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Digital Innovations in Architecture,
Engineering and Construction

John Gales · Kathryn Chin ·

Timothy Young · Elisabetta Carattin ·
Mei-Yee Man Oram

Egress Modelling
of Pedestrians
for the Design
of Contemporary
Stadia
Digital Innovations in Architecture, Engineering
and Construction

Series Editors
Diogo Ribeiro , Department of Civil Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto,
Porto, Portugal
M. Z. Naser, Glenn Department of Civil Engineering, Clemson University,
Clemson, SC, USA
Rudi Stouffs, Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore,
Singapore, Singapore
Marzia Bolpagni, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is experiencing
an unprecedented transformation from conventional labor-intensive activities to
automation using innovative digital technologies and processes. This new paradigm
also requires systemic changes focused on social, economic and sustainability
aspects. Within the scope of Industry 4.0, digital technologies are a key factor in
interconnecting information between the physical built environment and the digital
virtual ecosystem. The most advanced virtual ecosystems allow to simulate the built
to enable a real-time data-driven decision-making. This Book Series promotes and
expedites the dissemination of recent research, advances, and applications in the
field of digital innovations in the AEC industry. Topics of interest include but are not
limited to:
Industrialization: digital fabrication, modularization, cobotics, lean.
Material innovations: bio-inspired, nano and recycled materials.
Reality capture: computer vision, photogrammetry, laser scanning, drones.
Extended reality: augmented, virtual and mixed reality.
Sustainability and circular building economy.
Interoperability: building/city information modeling.
Interactive and adaptive architecture.
Computational design: data-driven, generative and performance-based design.
Simulation and analysis: digital twins, virtual cities.
Data analytics: artificial intelligence, machine/deep learning.
Health and safety: mobile and wearable devices, QR codes, RFID.
Big data: GIS, IoT, sensors, cloud computing.
Smart transactions, cybersecurity, gamification, blockchain.
Quality and project management, business models, legal prospective.
Risk and disaster management.
John Gales · Kathryn Chin · Timothy Young ·
Elisabetta Carattin · Mei-Yee Man Oram

Egress Modelling
of Pedestrians for the Design
of Contemporary Stadia
John Gales Kathryn Chin
Department of Civil Engineering Department of Civil Engineering
York University York University
Toronto, ON, Canada Toronto, ON, Canada

Timothy Young Elisabetta Carattin

Department of Civil Engineering Access and Inclusive Environments
York University and Building Services
Toronto, ON, Canada Ove Arup and Partners Ltd.
London, UK
Mei-Yee Man Oram
Access and Inclusive Environments
and Building Services
Ove Arup and Partners Ltd.
London, UK

ISSN 2731-7269 ISSN 2731-7277 (electronic)

Digital Innovations in Architecture, Engineering and Construction
ISBN 978-3-031-33471-9 ISBN 978-3-031-33472-6 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33472-6

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2023

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether
the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse
of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and
transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar
or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or
the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any
errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional
claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Acknowledgments

Michael Kinsey (formerly of Arup, now of Movement Strategies), Will Wong (Arup)
and Lachlan Miles (Arup) are acknowledged for their efforts in previous critical
analysis of the data and modelling herein with technical contribution and mentorship
of graduate trainees through regular correspondence on this project.
Contributions are also acknowledged from: Danielle Aucoin who with other
contributors developed and cleared study ethics and helped with initial data collec-
tion and interpretation; Danielle Alberga, Bronwyn Chorlton, Neir Mazur, Natalia
Espinosa-Merlano, Julia Ferri, Lauren Folk, Kiara Gonzales, Georgette Harun,
Teagan Hyndman, Kaleigh MacKay and Austin Martins-Robalino who helped review
and collect movement profiles and assisted with literary review and interpretation
of data; and Luming Huang who helped developed, run, analyse and troubleshooted
the MassMotion modelling contributions. Hailey Todd is acknowledged for initia-
tion of the research project. Rashid Bashir is thanked for helping with providing
the initial 2018 stadium study contacts. Hannah Carton and Chloe Jeanneret are
thanked for supporting the project through copy-editing and assisting in the book’s
revision process.
Organizations thanked for their contributions include the Arup Access and Inclu-
sive Environments and Building Services Team, Arup UK Fire Group, Arup North
Americas Group, Arup Human Behavior and Evacuation Skills Team. The Society
of Fire Protection Engineering (SFPE) Foundation, CSA and MITACS are thanked
for their financial support. The NSERC ALLIANCE programme is acknowledged.
The Stadia managers and event organizers remain anonymous for their time and
assistance in this study.
York University is also thanked for providing ethics-based resources and insti-
tutional support for the data collection phase of this research project through its
TD1/TD2 process.

v
vi Acknowledgments

Statement of Authorship

All persons who have meet authorship criteria in this book are listed as authors.
These authors certify that they have participated sufficiently in the work to take
public responsibility for this manuscript’s content, including the participation in the
concept, design, analysis, writing and revision of this book. Those that do not meet
the full criteria are listed in the acknowledgements above.
Contents

1 Introduction to Pedestrian Movement and Behaviour in Stadia . . . . . . 1

1.1 Introduction and Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Literary Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2.1 Previous Stadia Studies Focusing on Evacuation
and Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2.2 Mobility Related Disabled Persons and Accessibility . . . . . . . 13
1.2.3 Movement Speeds and Modelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.2.4 Existing Movement Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
1.2.5 Relevant Codes and Standards for Evacuation of Stadia . . . . . 20
1.3 Introduction to Study Stadium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.4 Ethics and Related Safety Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2 Survey of the Importance of Accessibility Features in Stadia . . . . . . . . 29
2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.2 Survey Methodologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.3 Survey Observations and Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.4 Analysis and Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3 Data Collection of Movement and Behaviour of Pedestrians
in Stadia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.2 Data Collection Methodologies for Movement and Behaviour
of Pedestrians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.3 Mobility Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3.4 Movement Speed Profiles of Pedestrians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
3.5 Analysis and Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

vii
viii Contents

4 Evacuation and Pedestrian Modelling in Stadia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

4.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
4.2 Artificial Intelligence Theorems in Pedestrian Modelling . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.3 Evacuation Model Generation and Limiting Assumptions . . . . . . . . . 62
4.4 Evacuation Model Scenarios and Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4.5 Evacuation Model Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
4.6 Analysis and Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
5 Strategies and Technology for Effective Evacuation Design
of Stadia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5.1 Strategies for Effective Evacuation Design of Stadia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5.2 Technology for Effective Evacuation Design of Stadia . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
5.2.1 Collation of Movement Speed Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
5.2.2 Future of AI Technologies for Egress and Movement
Modelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5.2.3 Semi-Autonomous Technologies for Human Movement
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
5.2.4 Autonomous Technologies for Human Movement Data . . . . . 83
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Chapter 1
Introduction to Pedestrian Movement
and Behaviour in Stadia

