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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Motor Pirate, by George Sidney Paternoster
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Motor Pirate
+
+Author: George Sidney Paternoster
+
+Release Date: September 19, 2008 [EBook #26657]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MOTOR PIRATE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Emmy and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: HE HAD INSISTED UPON THE TWO WOMEN DANCING FOR HIS
+AMUSEMENT]
+
+
+
+
+THE
+
+MOTOR PIRATE
+
+By
+
+G. Sidney Paternoster
+
+
+With a Frontispiece by Charles R. Sykes
+
+
+          New York * * * * *
+          A. Wessels Company
+          * * * * * *  MCMVI
+
+
+
+
+            _Copyright, 1904_
+          BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
+             (INCORPORATED)
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+          _All rights reserved_
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+  CHAPTER                                                      PAGE
+      I. MAINLY ABOUT MYSELF                                      1
+     II. THE COMPTON CHAMBERLAIN OUTRAGE                          9
+    III. WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE                               21
+     IV. CONCERNING MY RIVAL                                     36
+      V. THE COLONEL DREAMS AND I AWAKEN                         48
+     VI. I AM ARRESTED                                           59
+    VII. I MAKE FRIENDS WITH INSPECTOR FORREST, C.I.D            71
+   VIII. MURDER                                                  81
+     IX. EXPLAINS A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE                     92
+      X. DESCRIBING A RIDE WITH THE PIRATE                      104
+     XI. IN WHICH THE PIRATE HOLDS UP THE BRIGHTON MAIL         113
+    XII. HOW WE EXCHANGE SHOTS WITH THE PIRATE                  123
+   XIII. OF THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED                     135
+    XIV. A CLOUD APPEARS ON LOVE'S HORIZON                      145
+     XV. A CLUE AT LAST                                         155
+    XVI. I COMMIT A BURGLARY                                    165
+   XVII. STORM                                                  176
+  XVIII. IN WHICH THE PIRATE APPEARS IN A FROLICSOME HUMOUR     187
+    XIX. A HOT SCENT                                            196
+     XX. RELATES HOW THE PIRATE HOLDS UP AN AUGUST PERSONAGE    207
+    XXI. WE PLAN AN AMBUSH                                      218
+   XXII. GONE AWAY                                              228
+  XXIII. SAVED                                                  240
+   XXIV. REVELATIONS                                            249
+
+
+
+
+THE MOTOR PIRATE
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+MAINLY ABOUT MYSELF
+
+
+OF course every one has heard of the Motor Pirate. No one indeed could
+help doing so unless he or she, as the case may be, happened to be in
+some part of the world where newspapers never penetrate; since for
+months his doings were the theme of every gossip in the country, and his
+exploits have filled columns of every newspaper from the moment of his
+first appearance until the day when the reign of terror he had
+inaugurated upon the roads ended as suddenly and as sensationally as it
+had begun. Who the owner of the pirate car was? Whence he came? Whither
+he went? These are questions which have exercised minds innumerable; but
+though there have been nearly as many theories propounded as there were
+brains at work propounding them, so far no informed account of the man
+or his methods has been made public.
+
+Nearly twelve months have now elapsed since he was last heard of, and
+already a number of myths have grown up about his mysterious
+personality. For instance, it is not true, as I saw asserted in a
+sensational evening paper the other day, that the Motor Pirate was in
+the habit of abducting every young and attractive woman who happened to
+be travelling in any of the cars he held up. On only one occasion did he
+abduct a lady, and in that case there were special circumstances with
+which the public have never been made acquainted. His deeds were quite
+black enough without further blackening with printer's ink, and it would
+be a pity if the real Motor Pirate were lost sight of in mythical haze
+such as has gathered about the name of his great prototype, Dick Turpin.
+
+It has occurred to me, therefore, to tell the story of his doings--it
+would be impossible for any mortal man to give an absolutely detailed
+account of his life and actions--but I know more than the majority of
+people about the personality of the man. Of one thing my readers may be
+assured: I personally can vouch for the accuracy of every fact which I
+chronicle. You see I am not a professional historian.
+
+How it happened that I am in a position to give hitherto unknown
+particulars about the Motor Pirate will appear in the course of my
+narrative. Sufficient for the moment let it be for me to say that it was
+purely by chance that the opportunity was thrown in my way; though, as
+it happened, it was not entirely without my own volition that I became
+involved in the network of events which finally resulted in the tragedy
+which closed his career. By that tragedy the world lost a brilliant
+thinker and inventor, though unfortunately these great talents were
+accompanied by an abnormal condition of mind, which led the owner to
+utilise his invention in criminal pursuits.
+
+It may probably seem strange that, being in possession of facts as to
+the identity of this mysterious person, I did not lay them before the
+police, who, at any time during the three months of his criminal career,
+would have given their ears to lay him by the heels. You may even think
+it is their duty to take proceedings against me as an accomplice. Well,
+I am quite prepared to answer any question which the police, or any one
+else for that matter, desires to put to me. James Sutgrove, of Sutgrove
+Hall, Norfolk, is not likely to change his address. When my poor old
+governor died he left me sufficient excuse, in the shape of real estate,
+for remaining in the country of my birth; though, if the necessity had
+arisen, I should not have hesitated about going abroad. At twenty-five,
+my age within a few weeks, a man has usually sufficient energy to enable
+him to carve out a career for himself in a new country, and I do not
+think I am very different to my fellows in that respect. But the fact
+is, I have nothing to fear from the police. My criminality was less than
+theirs. An ordinary citizen may be forgiven if he is blind to the
+meaning of things which occur under his nose, but the police are
+expected to be possessed of somewhat sharper vision. The utmost that can
+be urged against me is, that if my eyes had been keener than those of
+Scotland Yard, reinforced by the trained vision of some hundreds of
+intelligent chief constables throughout the country, I might have been
+able to lay my hands upon the Motor Pirate before--but I must not
+anticipate my story.
+
+One word of apology, however, before I begin. In order to make my
+narrative fully intelligible I shall have to refer to matters which may
+seem of a purely personal nature. I will make these as brief as
+possible, but it was entirely through such that I was brought into
+closer touch with the Motor Pirate than, perhaps with one exception, any
+other person in the world. If therefore I seem to be devoting too much
+attention to what appears to be merely personal interest, I trust I may
+be excused. To begin, then, at the beginning.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+On the evening of March 31, 19--, I had arranged to dine in town with a
+couple of friends, both of them neighbours of mine. I am not going to
+mention the name of the restaurant. It was not one of the fashionable
+ones, or probably neither the cuisine nor the wines would have been so
+good as they were, though both would unquestionably have been more
+expensive. I prefer, therefore, to keep the name to myself. It was in
+the neighbourhood of Soho, however, and the reason I had invited my
+friends was in order to disabuse their minds of the idea that everything
+in that neighbourhood was of necessity cheap and nasty. I had
+determined that their palates should be charmed by the dinner they were
+to eat, so, in addition to sending a note to the proprietor, I thought
+it as well to arrive at the restaurant a quarter of an hour before the
+appointed time, in order to make assurance doubly sure that everything
+was as I desired it. Had my guests been casual acquaintances, I must
+confess that I should never have taken this trouble. But they were not.
+One of them was the renowned Colonel Maitland. I never heard anything
+about his war service, but I do know that as a gastronomist his
+reputation is European. The cool way he will condemn an _entrée_,
+presented to him by an obsequious waiter, merely after casting a single
+glance upon it, speaks volumes for his critical insight; and as for
+wines--well, he can tell the vineyard and the vintage of a claret by the
+scent alone. I verily believe that were he to be served with a corked
+wine, the result would be instant dissolution between his gastronomic
+soul and body. Naturally I had to make some preparations, in order that
+such delicate susceptibilities should not be offended. In addition, I
+had a special reason for seeking to please him. Colonel Maitland had a
+daughter.
+
+I have only to mention the name of my other guest to reveal his identity
+to every one with any knowledge of the motoring world. It was Fred
+Winter, _the_ Fred Winter, leading light of the Automobile Club, holder
+of more road records than I can count, in fact the most enthusiastic
+motorist in the country. It was in consequence of this, indeed, that he
+came to be my guest. There were few questions in regard to motoring
+upon which Winter was not competent to give an opinion, and being myself
+a victim to the prevailing motor-mania, I was deeply indebted to him for
+many valuable tips. By this time I had passed my novitiate, and was
+still driving a neat little 9½-h.p. Clément in order to fit myself
+for a more powerful and speedy car.
+
+I arrived then at the restaurant about a quarter to eight, and having
+had a brief but satisfactory interview with the proprietor, I made my
+way to the table I had reserved in my favourite corner of the
+dining-room. Finding I had ten minutes to spare, to kill time I ordered
+a vermouth and the evening papers. The _Globe_ was the first upon the
+pile the waiter brought to me, and following the example of most sane
+men, I skipped the parliamentary intelligence and turned to the "By the
+Way" column. I remember distinctly there was only one amusing paragraph
+therein, and I was about to throw the paper aside, with the customary
+lament as to the decadence of British humour, when my attention was
+arrested by a paragraph at the bottom of the next column. The heading
+was "Strange Highway Robbery." This was the paragraph:--
+
+"Our Plymouth correspondent reports a novel highway robbery on the road
+between Tavistock and Plymouth. Two gentlemen who had been for a run on
+their motor to Tavistock, left the latter town about eight o'clock last
+night. Their journey was uneventful until they reached Roborough, where
+they were suddenly overtaken by a motor-car occupied by a man, who
+presented a pistol at their heads, and ordered them to stop. Thinking
+that the stranger merely intended to scare them, and that the summons
+was only an ill-advised piece of pleasantry, they paid no attention to
+the demand; whereupon the driver of the strange car, with a
+well-directed shot, so damaged the machinery of their vehicle that they
+were compelled to obey. Their attacker then demanded all the money and
+articles of value they had in their possession under threat of
+completely wrecking their car, and after securing his booty the
+highwayman decamped. In consequence of the damage to their motor, it was
+not until late at night that they reached Plymouth, and were enabled to
+give particulars of the occurrence to the police. From their description
+of the stranger's vehicle, identification should not be difficult. It is
+a long, low, boat-shaped car of remarkable speed, and from the little
+noise it creates is probably driven by an electric motor. As to the
+personal appearance of the driver, the gentlemen who were robbed could
+form no opinion, for he wore the usual leather coat affected by
+tourists, and his head was completely enveloped in a hood."
+
+On reading this paragraph, my first impulse was to lay aside the paper
+and indulge in a hearty laugh. My impression was that some wag had been
+hoaxing either the Plymouth correspondent or the London editor of the
+_Globe_. However, my curiosity was sufficiently aroused to lead me to
+take up another paper, to see if the _Globe_ was the only paper which
+reported the occurrence.
+
+The next paper on my pile was the _Star_, and the moment I unfolded the
+pink sheet, I perceived that this liveliest of evening journals was not
+going to be left behind by the _Globe_ in providing the public with
+particulars of the latest sensation. Under the heading of "A Motor
+Pirate," with descriptive headlines extending across a couple of
+columns, and as attractively alliterative as the cunning pen of a smart
+sub-editor could make them, was the account of a similar incident. At
+first I thought it must be the same occurrence, but a brief perusal
+showed me that this impression was a wrong one. But I will give the
+_Star_ account in full, and I do so the more readily, not only because
+it contains the first detailed account of the man whose extraordinary
+audacity was shortly to raise the interest of the public to fever pitch,
+but also because it tells the story with a force and colour of which my
+unpractised pen is incapable. Apologising therefore to the editor for
+the liberty I have taken, I reprint the _Star_ account verbatim. I
+think, however, the story deserves a new chapter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE COMPTON CHAMBERLAIN OUTRAGE
+
+
+                       "A MOTOR PIRATE
+             "TAKES TOLL OF TRAVELLERS IN THE WEST.
+
+          "A VEILED STRANGER ON A MYSTERIOUS MOTOR FLIES
+                 "THE BLACK FLAG NEAR SALISBURY.
+
+"ON receipt of the following extraordinary story from the Central News
+Agency this morning, the _Star_ at once sent a representative to make
+inquiries on the spot. His inquiries reveal the existence of a new
+terror to all who travel by road. Following are the facts communicated
+to us by the agency:--
+
+"'A daring highway robbery was committed near Salisbury late last night.
+The victims were two gentlemen who had been touring in the west country
+by motor. They had intended to reach Salisbury early yesterday evening,
+but were delayed by a puncture. When about eight miles from Salisbury
+they were attacked by the occupant of another car, who wrecked their
+vehicle, and, after robbing them of all their valuables, decamped,
+leaving them badly injured by the wayside. There they were discovered
+some time afterwards and removed to the nearest inn at Compton
+Chamberlain, where they remain under medical attendance.--_Central
+News._'
+
+"The _Star_ special correspondent wires:--
+
+                                         "Compton Chamberlain, 12.30.
+
+"There is no doubt but that the Motor Pirate has a real existence. On
+arriving at Salisbury I at once proceeded to make inquiries as to what
+was known of the outrage, but Salisbury generally was sceptical on the
+subject. I found, however, that the affair had been reported at the
+county police office; and I at once drove on here, and am now in a
+position to assert that this quiet Wiltshire village has been the scene
+of the most astounding robbery of modern times. It is safe to prophecy
+that in a few more months Dick Turpin will be forgotten. He has a rival
+in the field whose exploits will soon relegate him into comparative
+obscurity.
+
+"The first visible evidence of the outrage was afforded me about a
+quarter of a mile from Compton. The road dips here slightly, and at the
+end of the incline a motor-car was drawn to the side of the road, or
+rather the remains of what had once been a smart Daimler of some 7 or 8
+h.p. A stonebreaker was at work on an adjacent pile of flints, and when
+I alighted to examine the wreck, he nailed me with, 'Hoy, mister! Ye'd
+better leave thick thur car alone. The p'lice be comin' to tek un up
+zhortly.'
+
+"I gathered from him that he had been told to keep an eye upon the car,
+but beyond having heard that the owners had met with an accident, he
+knew nothing. There was no doubt about the accident. The car was so
+broken up that it looked as if it had been in collision with an armoured
+train.
+
+                                       "Compton Chamberlain, 2.45 p.m.
+
+"I have just succeeded in interviewing the owner of the motor-car, a Mr.
+James Bradshaw, of 379, Maida Vale. His companion was Mr. Gainsborough
+Roberts, of 200, Clapham Common. Mr. Roberts is suffering from severe
+concussion, and has not regained consciousness; but fortunately Mr.
+Bradshaw's injuries, though painful, are not dangerous, and he has been
+good enough to give me a full account of his unique adventure. It seems
+the two gentlemen had been touring in the west country for ten days, and
+were on their way home. They stopped the previous night at Exeter,
+leaving about ten in the morning with the intention of reaching
+Salisbury about five or six yesterday evening. They lunched at
+Ilminster, and afterwards had traversed another twenty-five miles of
+their journey when one of their tyres unfortunately punctured. This was
+shortly after they had passed through Wincanton. When the tyre was
+mended, something went wrong with the electric ignition, and altogether
+the repairs proved such a tedious job that they could not make a fresh
+start until close upon lighting-up time.
+
+"The delay had not troubled them, for the weather was beautifully fine.
+As, however, they were very hungry, they determined to stop at
+Shaftesbury for dinner before finishing the day's run they had mapped
+out. There is a particularly long hill into Shaftesbury, and they did
+not reach that town until 8.30. At the hotel they met another party of
+motorists, and, agreeing to dine together, it was not until after ten
+that they found themselves once more on their way, with twenty miles of
+a hilly road to cover. The lateness of the hour did not trouble them
+much. They had wired to Salisbury for rooms; the night was fine and
+clear; a bright moon was shining; the roads were clear of traffic, and
+their motor was guaranteed to do its thirty-five miles an hour. They
+thought that it would be a good opportunity to find out what Mr.
+Bradshaw's car was really capable of doing on a hilly track.
+
+"Mr. Bradshaw declares that he had never enjoyed a run more than he did
+on this occasion. A brisk wind was blowing behind them, they found there
+was more downhill than up, the road was absolutely clear, and they were
+able to take the declines at a pace which took the sting out of the
+ascents."
+
+"So for twenty minutes they ran at full speed, and after slowing to pass
+through a village, they had just put on full speed again when Mr.
+Bradshaw's attention was arrested by a curious humming sound which
+appeared to arise from something behind. He was, of course, unable to
+glance back, as all his faculties were engaged in driving the car; but
+Mr. Roberts, whose attention was attracted at the same moment, informed
+him that another motor-car was coming up behind. Then, to quote Mr.
+Bradshaw's own words, 'Thinking the other chap was on for a race, I did
+everything I knew to get every ounce out of my motor. But,' he
+continued, 'though I'll swear we were running nearer forty than
+thirty-five, the other fellow swooped up and passed us as if we were
+standing still.'
+
+"For the moment he thought that the stranger was one of those American
+speed motors specially built for racing on the track, but only for a
+moment. The strange car slackening speed, allowed them to come
+alongside. What followed may be best described in Mr. Bradshaw's own
+words.
+
+"'There was only one occupant of the strange car, and, seeing him
+slacken speed, I naturally thought he wished to speak to us. So, as he
+came level, I shouted to him, my exact words being, if I remember
+aright, "Hallo, sir! You've got a flyer there." I fancied I heard a
+chuckle from beneath his mask (he wore a hood covering the head fitted
+with a mica plate in front) and he replied, "Yes; I fancy my car is fast
+enough to overtake anything that is to be found on the road." There was
+something in his tone that struck me as peculiar, but I merely
+attributed it to the motorist's pride in his car. As however he said
+nothing further, but continued to keep alongside, in a manner that
+looked as if he were inclined to gloat over the owner of a less speedy
+machine, I asked with some little irritation, "Is there anything I can
+do for you, because if not----" He did not allow me to finish my query.
+"Yes, sir," he replied promptly, "there is something I am going to ask
+you to do for me," and he gave another of his infernal chuckles.
+
+"'"Well, what is it?" I demanded, with a little warmth.
+
+"'"I must request you to hand over all your money and valuables to me,"
+he replied.
+
+"'I could not believe my ears. I was so astonished that I gave the wheel
+a turn that nearly landed us in the ditch. Will you believe it? Even in
+that swerve the strange car followed mine, and when I had got her
+straight in the road, I heard him chuckle again. His manner angered me
+beyond bearing.
+
+"'"What the deuce do you mean?" I shouted.
+
+"'"There's no need for you to lose your temper," he answered coolly. "I
+must, however, trouble you to stop that car at once."
+
+"'As he spoke he raised his hand, and I saw the barrel of a revolver
+glisten in the moonlight. There seemed to be only one way out of the
+predicament, for I thought I had to deal with a madman, and I took it. I
+pretended to be so alarmed that I fell over the steering wheel, and made
+my car swerve again. But this time we swerved towards, instead of away
+from, the stranger. I doubt whether there was light enough for him to
+have read my intention in my face, but it was obvious that he
+anticipated my move, for his car shot forward with such wonderful speed
+that the fate I intended to force upon him befell myself. I saw his car
+disappearing ahead, and the next moment I was just conscious of a shock
+that sent me flying into oblivion.
+
+"'Exactly how long I remained unconscious I do not know, but when I came
+to my senses I found myself lying on the grass at the roadside, having
+fortunately been thrown on the soft turf. Roberts was lying unconscious
+on the road; the car was smashed to bits; our pockets had been turned
+inside out, and our money, watches, and every article of value we had
+about us, taken. Needless to say, the stranger had disappeared.'
