"You got my note?" she asked. "A few minutes ago--just as I was leaving the breakfast-table." "You will leave Brewster at once--while the way is still open?" He shook his head, "I can't do that; in common justice to the men who have trusted me, and who are now needing me more than ever, I must stay through this one day, and possibly another." "Mr. Kinzie will not be likely to lose any time," she prefigured thoughtfully. "He has probably telegraphed to Lawrenceville before this." Then, with a glance over her shoulder to make sure that there were no eavesdroppers: "Of course, you know that Mr. Stanton is at the bottom of all this prying and spying?" "It is Stanton's business to put me out of the game, if he can. I've told you enough of the situation here so that you can understand why it is necessary for him to efface me. His time has grown very short now." Again the statuesque beauty glanced over her shoulder. "Lawrenceville is a long way off, and Sheriff Macauley is enough of a politician--in an election year--to want to be reasonably certain before he incurs the expense of sending a deputy all the way out here, don't you think?" she inquired. "Certainty? There isn't the slightest element of uncertainty in it. There are hundreds of people in Brewster who can identify me." "But not one of these Brewsterites can identify you as John Montague Smith, of Lawrenceville--the man who is wanted by Sheriff Macauley," she put in quickly. Then she added: "My father foresaw that difficulty. As I told you in my note, he sent me a letter by Mr. Kinzie's messenger. After telling me that he will be detained in the mountains several days longer, he refers to Mr. Kinzie's request and suggests----" The fugitive was smiling grimly. "He suggests that you might help Mr. Kinzie out by telling him whether or not he has got hold of the right John Smith?" "Not quite that," she rejoined. "He merely suggests that I may be asked to identify you; in which case I am to be prudent, and--to quote him exactly--'not get mixed up in the affair in any way so that it would make talk.'" "I see," said Smith. And then: "You have a disagreeable duty ahead of you, and I'd relieve you of the necessity by running away, if I could. But that is impossible, as I have explained." She was silent for a moment; then she said: "When I told you a few days ago that you were going to need my help, Montague, I didn't foresee anything like this. Have you any means of finding out whether or not Mr. Kinzie has sent his wire to Lawrenceville?" "Yes, I think I can do that much." "Suppose you do it and then let me know. I shall breakfast with the Stantons in a few minutes; and after nine o'clock ... if you could contrive to keep out of the way until I can get word to you; just so they won't be able to bring us face to face with each other----"