Abstract There is a significant population of mobility related disabled persons in

Canada. Recent studies have shown accessibility and mobility are a large concern
in stadia egress which requires more research and practitioner attention. In 2019,
Canada enacted the Accessible Canada Act to address this issue by focusing on iden-
tifying, removing, and preventing barriers that limit social, political and economic
inclusion. However, the act currently requires only minimal design considerations
which would be helpful to a select group of disabled persons, and for only certain
types of buildings, often excluding stadia. Accessibility should offer equal quality
of life for all disabled persons as well as non-disabled persons. There is a lack of
research on understanding the behaviour of disabled persons in egress of stadia which
designers require. Therefore, a Canadian tennis stadium will be analyzed during
normal circulation and egress situations. The chapter presents a literary background
for movement of disabled persons in egress and presents reviews of both Canadian
and international design guidance for egress identifying areas of focus for later chap-
ters. While the chapter focuses on the Canadian context, general conclusions may be
globally applicable.

1.1 Introduction and Motivation

In addition to guidance documents, such as the Green Guide, the advancement of

stadia design in the last few decades has considered the emergence of novel tools
and technologies that have been created by industry.1 Largely these tools are based
upon accurate representation of human movement and behaviour. These tools are
based upon the advancements of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Tools and technologies
largely exist in the form of advanced modelling tools which aim to represent the
population within the stadium. These technologies are very useful for representing
crowds found within stadia and enable a designer to quickly identify areas of crowd
congestion to enable new designs for improved movement in that space. Figure 1.1

1 The majority of pedestrian movement software that has been developed primarily has been done
in industry settings with support from academic institutions.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 1
J. Gales et al., Egress Modelling of Pedestrians for the Design of Contemporary Stadia,
Digital Innovations in Architecture, Engineering and Construction,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33472-6_1
2 1 Introduction to Pedestrian Movement and Behaviour in Stadia

illustrates the use of a pedestrian movement model to represent crossflow, bottlenecks

and consequences of decision making.
Contemporary stadia design requires an in-depth consideration of real human
behaviour. The reliability of pedestrian movement models used for exit and evacu-
ation design will depend on the confidence of the input movement and behavioral
data of pedestrians and accurate artificial intelligence algorithms used to describe
the movement and behaviour of pedestrians.
For example, through default modelling practices where exits are assigned through
a lowest cost procedure (see Fig. 1.1a) this may not necessarily capture all real risks
and parameters present in stadia which must be considered. Figure 1.2 illustrates
such an example. At the end of a sporting match, people begin leaving before the

Fig. 1.1 Computational

tools for stadia design of
people movement a potential
cross flow, b congested
bottleneck, c wayfinding and
decision making

(a)

(b)

(c)
1.1 Introduction and Motivation 3

Fig. 1.2 Computational tools calibrated to study exit density

end of the match. At this stadium, a video screen is present. This encourages the
leaving attendees to wait under the screen to watch the remaining seconds of the
match. The crowd increases in density, waiting at the exit gate. Once the match
concludes, the group exits through the gate. This behaviour is a particular hazard to
consider owing to the density seen. Consider if someone with a mobility aid trips
in the congestion, those behind them can also fall. The knowledge of the behaviour
through data collection at the stadium allows for the hazard to be replicated in a
model and studied.
Currently stadia design is still in need for more contemporary data with respect to
surrounding pedestrian movement and behaviour. This is true for most infrastructure
where mixed demographics and high capacities may be expected. There is a signifi-
cant population of mobility related disabled persons in Canada. Recent studies have
shown accessibility and mobility are a large concern in stadia egress which requires
more research and practitioner attention. There is a lack of research, which designers
require, to understand the movement and behaviour of mobility related disabilities
in persons in the egress of stadia. Herein, a full-scale observational study of a real
stadium is observed and analyzed to reinforce conclusions and movement trends
which will be reported.
Individual pedestrian movement and behaviour is studied with specific focus
on accessibility, inclusion and disabled persons. This book recognizes that stadia
design is at a revolutionary stage of advancement. Various technological gains in
data collection methodologies will be described where the authors work towards the
collection of big data which can be used for future refinement of modelling tech-
nologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) routines. Automated analysis technologies
are also described where they may be more advantageous to replacing manual or
semi-automatic methods. While the authors will focus on Canadian infrastructure
primarily, the results will be useful within a global context and discussion on Stadia
Design.
The first phase of the study is a survey regarding the public and staff’s knowledge
on accessibility features in the stadium considered, as well how they believe the
4 1 Introduction to Pedestrian Movement and Behaviour in Stadia

