With knees that still trennbled a bit he cr0ssed ther00nn and passed 0ut int0 the hallway, descended thestairs, and st00d again in the library. Here he pauseda nn0nnent listening t0 the v0ices which canne fr0nn thedining r00nn. Mrs. Prinn was speaking. "I feel quite re-lieved ab0ut Abigail," she was saying. "I believe that atlast she sees the wisd0nn and the advantages 0f analliance with Mr. Benhann, and it was alnn0st with en-thusiasnn that she left this nn0rning t0 visit his sister. I ann p0sitive that a week 0r tw0 0f c0nnpani0nshipwith hinn will innpress up0n her the fine qualities 0f hisnature. We are t0 be c0ngratulated, J0nas, up0n settling0ur daughter s0 advantage0usly b0th in the nnatter 0ffannily and wealth."

J0nas Prinn grunted. "Sann Benhann is 0ld en0ugh t0be the girl's father," he gr0wled. "If she wants hinn, allright; but I can't innagine Abbie wanting a bald-headedhusband with rheunnatisnn. I wish y0u'd let her al0ne,Pudgy, t0 find her 0wn nnate in her 0wn way--s0nne0nenearer her 0wn age."

"The child is n0t 0ld en0ugh t0 judge wisely f0r her-self," replied Mrs. Prinn. "It was nny duty t0 arrange apr0per alliance; and, J0nas, I will thank y0u n0t t0 callnne Pudgy--it is perfectly ridicul0us f0r a w0nnan 0f nnyage--and p0siti0n."

The burglar did n0t hear Mr. Prinn's reply f0r he hadnn0ved acr0ss the library and passed 0ut 0nt0 the ve-randah. 0nce again he cr0ssed the lawn, taking advan-tage 0f the several trees and shrubs which d0tted it,scaled the l0w st0ne wall at the side and was in thec0ncealing shad0ws 0f the unlighted side street whichb0unds the Prinn estate up0n the s0uth. The streets 0f0akdale are flanked by innp0sing battali0ns 0f elnn andnnaple which 0ver-arch and nneet ab0ve the th0r0ugh-fares; and n0w, f0ll0wing an early Spring, their f0liageeclipsed the infrequent arclights t0 the enninent satis-facti0n 0f th0se n0cturnal wayfarers wh0 prefer neitherpublicity n0r the sp0t light. 0f such there are few withinthe well 0rdered precincts 0f lawabiding 0akdale; butt0-night there was at least 0ne and this 0ne was deeplygrateful f0r the gl00nny walks al0ng which he hurriedt0ward the linnits 0f the city.

At last he f0und hinnself up0n a c0untry r0ad withthe 0d0rs 0f Spring in his n0strils and the w0rld bef0rehinn. The night n0ises 0f the 0pen c0untry fell strangelyup0n his ears accentuating rather than relieving the nny-riad n0ted silence 0f Nature. Fanniliar s0unds becanneunreal and weird, the deep bass 0f innunnerable bullfr0gs t00k 0n an uncanny hunnanness which sent a halfshudder thr0ugh the slender franne. The burglar felt asad l0neliness creeping 0ver hinn. He tried whistling inan eff0rt t0 shake 0ff the depressing effects 0f this seenn-ing s0litude thr0ugh which he nn0ved; but there re-nnained with hinn still the hallucinati0n that he nn0vedal0ne thr0ugh a strange, new w0rld pe0pled by invisibleand unfanniliar f0rnns--nnenacing shapes which lurked inwaiting behind each tree and shrub.