Bridge looked down at the
youth beside him; but the other's face was averted and
his eyes upon the ground. Then Willie told of the arrival
of the great detective, of the reward that had been of-
fered and of his decision to win it and become rich
and famous in a single stroke. As he reached the end
of his narrative he leaned close to the girl, whispering
in her ear the while his furtive gaze wandered toward
the spot where the three lay concealed.
Bridge shrugged his shoulders as the palpable infer-
ence of that cunning glance was borne in upon him.
The boy's voice had risen despite his efforts to hold it to
a low whisper for what with the excitement of the ad-
venture and his terror of the girl with the knife he had
little or no control of himself, yet it was evident that he
did not realize that practically every word he had
spoken had reached the ears of the three in hiding and
that his final precaution as he divulged the information
to the girl was prompted by an excess of timidity and
secretiveness.
The eyes of the girl widened in surprise and fear
as she learned that three watchers lay concealed at
the verge of the clearing. She bent a long, searching
look in the direction indicated by the boy and then
turned her eyes quickly toward the hut as though to
summon aid.
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