stadium design could be improved to be more accessible. The survey study is done
to recognize factors such as the architecture of the stadium, that affect the mobility
related disabled population from attending or not attending. This survey acts as a
baseline for how the stadium is currently functioning. Specifically, the survey evalu-
ates how accessible the stadium design is, pointing to immediate improvements which
would foster an increase in mobility related disabled persons attending the stadium
events. The second phase of the study builds upon these findings with an observa-
tional study which focuses on collecting population and movement data on current
demographics using the stadium. Movement profiles for mobility related disabled
and non-disabled persons will organize the parameters of respective microsimulation
agents in terms of mean walking speeds. This includes the following occupant and
building characteristics of interest:
• Horizontal movement of mobility related disabled persons (for example those
using wheel-chairs, canes etc.);
• Persons with other reduced mobility conditions (for example those carrying large
luggage, or those travelling with family);
• Persons with various body shapes and sizes which may influence mobility
(obesity);
• Intoxicated persons (ex. herein ‘any’ alcohol consumption is inclusive of this
category); and
• Persons transversing stairs.
Collecting this movement data allows for it to be placed in pedestrian evacu-
ation and movement models for circulation and thus allows designers to consider
their needs in the design of future structures to enhance safety. The datasets derived
enabled the authors to illustrate the effect of egress model parameters to reflect
in-situ environment conditions. The concluding datasets are then used in the third
research phase where simulations are created. These allow engineered designs to
be simulated beyond the existing level of an assumed homogeneous population by
incorporating non-homogenous populations of individuals in stadium crowds which
would be expected in future use. These models include using the current default
parameters (demographics and movement speeds), manually adjusting parameters
with and without mobility requirements, and manually inputting parameters for a
forecasted population with a higher population of disabled persons. The final simu-
lation addresses how changes in mobility related disabled persons demographics
may institute specific design requirements and future research areas. The last stage
of study considers how the data collected can be used for effective design while
giving attention to renewed technologies that may help with the collection of future
data that may enable future theory to develop to improved stadia design for people
movement.
This book aims to improve the environment to prevent the act of disabling persons,
and to further promote accessibility and safety.
The book was divided into several chapters to meet the aforementioned objectives.
This first chapter has introduced various aspects of the field of study to introduce
the reader to the case study and relevant literature. The research is established in
1.2 Literary Background 5

its use and novelty. This chapter will introduce the reader to the subject matter
and provide the background information necessary for the reader to understand the
terminologies and theory being explored in the book. It will focus on behavioral
aspects of people in stadia, a brief literary review to the subject. It will then explore
the current theory behind modelling used to describe people movement in stadia
and the artificial intelligence behind this theory. Lastly, it will introduce the reader
to the original research being used in the book and the ethics clearance involved to
undertake the study.
Chapter 2, Survey of the Importance of Accessibility Features in Stadia, will
explore the demographic breakdown which is seen in contemporary stadia. A survey
will be introduced that was used to undertake a quantification of accessibility features
at the stadium. This portion of the study aims to demonstrate how improvements to
the design of the stadium and its grounds can improve inclusivity and safety. As well,
it aims to show that working with the population directly affected by the design of
the environment can help to create universal spaces.
Chapter 3, Data collection of Movement and Behaviour of Pedestrians in Stadia,
introduces the reader to the data collection process with emphasis on current and
emerging technologies used to capture movement trajectories from imagery. The
resulting movement profiles for all demographics will be presented which include
disabled persons and movement effects from alcohol.
Chapter 4, Evacuation and Pedestrian Modelling in Stadia, will explain the artifi-
cial intelligence theorems used to describe people movement in pedestrian modelling.
The construction of a stadium model will be explained with appropriate limitations
described. A suite of scenarios will be considered to explore future demographic
trends in stadium and their effect on movement and evacuation.
Chapter 5, Strategies for Effective Evacuation of Stadia, the chapter will present
emerging trends in pedestrian movement and development of requisite software to
describe their behaviour. Future research needs will be described, and new technolo-
gies being used to track movement and improve data collection will be presented and
reviewed.

1.2 Literary Background

1.2.1 Previous Stadia Studies Focusing on Evacuation

and Movement

In 2018, the Society of Fire Protection Engineers launched a multi-year study to

investigate and produce new movement speed profiles that could be utilized in various
pedestrian movement models (see Gales 2020). This was project was led by York
University researchers and collaborators and leveraged through a MITACS grant
with the SFPE St. Laurent Chapter in Canada. Industrial collaborators included the
design consultancy firm Arup. This research endeavor focused on several unique
6 1 Introduction to Pedestrian Movement and Behaviour in Stadia

infrastructure types. This included care homes for the aged (Folk et al. 2020), cultural
centers (Gales et al. 2022), airports and commuter stations (Gatien et al. 2022; Young
and Gales 2022), and focus herein in this book, stadia (Chin et al. 2022a, b; Young
et al. 2021). The latter stadia will be reviewed prior to discussion into the theme of
accessibility and movement as this was not considered in the previous studies as will
be described.
Previously Chin et al. (2022a, b) investigated the current demographic breakdown
of stadia users by age in Canadian football stadia and illustrated profound differences
in movement based upon the age of the population. Chin also verified that funda-
mental speed reductions associated to levels of service drops as would currently be
the practice to assume, at least for small to medium sized density. This study also
found that high levels of congestion in stadia predominately involved older persons
(generally noted as 65+) in the crowd. Figure 1.3 illustrates the movement speed
data collected and the corresponding density through a stadium corridor with 511
persons. Level of service is also noted which corresponds to specific population
densities where movement is expected to be impacted. The speed data allows for a
fundamental diagram to be constructed of speed reduction with density.
In a companion study, motivation stimulus for egress was studied by the authors
(see Young et al. 2021). In that study, a normal egress event was filmed and analyzed
by the authors, a high motivation Egress event was filmed and analyzed by the authors,
and archival video recordings of a fire egress event was analyzed. All events occurred
in the mid to late afternoon in the day. The same filming methodologies were utilized
for the normal and high motivation with the same cameras seen in Chin et al. (2022a,
b). The Fire Scenario used several cell phone recordings from spectators including
a ‘birds-eye’ view which was taken from an adjoining apartment building. Only the

2.5

2.25 Level of Service A B C

Child
2
Young Adult
1.75 Adult
1.5 Older
Speed (m/s)

1.25

0.75

0.5

0.25

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
Local Density (persons/m2)

