"I don't want the fortune unless Winston is freed," said Iris, sadly; "if you think Charlie Young is the criminal, when are you going to get him? But you say you're not sure he killed Aunt Ursula."
"No, I'm not at all sure that he did," Stone returned gravely. "In fact, I'm inclined to think he did not."
But before Stone could answer, there was an agonized whelp from outside, as of an animal in pain.
"Goodness!" cried Iris, "that's Pom-pom's cry! Oh, my little dogsie! What has happened?"
She flew out of the room, and ran out on the lawn, from which direction she had heard the terrified cry.
Remembering the pin, as she ran, she stuck it carefully in her belt and hurried to the spot whence the sounds proceeded.
It was nearly dark now, and she sped across the grass, in fear for the safety of her pet.
Stone started to follow her, but Lucille appeared just then, and he paused to explain matters to her.
When they reached the lawn, Iris was nowhere to be seen, and the little dog, cruelly beaten, was whining in pain and distress.
Listening intently, Stone heard the last sounds of a disappearing motor car in the distance.
"Kidnapped again!" he cried, angrily. "And she's got the pin with her! Young, of course! Oh, how careless I've been!" and calling to Campbell, he ran toward the garage for a car.
"But how can you follow?" asked Lucille, distractedly, "you don't know which way they went, after the turn, do you?"
"No," said Stone, despairingly, "I don't."
As Stone surmised, Iris was kidnapped again. When she leaned down to gather in her arms the little, yelping dog, a figure sprang from the shrubbery, and pressing a cloth into and over her mouth a man lifted her from the ground and carried her swiftly away.
Iris was a slender girl and the man had no difficulty in carrying her to a small motor car, which was waiting out in the main road. The dusk rendered them nearly invisible, and the detention of Stone by Lucille precluded what might have been a capture of the invader.
Placed in the car, Iris recognized at once that it was the same one in which she had been carried off before, and she well knew it was for the same purpose--to get possession of the pin.
But now that Stone had told her it was valuable, she had no mind to let it go easily. She sat quietly, as the car flew along, thinking hard what she would better do. She knew Stone would follow and rescue her if he had heard any signs of her departure. But the car made little noise, and the whole affair had been so quickly accomplished that Iris feared Stone knew nothing of it all. She assumed that he would naturally follow her out-of-doors, to learn what had happened to her pet dog, but he might not hasten on that errand, and a delay of a minute would make his advent of small use to her.