"Oh, he doesn't find Shrewsbury hotel life agree with him. He and Sparhawk are only waiting here until the fete to-morrow, and then they'll career off; and wherever they drop, even if it is only in a village seven miles away, they will not trouble to come back here. They've quite resolved to cut off to some other part of England, but where, I can't for the life of me find out. Still, I think I have done very well to book up the only two seats they offered for sale to the public, don't you? We shall have to be careful, of course, or they will see through our disguises. At all events, they'll find it hard to shake us off--" "Unless the apparatus goes wrong and drops us to earth." "Well, we must take all those risks, mustn't we? And, by Jove, talking of angels, here we can see two of them--at least, there are Captain Sparhawk and the worthy hunchback walking off together up the street yonder. Let's follow them. By the way in which they've put their heads together they're up to no good I am certain. Just before you came I peered through the keyhole of my father's room, and I saw him hard at work on the manuscripts. Now, what on earth can have happened to have made him give it up so suddenly and dress himself up as though he were going for a long journey?" "He may have discovered something startling and strange," I answered, a great fear now in my heart. "Those documents may have yielded up their secret to him. See! he's going in the direction of the railway station. He may be going back to town." "Or to the shed where Sparhawk keeps his flying machine. It lies in this direction--in a street parallel with the railway station. Luckily, we have not far to go before we shall see what they are up to. Personally, I don't like the look of things at all." And we both of us quickened our pace. Outside a fence that skirted a long and rambling garden they were joined by a third companion--a girl attired in a bright summer costume, who chatted with them gaily as they marched steadily forward. "Who can that be?" cried Casteno, much puzzled. "I did not know my father had any woman friends." "Well, let's slip to the other side of the street," I suggested. "Then we can catch a glimpse of her face. The figure certainly seems very familiar to me, although my short sight often plays me the strangest of pranks." We stepped quickly across the road, and with a few strategic movements materially lessened the space between us and the trio in front. A moment later the girl turned her face in the direction of the hunchback, evidently to exchange some jest with him, for her features were wreathed in smiles. I stopped short in astonishment. It was no other than Doris Napier! Casteno recognised her almost at the same moment that I did. The effect upon him was just as great, for he, too, halted and gazed at me with an expression of vague but sincere concern.