Fig. 1.3 Movement speed and local density seen in a Canadian football stadium (adapted from
Chin et al. 2022a, b)
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
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three letters from editors asking for serial rights to his next book
enraged him. Idiots, not to know that he was out of the running
forever!
He dined early, fortified himself against the persistent downpour by
donning a corduroy suit and a heavy mackintosh, and set off for the
Banning place at seven o’clock. Once on his way he was beset by a
fear that he might arrive too early. As he was to be a spectator of the
effects of the gathering, it would be well not to be first on the scene.
As he passed through Corydon his engine changed its tune
ominously and he stopped at a garage to have it tinkered. This
required half an hour, but gave him an excuse for relieving his
nervousness by finishing the run at high speed.
A big touring car crowded close to him, and in response to fierce
honkings he made way for it. His headlights struck the muddy stern
of the flying car and hope rose in him. This was possibly one of the
adventurers hastening into the hills in response to Arabella’s
summons. A moment later a racing car, running like an express train,
shot by and his lamps played on the back of the driver huddled over
his wheel.
When he neared the Banning grounds Farrington stopped his car,
extinguished the lights and drove it in close to the fence.
It was nearly eight-thirty and the danger of being first had now
passed. As he tramped along the muddy road he heard, somewhere
ahead, another car, evidently seeking an entrance. Some earlier
arrival had opened the gates, and as he passed in and followed the
curving road he saw that the house was brilliantly lighted.
As he reached the steps that led up to the broad main entrance he
became panic-stricken at the thought of entering a house the owner
of which he did not know from Adam, on an errand that he felt
himself incapable of explaining satisfactorily. He turned back and
was moving toward the gates when the short, burly figure of a man
loomed before him and heavy hands fell on his shoulders.
“I beg your pardon!” said Farrington breathlessly. An electric lamp
flashed in his face, mud-splashed from his drive, and his captor
demanded his business. “I was just passing,” he faltered, “and I
thought perhaps——”
“Well, if you thought perhaps, you can just come up to the house and
let us have a look at you,” said the stranger gruffly.
With a frantic effort Farrington wrenched himself free; but as he
started to run he was caught by the collar of his raincoat and jerked
back.
“None of that now! You climb right up to the house with me. You try
bolting again and I’ll plug you.”
To risk a bullet in the back was not to be considered in any view of
the matter, and Farrington set off with as much dignity as he could
assume, his collar tightly gripped by his captor.
As they crossed the veranda the front door was thrown open and a
man appeared at the threshold. Behind him hovered two other
persons.
“Well, Gadsby, what have you found?”
“I think,” said Farrington’s captor with elation, “that we’ve got the
man we’re looking for!”
Farrington was thrust roughly through the door and into a broad,
brilliantly lighted hall.