+
+"Mr. Bradshaw was not in a state to be of much assistance to his more
+badly injured friend, and he was at a complete loss as to what course to
+pursue, when a trap coming from Salisbury fortunately made its
+appearance on the scene. Assistance was procured, and the two injured
+gentlemen were conveyed to Compton, and medical attention quickly
+provided. Though much shaken, and badly bruised, Mr. Bradshaw has
+sustained comparatively little injury. Mr. Roberts, however, is
+dangerously ill, and his relatives have been telegraphed for.
+
+"As regards the appearance of his assailant, Mr. Bradshaw can give few
+particulars, save that he was clad in a large leather motoring coat, and
+his face completely hidden by a mask. The car can, on the contrary, be
+easily identified. It is boat-shaped, running to a sharp, cutting edge
+both in front and behind. The body is not raised more than eighteen
+inches from the ground. The wheels are either within the body, or so
+sheathed that they are completely hidden. It has apparently seating
+accommodation for two persons, the seat being placed immediately in the
+centre of the car. Mr. Bradshaw is quite convinced that petrol is not
+the motive force used for its propulsion, and as he cannot imagine that
+an electric motor of any kind was employed; the rapidity of motion, the
+perfection of the steering, the absence of noise and vibration, are so
+remarkable that he is utterly at a loss as to what build of car was
+driven by the stranger."
+
+I had just finished reading this extraordinary story when I felt a tap
+on the shoulder, and, looking up, saw Colonel Maitland standing before
+me.
+
+"'Pon my word, Sutgrove," he remarked, "I have never before seen any one
+so completely enthralled in a newspaper in my life. I've been standing
+watching you for nearly a minute."
+
+I sprang to my feet, and held out my hand.
+
+"What's the latest from Mr. Justice Jeune's division? When you come to
+my years of discretion you will be more interested in the _menu_."
+
+I laughed. "It was not the inanities of the divorce court, Colonel," I
+remarked; "but the most astonishing----"
+
+He checked me with uplifted hand. "Being a rational being," he said, "I
+prefer my stories with my cigar. One should come to dinner with a calm
+mind."
+
+At this moment Winter entered the room, and, giving a signal to the
+waiter, the _hors d'oeuvre_ were placed before us as he seated himself
+at the table.
+
+When he had greeted me I had observed that Colonel Maitland's face had
+worn a slightly resigned expression that reminded me of a picture I had
+seen somewhere of Christian martyrs being led to the stake. He took a
+mouthful of caviar and the cloud lifted. After the soup the dominant
+note of self-sacrifice had vanished entirely. With the fish his features
+attained repose. When we reached the _entrée_ his face had the radiance
+of a translated saint's. Then, with my mind at rest as to the effect of
+my little dinner upon my chief guest, I found time to devote a little
+attention to Winter. Yet, bearing in mind the Colonel's objection to
+anything but light generalities during the serious business of dinner, I
+forbore to introduce the topic I was burning to discuss with him. Not
+until the coffee was upon the table, and Colonel Maitland had expressed
+his contentment with the dinner, did I venture to refer to it. Then,
+while our senior was dallying with an early strawberry, Winter gave me a
+lead.
+
+"By the way, Sutgrove," he said, "what's this I saw on the evening paper
+bills about a motor pirate?"
+
+I told him. His interest was awakened to such an extent that he forgot
+to taste the glass of port which stood before him, and which I had
+ordered out of compliment to the Colonel's ideas of what was desirable.
+
+When my story was concluded Winter was silent. Colonel Maitland,
+however, hazarded the remark that the whole narrative was "a concoction
+of some of those newspaper fellows. I have been at the War Office," he
+said, "so I ought to know of what they are capable."
+
+"I can scarcely imagine that any newspaper would dare hoax its readers
+to such an extent," remarked Winter.
+
+"They are capable of anything--anything," replied the Colonel,
+vigorously. "I have known them on more than one occasion to attack even
+my department."
+
+"That of course is scandalous," I replied warmly; "but here the
+conditions are different. They are referring to people who are able to
+reply if the facts are not as stated. In your case your mouth, of
+course, was closed."
+
+"Umph!" growled the Colonel.
+
+"At the same time," said Winter, "it may very well have happened that
+consciously or unconsciously the papers have been made the victims of a
+practical joke. To-morrow is the first of April, remember. Or even apart
+from the joke theory, the event happened after dinner, and Mr. Bradshaw
+may have found it necessary to be prepared with an explanation of his
+accident."
+
+"But the robbery?" I objected.
+
+"A passing tramp may have thought the opportunity too good to be
+neglected."
+
+"At all events," I persisted, "it is curious that two similar accidents
+should have occurred the same night in the same part of the country."
+
+"Certainly the coincidence is remarkable," answered Winter. "But do not
+forget that the two occurrences took place at least a hundred and
+thirty miles apart within less than three hours of one another. I will
+swear that no motor yet built would cover those roads inside three
+hours. I know them. No, Sutgrove. The moral seems to me to be that it is
+unwise for a motorman to look upon the wine when it is red, if he wants
+to get anywhere afterwards."
+
+The Colonel stretched his hand across the table and removed the glass
+which stood on the table before Winter.
+
+"My young friend," he observed, "you have, I believe, undertaken to
+bring me safely home to-night?"
+
+"You need not fear," replied Winter, laughing, "it's only the liquors
+supplied at country inns which drive motor-cars into ditches."
+
+The Colonel replaced the glass with a smile and refilled his own from
+the cradled bottle at his elbow.
+
+"I am merely a passenger, but you drive," he remarked. "I think,
+Sutgrove, under the circumstances, I will be responsible for the
+remainder of this bottle. It is endowed with certain qualities which
+particularly recommend themselves to me. It would be a sad thing if an
+accident were to befall us on our journey. In times of stress such as
+these one never knows when the War Office may not require the services
+of a capable man."
+
+Though the Colonel spoke in jest, in the event his words indicated with
+a fair amount of accuracy the destination of the port, for while we
+continued to discuss every point in the story, he sipped and sipped and
+nodded his head beatifically. I did not replenish my glass, but when we
+rose the bottle was empty.
+
+"Well, Colonel, what do you say to a music hall?" I asked.
+
+"My boy," he replied, as he patted me on the back, "I sleep far more
+comfortably in my bed."
+
+I realized where the contents of the bottle had gone by the
+sententiousness of my friend's phrasing, the slight turgidity, so to
+speak, of his articulation.
+
+"My dear boy," he continued, "I have never known you until this moment.
+You are greater than Columbus. Any one might discover a new continent,
+but in these days it needs exceptional qualities of enterprise and
+endurance to discover a fresh restaurant. I am content. Let us go home."
+
+We donned our overcoats and came into the open air. Winter's motor was
+waiting at the door in charge of a man from the _garage_ where he had
+left it. We stepped in.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE
+
+
+WE were soon out of the narrow Soho street, and I observed that the time
+was just half-past ten as Winter steered us carefully through Piccadilly
+Circus. Colonel Maitland occupied a seat behind while I sat beside
+Winter.
+
+The car my friend drove was a magnificent 22-horse Daimler, built to his
+own specification and capable of doing considerably more than any car I
+had hitherto been privileged to ride upon. Of course while passing
+through the streets there was little chance of exhibiting its
+capabilities. Yet even there, the way the car glided in and out of the
+traffic, delicately responsive to the slightest touch of the steering
+wheel, was sufficient evidence of its quality to set the most nervous
+passenger at ease. As it was as yet too early for the after theatre
+traffic to fill the streets and compel us to stop every few minutes, we
+followed the main road up Oxford Street as far as the Marble Arch. There
+we turned to the right. Once clear of the narrow part of the Edgeware
+Road, Winter put on his second speed and a very few minutes seemed to
+have passed before we were bumping over a rough bit of roadway by
+Cricklewood.
+
+"There's not much of this," said Winter, cheerily over his shoulder to
+the Colonel.
+
+Our gastronomic friend merely grunted for reply, and I should have
+thought him to be asleep had not the red glow of his cigar assured me
+that he was still awake.
+
+Winter jammed on his third speed and the hedges began to fly past us. We
+were in the country now and were able to appreciate the fineness of the
+night. Indeed it was a perfect night. The air was sharp but without
+sting. The moon shone with a clear brilliance which betokened rain in
+the near future. The road was clean and dry, and there was no dust in
+the air except the thin cloud which floated behind us. We passed the
+Welsh Harp without a check, and not until we reached Edgeware did Winter
+revert to his second speed. We ran through the little town with only
+momentary slackening of pace, and so we sped onwards until we opened the
+stretch of road leading to Brockley Hill. Here Winter, seeing the road
+clear ahead, jammed on his highest speed and the wheels droned like a
+hive of bees as we darted towards the incline. We were half way up the
+hill before Winter found it necessary to transform his speed into power,
+and we finished the ascent with ease. Then once more the order was third
+speed, and we whirled away through Elstree and passed through Radlett a
+bare half hour from the time we started.
+
+Just at this time I looked back to see how Colonel Maitland fared. His
+cigar no longer glowed, though it was still tightly held between his
+teeth. His head was bent forward, and the regular and gentle murmur
+which came from his nose proclaimed that he slept. I had just mentioned
+the fact to Winter, and had turned again to assure myself that he was
+comfortably wrapped in his rug, when I thought I saw on the road behind
+me another car.
+
+"Hullo!" I said to Winter. "There's another chap coming on behind us.
+Without lights, too!"
+
+A slight bend in the road shut out the view, however, and made me doubt
+whether or no my eyes had been deceiving me.
+
+"Pooh!" replied Winter. "We've passed nothing on the road, and at the
+pace we've been travelling there's not another car owned in this
+district we should not have left miles behind us, even if it had started
+at the same time as ourselves. You must have mistaken some of the
+shadows from the trees. How much of that port did you drink?"
+
+I laughed, but as we had now reached a straight stretch of road I looked
+back again.
+
+"I'm right," I said. "There is another car, and by jove! It's coming up
+hand over fist."
+
+"What?" shouted Winter. "What?"
+
+He clearly did not appreciate the idea of being overtaken by any one,
+for he whipped on his highest speed and jammed down the accelerator. The
+change was enormous. Our powerful car, relieved from all restraint,
+simply leaped through the air. Winter gave a pleased laugh as he
+steadied her with the wheel.
+
+"If the stranger can catch us now I shall believe it's the Motor Pirate
+himself," he remarked in a pleased tone, that showed how proud he was of
+his own car.
+
+Our progress was so exhilarating that I wanted to shout defiance to the
+stranger; yet I was so fascinated with the pace we were travelling, that
+I could not take my eyes from the road which uncoiled before us.
+
+Suddenly a humming sound forced itself upon my ear. For a moment I
+thought it was due to the whirr of our own wheels. Then it struck me
+that the note was a higher one. I half turned. The other car was within
+a yard or two of us. In another second it was level and, running without
+any visible vibration, indeed, without any noise save the snore of the
+wheels as they raced round, the stranger slackened speed and ran by our
+side.
+
+Winter cast a hasty glance at the strange car, and I saw him bite his
+lip with annoyance at finding his Daimler so outpaced.
+
+One glance at the stranger was enough to tell me with whom we had to
+deal. In the brilliant moonlight, the boat-shaped car with its sharp
+prow, the almost invisible wheels, the masked occupant, assured me that
+the evening papers had not been the victims of a hoax.
+
+"It's the Motor Pirate himself," I said to Winter, and my voice was
+hoarse with excitement.
+
+"Motor Pirate be d----d!" replied Winter. What more he would have said I
+do not know, for at this moment the stranger turning his mask towards us
+called out in the most urbane manner--
+
+"I must trouble you gentlemen to stop that car."
+
+Winter at the best of times is of rather a peppery disposition, and
+whenever any one requires him to pull up, his temper invariably gets the
+better of his manners. His reply was an unnecessarily verbose, and
+needlessly forcible negative.
+
+I heard the stranger chuckle. "I really must trouble you to obey my
+wishes," he replied, with ironic courtesy. "Otherwise I shall be
+compelled to do some damage to that car of yours, a proceeding I always
+try to avoid if possible."
+
+"Do what you please," was in effect Winter's luridly adjectived answer.
+
+"If you do not pull up within thirty seconds your fate will be upon your
+own heads," said the stranger, shortly, as he laid his hand upon a
+lever.
+
+His car leapt away from ours, and though we were running nearly sixty
+miles an hour, we might have been standing still, he dropped us so
+rapidly. In fifteen seconds he had vanished in a cloud of dust ahead.
+
+"I'm going to stop," said Winter, abruptly. He suited the action to the
+word, and none too soon.
+
+Again we heard the curious drone of the strange car as it swooped down
+upon us, coming to a sudden halt a yard distant, with really beautiful
+precision.
+
+"What do you want?" shouted Winter, in his gruffest tones.
+
+"I'm glad to find you have had the wisdom to do as I desired you," said
+the Motor Pirate; for it was indeed he with whom we were now face to
+face. "It would have deeply grieved me to wreck so good a car as that
+you have there. A Daimler, I believe?"
+
+"Oh, d----n your compliments! What is it you want?" growled Winter.
+
+"Merely any articles of jewellery and any money you may happen to have
+about you," remarked the stranger, pleasantly.
+
+I saw the moonlight glitter on the barrel of a revolver as he spoke, and
+he now lifted the weapon and pointed it towards us.
+
+"I do not wish to proceed to extremities, and, as I gather from your
+speech that I am dealing with gentlemen"--really Winter's language had
+fully warranted the sarcasm--"if you will give me your word of honour
+that you will hand over to me all articles of value in your possession,
+I will leave your car untouched. If, on the contrary, you decline to
+oblige me, I shall be under the disagreeable necessity of ruining that
+very handsome car you are driving. I do not like to hurry you, but I am
+afraid I must ask you to come to a speedy decision on the matter, for
+these roads in the vicinity of London are not quite so secluded as one
+of my profession could wish."
+
+He delivered this speech with an air of mock politeness, which made
+Winter writhe. He did not, however, reply. I think he was too angry.
+
+"Come, gentlemen! Make up your minds. Your money or your--car!"
+
+He made a slight pause before he said the word "car," and his fingers
+played with the revolver in a manner that sent a cold shiver down my
+spine.
+
+"It's his turn now," I whispered to Winter. "It may be ours presently."
+
+"Come, come, gentlemen!" said the stranger again; "do you give me your
+words?"
+
+"D----n you! I suppose we must," jerked out Winter, almost inarticulate
+with rage.
+
+"Each of you will dismount in turn and lay the contents of your pockets
+before me here." He indicated a level shelf, which formed apparently
+part of the casing of one of the wheels. "I must insist upon seeing the
+linings of your pockets; and I need hardly warn you that it will be
+extremely undesirable for you to make any movement liable to
+misconstruction. This toy"--he lifted his pistol--"has a very delicate
+touch. Now, gentlemen. One at a time, please, and do not wait to discuss
+the question of precedence. I am quite willing to overlook any little
+informality."
+
+I listened closely to his speech, but the voice was so muffled by the
+mask he wore, that I felt I should be unable to recognize it again. Only
+one point I was assured upon--that the Pirate was an educated man.
+
+Meanwhile what were we to do? All sorts of wild plans were darting
+through my brain, and I knew that Winter's mind must be equally active.
+But out of the medley no coherent scheme took shape. Winter dismounted,
+and, throwing off his overcoat, advanced into the brilliant circle of
+light cast by our lamps, and proceeded to empty his pockets. He laid his
+note-case, his watch and chain, and sovereign-purse upon the car in
+front of the highwayman, and, in obedience to a further command, added
+the diamond which shone upon his little finger, and another which
+adorned his shirt-front, to the pile. Then he resumed his place in the
+car, and I passed through a similar humiliating ordeal. All the while
+the stranger kept up a flow of apologies for the inconvenience which his
+necessities compelled him to occasion us. I kept silence, though I must
+confess the effort was a considerable strain upon my temper. Still, a
+pistol with a business man at the butt end of it, is of considerable
+assistance in preventing the exhibition of annoyance.
+
+"If the other gentleman will make haste, I shall be the sooner able to
+relieve you of my unwelcome society," the Pirate remarked, as I returned
+to our car after handing over all the valuables in my possession.
+
+In the excitement, I had, until this moment, entirely forgotten the
+presence of Colonel Maitland; and now, looking closely at him, I
+discovered that he was still in happy ignorance of the _contretemps_
+which had befallen us. Swathed in rugs, he was propped up on the seat
+behind us slumbering peacefully. A smile was upon his rosy face, and
+ever and again he smacked his lips. He must have been dreaming of a
+finer vintage than ever terrestrial vineyard produced.
+
+"What the deuce can we do?" I asked Winter.
+
+"Hullo, Colonel!" shouted my friend.
+
+"What's the matter?" inquired the Pirate. "Does your friend refuse to
+acknowledge the compact?"
+
+"I'm afraid he can hardly be said to be a party to it," I replied. "He
+has dined, and now he sleeps."
+
+"Well, you will awaken him less roughly than I shall," was the retort.
+
+"Any one who knows Colonel Maitland is aware that he is exceedingly
+annoyed if awakened from his after-dinner nap," I urged.
+
+"Colonel Maitland? Colonel Maitland the gourmet?"
+
+"You know him?" said Winter.
+
+The Pirate laughed pleasantly. "I have met him on one occasion, and, as
+some slight return for a very excellent dinner which he ordered, and for
+which--doubtless by an oversight--he left me to pay, I will not trouble
+you to awaken him on this occasion. I wish you good evening, gentlemen."
+
+As he finished speaking he backed his car for a few yards. His hand
+moved to a lever. The car turned. He waved the hand which was
+disengaged, and in a moment he was gone, attaining at once a speed,
+which, until then I had thought it impossible for a motor-car ever to
+achieve.
+
+Both Winter and I sat stock still, gazing after the fast disappearing
+car. We could not watch it for long; as in fifteen seconds it was out of
+sight, and even the dust-cloud it had raised in its progress had
+cleared.
+
+Then Winter turned to me and muttered a few expletives gently in my ear.
+I followed his example and we both felt better, at least I think so;
+for, without rhyme or reason, Winter burst into a fit of laughter, and I
+followed his example, though I cannot explain now, any more than I could
+have done then, why I laughed.
+
+When we had done laughing, Winter turned to me and said--
+
+"Sutgrove, old fellow, would you mind punching me? I'm not quite sure
+whether it is the Colonel who is asleep or myself. I feel as if I have
+just awakened from dreaming of the story those newspapers printed."
+
+"It's not much of a dream," I remarked. "I little thought that we were
+to have the good fortune of so early an introduction to the Motor
+Pirate, however. The Colonel will be quite cross to think that his
+bottle of port prevented the renewal of an old acquaintance."
+
+Then Winter laughed again. I think he saw the amusing side of our
+adventure more clearly than I did, for I said sharply--
+
+"Hadn't we better be getting on to St. Albans, and giving information to
+the police?"
+
+"H--m--m!" he answered meditatively. "I think perhaps we had better
+not."
+
+"Not?" I replied in surprise.
+
+"In the first place it is after dinner," he said.
+
+"What of that? We dined wisely."
+
+"One of us knows nothing about it." Winter jerked his thumb in the
+direction of the slumbering warrior. "We could hardly explain the reason
+why the Colonel slept so soundly through the adventure. The explanation
+could hardly please him, would it?"
+
+I muttered an assent.
+
+"Besides," continued Winter, "for three of us to admit that we tamely
+allowed ourselves to be held up by one man, and forced to hand over to
+him all our valuables, well it--er--it hardly seems heroic, does it?
+That wouldn't create a very favourable impression upon Miss Maitland
+either."
+
+I was compelled to agree with him.
+
+"I think perhaps we had best keep the matter to ourselves. I have no
+desire to provide another sensation for the evening papers to-morrow."
