"Just struck midnight by the village clock," Dan informed him.

"What village?" asked Frank.

"You're not to know that, youngster," responded Dan with a chuckle, as
though he considered the prisoner a pretty keen lad. "You'll have to put on
this headgear again," and Frank did not demur as the bag was drawn over his
head.

Then our hero was lifted out of the wagon, and Jem took hold of one hand
and Dan of the other, and he was led across a yard, up a pair of outside
stairs, along a porch, and then there was a pause. Jem knocked at a door.
There was some delay, and then the door was opened.

"We're the men from Brady," said Jem.

"Pretty outlandish hour to disturb a man," snapped a sharp and domineering
voice in return.

"Acting on orders, judge," said Jem.

"This is the lad, is it?"

"It's him, judge," answered Jem, and they entered some kind of a room.

Frank was pushed down into a chair. Then Dan removed the bag from his head.
Frank looked about him with a good deal of curiosity.

He found himself in a room that he decided must be a lawyer's office. It