SECTION THREE short and said lie- t,in d will to men at the parish church. Grampus had an attack of g< a day earlier than usual so Jack went to Christ mas service alone. He winked twice at Minkie, but .she gazed at him ste:.dily with •o: ly eve lie could see. Dolly was pntir ly taken up f'. | with her praver !> "•!.. ■ > .lack took [ HI *«• careful stock of the red haired man \/ ' \ngty 4 ' • with her. But a captain of hussars \ who has won the 1). 8. O. has no V'llir reason to be ashamed of being 'TO alive, so when our people came through the lich gate there was Cap tain Stanhope, with his hat oil, smiling epiite pleasantly and wishing them the compliments of the season. Of course Mam and the Guv'nor, being gentlefolk, had to respond. Schwartz made to walk on with Dolly, but she stopped, too, and Minkie shook hands with Jack first of anybody. The old man was liardl}- comfortable. lie nudged Mam's arm, and they would have joined Schwartz if Jack hadn't said: ''Bv the way, Mr. Grosvenor, I want, to have a chat with you on a matter of some importance. Can you spare me a few minutes now, or lhall I call later in the day?" Dolly blushed, and her father saw it. He stiffened a bit, just as I do when my hair rises. "I am sorry, Captain Stanhope, but I fear that any exchange of confidences between us will not only be useless, but open to misinter pretation," he said coldly. "Let ine explain that I am running dead against my uncle's wishes in seeking this interview," protested Jack. "Believe me, lam actu ated by the best of good feeling toward you and your family, sir." "I do credit that, but any discussion of the point must inflict unnecessary pain." "This is really a serious matter." "So is everything where your uncle and I are concerned. Come on, my dear. We cannot keep Mr. Schwartz waiting." The Guv'nor lifted his hat and marched away. Mam said nothing, Dolly didn't care tuppence how her skirt draped, Minkie said that if the frost continued there would soon be thick ice, and Schwartz grinned. Dolly thought she would like to slap Schwartz, so she joined Minkie on the high path above tho road, where the liens have to fly when I get after them. "I think it's too bad of father to snub Jack in that way," she said, half sobbing. "Dad is making a mistake," agreed Minkie. "If you take my advice, you will come with me this afternoon and find cut what it is Jack wants to say." "How can I? Where can I seo him? We can't goto the manor house." "I have arranged to meet -lack at half past 2 near the Four Lanes." "You have arranged?" "Yes. While you were squinting up to find out if your hat was at the right tilt I was watching Jack drawing a cross and 2:30 on the gravel with his stick. I nodded, so that is all right. Are you coming I" Dolly was flurried. "I dunno," she murmured. "You don't un derstand things, Minkie. Dad is desperately anxious that we should not offend Mr. Schwartz, who can be either a very good friend or a dangerous enemy. < )h, sis, what a happy world it would be if we had all the money we want!" "P'raps. Schwartz is rich, and he looked happy last night, didn't he? Jack's uncle is rolling in coin, and today he is nursing a foot the size of an elephant's." "I am not thinking of myself, Minkie." "I know that. You are trying to help Dad, and he is fretting because he has to pay a lot of money on the ,30th of JamuAy." Dolly opened her eyes widely. "Who told you?" she cried. "Sh-s-s-h! There's Mam calling. She wants us to look in at nurse's cottage. What about Jack—quick?" "I'll see," whispered Dolly. People who play poker are a bit doubtful when they say that. ' .. "Stop out, then." said Minkie. "Jack will bo waiting." Ho was. Ho saw us coming long before we reached the cross roads, and his tirsr words meant war. "Who is this fellow Schwartz? " he demanded. "A friend of —father's," said Dorothy. "Well, he is u rogue," said Jack. "I wanted to warn Mr. Gros venor abunt him this morning, but he wouldn't listen to me." "Oh, was that it?" and Dorothy's nose went up in the air. "Partly—not all. I say. -Nlinkio, if you take Dan into the warren you will find a heap of rabbits. The keepers are a mile away. I told them you were coming."' "Then Dan can go by himself. 1 am far more interested in Schwartz than Dot is. Do you know anything about ju-jus ?" "By Jove, Arinkie, you do run:- > the point. Why, that blessed nigger prince is at the manor n«w p Ming mischief with my uncle." "How did he irct there ? 1 suppose yon met him last night s" "Yes. 1 was passing aiong the road when I heard Jim turn him ont of the gate and order him not to show his black mug inside the grounds again. 1 wondered '. 'lat on earth a darky was doing at Dale End. Thinking he was a Hindoo, or:- of the natives who come to England to read up law, I - poke to him, but as soon as we reached a lamp I saw he was a negro. lie was in awful trouble and appeared to have been badly handled. As soon as he discovered that I was a friend of yours—which I mean tor« main, no matter how your father Continued on Next Page an