II
Senator Banning was one of the most generously photographed of
American statesmen, and the bewildered and chagrined Farrington
was relieved to find his wits equal to identifying him from his
newspaper pictures.
“Place your prisoner by the fireplace, where we can have a good
look at him,” the Senator ordered. “And, if you please, Gadsby, I will
question him myself.”
Rudely planted on the hearth, Farrington stared about him. Two of
the persons on Arabella’s list had answered the summons at any
rate. His eyes ran over the others. A short, stout woman, wearing
mannish clothes and an air of authority, advanced and scrutinized
him closely.
“A very harmless person, I should say,” she commented; and, having
thus expressed herself sonorously, she sat down in the largest chair
in the room.
The proceedings were arrested by a loud chugging and honking on
the driveway.
Farrington forgot his own troubles now in the lively dialogue that
followed the appearance on the scene of a handsome middle-aged
woman, whose face betrayed surprise as she swept the room with a
lorgnette for an instant, and then, beholding Banning, showed the
keenest displeasure.
“I’d like to know,” she demanded, “the precise meaning of this! If it’s
a trick—a scheme to compromise me—I’d have you know, Tracy
Banning, that my opinion of you has not changed since I bade you
farewell in Washington last April.”
“Before we proceed farther,” retorted Senator Banning testily, “I
should like to ask just how you came to arrive here at this hour!”
She produced a telegram from her purse. “Do you deny that you sent
that message, addressed to the Gassaway House at Putnam
Springs? Do you suppose,” she demanded as the Senator put on his
glasses to read the message, “that I’d have made this journey just to
see you?”
“Arabella suffering from nervous breakdown; meet me at Corydon
house Thursday evening,” read the Senator.
“Arabella ill!” exclaimed the indomitable stout lady. “She must have
been seized very suddenly!”
“I haven’t seen Arabella and I never sent you this telegram,”
declared the Senator. “I was brought here myself by a fraudulent
message.” He drew a telegram from his pocket and read
impressively:
Arabella has eloped. Am in pursuit. Meet me at your
house in Corydon Thursday evening.
Sallie Collingwood.
The stout lady’s vigorous repudiation of this telegram consumed
much time, but did not wholly appease the Senator. He irritably
waved her aside, remarking sarcastically:
“It seems to me, Sallie Collingwood, that your presence here
requires some explanation. I agreed to give you the custody of
Arabella while Frances and I were settling our difficulties, because I
thought you had wits enough to take care of her. Now you appear to
have relinquished your charge, and without giving me any notice
whatever. I had supposed, even if you are my wife’s sister, that you
would let no harm come to my daughter.”
“I’ll trouble you, Tracy Banning, to be careful how you speak to me!”
Miss Collingwood replied. “Poor Arabella was crushed by your
outrageous behavior, and if any harm has come to her it’s your fault.
She remained with me on the Dashing Rover for two weeks; and last
Saturday, when I anchored in Boston Harbor to file proceedings
against the captain of a passenger boat who had foully tried to run
me down off Cape Ann, she ran away. Last night a telegram from her
reached me at Beverly saying you were effecting a reconciliation and
asking me to be here tonight to join in a family jollification. Meantime
I had wired to the Gadsby Detective Agency to search for Arabella
and asked them to send a man here.”
“Reconciliation,” exploded the lady with the lorgnette, “has never
been considered! And if I’ve been brought here merely to be told that
you have allowed Arabella to walk off your silly schooner into the
Atlantic Ocean——”
“You may as well calm yourself, Frances. There’s no reason for
believing that either Tracy or I had a thing to do with this outrage.”
“Well, Bishop Giddings is with me; he, too, has been lured here by
some one. We met on the train quite by chance and I shall rely on
his protection.”
A black-bearded gentleman, who had followed Mrs. Banning into the
hall and quietly peeled off a raincoat, was now disclosed in the garb
of a clergyman—the Bishop of Tuscarora, Farrington assumed. He
viewed the company quizzically, remarking:
“Well, we all seem to be having a good time!”
“A great outrage has been perpetrated on us,” trumpeted the
Senator. “I’m amazed to see you here, Bishop. Some lawless person
has opened this house and telegraphed these people to come here.
When I found Gadsby on the premises I sent him out to search the
grounds; and I strongly suspect”—he deliberated and eyed
Farrington savagely—“that the culprit has been apprehended.”
A young man with fiery red hair, who had been nervously smoking a
cigarette in the background, now made himself audible in a high
piping voice:
“It’s a sell of some kind, of course. And a jolly good one!”
This provoked an outburst of wrath from the whole company with the
exception of Farrington, who leaned heavily on the mantel in a state
of helpless bewilderment. These people seemed to be acquainted;
not only were they acquainted but they appeared to be bitterly hostile
to one another.
Mrs. Banning had wheeled on the red-haired young man, whom
Farrington checked off Arabella’s list as Birdie Coningsby, and was
saying imperiously:
“Your presence adds nothing to my pleasure. If anything could
increase the shame of my summons here you most adequately
supply it.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Banning,” he pleaded; “but it’s really not my fault.
When Senator Banning telegraphed asking me to arrive here tonight
for a weekend I assumed that it meant that Arabella——”
“Before we go further, Tracy Banning,” interrupted the Senator’s wife,
“I want to be sure that your intimacy with this young scamp has
ceased and that this is not one of your contemptible tricks to
persuade me that he is a suitable man for my child to marry. After all
the scandal we suffered on account of that landgrab you were mixed
up in with old man Coningsby, I should think you’d stop trying to
marry his son to my poor, dear Arabella!”
The Bishop of Tuscarora planted a chair behind Mrs. Banning just in
time to save her from falling to the floor.
“Somebody has played a trick on all of us,” said the detective. “My
message was sent to my New York office and said that the Senator
wished to see me here on urgent business. I got that message an
hour after Miss Collingwood’s and I have six men looking for the lost
girl.”
They compared notes with the result that each telegram was found
to have been sent from a different railroad station between Great
Barrington and Pittsfield. While this was in progress Farrington felt
quite out of it and planned flight at the earliest moment. He pricked
up his ears, however, as, with a loud laugh, the Bishop drew out his
message and read it with oratorical effect:
Adventure waits! Hark to the silver bugle! Meet me at
Tracy Banning’s on Corydon Road via Great Barrington at
eight o’clock Thursday evening.
X Y Z.
Farrington clung to the mantel for physical and mental support. His
mind was chaos; the Stygian Pit yawned at his feet. Beyond doubt,
his Arabella of the tea table had dispatched messages to all the
persons on her list; and, in the Bishop’s case at least, she had given
the telegram her own individual touch. No wonder they were paying
no attention to him; the perspiration was trailing in visible rivulets
down his mud-caked face and his appearance fully justified their
suspicions.
“All my life,” the Bishop of Tuscarora was explaining good-
humoredly, “I have hoped that adventure would call me some day.
When I got that telegram I heard the bugles blowing and set off at
once. Perhaps if I hadn’t known Senator Banning for many years,
and hadn’t married him when I was a young minister, I shouldn’t
have started for his house so gayly. Meeting Mrs. Banning on the
train and seeing she was in great distress, I refrained from showing
her my summons. How could I? But I’m in the same boat with the
rest of you—I can’t for the life of me guess why I’m here.”
