“Applebury waked up, and I never wanted to laugh more, when I couldn’t afford to, than I did then. Because he slid his hand straight under his pillow and showed me where the thing was. Then he said, ‘Who’s there?’ Another fool thing to do. It was his cousin, Grant, as I suppose you know. Grant said he’d come in for cigarettes, took them, and went away. “I stayed where I was of course, and waited for things to quiet down. They didn’t for quite a while. Grant was ramming around in the next room, trying to dress without making a light. I was afraid he’d waken everybody on the floor. He didn’t, though, and at last I heard him go down the stairs. “But the house didn’t quiet down perfectly even then. Every little while I’d hear a sound. Something was going on, and I couldn’t make out what it was. Of course I stayed right where I was by the window. I hadn’t stirred out of my tracks. I had stood there so long I felt as if I’d grown to the rug. Applebury was sound asleep again. No need waiting any longer for him. “Then I happened to look out the window, and saw Grant and the girl making a get-away. Well, that was made to order for me, or so it looked anyhow. I might have known it looked too good to be true. “It involved a change in my plan, of course. I had meant to shave and go back to the box room and wait till the time of the wedding this afternoon. I knew there’d be hundreds of people here, with a special train coming down from town and all that. Then I’d put on these clothes that I’m wearing now, come down-stairs, and be one of the guests. I even thought of staying for the ceremony and picking up a ride back to town. “It was a pretty sort of idea, the sort that looks good when you think of it, although on general principles the sooner you can get away after you’ve got what you’ve come for, the better. “Now, of course, there was no question about it. The girl had gone and there wouldn’t be any wedding, and with the necklace gone, on top of that, there would be one hell of a commotion. “The thing for me to do was to get out. There’d be no question in anybody’s mind but that the elopers had the necklace. Applebury would think his cousin had come back and got it. If I ever saw anything that looked like plain sailing, I saw it then. “I got the necklace without any trouble, and went back to the box room to dress in those filthy working clothes you found me in. These I’ve got on are too damned light colored and conspicuous for a get-away of that sort. “Then I came back to the head of the stairs and stopped short. Somebody was doing a regular sentry go in the hall below, back and forth, back and forth. I thought he’d get tired of it pretty soon and I’d hear a door shut somewhere and know the coast was clear. But I didn’t. I don’t know who it was nor what he was doing it for, but he kept it up until daylight. So I had to go back and hide again.” He must have read something in our faces, for he turned once more to Punch.