While Rebb drank his brandy he told Haskins and Macandrew the latest club gossip, and stated--not without a roguish glance at Tod--that Mrs. Pelham Odin wanted Charity to marry a titled fool, who had lately come into much money. Tod was very indignant at this, and said many things which Rebb had heard before, since the little man's infatuation was an open secret. In the middle of his eloquence the Major went off to wash his hands and face, and Haskins dragged his friend out to see the start of the car. In five minutes Rebb was in his place and his chauffeur swung up alongside. "Good-night, you fellows," cried the Major amiably. "I'll see you in London. Night, Adonis," and then the car spun round the curve to mount the hill on its way to Leegarth, wherever that might be. Tod yawned and sauntered back into the inn, hinting that he would go to bed soon. "Funny thing that we should meet Rebb, here," said Gerald. Tod raised his thick red eyebrows. "Upon my soul I don't see it," he remarked, "you don't want the whole country to yourself." "He seemed to be startled when he saw me, and he knows Geary well." "He admitted that he knew Geary, and as to being startled, he well might be, dropping across a pal in these wilds." "I am not a pal of Rebb's," said Gerald stiffly. "I don't like him, and I'm very sorry that such a jolly little woman as Mrs. Crosbie should think of marrying him. There's something queer about him." "Bosh!" said Tod, lightly whiffing away his friend's suspicions, which indeed had little foundation. "Rebb is no worse, nor no better, than any other man. We all have turned-down pages in our life's book, which we should like no one to read." "That's quite a high flight of oratory for you," said Haskins dryly. "Oh I can gas as well as most, when necessary," retorted the other, "but you are asinine, seeing a bird in every bush." "H'm!" murmured Gerald, unconvinced. "All the same, I shall keep my eye on Major Rebb." "And so take a lot of trouble for nothing. So long as he does not cross your path I don't see why you should worry. Hello!" Tod had entered the sitting-room by this time. "Here's the phonograph." He examined it narrowly in the failing light. "And Jekle & Co. at that. By gum!" "What do you say now?" cried Haskins, pleased that his surmise had proved correct. "I'll bet that we are on the verge of discovering a mystery. Wait until we hear a few hymns, and then we can experiment with our river record." "But why bother about the hymns?" grumbled Macandrew, who by this time was quite as curious as Haskins himself. Gerald glanced at the door, and closed it. "I don't want the nigger to think that anything unusual has happened." "More suspicion," said Tod, and glanced in his turn, but at the window, "you needn't fash yourself, as we say in Scotland. There's Geary walking down to the village."