“Why so quiet, darling?” giggled the temperamental young thing, snuggling closer. “Don’t call me that. I—I won’t stand it.” “All right, dearie.” With another giggle. “And drop that ‘dearie’ dope, too,” he commanded. “Just as you say. Only what _shall_ I call you?” “I guess plain ‘darn fool’ will do.” “Oh, you’re too clever to be called that,” she expostulated. “Me, clever?” Scornfully. “Yes; think how long you have fooled the police.” “I wish you wouldn’t talk such nonsense.” Irritably. “I won’t. On condition!” “What?” “If you’ll put your arm around me.” “I won’t.” “Oh, yes, you will.” She adjusted it for him. “All right! If you want some one to hug you when he doesn’t want to!” he said in aggrieved tones. “That makes it all the nicer,” she returned. “There are ever so many men that want to. This—this is so different!” With a sigh. “There you go, with some more nonsense talk!” grumbled Bob. “Well,” she giggled, “there’s always a way to make a poor, weak, helpless little thing stop talking.” “Of all the assurance!” he gasped. “I love to have some one I can command to make love to me.” “I’m going back.” Disgustedly. “Oh, no, you’re not. You can’t.” “Why?” “You’d be arrested, if you did. They are coming for you. That’s why I came—to circumvent them!” “They?” “All has been discovered.” “I fail to understand.” “What did you do with it?” she countered. “It?” “The swag.” Bob started to withdraw his arm but she clapped a small warm hand on his big warm hand and held his strong right arm about her slim, adaptable waist. Her head trailed on his shoulder, while she started floating off in dreamland. “I just love eloping,” she murmured. “What was that last word?” he observed combatively. “Elope! elope! elope!” she whispered dreamily, her slim, young feminine figure close to his big masculine bulk. “So you think you’re eloping with me?” said Bob ominously. “I know I am.” In that musical die-away tone. “We’re headed straight for old New York and we’re going to get married in the little church around the corner. Then”—with a happy laugh—“we may have to disguise ourselves and flee.” “May I kindly inquire—that is, if I have any voice in our future operations—_why_ we may have to disguise ourselves?” “In case they should want to capture you. The police, I mean.” “Police?” he said. “Didn’t I just tell you they were coming for you?” “Indeed?” He looked down in her eyes to see if she was in earnest. He believed she was. “For what?” “Oh, you know.” She raised her lips. “Say, that was a real stingy one, under the oak.” “You say all has been discovered?” went on Bob, disregarding her last remark. “I say that was a real stingy—” “Hang it!” But he had to. He knew he had to get that idea out of her head, before he could get any more real information from her.