"I never ran so fast in my life," answered Bess. "If exercise is all that is needed for reducing, I ought to have lost pounds," and she smiled, although the smile was tremulous.

They were lucky to find the boys still waiting at the garage, and the surprise of the latter at their appearance was only equalled by their consternation at the danger Belle had run.

"You girls need a guardian," said Jack severely, "and Walter and I elect ourselves unanimously for that position."

"It's a mighty hard job," sighed Walter. "Our hair will be gray before our time."

"Don't tell Aunt Betty about this adventure," warned Jack. "She must be on the verge of nervous prostration already, and this would just about cap the climax."

They made the purchases for which Cora had come, and drove rapidly back to Kill Kare.

They found that Paul had returned some time before.

"Did you find out anything?" asked Cora eagerly, as she stepped from the car.

"Not such an awful lot," answered Paul. "The gypsy camp was certainly stirred up about something-little knots everywhere jabbering away in that outlandish lingo of theirs. Didn't seem as keen on grafting from visitors as usual. I suppose of course that Nina was the storm center. They're pretty badly roiled, I imagine."

"But how about Higby?" asked Bess.

"I saw him, too," replied Paul. "Jostled against him, excused myself in my well known irresistible manner, and got into conversation with him.

He's staying over at Wilton on a two weeks' vacation. He's used up nearly a week of it now. Doesn't seem to be very keen about going back, though.

Knocks his job to beat the band. I guess he's sore on the management."

"Probably the real reason is that they're sore on him," said Jack.

"I noticed the manager looked at him very suspiciously the day that Cora lost her purse," observed Belle.

"Perhaps he's near the end of his rope and knows it," said Paul. "He was quite anxious to know how far we were here from the Canadian line. He may be getting ready to emigrate."

"He'd be a great loss to the United States," sniffed Bess contemptuously.

"We could probably stagger along without him," drawled Walter.

"Did he have anything to say about Nina?" asked Bess.

"Only in an offhand way," returned Paul. "He remarked that there seemed to be a great hullabaloo among the gypsies, and that he understood one of the girls was missing. But I noticed that he kept looking sharply all around as though he was hoping to see some one."

"Well, there's just one thing to do," remarked Cora, "and that is to keep Nina close inside the house until the coast is clear. Higby will be gone in another week, and the gypsies never stay long in one place. And in the meantime we may get word from Roxbury that will tell us what the next step must be."

The following night was the one set for the celebration of Cora's safe return, and the weather was all that could be asked for. The spread itself was a great success. The girls had decorated the lawn with strings of Chinese lanterns on lines that swung from tree to tree, and the tables were abundantly spread with food that both in quant.i.ty and quality roused the enthusiastic appreciation of the men from the sawmill, who composed the major portion of the guests. Mr. Morley made a little speech and Mr.

Baxter came out of his sh.e.l.l long enough to offer a witty toast to Cora and the other girls. The boys sang some rollicking college ditties, and the phonograph, brought out on the porch, discoursed such music as was not commonly heard in that remote region. It was a jolly, sparkling evening that they all enjoyed, and it was late when the gathering dispersed with three rousing cheers for their hosts.

The days flew swiftly by until a week had pa.s.sed. Nina had fallen readily into the life at Kill Kare and the girls had become greatly attached to her.

The danger that threatened her seemed to be vanishing. The gypsies, after unavailing search and inquiries that had reached as far as the bungalow, had departed. Paul had motored over to Wilton and found that Higby had left the place where he had been boarding, and the presumption was that he had returned to Roxbury.

Under these circ.u.mstances the restrictions that had held Nina to the house seemed unnecessary. Besides, she felt the confinement more on account of the outdoor life to which she had been accustomed.

Soon she ventured into the woods round about, though seldom going far from the house. But as her sense of security increased, she occasionally went farther. And one afternoon, when her temerity had taken her far beyond her usual limit, she turned a bend in the path and came face to face with-Higby!

CHAPTER XXIX THE PLOT

The girl screamed and tried to run, but Higby was too quick for her and seized her roughly by the arm.

"No, you don't!" he cried. "You're not going to get away from me as easily as all that, after I've been watching you for days. You've got to listen to what I have to say."

"Let me go!" cried the girl, pulling away from him.

"Go where?" he leered. "To jail? You'll go there mighty quick if I care to have you go. All I have to do is to notify the police at Roxbury and you'll be behind the bars in forty-eight hours."

The girl turned white as the awful vision that had haunted her for a year past seemed to be a.s.suming form and substance. She had no doubt that he could do as he threatened.

"What do you want with me?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"Now you're getting a little more sensible," he remarked. "Sit down on that bank and I'll tell you what I want.

"Those folks you're staying with are pretty well off, aren't they?" he inquired.

"How do you know where I'm staying?" she asked.

"That's my affair," he said brusquely. "I know you're staying at a place they call Camp Kill Kare. Quite a change from the gypsy camp," he sneered. "You're flying high these days. But that's neither here nor there. Those boys and girls there seem to have plenty of money. There'd be quite a haul there in the way of cash and watches and diamond rings and other jewelry, I suppose."

She grasped his meaning and drew away from him in horror.

"You don't mean to say that you're thinking of robbing the house!" she exclaimed.

"You're pretty squeamish for a jailbird," he sneered.

"I'm not a jailbird!" she cried pa.s.sionately. "I never did a dishonest thing in my life!"

"They say differently at Roxbury," he taunted.

"Yes!" she blazed out. "But why? Because you told a falsehood about me!

You know you didn't see me steal that purse!"

"Let's cut this short," he said impatiently. "I'll put the whole thing in a few words. I'm not going back to Roxbury. I need money, and need it bad! Those folks at Kill Kare have plenty of it, or what can be turned into money, and I want you to help me get it."

"I never will!" she cried defiantly.

"It's either that or jail," he said menacingly. "And I know that you won't choose jail when you come to think it over. I'll give you a day to make up your mind. You be here at this same time to-morrow, or it will be the worse for you."

She pleaded with him to renounce his purpose and leave her in peace, but he laughed at her and went away with a parting threat.

Nina retraced her steps to the house in a state of great agitation. She felt sure that Higby was in desperate earnest and would denounce her to the authorities if she should fail to do his bidding. But she would have died before helping him to rob her benefactors.