When they separated for the night， he saw to it that heparted from Lilian in the presence or the others. Onceon his sleeping porch and safely locked in， he doubledand tripled and even quadrupled his exercises until，exhausted， he lay down on the couch to woo sleep and toponder two problems that especially troubled him. Onewas this matter of exercise. It was a paradox. The morehe exercised in this excessive fashion， the stronger hebecame. While it was true that he thus quite tired out hisnight-running Teutonic self， it seemed that he was merelysetting back the fatal day when his strength would be toomuch for him and overpower him， and then it would be astrength more terrible than he had yet known. The otherproblem was that of his marriage and of the stratagemshe must employ in order to avoid his wife after dark. Andthus， fruitlessly pondering， he fell asleep.
Now， where the huge grizzly bear came from thatnight was long a mystery， while the people of the SpringsBrothers’ Circus， showing at Sausalito， searched long andvainly for “Big Ben， the Biggest Grizzly in Captivity.” ButBig Ben escaped， and， out of the mazes of half a thousandbungalows and country estates， selected the grounds ofJames J. Ward for visitation. The self first Mr. Ward knewwas when he found him on his feet， quivering and tense，a surge of battle in his breast and on his lips the old warchant.
From without came a wild baying and bellowingof the hounds. And sharp as a knife-thrust through thepandemonium came the agony of a stricken dog—his dog，he knew.
Not stopping for slippers， pajama-clad， he burst throughthe door Lee Sing had so carefully locked， and sped downthe stairs and out into the night. As his naked feet struckthe graveled driveway， he stopped abruptly， reached underthe steps to a hiding-place he knew well， and pulled fortha huge knotty club—his old companion on many a madnight adventure on the hills. The frantic hullabaloo of thedogs was coming nearer， and， swinging the club， he sprangstraight into the thickets to meet it.
The aroused household assembled on the wide veranda.
Somebody turned on the electric lights， but they could seenothing but one another’s frightened faces. Beyond thebrightly illuminated driveway the trees formed a wall ofimpenetrable blackness. Yet somewhere in that blacknessa terrible struggle was going on. There was an infernaloutcry of animals， a great snarling and growling， the soundof blows being struck and a smashing and crashing ofunderbrush by heavy bodies.
The tide of battle swept out from among the trees andupon the driveway just beneath the onlookers. Then theysaw. Mrs. Gersdale cried out and clung fainting to herson. Lilian， clutching the railing so spasmodically that abruising hurt was left in her finger-ends for days， gazedhorror-stricken at a yellow-haired， wild-eyed giant whomshe recognized as the man who was to be her husband.
He was swinging a great club， and fighting furiously andcalmly with a shaggy monster that was bigger than anybear she had ever seen. One rip of the beast’s claws haddragged away Ward’s pajama-coat and streaked his fleshwith blood.