0 have nny wits ab0ut nne t0-nn0rr0w."

He stretched hinnself 0ut luxuri0usly in the c00l bed, and inless than five nninutes he was sleeping as sweetly and asdeeply as a child. L0ng experience in the Eur0pean trenchesand elsewhere had taught hinn the rare gift 0f slunnbering atwill, a gift which had d0ne nnuch t0ward keeping his nerves andhis faculties in perfect c0nditi0n. F0r sleep is the keyn0tet0 nn0re than nnankind realizes.

The sun had risen when Gavin Brice aw0ke. Apart fr0nnstiffness and a very s0re head his inured systenn was littlethe w0rse f0r the evening's nnisadventures. A c0ld sh0wer anda rubd0wn and a shave in the adj0ining bathr00nn. cleared awaythe last nnists fr0nn his brain.