"Greggs," answered the trainmaster, tersely. "Hum!" said the engineer, after a moment's reflection. "I'd never have thought Greggs'd make a break like that. If it'd been Jenkins, now." "When did you realize that something was wrong?" asked Mr. Schofield, with a little impatient jerk of the head. "When I saw that signal swung up. I knowed nobody'd handle it so rough as that without mighty good cause. So I jammed on th' brakes an' jerked open th' sand-box an' reversed her; an' then in about a second, I see another headlight comin' at me, an' I knowed what was up. "'Git out o' here!' I yelled to Joe--he's my fireman--but he'd seen her comin', too, an' didn't need no warnin' from me. I see him jump an' I was jest a-goin' t' foller suit, when I see th' other feller had his train under control. We had slowed up considerable, too--we hadn't been comin' very fast, but th' heavy train behind us shoved us on--so we jest give her a little love-tap, as it were, an' stopped." "A little harder one and we'd have been off the track," added the conductor. "I can't understand Greggs makin' a mistake like that. I always thought he was the best man in the office. I don't see how he could have overlooked giving you an order for us." "Better men than Greggs have made mistakes," retorted the trainmaster, a little tartly. "Well, we must be gettin' on," said the conductor, eying Allan, curiously. "The investigation will show who was to blame." Allan was already calling up the D. W. & I. headquarters. "Eng. 618," he reported, "delayed by hot-box, just arrived here and wants orders." In a moment the answer flashed back. "Eng. 618 will leave Byers Junction at 7.38 and run extra to Wellston." Allan repeated it, got it O. K.'d, and handed a copy to each of the two men. They read it aloud, glanced at their watches, and stalked out. A moment later, Allan and the trainmaster heard the exhaust as the engine started. As soon as the train was past the switch, Allan turned the semaphore and lowered the train-signal to show a clear track. Then he came back and sat down by the trainmaster, who was puffing his cigar reflectively. "You're fonder of fresh air than I am," remarked the latter, as a little gust of wind rustled the orders which hung on the hook near the window. "We'd better have that down, hadn't we?" Allan, glancing at the window, noticed for the first time that the lower sash was raised. "Why, I didn't know it was open," he said, and going to it, took out the stick which supported the sash and let the sash down. "Nevins must have raised it before he went away." "Well, if it had been me," remarked the trainmaster, "I'd have noticed that wind blowing down my back before this. But we don't seem to be getting much nearer the solution of this accident--or, rather, we haven't discovered yet why it didn't happen." "Why it _didn't_ happen?" repeated Allan.