"Bluff," said Hugh. "She's clever."

The crowd began to break up and presently was moving up and down the
street again. Lena started on her way once more, and almost at her heels
followed Bob and Hugh. They were beginning to wonder whether they were
following a false clue. It might be that Lena had dropped a message on
the porch of the house on Elm Street, and if so her work was probably
done and there could be no object in following her farther.

Suddenly Hugh seized Bob by the arm. "Look at this man coming," he
hissed.

Not thirty feet distant and walking directly toward them was the false
detective. There could be no mistaking him. Bob and Hugh, forgetting for
the moment that they were disguised were fearful lest he should recognize
them as well. A moment later, however, an interesting event happened
right before their eyes, and they forgot all else.

As the "detective," the man with whom they had fought that morning, the
man who had blown up the deserted house, and whom they suspected of
having tried to blow up the railroad bridge in the afternoon, passed Lena
he held a slip of paper in his left hand. As she went by she took it with
her left hand, though as far as the boys could see the two conspirators
had not even looked at each other.

Lena continued on down the street as if nothing had happened, while the
detective also kept on as though unconscious of having seen Lena at all.
He passed the two boys without even a glance.

Bob and Hugh stopped short.