+
+"At any rate I'm not going to sit down quietly under my loss if you
+are," I responded irritably.
+
+"That's another matter altogether," replied Winter, as he set our car in
+motion once more. "I did not say that I was going to grin and bear it
+either."
+
+"What do you propose?" I cried eagerly.
+
+"That is a question we will discuss over a whisky and soda, when we have
+deposited the Colonel safely at home;" and he refused to say anything
+further.
+
+Our car was once more put at full speed, and in five minutes we reached
+the cross-roads on the outskirts of St. Albans, where the road to
+Watford makes a junction with that on which we had come from town. Here
+Winter pulled up, and, much to my surprise, dismounted and made a
+careful examination of the road by the light of our lamps.
+
+"I just want to see in which direction the fellow went," he answered, in
+reply to my inquiry as to the meaning of his action.
+
+He was still engaged on the task when we heard in the distance the
+regular beat of a petrol motor approaching us on the Watford road.
+
+"If it's another pirate, he won't get much plunder," I remarked.
+
+"That's no pirate," replied Winter, as a couple of lights came into
+view. "Cannot you recognize the rattle of Mannering's old car? I should
+know it anywhere. He will be able to tell us if any one has passed him
+on the road."
+
+As soon as the new-comer came within range of his voice, Winter hailed
+him.
+
+"That you, Mannering?"
+
+"Hullo, Winter! Got a puncture? Can I be of any assistance?"
+
+Was it indeed Mannering's voice, or were my ears deceiving me? The
+intonation was remarkably like that of the stranger, who so short a time
+previously had bade us stand and deliver, that I sprang to my feet with
+an exclamation of astonishment. My eyes at once convinced me that my
+ears had played me false. There was no mistaking Mannering's lumbering
+old car for the graceful shape of the Motor Pirate's vehicle. I resumed
+my seat, taking my nerves seriously to task for generating the
+suspicion, if suspicion it could be called, which had flashed across my
+mind. If anything further had been needed to dispel it, the reply
+vouchsafed to Winter's query as to whether he had met any one on the
+road would have done so.
+
+"Met any one?" said Mannering; "I should think I have. Met the most
+wonderful motor I've ever seen, about a couple of miles back. 'Pon my
+soul, I'm not sure even now whether it was not a big night bird, for it
+just swooped by me with about as much noise as a humming-top might make.
+It must have been travelling eighty miles an hour at least. Reckless
+sort of devil the driver must be too. He hadn't a single light. I
+suppose his lamps must have been put out by the rapidity with which he
+was travelling. Never had such a scare in my life. I'd like to meet the
+Johnny. I'd welcome an opportunity of telling him what I thought of his
+conduct."
+
+"So should I," replied Winter, grimly; "and I fancy Sutgrove would not
+be averse to a meeting with him."
+
+"Why, what has he been doing?" asked Mannering.
+
+"It's too long a story to tell you now," said Winter, as he climbed back
+into his seat; "but if you will come up to my place as soon as you have
+put your car to bed, I'll tell you all about it."
+
+"Right!" sang out Mannering, as we once more set out upon our homeward
+way. We had not much further to go. In two minutes we had pulled up at
+Colonel Maitland's door.
+
+I leaned back and shouted, "Here we are, Colonel," in the slumbering
+warrior's ear.
+
+"Eh! What--what?" he replied, as he awakened with a start. "When are we
+going to start?"
+
+"Start? Why we've brought you safely home to your own threshold," said
+Winter.
+
+"'Pon my soul! I remember now," he answered. "I just shut my eyes to
+keep the dust out of 'em, and---- You will come in for a peg, of
+course," he continued, as he emerged from the rugs in which he had been
+enveloped.
+
+I glanced at the windows. There was only a light in the Colonel's study.
+If there had been another in the drawing-room, I should have accepted
+forthwith. As it was, I merely said that I could not think of disturbing
+Miss Maitland.
+
+"Pooh!" said the Colonel, with the usual callous disregard of the mere
+father for his children's beauty sleep.
+
+But he did not press the invitation. Indeed it was with difficulty he
+succeeded in repressing a yawn.
+
+"I'll call to-morrow, and get a considered opinion upon my Soho house of
+entertainment," I remarked, as the Colonel opened his door, and paused
+at the entrance to bid us a final good night.
+
+"Glad to see you," he replied, as he grasped my hand and shook it
+warmly. "But of one thing you may rest assured. So long as that bin of
+port holds out, your house of entertainment may count upon me as a
+regular customer whenever I dine in town."
+
+"Opium isn't in it," commented Winter in a low voice, as he set the car
+in motion and wheeled out of the drive. "How he could have slept so
+soundly through it all absolutely beats me."
+
+I did not reply. My attention was concentrated upon one of the upper
+windows, at which I thought I had seen a form I knew very well make a
+brief appearance. But we left the window and house behind us. Winter's
+place was only about a hundred yards further up the road.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+CONCERNING MY RIVAL
+
+
+"NOW, Jim, dip your beak into that, and let me see if it will not
+restore to your classic features their customary repose."
+
+So saying, Winter handed me a stately tumbler, and the mixture was so
+much to my liking that I felt an involuntary relaxation of my facial
+muscles immediately I obeyed the command. I stretched myself at length
+in the easy chair which I had drawn up before the fire, and felt able to
+forgive even the Motor Pirate. We were alone in the apartment which
+Winter called his study, but since the only books he read therein were
+motor-catalogues, and the lounges with which the snuggery was furnished
+were much more conducive to repose than to mental exertion, I refused to
+acknowledge its claim to the title. That, by the way. The fire was
+burning brightly. Winter's red, rugged, honest face was beaming with
+almost equal radiance. Who could help feeling happy?
+
+Then Mannering was announced, and Mannering was a man I had learned to
+passively dislike. Why, I scarcely knew. I was aware of nothing against
+him. Indeed, when six months previously, on my first coming to St.
+Albans, I had been introduced to him, I had been rather favourably
+impressed. He was a tall dark man of thirty-five, with more than the
+average endowment of good looks. He could tell a good story, had shot
+big game in most parts of the world, was well-read, intelligent,
+possessed unexceptionable manners, and yet---- Well, Winter had none of
+his various qualifications, but I would at any time far rather have had
+one friend like Winter than a hundred like the other man.
+
+I had first made his acquaintance at Colonel Maitland's house, where I
+had found him on an apparently intimate footing. Perhaps it was this
+very intimacy which formed the basis for my dislike, for--there is no
+need to mince matters--at this time I was jealous, horribly and
+unreasonably jealous, of every male person who entered the Colonel's
+house. And here, perhaps, it will be better for me to explain how it
+happened that I came to be living in a cottage on the outskirts of St.
+Albans in preference to my own house in Norfolk.
+
+The change in my residence had been entirely due to a tennis party at
+Cromer. There I met Evie Maitland. She was---- No, every one can fill in
+the blank from their own experience for themselves; and if they cannot,
+I pity them.
+
+Fortunately I had an aunt present. She was the most amiable of aunts,
+and quite devoted towards her most dutiful nephew. With her assistance,
+I managed not only to improve my acquaintance with Miss Maitland, but
+also to effect an introduction to her father. I had only known them a
+week, however, before the Colonel took his daughter back to St. Albans.
+I allowed an interval of a fortnight to elapse, and then I followed. Of
+course I had to be prepared with some excuse, and here luck favoured me.
+Looking through the directory I discovered that Winter, whom I knew
+slightly as having been up at Camford about the same time as myself, was
+also a resident in the delightful St. Alban's suburb of St. Stephens
+where the Maitlands resided. I sought out Winter. I confided my story to
+him. The upshot of it all was that I took a cottage close to his house,
+and not far from the Colonel's, ostensibly that under Winter's tuition I
+might develop into a first-class motorist.
+
+Somehow I found that I made a great deal more progress with my motoring
+than with my love-making. Surely a more bewitching, tantalizing,
+provoking little beauty than Evie Maitland never tore a man's heart to
+fragments. If she was kind to me one day, she would be still kinder to
+Mannering the next. But that is neither here nor there. Anyhow, I
+heartily wished him out of the way, for there was no doubt whatever that
+Randolph Mannering was a much more attractive person than my
+insignificant self. His mere advantage in age counted for something; but
+I could have forgiven him that, had he not made use of the years to see
+so much and do so much, that he could not help appearing in the light of
+a hero to a girl who was just at the worshipping age. And he knew so
+well how to get the fullest value out of his experiences. He never
+paraded them, I must admit that much in his favour. He was far too
+clever. An anecdote here and there to illustrate some point in the
+conversation, a modest account of some thrilling adventure, in which he
+hardly ever mentioned the part he had personally played, produced a much
+greater effect than if he had gone about trumpeting the deeds he had
+done and the dangers he had survived.
+
+He had, too, the advantage of a much longer acquaintance with the
+Maitlands than myself. I learned from the Colonel that Mannering had
+been living in a house whose garden adjoined his own for a year before
+my arrival on the scene. His life, until the Colonel had recognized him
+as an acquaintance he had made at the house of a friend some years
+before, had been that of a recluse, the object of his retirement being
+to perfect some mechanical invention upon which he was engaged. He had
+soon developed into a friend of the family, and I had found him firmly
+installed as such when I made my appearance at St. Albans.
+
+Naturally then I was none too pleased that Winter had proposed to take
+him into our confidence, but I made no absolute objection.
+
+I sat smoking quietly while Winter told the story of our adventure. He
+listened most attentively.
+
+"It's a most extraordinary story," he remarked, when the narrative was
+concluded. "You are quite sure neither of you touched any of that
+port?"
+
+Winter turned one of his pockets inside out with an expressive gesture.
+
+"Wine may rob a man of his wits," he replied, "but it does not relieve
+him of fifty pounds in notes, six in gold, a watch and chain worth
+fifty, and a diamond which has been valued at a hundred."
+
+"The numbers of the notes should enable you to trace the thief," said
+Mannering, thoughtfully.
+
+Winter laughed. "The fact is, I am such a careless beggar. I always
+carry notes about with me, replenishing my case when necessary; and
+really I have nothing to tell me whether those notes I had in my
+possession were the last batch I had from the bank, or odd ones left
+over from previous consignments. They may have been in my case for
+months."
+
+"Both Winter and I could identify our watches," I hazarded.
+
+"Of course," replied Mannering, "if your Motor Pirate is fool enough to
+attempt to pawn them you may get the chance; but if he sells them to a
+receiver, they'll go straight into the melting pot."
+
+Winter lit a cigarette and Mannering turned to me. "What was the extent
+of your loss?"
+
+"Ten in gold, thirty in notes, and say thirty for my watch. My loss is
+comparatively light."
+
+"You know the numbers of your notes, I suppose?" he inquired, as he lit
+a cigarette in turn.
+
+"Yes," I replied, "I'm not quite so casual as Winter."
+
+"There's some clue for the police to work upon, then."
+
+"It might prove to be so, only Winter thinks we show up so badly in the
+whole affair that he won't hear of my giving information."
+
+"The fact is," said Winter, "Maitland slept soundly through the whole
+affair, and it wouldn't be sporting to give him away."
+
+"I see----" began Mannering.
+
+Winter deftly changed the subject. "What puzzles me," he said, "is the
+kind of motor the fellow employed to propel his car. I know of nothing
+at present on the market anything like so effective. I've seen 'em all."
+
+"Your loss doesn't seem to trouble you much, anyhow," commented
+Mannering.
+
+"I would willingly give a hundred times as much for a duplicate of that
+motor. I should be pretty sure to get my money back once I put it on the
+market."
+
+"If there's all that value in it, why should the owner go in for highway
+robbery?" I asked.
+
+"That's just what I fail to understand," said Winter. "From what I could
+see of it, our friend the Motor Pirate is possessed of an ideal car,
+graceful in shape, making no noise, running with a minimum of vibration
+and a maximum of speed. Why, there's a fortune in it."
+
+"Of course it is quite impossible that the motive power can be
+electricity?" remarked Mannering, gazing into the fire as if he could
+see a solution of the mystery therein.
+
+"Quite out of the question. Any one who has the slightest knowledge of
+motoring would know it to be impossible, even if the Pirate had devised
+a storage battery which would knock Edison's latest invention into a
+cocked hat. But supposing he had achieved the feat, remember that,
+according to the newspaper reports, he was at Plymouth yesterday at
+dusk, near Salisbury at eleven the same evening, and holding us up on
+the confines of St. Albans to night. He would be bound to get his
+batteries recharged somewhere and, with a car of such remarkable shape,
+how is he to do so without exciting remark? No; electricity is quite out
+or the question. I should be glad to think that the car was an electric
+one. His capture would only be a matter of a few hours."
+
+An indefinable expression, which might have been a smile, flitted across
+Mannering's face.
+
+"I hope, for all our sakes, his motor is an electric one," he said. "At
+all events it should not be difficult to track a car of so singular a
+shape. If it were built on the same lines as yours or mine, for
+instance, the owner might go anywhere without attracting attention."
+
+"Anyhow," I broke in, "until he is captured I'm going for a run every
+night with something that will shoot within easy reach. The next time I
+have the fortune to meet with him I hope I shall be in a position to get
+a bit of my own back."
+
+Again a smile appeared on Mannering's face as he exclaimed, "I almost
+feel inclined to follow your example. I have nearly forgotten how to
+use a pistol since I have resided in this law-ridden land."
+
+"Surely you won't expose your experimental car to the chance of being
+rammed by the Motor Pirate," remarked Winter, chaffingly.
+
+Mannering's car was a stock joke with us. It was a particularly
+cumbersome vehicle, with heaven only knows what type of body. It might
+have been capable of twenty miles an hour on the flat, but that would be
+the extreme limit of its powers. "You fellows," he had explained to us
+one day, "have taken to motoring for the fun of flying along the
+high-roads at an illegal speed. I have taken to it for a more
+utilitarian purpose. I have my own ideas about the motor of the future,
+and I am working them out down here. My old caravan is heavy, perhaps,
+but I want a heavy car. It's most useful for testing tyres, and that is
+one of the special points engaging my attention. Besides, in this car I
+am not tempted to get into trouble with the police. Twelve miles an hour
+is quite fast enough for all my purposes."
+
+Both Winter and myself had frequently asked him how he was progressing
+with his work, but as he had never returned us any but the vaguest of
+answers, nor ever invited us into the workshop which had once formed the
+stables of the house where he resided, we had thought that his story of
+being engaged in mechanical invention merely an excuse for getting rid
+of unpleasant visitors. I think we were both surprised when he answered
+Winter's chaff quite warmly.
+
+"I should not at all mind exposing my car to any risk if I could get the
+opportunity to examine the Motor Pirate's car. If the truth must be
+told, from what I have seen of his car, and what you have told me, I am
+rather inclined to think that whoever designed it has forestalled me in
+an idea which I had thought quite my own. I have long been working to
+produce a car which would run at least a hundred miles an hour without
+noise or perceptible vibration."
+
+"Couldn't you get it completed in a week?" interrupted Winter. "We might
+have a most exciting chase after our friend."
+
+Mannering shook his head. "I've been absolutely floored on one detail,
+and if that fellow has solved the problem----" Shrugging his shoulders,
+he rose and held out his hand to Winter. I followed his example.
+
+"I had no idea that you had anything so important on the stocks,"
+remarked Winter, as he accompanied us to the door.
+
+"Nor would you have done so until you saw the perfect machine on the
+road, if it had not been for my chagrin at seeing that car to-night. Of
+course I can count upon you both to say nothing of the matter."
+
+"On condition that you do not refer to our adventure again," said I,
+laughing.
+
+"Agreed," responded Mannering, as he smiled again.
+
+We both said good night to Winter, and in spite of our host's efforts to
+persuade us to stay for another peg, I followed Mannering out,
+declaring that I should never be able to face Mrs. Winter again if I
+kept him up any longer.
+
+I found Mannering standing at the gate, and I paused beside him to
+glance at the sky, across which one or two fleecy clouds were hurrying
+from the west. The moon, brilliant as earlier in the evening, now hung
+low down over the horizon. The breeze had freshened, and we could hear
+it whispering amongst the trees.
+
+"We shall not be long without rain. If the Pirate is still abroad he
+will leave tracks," said Mannering.
+
+The beauty of the night held so much of appeal to me that I felt annoyed
+at the current of my thoughts being turned back to the topic.
+
+I answered shortly. My companion took no notice of my petulance.
+
+"You have always thought I cared nothing for speed," he remarked, "but
+you were mistaken. I thought I would keep my desires in the background
+until I had succeeded in perfecting a car which I knew it would be
+impossible to outpace. I could not enter into competition with longer
+purses than my own, and if I had bought the fastest car in the market
+somebody else would have bought one faster. But to-night---- By Jove!
+How I envy that Motor Pirate. Imagine what the possession of that car
+means on a night like this, with the roads clear from John-o'-Groat's to
+Land's End. Fancy flying onwards at a speed none have ever attempted.
+Can you not see the road unwinding before you like a reel of white
+ribbon, hear the sweet musical drone of the wheels in your ears----" He
+stopped abruptly.
+
+He must have observed my natural amazement at the intensity of feeling
+which his speech displayed, for he observed in a lighter tone--
+
+"Not being Motor Pirates, however, the next best thing is, I suppose, to
+go to bed and dream that we are." He turned on his heel and strode away
+in one direction, while I went in the direction of my own home. But I
+was in no hurry to get there. The night was too delightful.
+
+In the few hours which had elapsed since we had sat down to dine, a
+change had come over the face of the land. I could feel the presence of
+Spring in the air, and all the youth in me awoke. The creatures of the
+earth felt it too. In the silence of the night I could hear the crackle
+of the buds as they cast off their winter coverings, hear the whisper of
+the grass, which the countryman declares is the sound of growing blades,
+hear the murmur of all animate things as they rose to welcome the
+Springtide. My own heart leapt up with a renewal of hope. I stood awhile
+outside Colonel Maitland's door, and breathed a prayer that it might be
+my fortune to protect the fair inmate of the house from all harm through
+life. I strolled slowly to my own door, but I did not enter. Moonbeams
+beget love-dreams when one is still in the twenties.
+
+Back again to the Colonel's house, back once more to my own. In all
+probability I should have continued my solitary sentry-go and my
+reverie until daybreak, had not my thoughts been sharply recalled to
+earth. On reaching my own doorway for the fifth or sixth time I had just
+turned, when I saw a black shadow on the road opposite the Maitlands'
+house. One glance was enough; it was the Motor Pirate again, and I began
+to count. "One--two--," the car passed me, "three--four;" it had
+vanished round a turning of the road in the direction of St. Albans.
+
+Even what I had already experienced of the Pirate had not prepared me
+for such an exhibition as this. What Mannering had said about the
+delight of flying along an open road at a hundred miles an hour recurred
+to me. I had not deemed it possible. But I paced the distance between
+the Colonel's house and the bend where the strange car had passed out of
+sight. The distance was just about two hundred yards, and it had been
+covered as near as possible in four seconds. The car must have been
+travelling just about a hundred miles an hour.
+
+I went straight indoors to bed. I am not ashamed to confess that I was
+not able to continue my dreams in comfort, while pacing the road, by the
+consideration of what would have happened to me had the Motor Pirate
+come along just two seconds before I happened to turn and see him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE COLONEL DREAMS, AND I AWAKEN
+
+
+I SLEPT until late the next morning. I have always been accustomed to a
+clear eight hours' sleep, and, as I did not get between the sheets until
+about four in the morning, I naturally did not awaken until mid-day. So
+what with my tub and the necessity for shaving, my early morning call
+upon the Colonel did not come off. I suppose, as a matter of fact, I sat
+down to breakfast just about the time when the gastronomic warrior was
+thinking of luncheon. However, when I saw how amply my expectation of a
+change in the weather had been fulfilled, I did not regret my lengthy
+sleep. From a sodden grey sky sheets of water were steadily pouring.
