With slow long strides Toory went out, and down the little steps. He could hear Higgins softly closing the door after them. Broken clouds floated overhead and the dim garden was faintly silvered with moonlight. The garden path was a little threading passage between the shrubs and flower-beds. "Keep goin', Toory. You hear me?" "Yes," Toory said. He could hear Higgins' breathing, close behind him. And back at the house, suddenly now there were faint sounds. As he turned back to stare he heard the click of the front door opening, and a familiar voice calling to him. "Toory! Toory!" It was Babs! Very clear was the tapping of her cane as she felt her way out to the flagging outside the door. Toory would have responded, even without direct-command. But instantly Higgins muttered, "Don't speak, Toory!" Toory did not speak. He remembered that always, a direct command had to be responded to first. Higgins jerked at his arm. "Come with me, over here. Stand quiet." They stood a few feet off the path, by the edge of a shrub. "She's blind, she can't see us," Higgins whispered. "And she mustn't hear us either. Don't make _any_ noise!" Silently Toory stood with his eye-beams wildly swaying. If only Miss Babs would give him a direct-order. He wanted so desperately to obey it. * * * * * Now the summer moonlight aureoled the slender figure of Babs as she came slowly along the garden path, feeling her way with her cane. If only he could have led her as he always did. "Toory, surely I heard you opening the front door," she called out suddenly. "Where are you, Toory? Answer me!" Before Higgins could interfere Toory spoke loudly. "Here I am, Miss Babs!" "Toory, you shouldn't have come out. Did someone order you?" "Yes, Miss Babs." "Who was it, Toory?" Higgins whispered protests were vehement, but Toory hardly heard them. "Higgins," Toory said. "_Higgins_ ordered you? Where is he now, Toory?" "He is here beside me, Miss Babs." Higgins cursed bitterly, and stepped out into the moonlight. "I--I didn't tell him to come out, Miss Babs!" he said. "Oh--so you're here, Higgins?" The blind girl's voice sounded startled. Toory could see them standing together on the garden path, the moonlight pallid on Higgins' frightened face. "I came out to get the blarsted thing," Higgins said quickly. "I saw him out here, and thought I'd have a go at getting him back." "You couldn't have made a mistake, Toory?" Babs said. "Answer me carefully now. Why did you come out?" "He told me to obey him," Toory said. "He told me to go, and open the front door quietly." "So you ordered him out," Babs said. "I can't understand this, Higgins. What possible reason--" "I didn't!" Higgins protested. "He's got it all mixed up!" "It has to be true," Babs told him. She was calmly angry. "We'll go back to the house now, Higgins. We'll soon see why you--"