Most of the passengers had long since returned to their seats or berths, and Mr. Cullen’s party had apparently done the same, for 218 showed no signs of life.  One of my darkies was awake, and he broiled a steak and made us some coffee in no time, and just as they were ready Albert Cullen appeared, so we made a very jolly little breakfast.  He told me at length the part he and the Britishers had borne, and only made me marvel the more that any one of them was alive, for apparently they had jumped off the car without the slightest precaution, and had stood grouped together, even after they had called attention to themselves by Lord Ralles’s shots.  Cullen had to confess that he heard the whistle of the four bullets unpleasantly close.

“You have a right to be proud, Mr. Cullen,” I said.  “You fellows did a tremendously pluckly thing, and, thanks to you, we didn’t lose anything.”

“But you went to help too, Mr. Gordon,” added Miss Cullen.

That made me color up, and, after a moment’s hesitation, I said—­

“I’m not going to sail under false colors, Miss Cullen.  When I went forward I didn’t think I could do anything.  I supposed whoever had pitched into the robbers was dead, and I expected to be the same inside of ten minutes.”

“Then why did you risk your life,” she asked, “if you thought it was useless?”

I laughed, and, though ashamed to tell it, replied, “I didn’t want you to think that the Britishers had more pluck than I had.”

She took my confession better than I hoped she would, laughing with me, and then said, “Well, that was courageous, after all.”

“Yes,” I confessed, “I was frightened into bravery.”

“Perhaps if they had known the danger as well as you, they would have been less courageous,” she continued; and I could have blessed her for the speech.

While we were still eating, the mail clerk came to my car and reported that the most careful search had failed to discover the three registered letters, and they had evidently been taken.  This made me feel sober, slight as the probable loss was.  He told me that his list showed they were all addressed to Ash Fork, Arizona, making it improbable that their contents could be of any real value.  If possible, I was more puzzled than ever.

At six-ten the runner whistled to show he had steam up.  I told one of the brakemen to stay behind, and then went into 218.  Mr. Cullen was still dressing, but I expressed my regrets through the door that I could not go with his party to the Grand Canon, told him that all the stage arrangements had been completed, and promised to join him there in case my luck was good.  Then I saw Frederic for a moment, to see how he was (for I had nearly forgotten him in the excitement), to find that he was gaining all the time, and preparing even to get up.  When I returned to the saloon, the rest of the party were there, and I bade good-bye to the captain and Albert.  Then I turned to Lord Ralles, and, holding out my hand, said—­