+There was not the slightest chance of any break in the clouds.
+Consequently I felt assured of finding Miss Maitland at home if I made
+my call in the afternoon, and since her father oftentimes thought it
+expedient to take a little repose after luncheon in order to prepare
+himself for the fatigue of dining, it was possible that I might even be
+fortunate enough to secure a _tête-à-tête_ with her.
+
+I came to my breakfast, therefore, with as good a spirit as appetite,
+neither being in the slightest degree affected by the memory of the easy
+way in which I had been plundered by the Motor Pirate. Of course I felt
+a certain chagrin. Still, I could contemplate the adventure with a
+considerable deal more equanimity than I had managed to display the
+night before, though I found that my curiosity concerning him had, if
+anything, increased. I turned with eagerness to the morning papers to
+see whether they could add to my knowledge concerning him.
+
+As every one is aware, all the papers on the morning of the first of
+April that year devoted columns to his exploits. If I remember aright,
+the country was at that time engaged upon two of our usual minor wars,
+Parliament was in the midst of an important debate upon the second
+reading of a measure to secure an extension of the franchise, and a
+divorce case of more than common interest was engaging the attention of
+the leading legal lights of the law courts. But all these things
+received but the scantiest notice. The war news was relegated to the
+inside pages, the Parliamentary intelligence cut down to the barest
+summary, the _cause célèbre_ dismissed with such a paragraph as
+ordinarily serves to chronicle an unimportant police court case. The
+Motor Pirate had nearly a monopoly of the space at the editorial
+disposal. There was column after column about him. The Plymouth robbery
+was reported in as great detail as the Compton Chamberlain affair, while
+there were particulars of two similar outrages committed at points
+between these two places.
+
+On running my eye over the reports I saw that they added nothing to what
+I already knew, and I wasted no time in reading the leaders on the
+subject. I was, however, extremely interested to find from one paper
+that Winter and I had not been the only victims of the scoundrel's
+rapacity on the previous evening, for a brief telegram reported a
+similar occurrence a few miles from Oxford on the London road. I at once
+sent my man to purchase any of the early editions of the evening papers
+which might have reached St. Albans, in the hope that they might contain
+further particulars of these operations.
+
+I had finished my breakfast, and was enjoying a cigarette in my library,
+when he returned. I took the papers from him, and the first glance at
+one of them made me gasp with amazement. The news which startled me was
+all in one line--"Five more cars held up by the Motor Pirate."
+
+I am not going into details concerning these. If you have a desire to
+refresh your memory all you have to do is to turn to any newspaper of
+the date I have named and you will be able to get them _ad nauseam_. But
+I will venture to give a list of the places where and the times at which
+the outrages took place, for I made a list of them in the hope that, by
+carefully studying it with the map, I might get some idea as to where he
+might next be expected to make his appearance.
+
+I found that at five minutes past nine he stopped a car some four miles
+from Oxford. Twenty minutes later he was robbing a lonely motorist
+midway between Thame and Aylesbury. Then for forty minutes he appeared
+to have been idle, his next two exploits taking place within five
+minutes of each other, just after ten, in the neighbourhood of Amersham.
+King's Langley was the scene of his next adventure, the time given being
+about a quarter of an hour before he had overtaken us. In addition to
+the particulars of these robberies there were a host of reports from
+people who had seen the Pirate car pass them on the road. But there was
+one notable omission from the latter list. Not from a single town was
+there any record of the Pirate having been seen passing through it.
+
+I got a map of the district, and, after studying the country carefully,
+I was fain to confess that one of two things was certain: either the
+Motor Pirate had the power to make his car invisible at will, or else he
+had a truly phenomenal knowledge of the bye-roads. How he had even
+managed to get to Oxford, after his exploits in the West of England,
+without arrest, puzzled me. The car was so unique in shape that it
+seemed bound to excite observation. It could not have been put up at any
+hotel, any more than it could have been run through the country by
+daylight, without exciting remark and its presence being chronicled.
+What, then, had he done with it? The more I pondered the question the
+more puzzled I became, and at the same time the more determined to seek
+a solution of the mystery. But how? I made a dozen plans, all of which,
+upon consideration, appeared so futile, that I gave up the game in
+despair, and decided to see if my brain would not become clearer after I
+had paid my promised visit to Colonel Maitland.
+
+I did not find Miss Maitland alone, as I expected, or I might probably
+have been tempted to confide my experience to her, and to have asked the
+assistance of her woman's wit in putting me on the track of a solution
+to the mystery. Mannering was with her. When I made my appearance in the
+drawing-room, and found him enjoying a _tête-à-tête_, I cursed myself
+for delaying my call and thus giving him such an opportunity. My temper
+was not improved either by the discovery that they were sufficiently
+engrossed in conversation to have been able very well to dispense with
+my presence. I did not feel called upon to leave Mannering a clear
+field, however, so I joined in the discussion, and tried my hardest to
+be pleasant.
+
+Of course, there was only one possible topic of conversation, the theme
+which was uttermost in every one's mind throughout the length and
+breadth of the land. It was a difficult subject for me to discuss, and
+in a measure it was a difficult subject for Mannering, inasmuch as it
+was hard to refrain from reference to the personal experience we had had
+with the Motor Pirate. It became increasingly difficult, when a few
+minutes after my arrival Colonel Maitland joined us.
+
+"It was lucky for him he did not meet us, hey, Sutgrove?" said the
+Colonel. "You, Winter, and myself, would soon settle a Motor Pirate,
+wouldn't we?"
+
+I muttered something which would pass for an assent, while Mannering
+shot an amused smile in my direction.
+
+"I wonder though we saw nothing of him," continued Maitland; "he must
+have been very near us last night."
+
+"He seems to have been everywhere," I answered.
+
+"He has the ubiquity of a De Wet," said Mannering.
+
+"I hope I shall have a chance of meeting him sometime," I continued
+grimly.
+
+Colonel Maitland chuckled. "Heavens! What a fire-eater you are,
+Sutgrove. One might almost take you for a sub in a cavalry regiment."
+
+I made no answer, and Miss Maitland remarked--"I think that is very
+unkind of you. You spoke of the Motor Pirate as if you owed him a
+grudge. I think we all ought to be supremely thankful to him for having
+made the wettest day we have had this year pass quite pleasantly."
+
+Bear him a grudge? I should think I did, but at the same time, I had no
+intention of confessing the reason, so I said--
+
+"Then we'll drink long life and prosperity to him the next time we have
+a bottle of that same port your father approved so highly last night."
+Then I turned to the Colonel, and made a clumsy attempt to turn the
+subject of conversation. "Is your verdict upon my restaurant equally
+favourable to-day, sir?"
+
+Colonel Maitland's eyes twinkled. "I have nothing to regret. As for the
+port with which we finished, it seems to me the sort of stuff dreams are
+made of. Do you know that the glass I drank--was it one glass or
+two?--gave me the most vivid dream I have enjoyed since my childhood?"
+
+"Indeed! Let's hear it, Colonel," I replied.
+
+"Do tell us," said his daughter, as she rose from her seat, and put her
+arms coaxingly round her father's neck. "Do tell us like a real, good,
+kind, old-fashioned parent."
+
+The Colonel passed his hand lovingly over his daughter's sunny hair.
+
+"Sutgrove and Mannering don't want to hear about an old fellow's silly
+dreams," he said. "Besides, it was all about the Motor Pirate, and I can
+see that Sutgrove for one is quite sick of the subject."
+
+I was, and I wasn't, but I speedily declared that I was not when I saw
+that his daughter was bent upon hearing the story. So he started upon a
+prosy description as to how the fresh air had sent him to sleep, not
+saying a word about the port, and I ceased to listen to him, preferring
+to devote the whole of my attention to his daughter, who had seated
+herself upon a footstool at his feet, and was looking up into his face
+with a pretty affectionate glance in her deep blue eyes, enough to set
+any one longing to be the recipient of similar regard. Her form,
+attitude, expression, all made so deep an impression upon me, that I
+have only to close my eyes at any time to see her just as she was
+then--the little witch! She knew full well how to make the most of her
+attractions, and though she has often declared since to me that the pose
+was quite unpremeditated, I could never quite believe her.
+
+However that may be, I was so fascinated in watching her--there was one
+stray curl which lay like a strand of woven gold upon her brow. Confound
+it! It's all very well for the fellow who writes fiction for a living to
+write about people's emotions. He is cold himself. If he were like me,
+and wished to describe his own feelings, he might find himself in the
+same difficulty as myself, and give up the attempt.
+
+The Colonel's voice droned on. Suddenly I awoke to the consciousness
+that he was speaking of me. I think it was the fact of his daughter
+looking at me which recalled me to attention.
+
+"Sutgrove had just looked back to see if I was comfortable, when he saw
+another car on the road behind us. We had not long passed through
+Radlett. You know the straight stretch of road just past the new Dutch
+barn on the left----"
+
+My attention did not wander any more, and you may imagine my
+astonishment at hearing the Colonel describe in minute detail everything
+which had befallen us upon the previous evening. He could tell a story
+when he liked, and on this occasion his description of the shamefaced
+manner in which Winter had scrambled out of his car, and had handed over
+his valuables to the Motor Pirate, was so ludicrous that I was
+compelled to laugh at the description. When my turn came to be
+described, Miss Maitland and Mannering were just as much amused, but I
+am afraid that my attempt to participate in their mirth was rather
+forced.
+
+When the story was done, Miss Maitland rose from her seat at her
+father's feet, and, putting a hand on each of his shoulders--
+
+"You dear, delightful old fibber!" she remarked. "I don't believe you
+dreamed that at all. You couldn't." Then she wheeled round on me. "Now
+tell me, Mr. Sutgrove, didn't that dream of father's really happen to
+you last night?"
+
+What course was open to me but confession? I admitted the truth of the
+story, and the Colonel was so choked with merriment, that I feared lest
+he should be stricken with apoplexy.
+
+"The cream of the joke," he explained, when he recovered his powers of
+speech, "was that neither Winter nor Sutgrove had the slightest idea
+that I was foxing. I intended to inform them directly we were clear of
+the Pirate; but when I heard them discussing the matter, and determining
+to keep silence out of tenderness for my reputation, I could not resist
+keeping up the joke."
+
+"I should think it was their own reputations they were thinking about,"
+said his daughter. "To submit so tamely to one man is not a very heroic
+proceeding."
+
+I heard Mannering chuckle, and I felt mad. But I fancy it was not
+Mannering's amusement, but my own consciousness of the truth of the
+criticism that galled.
+
+Colonel Maitland came to my rescue. "I thought they were very sensible,"
+he said. "Even a cripple with a gun is better than six sound Tommies
+unarmed."
+
+"Sensible--yes," she replied scornfully. "But there are times when one
+prefers a little less sense, and a little more--shall we say action. I
+am sure you would not have obeyed so tamely?" she continued, turning to
+Mannering.
+
+He smiled, and I felt as if it would give me exquisite pleasure to catch
+him by the throat, and twist the smile out of his dark, handsome face.
+
+"Really, Miss Maitland," he replied, "you flatter me. You should not be
+too hard on Sutgrove. I am sure that it was only the full comprehension
+of his own helplessness which prevented him making a fight of it. What
+could he have done?"
+
+"Oh, a man should always know what to do!" she answered petulantly. "Has
+any one ever tried to hold you up?"
+
+"Well, yes," he answered. "Once when I was out in the west of the
+States, some of the regulation bands tried the game on a train in which
+I was travelling. But then, you see, the conductor in the railway-car in
+which I happened to be seated had a six-shooter. So had I. The other
+passengers got as near the floor as they possibly could when the
+shooting began. I was in pretty good practice in those days, don't you
+know, so the other chaps didn't get much of a look in. We took the four
+they left behind them when they bolted on to the next station with us.
+Three of them were buried there, if I remember aright."
+
+"There," said Miss Maitland, with an unmistakable look of admiration in
+her eyes; "I knew you were different."
+
+"But then I was armed. If I had not been, I should have been on the
+floor with the other passengers."
+
+In reply she merely gave him one glance. Mannering returned it with one
+equally eloquent. I rose, and stalked to the window. To me Mannering's
+championship was an aggravation which I could not bear. Harder still was
+it for me to observe the understanding which obviously existed between
+him and Miss Maitland. Hitherto I had imagined that I had as good a
+chance of winning her love as he had. But at this moment I felt that my
+hopes had been shattered.
+
+I think if I had remained a moment longer in the room, I should have
+been unable to restrain an impulse to knock some of the self-sufficiency
+out of my rival. I left.
+
+Colonel Maitland followed me out, and I heard him ask me to dine with
+him on the following day to wipe off the score he owed me.
+
+Without thinking, I accepted. Then I went out into the rain.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+I AM ARRESTED
+
+
+AS I went away from the Maitlands' house I looked neither to the right
+hand nor to the left. Where I went, whether I trudged along the high
+road or tramped across country, I have not to-day the slightest idea. I
+was so enveloped in my own misery, that I was absolutely blind to all
+external objects. I could think of nothing but my dead hopes. So onward
+I went, stumbling and splashing through the mud, cursing Mannering,
+cursing the Motor Pirate, above all cursing myself for my own
+pusillanimity. Why had I listened to Winter? Why should I have allowed
+myself to be persuaded to play the part of coward, merely that Winter's
+car should have been saved from injury?
+
+For a long while my thoughts were as aimless as my progress, but
+gradually out of the incoherence one idea crystallized. It was not an
+idea to be proud of. My bitterness of heart produced the natural result,
+that was all--a burning desire to be revenged upon somebody. I
+contemplated revenging myself upon everybody who had anything to do with
+my discomfiture, upon Mannering, upon Colonel Maitland, upon the Motor
+Pirate. Finally my choice settled upon the person of the Pirate as the
+most suitable object; for, next to myself, he was primarily responsible
+for my having made so contemptible a figure.
+
+Of course the decision was absurd. Decisions that are the outcome of any
+strong emotion usually are. But it fulfilled a useful purpose. It gave
+my mind something else to feed upon than contemplation of my own
+unhappiness. It brought me to myself.
+
+To-day I can laugh when I recall the childishness of my actions, the
+outcome of the unreasoned promptings of my puerile jealousy. For when I
+came to the conclusion to avenge my sufferings upon the Motor Pirate, I
+suddenly became aware that it was pitch dark; that I was in the middle
+of a field; that I was soaked to the skin; that the rain was still
+falling heavily; and that I had not the slightest idea where I was.
+However, I added one more to the acts of folly I committed that day: I
+solemnly held up my hands to the dripping heavens and registered my vow
+of revenge. Then I pushed on again, but with my physical faculties on
+the alert to discover where I was.
+
+I began, too, to feel the discomfort of my position, and became sensible
+of a sneaking wish to be before a comfortable fire. I crossed two or
+three fields, and eventually coming to a road I followed it, and, after
+paddling through the mud half a mile further, I struck a village, and in
+the village an inn.
+
+When I opened the door and walked into the cheerful lamplight of the
+bar-parlour, the half-dozen occupants of the cosy little room stared at
+me with astonishment. Well they might. I caught a glimpse of my
+reflection in the glass behind the bottles--if you have ever seen a
+corpse fished up by the drags from a river bed, you will be able to form
+some idea of the appearance I presented--so that I did not resent their
+stare. In fact, I was not in a condition to be able to pay much
+attention to the curious glances of the villagers. The warmth of the
+room together with the sudden cessation of exertion were for the moment
+too much for me, and it was as much as I could do to stagger to the
+nearest chair.
+
+Fortunately the landlord was a man with some modicum of common sense. I
+am quite sure that I should have been unceremoniously ejected from nine
+public houses out of ten. But mine host of the White Horse--I learned
+afterwards that he had been whip to a well-known hunt in the West
+country--was able to distinguish between fatigue and drunkenness, and he
+came at once to my assistance. I heard him speak to me, but I was
+totally unable to respond. For a while indeed I must have verged upon
+unconsciousness, for the next thing of which I became aware was of a
+glass at my lips containing something sweet and strong.
+
+I sipped. Then I drank. My consciousness returned. In a couple of
+minutes I could sit upright. The landlord was beaming at me with
+benevolent interest.
+
+"Take another sup, sir," he said. "There's nothing like maraschino and
+gin when one is a bit overwrought. I've known many a gentleman in my
+part of the country who would take nothing else, after a hard day to
+hounds, to brace him up for those long ten miles home."
+
+I took another sup, and a good one. Then my powers of speech returning,
+I asked where I was. I found I had not wandered nearly so far as I
+expected. I was barely six miles from my home--at King's Langley; but
+this fact was no criterion of the distance I must have traversed in my
+mad frenzy, for I saw by the clock that the hour was ten. It was about
+five when I left Colonel Maitland's house, so that I had been pressing
+onward for five hours in as wild a night as any on which I have ever
+been abroad.
+
+I leaned back in my chair with the object of resting a few minutes
+before starting homewards. But, whether owing to the spirit I had
+swallowed, or to the heavy exertion I had undergone, or merely because
+of my intense mental fatigue, I felt drowsiness overcoming me so rapidly
+that I perceived it would never do for me to give way to it. Pulling
+myself together I rose to my feet, at the same time thrusting my hand
+into my pocket for the money to pay for my drink. The mere act of
+rising, however, was almost too much for me. My body felt as stiff as if
+I had been beaten all over. Only to move was absolute physical pain. I
+looked at the landlord.
+
+"I'm afraid I am more knocked up than I thought. Can you manage a hot
+bath and a bed for me to-night?" I asked.
+
+He glanced at me curiously, and, after a moment's consideration, he
+replied--
+
+"I'll see what the missus'll say."
+
+Luckily "the missus" said "Yes," so ten minutes later I was sluicing hot
+water over my aching limbs with a stable sponge in the bath which, I
+suspect, did duty on ordinary occasions for the family washing. Whatever
+it was, it did excellently well for my purpose. Gradually a delicious
+feeling of relaxation stole over me. I tumbled between the sheets and
+was asleep even before my host entered my room to take away my soaked
+clothing to be dried.
+
+My sleep might have lasted one second. In point of fact I slept until
+nine o'clock the next morning, and should have continued to sleep if I
+had not felt a hand on my arm shaking me, and heard a voice bidding me
+arise. Fancying I was at home, and that my man was calling me, I said,
+"All right, Wilson," and turned over for another snooze.
+
+"Now then, get up out of that!" said the voice. "None of your shamming!
+We are not to be put off that way."
+
+It was not Wilson's voice. Wondering what was happening, I sat up in bed
+and rubbed my eyes sleepily.
+
+"What the deuce----!" I began. Then I stopped suddenly. A couple of
+constables in uniform stood at the bedside, and I gathered that it was
+the voice of the sergeant which had so rudely disturbed my slumbers.
+
+"What do you want?" I demanded.
+
+"You know well enough," replied the sergeant. "You make haste and dress
+yourself and come along with us."
+
+I thought my senses had deserted me.
+
+"What in the name of good fortune for?" I asked.
+
+"You're not going to kid us, my good feller," he answered. Adding
+facetiously, "If we puts a name to it and calls it piracy on the 'igh
+road, I wonder what you'll 'ave to say to it, remembering, of course,
+that anything you do say will be taken down and used in evidence against
+you."
+
+Then all that had happened flashed across my mind; my strange appearance
+and arrival at the inn; my peculiar manner; my possession of plenty of
+money; the curious glances of the village folk; the fact that somewhere
+in the vicinity the Motor Pirate had last been seen. Under the
+circumstances, nothing could be more likely than that the bucolic
+intelligence should jump to the conclusion that I was the famous
+criminal. To me, however, the idea seemed so absurd that I fell into
+hearty laughter. My merriment seemed to annoy the sergeant, for he
+declared crossly that if I did not dress quickly, he would find himself
+under the necessity of taking me away as I was.
