I

    I give the letter in full. It was written from the s.y. _Mermaid_,lying in Monaco Harbour.

　　MY DEAR PETER, Where is Ogden? We have been expecting him everyday. Mrs Ford is worrying herself to death. She keeps asking me ifI have any news, and it is very tiresome to have to keep tellingher that I have not heard from you. Surely, with the opportunitiesyou must get every day, you can manage to kidnap him. Do be quick.

　　We are relying on you.--In haste,CYNTHIA.

　　I read this brief and business-like communication several timesduring the day; and after dinner that night, in order to meditateupon it in solitude, I left the house and wandered off in thedirection of the village.

　　I was midway between house and village when I became aware that Iwas being followed. The night was dark, and the wind moving in thetree-tops emphasized the loneliness of the country road. Both timeand place were such as made it peculiarly unpleasant to hearstealthy footsteps on the road behind me.

　　Uncertainty in such cases is the unnerving thing. I turnedsharply, and began to walk back on tiptoe in the direction fromwhich I had come.

　　I had not been mistaken. A moment later a dark figure loomed upout of the darkness, and the exclamation which greeted me, as Imade my presence known, showed that I had taken him by surprise.

　　There was a momentary pause. I expected the man, whoever he mightbe, to run, but he held his ground. Indeed, he edged forward.

　　'Get back!' I said, and allowed my stick to rasp suggestively onthe road before raising it in readiness for any sudden development.

　　It was as well that he should know it was there.

　　The hint seemed to wound rather than frighten him.

　　'Aw, cut out the rough stuff, bo,' he said reproachfully in acautious, husky undertone. 'I ain't goin' to start anything.'

　　I had an impression that I had heard the voice before, but I couldnot place it.

　　'What are you following me for?' I demanded. 'Who are you?'

　　'Say, I want a talk wit youse. I took a slant at youse under delamp-post back dere, an' I seen it was you, so I tagged along.

　　Say, I'm wise to your game, sport.'

　　I had identified him by this time. Unless there were two men inthe neighbourhood of Sanstead who hailed from the Bowery, thismust be the man I had seen at the 'Feathers' who had incurred thedisapproval of Miss Benjafield.

　　'I haven't the faintest idea what you mean,' I said. 'What is mygame?'

　　His voice became reproachful again.

　　'Ah chee!' he protested. 'Quit yer kiddin'! What was youserubberin' around de house for last night if you wasn't trailin' dekid?'

　　'Was it you who ran into me last night?' I asked.

　　'Gee! I fought it was a tree. I came near takin' de count.'

　　'I did take it. You seemed in a great hurry.'