The omnibus had just started, and for about thirty seconds he remained watching it as it lumbered and clattered along in a cloud of dust until it was lost to view.

Then he went back to the house, and handed the key to Martha.

"There's the key," he said.

"Tell Aunt Charlotte I'm going for a walk, and I'll let her know all about it when I come back to lunch." He was out of the house in a twinkling, stumping along as hard as he could go until he reached the moors.

He had played a daring game, but felt quite satisfied with the result so far, as he knew that there were no cabs to be had in the village, and that, even if his aunt were mad enough to brave a two-mile tramp along the broiling road, she could not possibly reach the station in time to catch the train.