+
+I thought it expedient to temporize, and as a result of a little
+diplomacy, in which one of the coins from my pocket found another
+resting-place, I obtained permission to breakfast before I left.
+
+I made a hearty meal, the landlord attending upon my wants. I was glad
+to see that he, at least, had no hand in thrusting upon me the indignity
+of being arrested. He explained as much, telling my captors they were
+making idiots of themselves. As he seemed trustworthy, I gave him
+Winter's address, with instructions to wire to him, telling him of my
+predicament, and asking him to come to my assistance.
+
+Necessarily I gave the instructions in the presence of the policemen,
+and directly I had done so I could see that their cocksureness was
+shaken. They became more polite in their attitude, and the sergeant took
+the trouble to explain that he was acting under instructions, and had no
+option but to insist upon my accompanying him to Watford.
+
+Into Watford I went accordingly. I am not going to dwell in any detail
+upon the incidents of the journey; I am naturally of a retiring
+disposition, and every circumstance attending my progress was in the
+nature of an outrage upon my diffidence. For instance, upon my departure
+from the inn, the whole of the population from King's Langley, so far as
+I could judge, had gathered about the door of the White Horse to give me
+a send-off. The crowd was in no sense a hostile one. The majority of its
+component parts, especially the more youthful units, seemed indeed to
+view me with admiration not unmixed with envy. Only one yokel expressed
+disbelief in my identity.
+
+"Ee ain't no pirut," he declared with unconcealed disdain, as he spat
+into the gutter. "Anybody can see he's only a toff."
+
+I scarcely knew whether to be pleased with his conclusion or angry that
+he should find my personal appearance so unimpressive; and before I
+could make up my mind on the subject, I was seated in the trap provided
+for us and driven away seated between the two constables.
+
+Our entry into Watford was still more in the nature of a triumph. Long
+before we reached the county police office I was wild enough, at being
+made such an exhibition of, to have given ten years of my life for the
+chance of punching the head of any one of the throng of gaping
+onlookers. Then, as a culminating blow to my pride, who should we meet
+at a point in the High Street where it was impossible to avoid
+recognition, but my rival Mannering in his trumpery old motor-car,
+accompanied by--above all persons in the world, the one I least desired
+to see--Miss Maitland.
+
+I ground my teeth with rage, and as I alighted and followed the sergeant
+into the police station, I wished that I were the Motor Pirate in
+reality.
+
+When I reached the presence of the officer in charge of the station I
+just managed to control my temper, though I fancy there must have been
+traces of my rage still visible in my voice as I demanded to know why a
+peaceable citizen should be subjected to such ignominy.
+
+The inspector in reply merely asked me for my name and address.
+
+Before meeting Miss Maitland I had cherished the hope that my identity
+would not be disclosed, but now I had no further reason for desiring to
+conceal it, I gave both at once.
+
+The inspector quietly made a note of them, while another man in plain
+clothes, who was standing gazing out of the window, suddenly turned on
+me with the inquiry--
+
+"How comes it, Mr. Sutgrove, that living at St. Albans you should choose
+to spend the night at a little inn at King's Langley?"
+
+"I suppose I am at liberty to sleep where I like?" I retorted.
+
+"Perfectly so," replied the stranger. "You will have no difficulty, I
+presume, in proving your identity?"
+
+"Not the slightest," I said. "In fact I have already wired to a friend
+of mine--Mr. Winter, of Hailscombe, St. Albans--to come here for the
+purpose."
+
+"I know Mr. Winter very well," said the inspector.
+
+The stranger looked at me keenly, and when his scrutiny was completed he
+fell to whistling a bar of Chopin's _Marche Funèbre_. Then he turned to
+his colleague in uniform.
+
+"It's no go," he said. "This is not our man." Again he turned to me. "I
+am Inspector Forrest of Scotland Yard, detailed for special duty in
+connection with this Motor Pirate affair. Unfortunately I did not reach
+Watford until after arrangements had been made to bring you here, or----
+I hope you will not take it amiss if we detain you until Mr. Winter's
+arrival."
+
+This gave me the opening I had been wishing for, and I took it. I said a
+lot more than I can recall now, though I can remember a good deal. Most
+of it was to the effect that I would make somebody pay dearly for the
+annoyance to which I had been subjected.
+
+Inspector Forrest listened patiently to me until I had finished.
+
+"Come, come, Mr. Sutgrove!" he said then. "You must not bear any malice.
+Surely you must admit that appearances were not altogether in your
+favour," and he detailed to me the information which had led to my
+arrest. "You see," he said in conclusion, "that practically we had no
+option in the matter."
+
+I dissented from his view. He said a word to the inspector in uniform,
+who left us alone in the room. Then he came close to me and remarked in
+a confidential tone.
+
+"The fact is, our friend, who has just left us, has been too
+precipitate. You can make things exceedingly unpleasant for him if you
+like; but frankly, is it worth while? Think it over a little, bearing in
+mind that if we are to get hold of the Motor Pirate, we must take the
+chance of capturing the wrong man, since there is no description of him
+obtainable. You will not be the only one, I'll swear."
+
+Since I had relieved my mind I felt better. Besides I was rather
+attracted by the personality of the man who was speaking to me. He did
+not at all fulfil my idea of a detective. He was a tall, slight, stiffly
+built man, with a pleasant open face and an agreeable manner. I saw,
+too, that I had only my own folly to blame for the predicament in which
+I now found myself.
+
+In another ten minutes he was smoking one of my cigars and we were
+chatting confidentially. Before twenty had elapsed, I had confided to
+him not only Winter's and my own experience with the Motor Pirate, but
+also the chain of events which had led to my spending the night at the
+inn. He was exceedingly sympathetic and quite grave throughout, though
+he appeared more interested in the encounter with the Pirate than in the
+account of my mental tortures. However, when I told him of my vow, he
+brightened up and asked me if I was still determined to keep it.
+
+I had just assured him that I would willingly spend the rest of my life
+in the quest, when the other inspector entered the room and with him
+Winter. The latter came straight across to me and held out his hand, and
+never in my life was I so glad to see his honest face and beaming smile.
+
+"What have you been up to now, Sutgrove?" he remarked. "Not emulating
+the deeds of the Motor Pirate?"
+
+"The police have somehow arrived at the conclusion that I am that
+distinguished person himself," I replied ruefully.
+
+He roared with laughter. It was infectious. There was no help for it.
+The two inspectors joined in the merriment, and the last of my anger was
+borne away on the flood.
+
+There was of course no question of my further detention. In a few
+minutes I was seated beside Winter in his car, and we were making the
+mud fly as we dashed towards St. Albans.
+
+Inspector Forrest accompanied us. I had promised to find him some lunch
+if he would do so, and to drive him back afterwards, and he was glad of
+the opportunity of obtaining from us such particulars as we could
+furnish him with concerning the person of whom he was in search.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+I MAKE FRIENDS WITH INSPECTOR FORREST, C.I.D.
+
+
+"THE telegraph," said Inspector Forrest, sententiously "is even more
+speedy than the Motor Pirate."
+
+"Unless you want to send a message from Regent Street to the City," I
+remarked; "in which case one would save time by employing a sloth as
+messenger."
+
+The inspector waved aside the objection as frivolous. He occupied an
+easy chair opposite me; he was smoking one of my best cigars with every
+sign of active enjoyment; he sipped his glass of claret--he rarely
+touched anything stronger, he informed me--with the air of a
+connoisseur.
+
+"We shall beat him with the telegraph," said he. "Clearly he has one
+retreat where he can put up his car in safety. Probably he has more than
+one. It is not impossible for him to have several. There might even be a
+number of Motor Pirates, members of the same gang, but selecting
+different parts of the country upon which to prey. The telegraph will
+soon settle these points for us. When next he makes his appearance we
+shall be able to keep watch upon him, to note, if not the exact spot,
+at least in what part of the country he makes his appearance. Even if it
+should be found impossible to arrest him in his progress, he is bound to
+leave some traces behind him which will enable us to get upon his
+track."
+
+"He does not seem to have left many behind him at present," I replied.
+
+"No," said the inspector thoughtfully, as he rose and examined the map
+spread out upon the table. "Yet there are certainly grounds for
+believing that he has gone to earth somewhere in this neighbourhood. The
+Hertfordshire police may have been nearer the mark than you thought when
+they arrested you."
+
+"You don't mean to say that you still suspect me?" I cried.
+
+"Not for one instant," he answered promptly. "The meaning I meant to
+convey was that, quite unknown to you, the Motor Pirate may very well be
+your near neighbour. I suppose there is no one residing near whom you
+would consider a likely object of suspicion?"
+
+There flashed across my mind the strange similarity between Mannering's
+voice and the Motor Pirate's. But the notion was so absurd I was ashamed
+to mention it. I assured the inspector I knew of no one.
+
+"At all events, my belief is strong enough to keep me in this district
+until I hear something further," he declared, as he finished the
+contents of his glass and glanced at his watch.
+
+Just then I caught sight of Mannering coming up the path through the
+garden towards my front door.
+
+"You had better stay a little longer," I said to the inspector. "Here is
+another man coming who may be able to give you some more details of the
+Pirate. He has seen him, and as he has been a longer resident here than
+myself, he may be able to tell you more about the people round than I
+can."
+
+"A motorist?" he asked.
+
+"Yes, named Mannering," I replied. "He is the man I told you about, whom
+I consider to be my rival, you know."
+
+The inspector's eyes twinkled. "I shouldn't let him drive me into any
+more adventures like last night's, Mr. Sutgrove," he advised. "If you
+were ten years older--my age, you know--you wouldn't need the warning, A
+bout of rheumatic fever would be small consolation for the loss of the
+lady."
+
+I could not reply, for at that moment Mannering entered.
+
+"Glad to see you home again, Sutgrove," he said heartily. "I'm not the
+only one either. Miss Maitland asked me to call, for after seeing you in
+such bad company this morning---- Hullo! I beg your pardon, I thought
+you were alone." He stopped suddenly on catching sight of Inspector
+Forrest.
+
+I introduced my guest and Mannering acknowledged the introduction
+easily.
+
+"Inspector Forrest will assure you that I have only been unfortunate
+enough to have been the object of our local constabulary's misplaced
+zeal. They took me for our mutual friend the Motor Pirate."
+
+"Did they though? What an almighty spoof!" said Mannering. "First time I
+ever heard of a man being run in for robbing himself on the high-road.
+Beats Gilbert!"
+
+"Mr. Sutgrove did not see the point of the joke at first," said the
+inspector. I saw that as he spoke he was taking note of Mannering in
+much the same way as he had taken stock of me at the police office.
+
+Mannering appeared to be quite unconscious of his regard, for he
+replied--
+
+"Don't suppose I should have relished such a mistake myself. Anyway," he
+continued, turning to me, "you have the consolation of knowing that you
+are not the only victim of police enterprise. I see from the papers
+quite half a dozen motor pirates have been run in. They may have the
+real one amongst them; but as his car has so far escaped capture, I
+doubt it."
+
+"So do I," I remarked. "And for the additional reason that I have a sort
+of presentiment that when his capture is brought about, I am going to
+have a hand in it."
+
+"What do you say to that, Inspector?" he answered. "Are you going to
+leave the job to amateurs?"
+
+"I never said 'no' to the offer of assistance in running down a
+criminal," was the reply.
+
+"I have sworn," I remarked obstinately, "that I will not rest until he
+is safe under lock and key."
+
+"You had better be prepared," answered Mannering. "I should judge him to
+be a bit of a fighter."
+
+"Next time I meet him, I'll take all risks to come to close quarters," I
+continued.
+
+"You haven't a car to do a hundred miles an hour, have you?" he said in
+a bantering voice.
+
+"My plan is a simple one. I merely propose to go out for night rides
+until he finds me," I said.
+
+"I had some thoughts of amusing myself in the same way," he answered.
+"But, judging from your experience this morning, the only thing likely
+to happen is being arrested on suspicion."
+
+"I'll take my chance of that," I said. "But before discussing the
+matter, perhaps you could tell Inspector Forrest whether there's any
+spot in this neighbourhood likely to serve as a hiding-place for the
+Pirate's car?"
+
+A smile lit up Mannering's face. "There's the old coach-house at the
+bottom of the paddock next to my cottage. It has a door opening on to
+the main road. There would be room, too, in my stables, if I had not
+fitted them up as workshops for my tyre experiments."
+
+"Stop rotting," I said, "the inspector really means it."
+
+He became grave instantly. "Sorry I can't suggest a likely spot," he
+said, and then for a few minutes he answered the questions the detective
+put to him as to what he had seen of the Pirate.
+
+He could give little information of any value, and when Inspector
+Forrest had elicited all that he could, he thanked Mannering and rose to
+depart. I accompanied him to the garden gate. He appeared a little loth
+to leave me. Twice he turned away and returned to make some objectless
+remark to me. The third time he blurted out--
+
+"About that suggestion of yours--taking night rides on the chance of
+being held up----"
+
+"Yes?" I said and waited.
+
+"I wish I had a good fast car at my disposal," he continued earnestly;
+"but the Yard would never run to it."
+
+I felt a pleasant thrill run through me. It would be good to have his
+companionship and assistance in working out my self-imposed vow.
+
+"If you can make use of it, I will see that the best car money can buy
+is placed at your disposal," I replied eagerly.
+
+He took my hand and shook it warmly. "I'll see what my chief says," he
+replied. "When can I see you again?"
+
+"I shall be leaving here at eight and returning well--between ten and
+eleven."
+
+"Expect me about midnight," he said, and without another word or
+backward glance he stepped out in the direction of St. Albans.
+
+I returned to Mannering, who did not, however, favour me with a very
+lengthy visit. Possibly he found my manner rather cool, but the fact
+was, that try as I would to curb my feelings, I could not but resent
+something of an air of proprietorship which I thought appeared in his
+tone when referring to Miss Maitland.
+
+When he had departed, I got out all the catalogues of motor-cars I could
+lay my hands upon, and studied them until it was time to dress for
+dinner. Several times I thought of breaking the appointment, for I knew
+I should have to give some explanation of my arrest, and how to do so
+without appearing an egregious ass I did not know. Finally I determined,
+if the opportunity were afforded me, to tell the exact truth, at least
+to the only person whose opinion I cared about.
+
+I was glad afterwards that I had not sent my excuses, for I was lucky
+enough to find Miss Maitland alone in the drawing-room when I arrived.
+It seemed, too, as if she had determined to make amends for the mental
+torture she had unwittingly caused me the previous evening. So it
+happened that when she questioned me as to how I managed to get into
+such a predicament, I told her as clearly as I could of the state of my
+feelings. It was a blundering, halting statement I made, of that I am
+certain, and before I had completed it Colonel Maitland's entry closed
+my mouth. But I think she understood, for there was a little flush on
+her cheek when we went into dinner which had not been there when I
+greeted her, and a pretty air of seriousness in the glances she bestowed
+upon me, which I had never noticed before.
+
+As far as the Colonel was concerned, he did not worry me for any
+explanations. He was bent on enlarging my knowledge of gastronomy, and
+having a new cook, he was much too deeply interested in the _menu_ to
+spare any thoughts for my erratic movements. I am afraid, though, his
+teaching was wasted on me; for while I managed to reply to his
+conversation, I had not the slightest idea what I was eating. My
+principal longing was to get the meal over in order that I might finish
+the conversation which had opened so auspiciously. The opportunity was
+not afforded me on that occasion, however, but the evening did not pass
+without my obtaining a glimmering of hope.
+
+When Miss Maitland rose I asked her, in a voice which was low enough not
+to reach her father's ear, whether she would answer me one question.
+
+"What is it?" she said, and her face flushed a little as she came to the
+door.
+
+"Is there any one else?" I asked, my hand on the knob.
+
+"What right have you to ask?" she answered.
+
+"No right, I only ask it of your mercy," I replied.
+
+She hesitated, then with flushed cheeks and a soft whispered "No one,"
+she escaped through the door.
+
+Over the port I took my new-found courage in both hands, and asked the
+Colonel's consent to my suit. I gained it. He even expressed the hope
+that I should succeed, but he warned me at the same time that I must not
+depend upon him for any assistance. He declared himself to be clay in
+the hands of his daughter.
+
+"Evie always had her own way from the cradle," he declared, "and always
+will have her own way. If I were to say that I thought you would make
+her a good husband, I'm not sure whether she would not consider it a
+sufficient excuse to accept Mannering straight away. Personally I should
+much prefer you, but there's no counting on a woman's tastes, either in
+men or wines. And Evie is a perfect woman, God bless her!"
+
+I drained my glass to the toast and made an excuse to get away to the
+drawing-room. But I did not see her alone again that evening. Winter and
+his wife had walked over. Mannering did not put in an appearance, and
+his absence was something to be thankful for; and when I held her hand
+in mine as I bade her good night, I said--
+
+"You have told me there is no one else. Is there any hope for me?"
+
+She made no pretence of misunderstanding my meaning. She looked at me
+saucily, her lips parted lightly, her eyes brimming with laughter.
+
+"Come and ask me when--when you have caught the Motor Pirate," she said,
+and with that answer I was fain to be content.
+
+Thus it happened that I found myself fully committed to the work which
+was at that time engaging the attention of the whole of the police
+throughout the land. I welcomed the task. Luck might be on my side,
+especially if my new friend the detective inspector's assistance proved
+to be available.
+
+And as regards assurance on this point, I had not long to wait before my
+mind was at ease. I found him awaiting me at my garden gate when I
+returned home. I invited him in so eagerly that he smiled.
+
+"There's no need to ask if you are still as keen on this job as you were
+this afternoon," he said, as he entered my snuggery.
+
+"Keener than ever," I asseverated.
+
+"Then I hope between us we may be successful in running our man to
+ground."
+
+"Have you heard anything further?" I inquired, anxiously.
+
+"Nothing of the slightest value. A number of people have been through
+our hands, but of the Pirate--not a sign."
+
+"Perhaps we shall get a clue in the morning," I hazarded.
+
+"At present," he declared, "there's not a shred of a clue to work upon.
+Of course at any moment information may come to hand. He may endeavour
+to dispose of some of his plunder, or he may reappear, but until
+then----"
+
+"What do you suggest?" I asked.
+
+"I shall stay and thoroughly explore this district until I hear
+something further," he answered.
+
+"I am thinking of going into town in the morning, to see if a more
+powerful car than the one I possess at present is to be obtained," I
+told him later. "I am hoping to get one capable of doing fifty or even
+sixty miles an hour at a pinch, so as to be prepared for emergencies.
+Meanwhile, if you like to make this house your headquarters, I shall be
+delighted to put you up."
+
+"Do you really mean that, Mr. Sutgrove?" he asked.
+
+"Of course I do," I replied.
+
+He hesitated a moment, then he accepted my invitation. Luck was on my
+side after all.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+MURDER
+
+
+I LEARNED to know Inspector Forrest very well during the next fortnight,
+better perhaps, since during that time the Motor Pirate gave absolutely
+no sign of existence. It seemed as if, contented with the sensation he
+had created and the plunder he had secured, he had retired into the
+obscurity from which he originally emerged.
+
+For two reasons I was not sorry for this interval. In the first place, I
+found I could not get immediately the type of car I wanted.