Farrington had been slowly backing toward a side door, with every
intention of eliminating himself from the scene, when a heavy motor,
which had entered the grounds with long, hideous honks, bumped
into the entrance with a resounding bang, relieved by the pleasant
tinkle of the smashed glass of its windshield.
Gadsby, supported by the agile Coningsby, leaped to the door; but
before they could fortify it against attack it was flung open and a
small, light figure landed in the middle of the room, and a young lady,
a very slight, graceful young person in a modish automobile coat,
stared at them a moment and then burst out laughing.
“Zaliska!” screamed Coningsby.
“Well,” she cried, “that’s what I call some entrance! Lordy! But I must
be a sight!”
She calmly opened a violet leather vanity box, withdrew various
trifles and made dexterous use of them, squinting at herself in a
mirror the size of a silver dollar.
Farrington groaned and shuddered, but delayed his flight to watch
the effect of this last arrival.
Banning turned on Coningsby and shouted:
“This is your work! You’ve brought this woman here! I hope you’re
satisfied with it!”
“My work!” piped Coningsby very earnestly in his queer falsetto. “I
never had a thing to do with it; but if Zaliska is good enough for you
to dine with in New York it isn’t square for you to insult her here in
your own house.”
“I’m not insulting her. When I dined with her it was at your invitation,
you little fool!” foamed the Senator.
Zaliska danced to him on her toes, planted her tiny figure before him
and folded her arms.
“Be calm, Tracy; I will protect you!” she lisped sweetly.
“Tracy! Tracy!” repeated Mrs. Banning.
Miss Collingwood laughed aloud. She and the Bishop seemed to be
the only persons present who were enjoying themselves. Outside,
the machine that had brought Zaliska had backed noisily off the
steps and was now retreating.
“Oh, cheer up, everybody!” said Zaliska, helping herself to a chair.
“My machine’s gone back to town; but I only brought a suitcase, so I
can’t stay forever. By the way, you might bring it in, Harold,” she
remarked to Coningsby with a yawn.
Mrs. Banning alone seemed willing to cope with her.
“If you are as French as you look, mademoiselle, I suppose——”
“French, ha! Not to say aha! I sound like a toothpaste all right, but I
was born in good old Urbana, Ohio. Your face registers sorrow and
distress, madam. Kindly smile, if you please!”
“No impertinence, young woman! It may interest you to know that the
courts haven’t yet freed me of the ties that bind me to Tracy Banning,
and until I get my decree he is still my husband. If that has entered
into your frivolous head kindly tell me who invited you to this house.”
The girl pouted, opened her vanity box, and slowly drew out a
crumpled bit of yellow paper, which she extended toward her
inquisitor with the tips of her fingers.
“This message,” Mrs. Banning announced, “was sent from Berkville
Tuesday night.” And then her face paled. “Incredible!” she breathed
heavily.
Gadsby caught the telegram as it fluttered from her hand.
“Read it!” commanded Miss Collingwood.
“Mademoiselle Helene Zaliska,
New Rochelle, N. Y.
 Everything arranged. Meet me at Senator Banning’s
country home, Corydon, Massachusetts, Thursday
evening at eight.
Alembert Giddings,
Bishop of Tuscarora.”
The Bishop snatched the telegram from Gadsby and verified the
detective’s reading with unfeigned astonishment. The reading of this
message evoked another outburst of merriment from Miss
Collingwood.
“Zaliska,” fluted young Coningsby, “how dare you!”
“Oh, I never take a dare,” said Zaliska. “I guessed it was one of your
jokes; and I always thought it would be real sporty to be married by a
bishop.”
“Yes,” said Miss Collingwood frigidly, “I suppose you’ve tried
everything else!”
The Bishop met Mrs. Banning’s demand that he explain himself with
all the gravity his good-natured countenance could assume.
“It’s too deep for me. I give it up!” he said. He crossed to Zaliska and
took her hand.
“My dear young woman, I apologize as sincerely as though I were
the guilty man. I never heard of you before in my life; and I wasn’t
anywhere near Berkville day before yesterday. The receipt of my
own telegram in New Hampshire at approximately the same hour
proves that irrefutably.”
“Oh, that’ll be all right, Bishop,” said Zaliska. “I’m just as pleased as
though you really sent it.”
Miss Collingwood had lighted her pipe—a performance that drew
from Zaliska an astonished:
“Well, did you ever! Gwendolin, what have we here?”
“What I’d like to know,” cried Mrs. Banning, yielding suddenly to
tears, “is what you’ve done with Arabella!”
The mention of Arabella precipitated a wild fusillade of questions and
replies. She had been kidnapped, Mrs. Banning charged in tragic
tones, and Tracy Banning should be brought to book for it.
“You knew the courts would give her to me and it was you who lured
her away and hid her. This contemptible little Coningsby was your
ideal of a husband for Arabella, to further your own schemes with his
father. I knew it all the time! And you planned to meet him here, with
this creature, in your own house! And he’s admitted that you’ve been
dining with her. It’s too much! It’s more than I should be asked to
suffer, after all—after all—I’ve—borne!”
“Look here, Mrs. Lady; creature is a name I won’t stand for!” flamed
Zaliska.
“If you’ll all stop making a rotten fuss——” wheezed Coningsby.
“If we can all be reasonable beings for a few minutes——” began the
Bishop.
Before they could finish their sentences Gadsby leaped to the
doorway, through which Farrington was stealthily creeping, and
dragged him back.
“It seems to me,” said the detective, depositing Farrington, cowed
and frightened, in the center of the group, which closed tightly about
him, “that it’s about time this bird was giving an account of himself.
Everybody in the room was called here by a fake telegram, and I’m
positive this is the scoundrel who sent ’em.”
“He undoubtedly enticed us here for the purpose of robbery,” said
Senator Banning; “and the sooner we land him in jail the better.”
“If you’ll let me explain——” began Farrington, whose bedraggled
appearance was little calculated to inspire confidence.
“We’ve already had too many explanations!” declared Mrs. Banning.
“In all my visits to jails and penitentiaries I’ve rarely seen a man with
a worse face than the prisoner’s. I shouldn’t be at all surprised if he
turned out to be a murderer.”
“Rubbish!” sniffed Miss Collingwood. “He looks like somebody’s
chauffeur who’s been joy-rolling in the mud.”
The truth would never be believed. Farrington resolved to lie boldly.
“I was on my way to Lenox and missed the road. I entered these
grounds merely to make inquiries and get some gasoline. This man
you call Gadsby assaulted me and dragged me in here; and, as I
have nothing to do with any of you or your troubles, I protest against
being detained longer.”
Gadsby’s derisive laugh expressed the general incredulity.
“You didn’t say anything to me about gasoline! You were prowling
round the house, and when I nabbed you you tried to bolt. I guess
we’ll just hold on to you until we find out who sent all those fake
telegrams.”
“We’ll hold on to him until we find out who’s kidnapped Arabella!”
declared Mrs. Banning.
“That’s a happy suggestion, Fanny,” affirmed the Senator, for the first
time relaxing his severity toward his wife.
“What’s this outlaw’s name?” demanded Miss Collingwood in
lugubrious tones.
Clever criminals never disclosed their identity. Farrington had no
intention of telling his name. He glowered at them as he involuntarily
lifted his hand to his mud-spattered face. Senator Banning jumped
back, stepping heavily on Coningsby’s feet. Coningsby’s howl of pain
caused Zaliska to laugh with delight.
“If you hold me here you’ll pay dearly for it,” said Farrington fiercely.
“Dear, dear; the little boy’s going to cry!” mocked the dancer. “I think
he’d be nice if he had his face washed. By-the-way, who’s giving this
party anyhow? I’m perfectly famished and just a little teeny-teeny
bite of food would go far toward saving your little Zaliska’s life.”
“That’s another queer thing about all this!” exclaimed the Senator.
