At last he found a blank book, and with a pencil he wrote this note.
"Deer Mrs. Paxton:—
"Yor litle girl is tied up in the woods opsite the hermits hut. You better go get her real quick or somethin may happen too her.
"Yors trooly."
He folded it, and, in place of the envelope that he could not find, he tied around it a bit of string that he found in his pocket.
Boldly he addressed it, in very large letters, and sneaking down the stairway, and around on the piazza toward the side door, watched his chance, and slipped it into the mail box.
There was much excitement on the front piazza, because the guests had arrived in the barge but a few moments before, and Mrs. Paxton had given a maid a generous "tip" to go over to the Merlington, and bring Floretta back with her.
"She returned with the party that came from the Merlington, and I don't wish her to remain there. I want her to come right back to me," said Mrs. Paxton.
"Very well, ma'am," the maid had replied, and with the coins in her hand, had started off at once toward the other hotel.
When little Jack Tiverton ran around to the front piazza, the maid had just returned.