+Manufacturers and agents were willing enough to book orders, but none of
+them had in stock the high-speed automobile such as I required. Only
+after a long day's hunt did I discover an agent who thought that he
+could obtain for me a 60-h.p. Mercédès, and then it would have to be
+sent from Paris. At my suggestion, he telephoned through an order that
+the car should be despatched to him at once; but two or three days
+elapsed before its arrival in London, and then there were certain
+alterations which I required to be made which took a week to complete. I
+was glad, therefore, that my enemy did not make a reappearance until I
+was provided for him. When the new Mercédès was delivered to me I was
+delighted with it, especially when I found on my return from the trial
+run the engines worked as smoothly as when I started.
+
+The other reason why I did not regret the Pirate's quiescence was
+because of the opportunity afforded me of cementing the friendship which
+had grown up between myself and the detective. It became a very real and
+warm friendship during those long idle days. He upset all my
+preconceived notions of the police, at least as regards the detective
+portion of the force, he was such an all-round man. He had not allowed
+his undoubted powers of observation to be entirely concentrated upon the
+seamy side of his profession. Judging from his conversation, I gathered
+that he knew quite as much about modern French literature as he did
+about French criminals, and of the latter his knowledge was both
+extensive and interesting. I remember on one occasion that he gave me a
+really acute criticism of the Verlain school, with special relation to
+the effects of decadent literature on national life. But that is only
+one example of his scope. Wherever he had been and whatever he had done,
+had apparently awakened in him the desire to see all round the case he
+was investigating, and being possessed of a well-trained memory, his
+mind was a storehouse of curious knowledge.
+
+Let me give one instance. One evening when we were driving slowly along
+a bye-road in the vicinity of Uxbridge, in accordance with our
+preconceived plan--the Mercédès had not then arrived, and our progress
+was additionally slow as the roads were exceedingly heavy, as rain had
+been falling daily ever since the night I had been arrested--suddenly my
+companion said--
+
+"Do you know anything of Persian poetry, Mr. Sutgrove?"
+
+As it happened, owing to the fact that a Sutgrove had once represented
+his country at the Persian court, I had a slight knowledge of the
+subject, and I said so.
+
+"I am never out of doors on a spring evening," he continued, "without
+wishing I had the time to acquire a knowledge of it."
+
+"Why?" I asked.
+
+"It's this way," he replied. "On one of my jobs--a show job, attendance
+on a distinguished visitor, don't you know--I was thrown a great deal
+into the company of a Persian gentleman, and we did our best to learn
+something of each other's languages. He taught me out of Hafiz, and I
+picked up just enough to make me wish for more. Listen to this."
+
+He recited to me one of the shorter poems from the Divan.
+
+"Isn't that musical?" he continued. "It seems to me to have the real
+poetry of the spring evening in it."
+
+I agreed with him, and we were silent for a while. Later he asked me
+diffidently not to mention to any one his penchant for Persian poetry.
+
+"Even at the Yard," he explained, "I doubt whether they would put it
+down to my credit."
+
+I gave him the assurance he asked for, and from that time forth I came
+to look upon him as a personal friend. I confided wholly to him the
+hopes I entertained in regard to my love affair; and he assured me that
+if he had anything to do with it, I should also have a hand in the
+arrest of the Pirate.
+
+All our time was not spent, however, in pleasant excursions about the
+country. Forrest was by no means idle; he had been busy perfecting his
+scheme for utilizing the telegraph in notifying the Pirate's
+reappearance when it should be made. Then he had in addition thoroughly
+and minutely explored the whole of the country round, to see if any
+trace of the strange visitor were obtainable. His endeavours were quite
+fruitless, but he still held to his belief that he could not be far
+away; and the next time the Pirate did make his appearance he was
+confirmed in his opinion.
+
+The weather had been fine for three days in succession, there had been a
+drying breeze, and the roads from sloppy quagmires became in such
+perfect condition that I was looking forward to a really good spin. But
+Forrest had other views for the evening of the third day.
+
+"I don't think," he remarked, as he sipped his coffee after our early
+dinner, "we can afford to spend the night ranging the highways.
+Business first and pleasure afterwards."
+
+"I thought you were of opinion that our friend will be tempted to make
+his reappearance to-night?" I remarked.
+
+"I am," he answered; "and therefore the best thing, we can do is to wait
+until we hear in which direction he makes his reappearance. If we wait
+in St. Albans at the end of the telegraph wire, we shall be much more
+likely to meet him than running about at random."
+
+There was so much good sense in the suggestion that I resigned myself to
+the inevitable waste of time, and I had my reward. About eleven a
+message came over the wire: "Motor Pirate seen near Towcester going in
+the direction of Daventry."
+
+"How far is Towcester?" asked Forrest, the moment he heard the message.
+
+"Roughly, I should say forty miles," I answered.
+
+"We ought to manage it within the hour, then," he remarked. "Come
+along."
+
+Without another word we seated ourselves in the car, and with a
+continuous toot-toot of the horn we rolled out of the town. Directly we
+were clear of the houses, I jammed on the highest speed. I cannot say
+that I felt quite comfortable, for though I knew the road, the night was
+very dark, the light we threw ahead was so bright as to dazzle my eyes,
+and hitherto I had no experience of driving a 60-h.p. motor at top speed
+through the darkness. My companion's _sang-froid_ soon reassured me,
+however, and as soon as we were fairly going, the sting of the night air
+as it whipped my cheeks brought a sense of exhilaration which would have
+sufficed to banish my fears had there been time to have entertained any.
+But there was not. If you have ever driven a speedy automobile at top
+speed through a dark night, you will readily understand that there is
+little opportunity for the brain to cultivate imaginary perils. If you
+do not believe me, try it for yourself and see.
+
+In about sixteen minutes we were at Dunstable. Passing through the town
+slowly, Forrest got news that the police were watching all the roads,
+but that nothing had been seen there of the Pirate. Another quarter of
+an hour brought us to Fenny Stratford. Here we wasted another minute or
+so in obtaining similar negative information. By this time I was feeling
+confidence in my car and in my powers to manage it. Once clear of the
+houses again, I let her rip for all she was worth; we simply flew along.
+With my right hand on the wheel, my feet on the two pedals, I sat as
+tense as a fiddle string, my one object to peer into the road ahead.
+
+We had covered ten of the fifteen miles between Stratford and Towcester,
+when I became aware of a deeper blotch on the blackness ahead. With one
+movement I pressed down the clutch and jammed on the breaks. I was just
+in time. The car pulled up in its own length, though it swerved to such
+an extent that I thought we should be overturned.
+
+There, standing still within the circle of our lights, was another
+motor-car. It had no lamps burning, but it was shivering with the
+vibration of its engine running free.
+
+"The Pirate!" I shouted.
+
+"Not a bit of it," said Forrest, jumping down and approaching the
+stranger.
+
+I followed his example, and the first thing I observed about the car was
+that all the lights were out, and I wondered that any motorist in his
+senses should have courted the accident which so nearly occurred.
+
+There was one occupant of the car, and he was sitting bolt upright with
+one hand on a lever beside him. I shouted something at him angrily as I
+approached, but he made no response.
+
+"Hullo! Are you asleep, sir?" said Forrest, as he put one foot on the
+step and grasped the silent motorist by the arm.
+
+There was no reply. I saw Forrest leave his hold on the stranger, and,
+stepping back into the road, draw his hand across his brow.
+
+"My God!" he muttered
+
+"What is it?" I asked.
+
+Forrest caught his breath sharply. "A piece more of the Motor Pirate's
+work, I fancy," he said slowly; "and this time, I think it
+spells--murder."
+
+For a minute I stood absolutely still. It was one of the most eerie
+moments of my life. Above and about us the black night, beside us the
+two cars coughing and grunting as if anxious to be moving, and that
+silent figure sitting up erect upon his seat, utterly unconscious of
+the two persons standing watching him with horror-stricken faces.
+
+Forrest's voice, clear, cool, incisive, brought me to myself.
+
+"One of your lamps here, Sutgrove, if you can manage it."
+
+I took a lamp from its socket, and held it while the detective made a
+brief inspection. It took him a very short time to assure him that his
+surmise was near the truth.
+
+It was murder.
+
+Right in the centre of the forehead of the silent figure was a small
+blue hole, so cleanly drilled that it scarcely marred the features of
+the dead man. One hand still grasped the lever, the other had dropped
+slightly. When the light fell upon it, I perceived the fingers to be
+tightly clasped about the butt of a revolver.
+
+Forrest lifted the hand and glanced at the weapon. "One cartridge
+discharged," he said. "Surely it cannot be a case of suicide?"
+
+Just at that moment I caught sight of a piece of paper pinned to the
+dead man's coat. I pointed it out to Forrest. He unfolded it, glanced at
+it, and handed it to me without a word.
+
+It was just a half sheet of ordinary paper used for typing, and upon it
+was typed the following sentence--
+
+"This is the fate awaiting those who venture to resist the Motor
+Pirate."
+
+"That would seem to settle the question as to whether this is a case of
+suicide or not," I said, handing back the paper to the inspector.
+
+"H'm! At all events the inquest will," he replied. "I'm afraid in any
+case this ends our pursuit for the night," he continued. "I think I must
+ask you to run on to the nearest town for assistance. Have you any idea
+of our whereabouts?"
+
+By calculating the time which had elapsed since leaving Stratford with
+the pace at which we had been travelling, I came to the conclusion we
+were not very far from Towcester, and I suggested I had better go there.
+
+"All right; cut along then. Revolver handy?"
+
+I replied in the affirmative as I mounted my car.
+
+"Wait one moment," he called as I was starting; "and bring your light on
+a bit."
+
+I did as I was directed. Forrest took one of the lamps and walked for
+five yards up the road, examining carefully every inch of the roadway.
+At last he paused.
+
+"Here is where the Pirate's motor stopped," he said; and, plumping down
+upon his knees, he examined the surface carefully. Then, taking a tape
+from his pocket, he made a series of measurements.
+
+I inquired what he was doing. He grunted in reply. When he had finished
+he remarked--
+
+"Nothing much to be got out of that. Judging from my measurements, our
+friend might be driving a Daimler."
+
+Another thought struck him, and, before starting, he asked me to lend
+him a hand in getting the other car to the side of the road, in case any
+one else came along and fell upon the fate we had so narrowly escaped.
+Then I was at liberty to proceed, and, getting once more into my own
+vehicle, I let the Mercédès drive ahead.
+
+But my nerve had gone. Every moment I fancied weird shapes in the
+blackness before me. Every moment I heard in my ears the strange humming
+of the Pirate. Yet I dared not look round, lest I should in that instant
+come upon him unawares in the shadows in front.
+
+Fortunately I had no long distance to traverse. Soon friendly lights
+broke the darkness. Slackening pace, I found myself in the well-ordered
+streets of a little town. The second person I met was a policeman, and,
+hailing him, I bade him jump on the car and direct me to the
+police-station. Nothing loth, he obeyed.
+
+I have an idea that the story I told the sergeant in charge was more
+than a little incoherent, but he understood me sufficiently to become
+aware that his presence was required immediately at the scene of a
+crime, and he gave me to understand that he was ready to accompany me
+forthwith. Then I remembered Forrest asking me to see that the services
+of a medical man were obtained, in order that he might make an
+examination of the body before its removal, and I mentioned the matter
+to the sergeant. He at once gave instructions to the constable who had
+guided me to the station to knock up a doctor and follow us at once with
+him, so there was very little delay before I was once more driving my
+car at full speed towards the scene of the tragedy.
+
+By this time my nerve had returned. One reason may have been that I had
+taken advantage of the slight delay, occasioned by the sergeant giving
+instructions to his subordinate, to brace myself with a stiff
+whisky-and-soda from the small supply I carried on the car for
+emergencies. Now, too, I had the companionship of another able-bodied
+man on the car with me. I felt that, even if the mysterious murderer
+were to make his appearance, I should have a better chance of tackling
+him.
+
+We were not long in reaching our destination. In fact a very few minutes
+elapsed before we came to the spot where the motor-car stood, with the
+rigid figure of its owner still in the position I had left him. I pulled
+up beside the derelict.
+
+"Hallo, Forrest!" I shouted.
+
+There was no answer. The detective had disappeared.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+EXPLAINS A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE
+
+
+I SPRANG to the ground by the side of the death-car. It was standing by
+the side of the road, just as I had left it, its silent owner sitting
+rigidly erect, still grasping the lever, and looking fixedly into the
+darkness.
+
+"Forrest! Forrest!" I shouted again.
+
+All was silent as the grave.
+
+It was very strange. He had promised to await my return. I looked at my
+watch. Altogether half an hour had not elapsed since my departure. Yet
+many things might happen in half an hour with such a spirit of death
+abroad as I knew to be hovering around. I shivered.
+
+The police sergeant was as much bewildered at Forrest's disappearance as
+myself. On our way, I had explained more fully the circumstances under
+which we had discovered the crime which had been committed. He knew my
+companion by name and reputation, and he was quite at a loss to explain
+his absence.
+
+I scanned the road so far as it was revealed by our lights, half
+expecting yet dreading to see his prostrate form. But there was nothing
+visible. Each taking a lamp from my car, the sergeant and I set out to
+search the hedges and ditches on each side of the road. We did so
+conscientiously for a hundred yards up and down the road, and on each
+side, but found nothing.
+
+When we got back to the car, the sergeant said to me--
+
+"Perhaps Mr. Forrest has found a clue, and thought he would waste no
+time in following it up."
+
+The suggestion seemed feasible enough, but just at that moment my glance
+fell on something at my feet which put the idea to flight. Lying on the
+road was a large button. I picked it up. I saw at once that it had been
+torn violently away from the garment to which it had been attached, for
+a piece of the cloth had come away with it, I looked at it narrowly--the
+cloth was of the same material as the overcoat Forrest had been wearing.
+
+The button had been almost under the wheels of my car, so I backed the
+Mercédès a few yards, and looked about for further traces. In the space
+thus laid bare there lay a lamp smashed to pieces. I picked up the
+frame, and saw that it was one of the lamps taken from the other motor.
+Further search only revealed another button similarly attached to a
+shred of cloth like the first one I had found. That was all.
+
+The sergeant looked at me and I at him. One thought was in both our
+minds, and we gave utterance to it simultaneously.
+
+"The Motor Pirate has been back again."
+
+"You must have scared him away the first time, and on his return to
+complete the job he found the inspector here, and----"
+
+The sergeant did not complete his sentence, but glanced apprehensively
+up and down the road.
+
+"If he has returned, I don't see what he can have done with Forrest," I
+replied.
+
+"Heaven knows!" the man replied, involuntarily lowering his voice. "I--I
+begin to believe that this Motor Pirate is--is the Devil."
+
+"Nonsense, man!" I said sharply.
+
+To tell the truth, my own nerves, in spite of the whisky, were in none
+too firm a condition; and I knew it would be fatal to allow myself to
+become infected by the very obvious funk which had seized upon my
+companion. I felt, however, I must be doing something unless I wanted to
+succumb.
+
+"Look here," I said, "you wait by the car a few minutes, while I go two
+or three hundred yards further up the road, to see if I can find any
+other traces."
+
+"I--I would much rather you--you didn't leave me," stammered the
+sergeant. "It's bad enough for there to be only the two of us."
+
+"Come, pull yourself together," I replied roughly. "There's nothing to
+be afraid of."
+
+"I don't think I can stand being left here alone," repeated the
+sergeant.
+
+"Very well; you had better come along with me then," I replied.
+
+He jumped into the car beside me with alacrity, and I started the motor,
+though not until I had arranged my revolver handily at my side. We went
+for a mile at our slowest pace in the direction of Stratford, and
+finding nothing, we returned, and covered the same distance in the
+direction of Towcester, with a similar result. Our progress was brought
+to a termination by our meeting with a trap containing the doctor, who
+was accompanied by a couple of constables. When we recognized who was
+approaching, the change that came over the demeanour of the sergeant was
+astonishing. All his courage came back to him. He talked to me quite
+easily as we returned to the scene of the outrage with the trap keeping
+close behind us; and when we pulled up, he took control of the
+proceedings as if he had never felt a moment's tremor in his life. He
+must have observed my astonishment, for he took me aside and said--
+
+"I was a bit overcome just now, sir. You won't mention it before my
+men."
+
+"Certainly not," I answered. "I was only one degree better myself."
+
+"That's enough to make any one feel creepy," he said, jerking his thumb
+towards the silent figure.
+
+We did nothing but stand about and talk in subdued tones, until the
+doctor had completed his examination of the silent figure by the light
+of my lamps. It did not last long.
+
+"Death was instantaneous," he said, as he stepped down from the car.
+"The bullet appears to have passed straight along the longitudinal
+sinus, and, as near as I can tell, he must have been dead about an
+hour."
+
+"You would like to make a more extensive examination, I suppose,
+doctor?" said the sergeant.
+
+"If a suitable place were available," he replied.
+
+The sergeant mentioned an inn at a village not far distant, and, the
+doctor acquiescing, arrangements were at once made for conveying the
+body there, the sergeant and I setting out in advance to provide for its
+reception.
+
+I am not going into any further detail regarding the proceedings of that
+night. Indeed I can to-day scarcely recall them. I know that I waited at
+the inn for a long while after the melancholy _cortège_ arrived, and
+that I felt curiously dazed amidst all the bustle caused by the arrival.
+I remember eventually driving the sergeant back to Towcester, and making
+to him a long statement, which he took down in writing.
+
+By the time I had completed this statement day had dawned. I shall never
+forget my impressions of that early morning as I rode home alone. The
+birds were twittering in the hedgerows, a soft white mist hung low down
+over the meadows, all nature was so serene and peaceful that it was
+difficult to imagine that the night which had passed had been so full of
+horror and mystery. I felt as one awakened from a dream. But on my way I
+passed the deserted motor-car. A constable was beside it, and I pulled
+up to speak to him.
+
+"Seen nothing of Inspector Forrest, I suppose?" I asked.
+
+"Nothing," he replied.
+
+I gave him good morning and got on. I made similar inquiries at Fenny
+Stratford, and again at Dunstable, still without result. I comforted
+myself with the thought that at St. Albans I should certainly hear news
+of him. But no. I found the police wild with excitement, but entirely
+without any information as to what had become of the missing detective.
+I found, however, that they did not share my forebodings as to anything
+serious having happened to him. Their view was that he had discovered
+some clue, and was hard upon the track of the murderer. I had to give
+them a complete history of the events of the night. But I got away at
+last, and reached home as tired as I had ever been in my life.
+
+I took a bath as hot as I could bear it, and went straight to bed. I was
+dead beat, and I fell asleep instantly.
+
+I awoke some time in the afternoon, and when I had got the sleep out of
+my eyes, and the events of the previous night came back to me, I felt
+inclined to curse myself for having thought of resting. I felt certain
+that if it had been myself who was missing, Forrest would not have slept
+until he had discovered something concerning my fate. I made a hasty
+meal while dressing, and ordered my car to be brought round. Directly it
+appeared I hurried off to St. Albans.
+
+Nothing had been seen or heard there of Forrest, and once more I set out
+upon the road I had traversed the previous night. Again I rode as far as
+Towcester. I had a chat with the sergeant of police, and found that,
+though search parties had scoured the country round for miles, no
+intelligence had been obtained. I made arrangements to appear at the
+inquest on the following day, and returned to St. Albans. Still no news.
+
+I got home again about seven, sick at heart. I had counted so much upon
+Forrest's assistance in the fulfilment of my vow; but that was only a
+secondary consideration now. I had grown to like him so much, that the
+idea that he had met with any mischance knocked me over completely. I
+went into my study and threw myself moodily into a chair. My man brought
+me in some whisky, and hovered about until I told him to go.
+
+"You were going to dine at Mr. Winter's to-night, sir, with Mr.
+Forrest," he reminded me.
+
+The engagement had completely passed from my memory.
+
+"I shall be unable to go, Wilson," I said.
