"Is that so?" asked Fanning with a sudden accession of interest; "then he can't race to-day, can he?"
"I wasn't thinking about the race," said Jimsy; "it was Roy himself I was worrying about."
"Well, you may as well stop your anxiety," chuckled Fanning; "how do you know he isn't off on a little spree, and----"
"That's enough, Fanning. Roy Prescott does not do such low-down things. He----"
"I'll tell you what it is, Jim Bancroft, you just take yourself away from this hangar as quickly as possible. I don't want anything to do with you, do you understand? It's none of my business if Roy goes off and forgets to tell you where to find him. How do you know he hasn't gone off with those jewels?"
Jimsy's tone was as angry in reality now as Fanning Harding's had been for effect a few seconds before.
But Fanning, in his bitter enmity toward Roy, could not see the danger signals in Jimsy's honest gray eyes.
"What do I mean?" he drawled; "why, just this, that the investigation of the police has taken a new turn in the last few days, and that Roy is likely to be arrested within the next twenty-four hours for robbery. I'll bet he got wind of it and skipped out. I'll bet----"
Peggy, eyes aflame, stepped up. Her bosom heaved angrily.
"How dare you say such things? You--you coward."
"Well, I ain't coward enough to steal a girl's jewels and then----"
"Hold on there, Fanning. Stop right there."
It was Jimsy's turn. But Fanning was too much worked up in his vindictive anger to stop.
"I won't stop," he shouted. "I'll say it right out. Roy Prescott is a----"
But before he could utter another word Jimsy's fist had shot out, and Fanning's chin happening to be in the way he felt himself suddenly propelled off his feet and elevated into the air. He sought to recover his balance as he reeled, but his foot caught in a bit of turf, and whirling his arms about like one of those figures on the top of a barn he measured his length.
"Had enough?" asked Jimsy mildly, rolling up his sleeves.
"No, you despicable young whelp!" roared Fanning, utterly throwing aside all prudence. "I haven't."
He leaped to his feet and rushed toward Jimsy. As he did so Jess gave a shriek. In the angry, half-crazed youth's hand there glistened a long clasp knife.