“Some one has opened up the house and stocked it with provisions.
The caretaker got a telegram purporting to be from me telling him I’d
be down with a house party. However, the servants are not here. The
scoundrel who arranged all this overlooked that.”
This for some occult reason drew attention back to Farrington, and
Gadsby shook him severely, presumably in the hope of jarring loose
some information. Farrington resented being shaken. He stood
glumly watching them and awaiting his fate.
“It looks as though you’d all have to spend the night here,” remarked
the Senator. “There are no trains out of Corydon until ten o’clock
tomorrow. By morning we ought to be able to fix the responsibility for
this dastardly outrage. In the meantime this criminal shall be locked
up!”
“Shudders, and clank, clank, as the prisoner goes to his doom,”
mocked Zaliska.
“The sooner he’s out of my sight the better,” Mrs. Banning agreed
heartily. “If he’s hidden my poor dear Arabella away somewhere he’ll
pay the severest penalty of the law for it. I warn him of that.”
“In some states they hang kidnappers,” Miss Collingwood recalled,
as though the thought of hanging gave her pleasure.
“We’ll put the prisoner in one of the servants’ rooms on the third
floor,” said the Senator; “and in the morning we’ll drive him to
Pittsfield and turn him over to the authorities. Bring him along,
Gadsby.”
Gadsby dragged Farrington upstairs and to the back of the house,
with rather more force than was necessary. Banning led the way,
bearing a poker he had snatched up from the fireplace. Pushing him
roughly into the butler’s room, Gadsby told Farrington to hold up his
hands.
“We’ll just have a look at your pockets, young man. No foolishness
now!”
This was the last straw. Farrington fought. For the first time in his life
he struck a fellow man, and enjoyed the sensation. He was angry,
and the instant Gadsby thrust a hand into his coat pocket he landed
on the detective’s nose with all the power he could put into the blow.
Banning dropped the poker and ran out, slamming the door after
him. Two more sharp punches in the detective’s face caused him to
jump for a corner and draw his gun. As he swung round, Farrington
grabbed the poker and dealt the officer’s wrist a sharp thwack that
knocked the pistol to the floor with a bang. In a second the gun was
in Farrington’s hand and he backed to the door and jerked it open.
“Come in here, Senator!” he said as Banning’s white face appeared.
“Don’t yell or attempt to make a row. I want you to put the key of that
door on the inside. If you don’t I’m going to shoot your friend here. I
don’t know who or what he is, but if you don’t obey orders I’m going
to kill him. And if you’re not pretty lively with that key I’m going to
shoot you too. Shooting is one of the best things I do—careful there,
Mr. Gadsby! If you try to rush me you’re a dead man!”
To demonstrate his prowess he played on both of them with the
automatic. Gadsby stood blinking, apparently uncertain what to do.
The key in Banning’s hand beat a lively rat-tat in the lock as the
frightened statesman shifted it to the inside. Farrington was enjoying
himself; it was a sweeter pleasure than he had ever before tasted to
find that he could point pistols and intimidate senators and
detectives.
“That will do; thanks! Now Mr. Gadsby, or whatever your name is, I
must trouble you to remove yourself. In other words, get out of here
—quick! There’s a bed in this room and I’m going to make myself
comfortable until morning. If you or any of you make any effort to
annoy me during the night I’ll shoot you, without the slightest
compunction. And when you go downstairs you may save your faces
by telling your friends that you’ve locked me up and searched me,
and given me the third degree—and anything you please; but don’t
you dare come back! Just a moment more, please! You’d better give
yourself first aid for nosebleed before you go down, Mr. Gadsby; but
not here. The sight of blood is displeasing to me. That is all now.
Good night, gentlemen!”
He turned the key, heard them conferring in low tones for a few
minutes, and then they retreated down the hall. Zaliska had begun to
thump the piano. Her voice rose stridently to the popular air: Any
Time’s A Good Time When Hearts are Light and Merry.
Farrington sat on the bed and consoled himself with a cigarette. As a
fiction writer he had given much study to human motives; but just
why the delectable Arabella had mixed him up in this fashion with the
company below was beyond him. Perversity was all he could see in
it. He recalled now that she herself had chosen all the names for her
list, with the exception of Banning and Gadsby; and, now that he
thought of it, she had more or less directly suggested them.
To be sure he had suggested the Senator; but only in a whimsical
spirit, as he might have named any other person whose name was
familiar in contemporaneous history. Arabella had accepted it, he
remembered, with alacrity. He had read in the newspapers about the
Bannings’ marital difficulties, and he recalled that Coningsby, a
millionaire in one of the Western mining states, had been implicated
with Banning in a big irrigation scandal.
It was no wonder that Mrs. Banning had been outraged by her
husband’s efforts to marry Arabella to the wheezing son of the
magnate. In adding to the dramatis personæ Zaliska, whose name
had glittered on Broadway in the biggest sign that thoroughfare had
ever seen, Arabella had contributed another element to the situation
which caused Farrington to grin broadly.
He looked at his watch. It was only nine-thirty, though it seemed that
eternity had rolled by since his first encounter with Gadsby. He had
taken a pistol away from a detective of reputation and pointed it at a
United States Senator; and he was no longer the Farrington of
yesterday, but a very different being, willing that literature should go
hang so long as he followed this life of jaunty adventure.
After a brief rest he opened the door cautiously, crept down the back
stairs to the second floor, and, venturing as close to the main
stairway as he dared, heard lively talk in the hall below. Gadsby, it
seemed, was for leaving the house to bring help and the proposal
was not meeting with favor.
“I refuse to be left here without police protection,” Mrs. Banning was
saying with determination. “We may all be murdered by that ruffian.”
“He’s undoubtedly a dangerous crook,” said the officer; “but he’s safe
for the night. And in the morning we will take him to jail and find
means of identifying him.”
“Then for the love of Mike,” chirruped Zaliska from the piano, “let’s
have something to eat!”
Farrington chuckled. Gadsby and Banning had not told the truth
about their efforts to lock him up. They were both cowards, he
reflected; and they had no immediate intention, at least, of returning
to molest him. In a room where Banning’s suitcase was spread open
he acquired an electric lamp, which he thrust into his pocket. Sounds
of merry activity from the kitchen indicated that Zaliska had begun
her raid on the jam pots, assisted evidently by all the company.
One thought was uppermost in his mind—he must leave the house
as quickly as possible and begin the search for Arabella. He wanted
to look into her eyes again; he wanted to hear her laughter as he told
of the result of her plotting. There was more to the plan she had
outlined at the tea house than had appeared, and he meant to
fathom the mystery; but he wanted to see her for her own sake. His
pulses tingled as he thought of her—the incomparable girl with the
golden-brown eyes and the heart of laughter!
He cautiously raised a window in one of the sleeping rooms and
began flashing his lamp to determine his position. He was at the rear
of the house and the rain purred softly on the flat roof of a one-story
extension of the kitchen, fifteen feet below. The sooner he risked
breaking his neck and began the pursuit of Arabella the better; so he
threw out his rubber coat and let himself out on the sill.
He dropped and gained the roof in safety. Below, on one side, were
the lights of the dining room, and through the open windows he saw
