. The vicar was still up; he had a great habit of reading late. And he seemed considerably surprised to find that Jack was not upstair

l have them make a hot bath ready," said

bled him to attach a good deal of the soil of England to himself. So the thick sandwiches and the bowl of milk that were speedily set before him were severely punished. A

said. "Wireless,

f it, sir,"

ching and that something ought to be done. Just because this is a little bit of a village, without even a railroad station, peo

le than the war itself. What inclined him to be dubious, as much as anything else, was the fact that it was mere boys who had made the discovery. He had read of outbreaks of spy fever in various parts

really. Supposing you are right, and that German spies really own Bray Park, and are using it a

veryone there ought to be arrested!" decl

there are Germans there in any number, what could he do? I suppose we might send word to

spoke up in g

Perhaps they'd get away, or else manage to hide everything that would prove the truth about them. I think it would be better to

t. Ring him up, then. It's

nt mistake, seemingly, may prove to be of the most vital importance. Dick went to the telephone. It was one of the old-fashioned sort, still in almost universal use in the rural part

ine is out of ord

or it had fallen or been short circuited in some other way. Dick and Jack looked at o

ick. "Now what shall we do? We

ck–perhaps they thought they'd have a chance to catch us. They know that we've found out something,

tions run away with you! Things like that don't happen in England. The wire

r a heavy storm–not in fine weather like this. I never knew the

e," said the vicar. "Be off to bed, and wait

airs. There he took his bath, except that he substituted cold water for the hot, for he could guess what Jack meant to do. They were going out again

the telephone wire

t for the one at Bray Park, and that's a special, private wire. We have one here, Doctor Brunt has one, and there's another

d be ordered to stay in. And he had not the slightest intention of missing any part of the finest adventure he had ever had a chance to enjoy–not he! He was a typical

re I was a scout. I–well, since I joined, I haven't done it. It d

r doesn't understand, Jack. He thinks w

, they had no trouble. They could not be heard or seen from the front of the house, and it was a simple matter of climbing fences until it was safe to circle back and strike the road in front again. Jac

e?" said Jack, pointing. "You see how easily we can fol

e all right he

cy–a mile or so, perhaps. Better not talk much, either. And, I say, hadn't we better stay in the shadow? They must h

Dick suddenly noticed that the tele

the place, too," he said then. "Look, Jack!

ve just thought, Dick, that they might have left so

, Ja

e're doing. I'm beginning to think those beggars are mighty clever, and that if we think of doing an

edge, tearing their clothes as they did so, since it was a blackberry row, and went along still in s

the place–and the wire was cut, too! It wasn't an accident. But

d there was something else. Just as they

'me, if she ain't cut, too! Now who did that? Bringin

nd voice. "A good job they didn't carry the wire away–'twon't

ome a long way. I shouldn't be surprised if they'd ridden on bicycles.

ick. "Perhaps we

t lineman, grumblingly. "All comes of someone trying to get a message thro

und out about the break. You see, as a rule, no one would try to ring up anyone in Bray after seven o

eve they have an instrument with them. Probably we could cal

ay," said Jack. "Come on–it must be saf

o sooner did the two linemen see them than the

said the first, a dark, young fellow.

lanations, and, luckily, the

from Bray, Tom," he

tracted, a bullet sang over their heads