“I suppose so,” replied Ralph. “It must be quite a long story, though.”

“It is,” admitted his companion.

“Then suppose we leave its recital till we are rested a bit,” suggested Ralph. “I want you to come up to the house and have supper. Then we’ll adjourn to the garden and have a quiet, comfortable chat.”

“That will be famous,” declared Clark. “Say, you don’t treat an imposter like myself courteous or anything, do you?”

“Are you really an imposter?” asked Ralph, with a faint smile.

“I am—and a rank one.”

“Just one question—you are not the real Marvin Clark?”

“No more than yourself.”

“And you are Fred Porter?”

“That’s it.”