******
"A kidnapper!" said the stout lady sharply. "That's it. A kidnapper! We must get to the bottom of this. We must confront the man...."
"I still think," said the other dreamily, "that it's a—plant—or a code."
"Do you know where William lives?" asked the stout lady of George.
"Oh, yiss!" said George proudly.
"I will confront this man," she said dramatically, "and you must support me."
The young man groaned.
"It's all like a nightmare," he said. "It'll knock me off work for months."
"Couldn't you use it?" suggested the stout lady. "It would make a most sensational plot ... the mysterious children ... the code ... the——"
"Thank you," said the young man coldly, "I don't go in for sensational plots."