+
+"They haven't found Mr. Forrest, then, sir?" said the man respectfully.
+He was simply brimming over with curiosity.
+
+"No. I'm afraid we shall never see him alive again," I groaned.
+
+"Dear me! Not so bad as that, I hope, sir," he responded
+sympathetically, as he still lingered.
+
+"Not half so bad as that, Wilson," remarked a cheery voice just outside
+the door.
+
+My man started, and I jumped to my feet with a shout of welcome.
+
+"Forrest! Forrest!" I cried. "Come along in, man."
+
+"Well, if I may?" replied Forrest's voice.
+
+"If you may!" I answered. "Why--what the----!"
+
+My astonishment at the appearance he presented as he entered the room
+choked my further utterance.
+
+The man who entered was a veritable scarecrow. A man with a torn coat
+and rent trowsers, and a battered hat which barely held together upon
+his head. He was covered from head to foot with mud. His face was dirty,
+unshaven, disreputable.
+
+"Forrest? Is it indeed you?" I could not but ask, when my speech
+returned to me.
+
+"I don't ask you to recognize me until I have had a bath and a shave,"
+he replied. "But when I have sacrificed to Hygeia, I expect to be
+presentable enough to dine with Mr. Winter to-night. I've been wondering
+all day whether I should manage to get here in time. Meanwhile, the
+least spot of whisky----"
+
+I could not express my delight at his return, and unthinkingly I poured
+out nearly a tumbler of the neat spirit, and felt almost hurt when he
+returned all but one finger to the decanter.
+
+"If you give me a dose like that, I shall certainly be unable to
+accompany you," he said.
+
+I could curb my curiosity no longer. I burst out with a string of
+questions.
+
+"Where have you been? What has happened to you? Why did you disappear?
+How----"
+
+He stopped me. "So that's why you gave me all that whisky. You wanted to
+make me talk, eh?"
+
+I laughingly disassociated myself from any such intention, and, putting
+the curb on my curiosity, I turned him over to Wilson to be valeted out
+of the semblance to a tramp.
+
+The process took some time, and when he came downstairs in
+irreproachable evening clothes, there was no time for him to give me the
+history of his adventures unless we were to miss our dinner.
+
+"And that," declared Forrest, "I absolutely refuse to do; for, with the
+exception of sixpenny worth of rum and a crust of bread and cheese,
+nothing has passed my lips since dinner last night."
+
+"Then you will be glad to hear that the Winters are punctual people," I
+remarked as we at once set out for my neighbour's house.
+
+"I suppose," he said, as we reached our destination, "I may count upon
+you not referring to the plight in which I returned to your place? I
+should not care for it to get abroad that the Pirate had got the better
+of me on the first occasion of our meeting."
+
+"Then you have seen him?" I cried eagerly.
+
+"Seen him!" Forrest ejaculated in reply. "Seen him! After dinner you
+shall have a full, true and particular account of all that's happened.
+Until then--well, assume you know everything but are not at liberty to
+divulge anything."
+
+I was as much at home in Winter's house as in my own, so I did not
+trouble to ring and Forrest followed me in. I had forgotten that his
+appearance was likely to create as great a sensation there as it had
+caused me. I entered the drawing-room first, Forrest being a little
+behind. Mrs. Winter, a fluffy-haired little woman with blue baby eyes,
+baby lips, and a most engaging little baby dimple, was the centre of the
+party gathered there. The other women were Miss Maitland and Mrs.
+Winter's twin sister, who reproduced the hair, lips, eyes and dimple
+with such exactness that it was always a puzzle to me how Winter had
+managed to make up his mind between them. About them were gathered
+Colonel Maitland, Mannering, Winter himself, and another man whom he had
+brought down with him from town that day. The subject of conversation, I
+learned afterwards, had been entirely devoted to Forrest's
+disappearance, and when they caught sight of him the effect was
+electrical. The ladies all jumped to their feet, the twin sisters
+screamed in unison, the men stood stock still. Mannering appeared to be
+the most astonished, for he turned pale and his lips became livid.
+Before any one could say a word, however, the door opened again and the
+butler announced dinner in an impassive voice, which sent everybody into
+convulsions of laughter.
+
+We filed into dinner a particularly merry party. Mrs. Winter had
+arranged for me to take in Miss Maitland, and the fact that Mannering
+obviously resented the arrangement added a great deal to my good humour.
+The fact of Forrest being the lion of the evening did not disturb me at
+all. Indeed I was glad some one else had to parry the numberless
+questions put to him respecting his disappearance.
+
+He fenced them remarkably well, though of course, when cornered, he
+could always fall back upon the excuse of his mouth being closed by the
+official pledge of secrecy.
+
+Needless to say, only one topic was mooted, and I should not have
+referred to it had not the man whom Winter had brought from town said
+something which, I found afterwards, had some bearing on future events.
+This person was a diamond merchant in his business hours, and after the
+ladies had left us, he expressed the opinion that it was a good thing
+the Motor Pirate confined his attentions to fellow motorists.
+
+"If, for instance," he remarked, "he were to take it into his head to
+hold up the Brighton Parcels Mail to-morrow night, he would make one of
+the best-known firms in Hatton Garden feel very sick."
+
+"How's that?" asked Mannering, carelessly. He had quite recovered from
+the temporary shock which Forrest's unexpected appearance had occasioned
+him.
+
+"Well, I heard they are sending off a particularly valuable collection
+of stones by registered parcel post to-morrow," he answered.
+
+"Seems a silly thing to do," commented Winter.
+
+"I don't know about that," was the reply. "Their theory is that the
+chances of robbery are infinitely less than by any other method of
+forwarding. They have followed the practice for years, and hitherto have
+never made a loss. You see, no one knows anything about it except the
+principal, who takes the packet to the post office. He registers it at
+St. Martin's, and the packet is immediately placed amongst a number of
+parcels of all sorts, shapes and sizes; and the chance of a casual thief
+selecting that particular parcel, even if he had the chance, are at
+least a hundred to one, while it is well known that the postal employee
+who steals always lets the registered letter severely alone."
+
+The subject was not pursued further, and soon after we joined the
+ladies. The party broke up early, and I was not sorry, for I could see
+Forrest was tired and I wanted to get his story from him before he
+turned in. But when we were back in my snuggery, I found that he
+considered it necessary to report himself at St. Albans. I was on the
+telephone, so I suggested its use, and he jumped at the idea. After some
+little difficulty we managed to get a message through to the
+police-station. Then settling down into an easy chair with a great sigh
+of content, he reeled out an account of his adventures.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+DESCRIBING A RIDE WITH THE PIRATE
+
+
+"WHEN you left me," Forrest began, "I thought I would pass the time
+until your return in making a still more detailed inspection of the
+ground than we had already made. I found I had no lights. In order to
+get over the difficulty, I went to the car in which the dead man was
+seated and examined the lamps. They were in good working order, and I
+could see that their extinction had not been due to any mischance. Why
+they should have been put out and the machinery of the car left running
+puzzled me. I could only conclude that the Pirate, after shooting his
+victim, had approached the car to plunder him, but had been scared away
+by the sound of our approach. He must have turned out the lights and
+have just had time to draw the car across the road to make a trap for
+us, before making his own escape. This impression of mine was confirmed
+later. I took one of the lamps from its socket, lit it, and looked again
+at the dead body. I am almost certain he had not been disturbed since
+the fated bullet struck him. His coat was closely buttoned. His rug was
+wrapped tightly round him. There were papers in his coat pocket, and I
+could feel through the coat that his watch and chain were still upon
+him. When thinking that the Pirate could not be far off, I regretted I
+had not accompanied you; but remembering you were well armed, I reckoned
+that if you did meet the gentleman, you were quite capable of giving a
+good account of yourself--and of him."
+
+You who happen to have read my account of the state of my mind, as
+faithfully described in these pages, will be able to judge how far my
+friend's confidence in me was justified. For myself, I doubt not that
+had he met me, the Pirate would have been able to add a second victim to
+that night's list with little difficulty. This by the way.
+
+"I did not make a very close examination," continued Forrest, "since
+there would be plenty of time for that when the doctor arrived. Besides,
+I wished him to see the body in the position we found it. So I turned my
+attention to the road again, going over the surface inch by inch in the
+most methodical manner. You never know, you see, whether some trifling
+object may not be dropped by the criminal which will provide a clue. I
+was so engaged when I became aware of a curious humming sound in the
+air. I stood upright and peered into the darkness. But my eyes had
+become dazzled by looking at the white road in the brilliant light of
+the acetylene lamp, and I might as well have expected to be able to see
+through a brick wall. The most sensible course to have pursued would
+have been to extinguish the lamp; but, instead of doing so, I stood like
+a fool in the middle of the road and waited until the Pirate--it was he
+without the slightest doubt--swooped down upon me, and if I had not at
+the last moment leaped aside I should have been bowled over. As it was,
+I just escaped being knocked down. The car pulled up with a jerk, and
+there, within reach, was the person whose capture would have--well, you
+can guess what it would have meant to me, if I could have managed to get
+him single-handed. But for the moment I was so astounded at the audacity
+of the rascal I could do nothing. I was not long in making up my mind to
+have a shot at capturing him, however. I dropped the lamp to the ground,
+and clipping my hand into my pocket I grasped my revolver. I knew I had
+to deal with a desperate character, but I was scarcely prepared to find
+him as physically powerful as he proved to be. I stepped up close to the
+car and with my left hand made a grab at him. It was a fruitless
+attempt. I found my wrist held in a grip of steel. I raised my right
+with the revolver. I was just a moment late in pulling the trigger, for
+he knocked up my hand and the bullet went wide. Before I had another
+chance, he twisted the weapon out of my grasp with a wrench that numbed
+my arm to the shoulder. How he managed to see in the dark was a mystery
+to me. He must have eyes like a cat--that man."
+
+Forrest paused to light another cigarette, and after a couple of puffs
+he resumed--
+
+"But the most startling thing was to come. Holding me tightly he leaned
+over towards me and said, 'Not this time, Inspector Forrest. You may
+think you have the Motor Pirate, but I can assure you that you were
+never more mistaken in your life.' Astonishment is not the name for my
+feelings at hearing him address me by my name. I had caught a glimpse of
+him before I dropped the lamp, but he was so swathed in his leather coat
+and disguised by his mask, that I should never be able to identify him.
+But I seemed to recognize something familiar in the intonation of his
+voice, yet even that was so muffled that I cannot be certain I have ever
+heard it before. However, I did not allow my astonishment to prevent me
+taking action. I threw myself suddenly backwards, hoping the weight of
+my body would upset his balance and drag him from his car to the ground,
+where we should have been on more equal terms. The jerk moved him about
+as much as if he had been built into his car. 'No, you don't,
+Inspector,' he said, with an infernal chuckle; and, so saying, he leaned
+over and, catching me by the coat, lifted me off my feet and swung me up
+on to the car before him. I'm not a light weight, as you can guess--I
+turn the scale at something nearer twelve stone than eleven--but he
+handled me as if I were a baby. I struggled of course, but my right arm
+was powerless, and he could master me with ease."
+
+"I suppose it was during the struggle that you lost the two buttons from
+your overcoat which you left behind you?" I asked.
+
+"Most likely," he replied, "though I knew nothing of them. Really his
+strength seemed diabolic. There was something else about him which to my
+mind scarcely seemed natural. At all my struggles he continued to laugh,
+but there was no merriment in his laughter, it was merely an even
+guttural cachinnation, the laugh of a fiend at the aimless struggles of
+a lost soul. It seemed to give him immense pleasure to see me wriggling
+on the smooth curved metal plate which formed the front of his car. I
+grew tired at last and lay still, hoping for a chance to better my
+position, for I came to the conclusion that in a mere trial of strength
+he was immeasurably my superior.
+
+"When he saw my resistance had ceased, he spoke again. 'I feel inclined
+to take you for a ride with me, Inspector,' he said. 'I can assure you
+that you will find the experience a thrilling one. It is given to few
+men to travel with the Motor Pirate. The pace alone should prove
+exhilarating, to say nothing of the companionship and--what awaits you
+at the termination of the entertainment.' He chuckled again as he
+concluded, and I felt a cold thrill in the region of my spine.
+
+"I made no reply. What would have been the use? But I do wish my right
+arm had been of some use, for I think in my anger I might have stood
+some chance of turning the tables on him. I quietly tried to rub the
+feeling back into it, but he did not afford me a chance of doing so for
+long. He produced a length of rope from somewhere or other, and, before
+I gathered what he was doing, he had twisted it round me and bound my
+arms tightly to my sides. I was absolutely powerless, and I gnashed my
+teeth with rage at the helpless state in which I found myself. There was
+I, a detective inspector with a reputation at the Yard second to none,
+trussed like a fowl, and lying on the slippery surface of the Pirate car
+I had come out to capture."
+
+"Not exactly a pleasant position," I remarked, as Forrest paused to
+moisten his throat with the whisky-and-soda at his elbow.
+
+"No; but the worst was yet to come. He had no sooner secured my arms
+than he drew another piece of cord through the band, and fastened it
+somewhere or other. 'Now, if ever you pray, Inspector,' he remarked,
+with some more of his beastly merriment, 'pray that this rope doesn't
+break; for if it should happen to do so at the pace we shall be
+travelling, you will go to hell even sooner than I intend you to do.'
+
+"With that he set his car in motion, and, judging by the way the wind
+stung me, the pace was something terrific. At first I attempted to pay
+some attention to the direction we took. But I soon gave up the idea. My
+position on the car was not one from which I could observe anything with
+any degree of comfort. With my arms bound, I sprawled out upon the
+smooth, curved bonnet of the confounded car, only held on by a cord
+which I expected to break and send me flying into the next world every
+time we touched a stone, or crossed a rut. My heart was in my mouth for
+the next hour or so, but afterwards I think I grew careless or callous.
+He had pulled the cord round my arms pretty tightly; that numbed me all
+over, and the exposure to the air did the rest. I fell into a dreamy
+condition. I only know that never for a moment were we still. There was
+always the drone of the wheels in my ears, and whenever I made a
+struggle and opened my eyes, all I could see was the blacker streak in
+the blackness caused by the hedges flying past. Heaven only knows how
+far and where we went. It seemed an eternity until it ended. But by then
+I was very near unconsciousness. I have a sort of impression the car did
+stop. I fancy that I saw the Pirate's mask bent closely over me while he
+examined me, that I heard him say, 'I don't think, Mr. Inspector, your
+attentions will trouble me much more.' I do remember distinctly being
+lifted in his powerful hands. I felt him swing me once, twice, thrice;
+then I felt myself flying in the air, and the next moment my senses came
+back to me with a rush, for I plumped into several feet of water."
+
+"Well?" I ejaculated, as Forrest paused to light another cigarette. I
+was so interested that I grudged him a moment's delay before completing
+the story.
+
+"The curious thing to my mind is that he did not knock me on the head at
+first," said Forrest. "I can only explain it by the conclusion that our
+friend the Motor Pirate is a madman. But, if so, I undoubtedly owe my
+life to the means he took to finish it. The sudden immersion brought me
+to myself much more rapidly than any other process could have done. In
+detaching me from the car he must have loosened the knot of the rope
+binding my arms; possibly the water made it slip further before it
+became saturated. I felt the rope give, and got one arm free by the time
+I came to the surface. I floundered into shallow water, and paused. By
+this time there was just a glimmer of light on the eastern horizon from
+the dawn, and I could see the bank was only a yard or two distant.
+Somehow or another I managed to scramble out, bringing half the bed of
+the river, or pond, whichever it was I had been pitched into, with me.
+When I was on firm ground I collapsed. I did not remain long on the
+ground, though. I knew very well that if I wanted to escape a severe
+illness, the only thing to do was to keep moving until my circulation
+was restored. So I got going. It was hard work at first. My limbs were
+so cramped and stiff that I was compelled to stop and groan after
+crawling every six paces. But the stiffness wore off gradually. I went
+ahead until I struck a village, and found out in what part of the
+country I was."
+
+"Why didn't you go to the police-station?" I asked.
+
+"Wasn't going to make myself a laughing-stock for a lot of country
+constables," he answered. "No; if I had got my man, I should not have
+minded what sort of figure I cut, but to turn up such a scarecrow after
+failing to get my man--not much. I had learned from the post-office
+window where I was. I had been dropped near Shefford, a village a few
+miles the other side of Hitchin on the North Road, and I thought if I
+walked back here I should avoid all likelihood of getting a chill. So I
+started. I found I had a shilling in my pocket. I had more money about
+me than that when I started out, but whether our friend helped himself
+to the balance, or whether it fell from my pockets during the ride, I
+haven't the slightest idea. But the shilling was sufficient to provide
+for my requirements. The first public-house I found open I went in, and
+had six-penny-worth of hot rum. My word! There's nothing like hot rum
+for putting new life into one. After I had drunk it I reckoned I should
+get here about noon; but I had not taken the somniferous effects of that
+sixpenny-worth of rum into the calculation. Before I had covered half a
+dozen miles, I found myself so sleepy that I could not keep my eyes
+open. I dropped off once or twice as I walked, so at last I made for a
+convenient haystack, rolled myself up in the loose litter at the base,
+and let myself go.
+
+"That's how it happened I was so late in my arrival," he remarked; "and
+now, Motor Pirate or no Motor Pirate, I am going to finish that snooze."
+
+He gave a prodigious yawn, and held out his hand. "Good night!" I said.
+"The story of my adventures will very well keep until to-morrow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+IN WHICH THE PIRATE HOLDS UP THE BRIGHTON MAIL
+
+
+ON joining Forrest at breakfast the following morning, I found he had
+mapped out a programme for the day which promised to keep us pretty
+busily occupied.
+
+"First," he said, "I must get into St. Albans, and see whether there is
+any fresh information to hand. If possible, I should like to run over to
+Shefford, for I want to look at the place where I had my ducking, and
+recover the piece of cord with which that almighty scoundrel secured me.
+Then there's the inquest at Towcester at twelve, and sometime to-day I
+must put in an appearance at head-quarters to hand in my report. Perhaps
+I had better train from Towcester for that. It will be making too great
+demands on your time."
+
+"Nonsense!" I replied; "I can run you up to town very nearly as quickly
+as you could manage the journey by rail."
+
+"I hope you won't have to return alone," he remarked. "I am hoping to be
+able to inflict myself upon you for a few more days; but it is on the
+cards I may be taken off the job since I have met with so little
+success."
+
+"I hope not," I answered.
+
+"I should be sorry, too," he said. "I am more convinced than ever that
+our friend is living within a twenty-mile radius of this house."
+
+"What grounds have you for thinking so?" I asked.
+
+"The very slightest at present," he declared frankly; "and until I have
+seen the police reports from other parts of the country, I will not
+commit myself definitely to the opinion."
+
+I could not get anything more out of him then, but after he had made a
+note of all the information to be obtained at St. Albans--we were on the
+road by nine-thirty--he became more communicative. The information he
+obtained did not amount to much. On the previous evening, the Motor
+Pirate had not made his appearance anywhere; while on the evening
+before, the only outrage of which he had been guilty was the murder
+which we had discovered. On that night, however, his car had been
+reported as having been seen on various roads in the midlands, one
+appearance having been recorded as far north as Peterborough.
+
+"That confirms my opinion," Forrest declared. "The Peterborough report
+gives the time of his appearance as about 2.50. The sun rises at five,
+and it is beginning to be light an hour earlier. It must have been about
+four when he dropped me into the water at Shefford. Hitherto he has not
+been seen by daylight at all. Clearly he must have delayed getting rid
+of me until he thought it was dangerous to carry me about any longer.
+He may even have been close to his own home, though he would probably
+select a spot twenty or thirty miles away at least."
