“Well, anyway,” Cherry laughingly began all over, “I want you to meet David Barnes. He’s from America. His uncle is a war reporter who knew father in the World War. And so—” “So he’s paying you a visit. That’s fine.” The young lord who wasn’t yet a lord but was a Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force shook hands with Dave, then accepted a place beside him. “Where did you get the children, Cherry?” Applegate asked, looking down at the pair who had resumed their game. “Oh, they are Alice’s,” Cherry laughed. “Nice work, Alice,” the Young Lord said. “It must have been a very long time since I was here.” “It has been,” Alice agreed. “Quite too long. But these children,—they are refugees from London. Bombed out, you know. “You should have seen them when they came!” she added in a low voice, with a grimace. “Their mothers came with them. But they couldn’t stand the eternal silence of this place.” “So they left you the children?” said Applegate. “Good old Alice!” “Oh, they’re really a joy!” The girl’s face lighted. “But Harm!” Her face sobered. “That plane dropped a bomb on the old playhouse. Blew it to bits. You know, you used to come and play with us sometimes long ago—with dolls and things,” she added teasingly. “With dolls! Good heavens!” he exclaimed. “And today the dolls had their heads blown off,” Cherry added. “Just think! It might have been our heads that were blown off!” “Yes,” the young man’s face sobered, “it might have been. That was a real scrap. Didn’t come out so badly on the whole. Did they catch the men who bailed out?” “Two of them.” Brand’s brow wrinkled. “The Home Guard tells me the other got away.” “Oh, they’ll catch him,” Applegate prophesied cheerfully. “I’m not so sure about that.” Brand did not smile. “They did find his parachute and his uniform half hidden under leaves.” “Oh! Fixing to turn into a spy!” Applegate’s face sobered. “Alice,” the younger of the two children called. “What is a spy?” “A spy,” said Cherry, “steals secrets.” “And blows up castles and bridges. A terrible man!” said Alice. “I know all about it. I’ll tell you a story about a spy when it’s time for bed.” “Ooo.” Peggy gave a delectable shiver. “After that we won’t dare go to sleep!” “The most astonishing thing,”—Brand leaned forward in his chair—“is that one of the men we captured today is the son of the prisoner who worked on this farm more than twenty years ago.” “What?” Applegate exclaimed. “It can’t be possible!” “How do you expect us to believe that?” Cherry demanded with a wave of the hand. “I’ll leave it to Dave and Jock,” Brand defended. “That’s right,” Jock agreed. Dave nodded his head. “See?” Brand’s voice was low. “What’s more, I’m almost sure the fellow who eluded us is his brother. If you don’t believe that, look at this picture.” He passed the paper and the photo around.