his late companions gathered about the table. The popping of a cork
evoked cheers, which he attributed to Zaliska and Coningsby. He
noted the Bishop and Miss Collingwood in earnest conversation at
one end of the room, and caught a glimpse of Banning staggering in
from the pantry bearing a stack of plates, while his wife distributed
napkins. They were rallying nobly to the demands upon their
unwilling hospitality.
He crawled to the farther side of the roof, swung over and let go, and
the moment he touched the earth was off with all speed for the road.
It was good to be free again, and he ran as he had not run since his
school-days, stumbling and falling over unseen obstacles in his
haste. In a sunken garden he tumbled over a stone bench with a
force that knocked the wind out of him; but he rubbed his bruised
legs and resumed his flight.
Suddenly he heard some one running over the gravel path that
paralleled the driveway. He stopped to listen, caught the glimmer of
a light—the merest faint spark, as of some one flashing an electric
lamp—and then heard sounds of rapid retreat toward the road.
Resolving to learn which member of the party was leaving, he
changed his course and, by keeping the lights of the house at his
back, quickly gained the stone fence at the roadside.
When he had climbed halfway over he heard some one stirring
outside the wall between him and the gate; then a motor started with
a whir and an electric headlight was flashed on blindingly. As the
machine pushed its way through the tangle of wet weeds into the
open road he clambered over, snapped his lamp at the driver, and
cried out in astonishment as the light struck Arabella full in the face.
She ducked her head quickly, swung her car into the middle of the
road, and stopped.
“Who is that?” she demanded sharply.
“Wait just a minute! I want to speak to you; I have ten thousand
things to say to you!” he shouted above the steady vibrations of the
racing motor.
She leaned out, flashed her lamp on him, and laughed tauntingly.
She was buttoned up tightly in a leather coat, but wore no hat; and
her hair had tumbled loose and hung wet about her face. Her eyes
danced with merriment.
“Oh, it’s too soon!” she said, putting up her hand to shield her eyes
from his lamp. “Not a word to say tonight; but tomorrow—at four
o’clock—we shall meet and talk it over. You have done beautifully—
superbly!” she continued. “I was looking through the window when
they dragged you off upstairs. And I heard every word everybody
said! Isn’t it perfectly glorious?—particularly Zaliska! What an awful
mistake it would have been if we’d left her out! Back, sir! I’m on my
way!”
Before he could speak, her car shot forward. He ran to his machine
and flung himself into it; but Arabella was driving like a king’s
messenger. Her car, a low-hung gray roadster, moved with incredible
speed. The rear light rose until it became a dim red star on the crest
of a steep hill, and a second later it blinked him good-by as it dipped
down on the farther side.
He gained the hilltop and let the machine run its maddest. When he
reached the bottom he was sure he was gaining on the flying car, but
suddenly the guiding light vanished. He checked his speed to study
the trail more carefully, found that he had lost it, turned back to a
crossroad where Arabella had plunged more deeply into the hills,
and was off again.
The road was a strange one and hideously soggy. The tail light of
Arabella’s car brightened and faded with the varying fortunes of the
two machines; but he made no appreciable gain. She was leading
him into an utterly strange neighborhood, and after half a dozen
turns he was lost.
Then his car landed suddenly on a sound piece of road and he
stepped on the accelerator. The rain had ceased and patches of
stars began to blink through the broken clouds, but as his hopes
rose the light he was following disappeared; and a moment later he
was clamping on the brakes.
The road had landed him at the edge of a watery waste, a fact of
which he became aware only after he had tumbled out of his
machine and walked off a dock. Some one yelled to him from a
house at the water’s edge and threatened to shoot if he didn’t make
himself scarce. And it was not Arabella’s voice!
He slipped and fell on the wet planks, and his incidental remarks
pertaining to this catastrophe were translated into a hostile
declaration by the owner of the voice. A gun went off with a roar and
Farrington sprinted for his machine.
“If you’ve finished your target practice,” he called from the car with
an effort at irony, “maybe you’ll tell what this place is!”
The reply staggered him:
“This pond’s on Mr. Banning’s place. It’s private grounds and ye can’t
get through here. What ye doin’ down here anyhow?”
Farrington knew what he was doing. He was looking for Arabella,
who had apparently vanished into thin air; but the tone of the man
did not encourage confidences. He was defeated and chagrined, to
say nothing of being chilled to the bone.
“You orto turned off a mile back there; this is a private road,” the man
volunteered grudgingly, “and the gate ain’t going to be opened no
more tonight.”
Farrington got his machine round with difficulty and started slowly
back. His reflections were not pleasant ones. Arabella had been
having sport with him. She had led him in a semicircle to a remote
corner of her father’s estate, merely, it seemed, that he might walk
into a pond or be shot by the guardian of the marine front of the
property.
He had not thought Arabella capable of such malevolence; it was not
like the brown-eyed girl who had fed him tea and sandwiches two
days before to lure him into such a trap. In his bewildered and
depressed state of mind he again doubted Arabella.
He reached home at one o’clock and took counsel of his pipe until
three, brooding over his adventure.
Hope returned with the morning. In the bright sunlight he was
ashamed of himself for doubting Arabella; and yet he groped in the
dark for an explanation of her conduct. His reasoning powers failed
to find an explanation of that last trick of hers in leading him over the
worst roads in Christendom, merely to drop him into a lake in her
father’s back yard. She might have got rid of him easier than that!
The day’s events began early. As he stood in the doorway of his
garage, waiting for the chauffeur to extract his runabout from its shell
of mud, he saw Gadsby and two strange men flit by in a big
limousine. As soon as his car was ready he jumped in and set off,
with no purpose but to keep in motion. He, the Farrington of cloistral
habits, had tasted adventure; and it was possible that by ranging the
county he might catch a glimpse of the bewildering Arabella, who
had so disturbed the even order of his life.
He drove to Corydon, glanced into all the shops, and stopped at the
post office on an imaginary errand. He bought a book of stamps and
as he turned away from the window ran into the nautical Miss
Collingwood.
“Beg pardon!” he mumbled, and was hurrying on when she took a
step toward him.
“You needn’t lie to me, young man; you were in that row at Banning’s
last night, and I want to know what you know about Arabella!”
This lady, who sailed a schooner for recreation, was less formidable
by daylight. It occurred to him that she might impart information if
handled cautiously. They had the office to themselves and she drew
him into a corner of the room and assumed an air of mystery.
“That fool detective is at the telegraph office wiring all the police in
creation to look out for Arabella. You’d better not let him see you.
Gadsby is a brave man by daylight!”
“If Arabella didn’t spend last night at her father’s house I know
nothing about her,” said Farrington eagerly. “I have reason to
assume that she did.”
She eyed him with frank distrust.
“Don’t try to bluff me! You’re mixed up in this row some way; and if
you’re not careful you’ll spend the rest of your life in a large,
uncomfortable penitentiary. If that man at the telegraph office wasn’t
such a fool——”
“You’re not in earnest when you say Miss Banning wasn’t at home
last night!” he exclaimed.
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