+
+"It seems likely," I agreed.
+
+"Certain of it," said Forrest. "Now we will get along to Shefford."
+
+We had a very pleasant run, and a mile from the village, Forrest stopped
+me where a deep pool fringed with rushes skirted the road.
+
+"This is the spot," he cried.
+
+He left me in the car and scrambled through the hedge into an adjoining
+field. He came running back with a dilapidated overcoat sodden with
+water in one hand, and a piece of rope in the other.
+
+"Thought I could not be mistaken," he cried.
+
+When he was again in the car he examined the rope carefully.
+
+"Just an ordinary piece of half-inch cord," he remarked. "It's not of
+much value as a clue, but as a piece of evidence--I have known a man's
+life hang upon a slighter thread before now." He chuckled grimly at his
+own pleasantry.
+
+"Where next?" I inquired.
+
+"Towcester," he replied; and I wheeled the car round, and we were soon
+making the dust fly again.
+
+We were not detained very long at the inquest. Forrest had a few words
+with the coroner, so that after formal evidence of identification had
+been given, and I had made my statement as to the finding of the body,
+the inquiry was adjourned. Thus plenty of time was left at our disposal,
+and we did not hurry on our way to town, even breaking our journey on
+the way for lunch.
+
+The weather remained delightfully fine. Clean roads, blue sky, soft
+winds, combined to make ideal weather for motoring. We reached town
+about four, and went straight to Scotland Yard. Forrest went in while I
+waited for him. Then he returned for me, and, taking me up in the lift,
+he piloted me into the presence of the commissioner, whom I found to be
+an exceedingly courteous gentleman. He expressed himself indebted to me
+for the assistance I had rendered the department. I did not see that my
+assistance had been of much practical value, and I said so; but I added
+that I was very keen on the Motor Pirate's capture, and I should be glad
+to render any service in my power which would tend to such an end.
+
+"Anything you can do to assist Inspector Forrest will be greatly
+appreciated," he declared. "Of course, it is not our usual plan to make
+use of outside assistance, but we are not so bound up in red tape as to
+refuse such aid as that you offer."
+
+We had ten minutes' further conversation, and then Forrest and I left
+together. The detective was in high glee. He had obtained _carte
+blanche_ to do as he liked. His chief had expressed every confidence in
+him, while urging him to spare no effort to obtain the Pirate's arrest.
+
+"The fact is," he said, "the papers have been rubbing it into us for
+allowing such audacious crimes to be committed right under our noses,
+and the chief is wild to get the chap. Half of the detective force are
+already engaged on the job. I fancy I should get him myself singlehanded
+sooner or later if he were a sane man; but, as it is, the cunning of a
+madman upsets every calculation."
+
+"You still hold to the theory that he is mad?" I asked.
+
+"Cannot explain his treatment of me in any other way," he replied
+promptly.
+
+"Well, what's the next move?" I asked, when we had returned to our car.
+"I suppose we may as well go for a prowl to-night, on the off-chance of
+finding him."
+
+"We might try a new district," answered Forrest, "You may have noticed
+that he breaks fresh ground every time he reappears."
+
+"Where shall it be then?"
+
+Forrest answered my question with another. "Supposing yourself to be in
+his place, and the desire to attract notoriety a stronger motive than
+mere plunder. What should you do?"
+
+There flashed into my memory what Winter's guest had said about the
+Brighton Parcels Mail, and I said laughingly--
+
+"I fancy I should hold up the Brighton Mail."
+
+"As likely a feat as any for him to attempt," replied Forrest,
+thoughtfully.
+
+I glanced up at the clock in the tower of St. Stephens; the hands
+pointed to a quarter before five.
+
+"Well," I said, "we may as well run down to Brighton by daylight and get
+acquainted with the road, since I have only driven over it once before.
+We can dine at the Metropole comfortably, spend a couple of hours on the
+front after dinner, and have plenty of time to meet the mail on the road
+afterwards."
+
+"A most excellent suggestion," agreed the inspector, and his eyes
+twinkled at the thought of the programme I had mapped out.
+
+We started forthwith. Reaching Brighton before sunset, I refilled my
+tanks with petrol before putting the car up at the Metropole and
+reserving a table for dinner. We had a wash, walked to the Hove end of
+the esplanade, and came back to our dinner with appetites equal to
+anything. We sat over our coffee a long while, Forrest making the time
+fly by spinning yarns about his experiences. Then we smoked a cigar on
+the pier, and so whiled away the time until eleven. If we had started
+then we should possibly have reached town before the mail had started,
+but as we were both tired of dawdling about, I proposed that we should
+extend our tour.
+
+Forrest was quite agreeable. "Really we are out on a fool's errand," he
+remarked. "We are just as likely to meet him on one road as another. Yet
+I have a presentiment that we shall hear something further about him
+to-night. If we do meet him, remember one thing. One of us must get in
+the first shot, and it must not miss."
+
+"Don't wait for me to shoot, then," I replied.
+
+We got our car, and after a glance at the map, I told my companion where
+I proposed to go: a run along the coast to Worthing, there to strike
+inland for Horsham, from Horsham to make for the Brighton road about
+Crawley, roughly about a forty-mile run in all, and I reckoned that if
+we kept to the legal speed limit we should just about meet the mail.
+
+Forrest made no objection to my suggestion, so we started at our slowest
+pace. I had very little to do, and the ride was one of the most
+enjoyable I have ever experienced. The salt breath of the sea was in our
+faces, and the roar of it in our ears. I was quite sorry when on
+reaching Worthing it became necessary to leave the coast. Inland the
+roads were absolutely deserted. We did not meet a single person between
+Worthing and Horsham, and for the first time I realized how easily the
+Motor Pirate's movements could evade notice. At Horsham we looked in at
+the police-station, and Forrest made a formal inquiry as to whether
+anything had been heard of our quarry in the neighbourhood; but, as we
+expected, without result. We remained there a little time to stretch our
+legs and to drink a cup of tea, which the officer in charge prepared for
+us, and on leaving we proceeded at the same steady pace, arriving in
+Crawley something after four. There we found that the mail had passed
+through a quarter of an hour before our arrival, and I questioned
+whether it would be worth our while to remain any longer on the road.
+
+"We may as well make a night of it," said Forrest, in reply to my
+remark on the subject, so I turned the car in the direction of Brighton
+again. We bowled along at about fifteen miles an hour, at which rate I
+reckoned on catching the mail within half an hour. But we were destined
+to overtake it in a considerably shorter time, for just after passing
+the third milestone after leaving the village, our path was blocked by
+the huge van standing in the middle of the road and all across it.
+
+I pulled up at once. Apparently the vehicle was not much damaged, but
+the door was broken open, while the parcels with which it had been laden
+were scattered all over the roadway. One horse lay on the roadway
+perfectly still, the others had disappeared.
+
+The moment we stopped Forrest leaped from the car; I followed his
+example. The first object which met our eyes was the form of a man. He
+lay perfectly still, and I thought he was dead, but my companion had
+sharper eyes. Taking a knife from his pocket, he hacked at cords which
+bound the man hand and foot.
+
+"More work of the Motor Pirate," remarked Forrest grimly, as I came to
+his assistance.
+
+The man was not dead, but he had been so roughly gagged that had we
+arrived ten minutes later he probably would have been beyond human help.
+In the condition he was, it took us ten minutes working vigorously to
+restore his respiration; and after that it took the whole of the
+contents of my pocket flask to restore him sufficiently to enable him to
+give us an account of the mishap which had befallen him.
+
+Then we learned that the man was the driver of the mail, and that
+Forrest's surmise that we had happened once more upon the handiwork of
+the Motor Pirate was correct. He had, it appeared, been driving quietly
+along, when his attention had been arrested by the curious high-toned
+hum which presaged the Pirate's approach. He was wondering what the
+curious noise could be, when he suddenly realized that a long low car
+was beside him. He did not anticipate any harm either to himself or to
+his charge, for, though he fancied that the stranger was the noted
+criminal, he shared the impression, pretty common until then, that the
+Pirate confined his attentions to motorists. The stranger did not even
+call upon him to pull up. He ran beside the coach, then slightly
+increasing his speed, he drew level with the wheelers of the team. There
+was the sound of a pistol shot, the off wheeler fell dead in his tracks,
+bringing down the other horses in his fall, and swinging the vehicle
+right across the road. The driver only escaped being pitched from his
+seat by the strap which held him to it.
+
+"Then," continued the man, "he ups with 'is pistol an' tells me to come
+dahn, an' dahn I toddles pretty quick. 'Sorry ter inconwenience yer, my
+good feller,' ee says. 'Don't menshing it,' I says, as perlite as you'd
+be with a pistol a pointing at yer 'ed. 'I want the keys er this 'ere
+waggin,' ee says. 'Sorry they don't trust 'em ter us drivers,' I
+answers. 'Don't matter worth a cent,' ee says. 'I've another w'y er
+openin' thet strong box. Put yer 'ands be'ind yer an' turn rahnd,' ee
+says. I done it, an' ee trusses me up like a bloomin' chicken, an'
+sticks my own angkincher dahn me froat. With thet ee walks along ter the
+door and blows the bloomin' locks orf with 'is pistol. That did it. Ee
+looks inside, an' the w'y ee cleared them parcels aht was a sight--well,
+yer can see fer yerself wort it's like. The other 'orses were thet mad
+they kicks theirselves free. Ee goes froo the parcels cool as a
+cowcumber until ee routs aht the registered parcels. Ee puts them in 'is
+car. 'Tar, tar!' ee says, wiving 'is 'and, an' orf ee goes jest abaht
+five minutes afore you gents comed along."
+
+When Forrest realized how near we had been to coming to close quarters
+with our quarry, he went aside, and for the first time since I had made
+his acquaintance, I heard him swear. It was a successful effort. He
+returned to my side the next moment.
+
+"The telegraph is our only chance," he said. "Drive like hell back to
+Crawley."
+
+I did. There we set the wires throbbing, and begun to scour the
+countryside for any traces of the Pirate. We did not give up our quest
+until eleven o'clock in the morning. I think we inquired at every house
+and cottage within a ten-mile radius of the scene of the outrage, but
+without finding a single person who had seen or heard of the Motor
+Pirate.
+
+Once more he had appeared and disappeared without leaving the faintest
+clue to his identity.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+HOW WE EXCHANGE SHOTS WITH THE PIRATE
+
+
+AFTER the sudden flurry which the reappearance of the Motor Pirate
+caused, and quite as much in the country at large as in my own
+particular circle, we settled down once again to a condition of
+comparative quietude. Of course there were plenty of facts to keep the
+public interest alive and to fill the papers. The adjourned inquest on
+the victim found near Towcester supplied columns of copy, while the
+robbery of the Brighton Mail afforded unlimited scope for the
+descriptive reporter as well as for the special crime investigator, who
+at this time made his permanent appearance on the staff of nearly every
+paper of any importance in the British Isles. My life at home was made a
+burden to me by these gentlemen. I bear them no malice for their
+persevering attempts to interview me, but they were an unmitigated
+nuisance, since I had no wish to air my experiences in the newspapers at
+this stage of affairs. It was with the utmost difficulty I escaped the
+attention of the gentlemen of the Fourth Estate, for they even waited on
+my doorstep for the chance of button-holing me when I went out in the
+morning; and pursued me so assiduously, that I dared not look a stranger
+in the face, lest my glance should be translated into a column of
+glowing prose.
+
+I have said that the Pirate left no clue to his identity upon his latest
+appearance, and, indeed, at the time, such was the opinion both of
+Forrest and myself. But in the light of after events we learned that
+there was a clue, had we been keen-witted enough to have discovered it.
+In the course of our inquiries around Crawley, we certainly did not
+succeed in finding any one who had observed the mysterious car which
+every one had learned to associate with the Pirate, but we had been told
+casually at Caterham--we had not returned by the direct road between
+London and Brighton--that we were not the only motorists abroad on that
+night, since another man had passed through the town early the same
+morning. When we learned, however, that he had been driving a car of the
+conventional shape with a tonneau body, we paid no further attention to
+the information, concluding that he was a sportsman, anxious like
+ourselves for a brush with the Pirate. Our blindness was to cost us dear
+before we had done.
+
+There was another supposition which I could not get out of my mind in
+connection with the latest feat, and a couple of days afterwards I
+mentioned it to Forrest as we waited, according to our invariable
+custom, at St. Albans for news of the Pirate's reappearance.
+
+"Don't you think it particularly strange," I remarked, "that in holding
+up the Brighton Mail, our friend at once searched for the registered
+parcels, and directly he laid his hands upon them at once made off?"
+
+"A perfectly natural thing for him to do," replied the detective. "He
+would guess that, if there were any valuables, they would almost
+certainly have been registered, and he could scarcely hope to go over
+the whole contents of the van."
+
+"Admitted," I replied. "Still, does it not strike you as curious that he
+should have selected the night when a valuable parcel of diamonds was
+there?"
+
+"Well?" asked Forrest, his attention thoroughly arrested.
+
+"It almost seems as if he was possessed of the same information as we
+were," I ventured.
+
+"According to your argument," he answered, "the pirate should be either
+yourself or myself, Colonel Maitland, Mr. Mannering, Mr. Winter, or his
+friend."
+
+"There remains Mannering and the diamond merchant," I said thoughtfully,
+"and I know the latter has never driven a motor-car in his life.
+Besides, he is scarcely likely to have robbed himself in such an
+extraordinary fashion." We had seen from the papers that he had, in
+fact, been referring to his own firm when he had described to us the
+advantages of the parcel post as a means of transmitting valuables. "He
+may have other friends beside Winter to whom he has mentioned the
+matter."
+
+"There's Mr. Mannering still to be accounted for," remarked Forrest.
+"No harm can be done by inquiring if he was away from home that evening.
+What sort of establishment does he keep?"
+
+"Merely a couple of maids," I answered.
+
+"In that case there should be no trouble in ascertaining whether he was
+out or not," he replied. "I'll see about it in the morning."
+
+He made the inquiry accordingly, but as he confessed to me afterwards,
+without expecting anything to come of it. His expectations seemed to be
+justified in the result. The maids declared that Mannering had gone to
+his sitting-room after dinner, and had been there with his slippers on
+when they retired for the night. They had locked up the house as usual,
+and the doors had been fast when they came down the next morning.
+
+This investigation, perfunctory as it was, decided us against any idea
+of Mannering's complicity, and I fell back upon the theory that the
+diamond merchant must have communicated his methods to some one else. We
+sought him out in the city, and he assured us that he had never before
+referred to the subject. He did not object to supplying us with the
+names of his acquaintances who owned cars, and either Forrest or myself
+made inquiries concerning every one of them. All were to no purpose.
+When we had finished, we were no nearer discovering anything concerning
+the Pirate than we were when we had begun.
+
+Then occurred an incident which should have opened our eyes, if anything
+possibly could have done so, to the personality of the Pirate. But
+again we were absolutely blind.
+
+It was the second week of May, and since, in spite of continued fine
+weather, our unknown terror remained in the seclusion of his
+hiding-place, wherever it might be, I had persuaded Forrest to come with
+me for a run one afternoon as far as Cambridge, proposing to return
+after sunset.
+
+The roads were beginning to be a little dusty, but altogether we had a
+very pleasant journey without any incident of note. We left the
+university town about nine, reckoning upon getting home comfortably
+before midnight. There was a bright slice of moon shining, and we did
+the dozen miles before reaching Royston at a decent pace. We went slowly
+over the hilly road out of Royston and had passed over the worst of it,
+and I had just put on a higher speed, when I fancied I heard the distant
+hum which once heard could never be mistaken for anything else. Forrest
+heard it at the same time as myself.
+
+"Pull up at the side of the road," he cried. "The car must not be
+damaged."
+
+I obeyed, running the bonnet into the hedge and leaving the back of the
+car extended over the footpath. Meanwhile, Forrest had drawn his
+revolver from his pocket, and the moment I brought the car to a
+standstill I followed his example.
+
+"Don't stand on ceremony," advised my companion; "shoot on sight!"
+
+The words were scarcely out of his mouth when our enemy made his
+appearance, coming from the direction of Buntingford. Whether he had any
+intention of stopping and robbing us, I have no means of telling, but I
+think not, for he was travelling at his most rapid pace, and gave no
+signs of slackening as he approached. Once more I was astonished at the
+wonderful steadiness of his machine. He passed us in a flash, the car
+running as evenly as if it were upon rails. In fact I paid so much
+attention to this, that I was too late to fire with any prospect of
+hitting him. Forrest was more alert. As the Pirate swooped by, the
+detective's Colt spoke twice. So far as we could see, the shots took no
+effect, for he did not move an inch.
+
+"No luck," muttered my companion, as the hum of the Pirate's car died
+away in the distance.
+
+I held up a warning finger. "Hush!" I said.
+
+My ears had told me truly--our enemy was once more approaching us. I
+leaned over the back of the car, this time determined that I would at
+least make an endeavour to stop his progress. The road was without a
+bend for a stretch of at least two hundred yards, and the moment he came
+into the straight he was clearly visible to us in the light of the moon.
+I did not wait. The moment I saw him distinctly, I lifted my revolver
+and pulled the trigger as rapidly as I was able. Before I had emptied
+three chambers he was level. I was just in the act of firing a third
+time, when a flash of fire spurted from the running car and my pistol
+dropped from my hand. Something had struck me violently on the arm. I
+felt no pain for the moment, only curiously numbed and cold. I wondered
+why my companion should continue to fire at the rapidly disappearing
+form of the Pirate, who appeared to me to be swerving from side to side
+of the road in the most ridiculous fashion. In another moment he was out
+of sight. I felt extremely sick, and, with something between a groan and
+a sigh, I sank back into my seat.
+
+"I fancy one of us must have got him," said Forrest, in an excited tone.
+"Let us get on."
+
+"I hope you are right," I answered. "For he has certainly managed to
+wing me."
+
+The shock had passed off, and, with the return of sensation, my arm felt
+as if a red-hot iron had been run through it, while there was a similar
+sort of feeling about my chest.
+
+"Really," said Forrest, as he looked closely into my face. He must have
+seen that I was not joking, for he jumped out of the car and came back
+with one of the lamps in his hand. "Where is it?" he asked, with some
+anxiety.
+
+"Merely the arm, I fancy," I replied.
+
+He took a knife from his pocket, and, without a moment's hesitation,
+ripped up the sleeve of the overcoat and under-coat which I was wearing.
+The shirtsleeve was already soaked with blood, and his face was
+curiously anxious as he cut away the linen and felt the bone from wrist
+to shoulder. Then his face cleared.
+
+"Only through the muscle," he remarked. "A fortnight will see the wound
+completely healed."
+
+Meanwhile he was tearing his handkerchief into strips, and, with this
+improvised bandage, he bound up the wound.
+
+"Sure that is all?" he asked, when he had tightened it to his
+satisfaction.
+
+"I've got much the same sort of feeling here," I replied, tapping my
+chest gingerly.
+
+His face grew grave again, and before doing anything more he fished my
+flask out of my pocket, and insisted upon my taking a liberal draught of
+the contents. Not until then would he examine me.
+
+"Your bleeding powers would do credit to a bullock," he commented, as he
+cut away my shirt: "but beyond loss of blood, I don't think there's much
+harm done."
+
+His first impression was correct. A cursory examination was quite
+sufficient to convince him that I was not much hurt.
+
+"Just a nasty furrow," he remarked. "Pretty painful, I suppose. The
+bullet glanced off, turned by that leather coat of yours, I presume.
+Lucky for you; as it is, you will be all right in the fortnight."
+
+I felt relieved by his tone, and assured him, when he had patched me up
+temporarily with strips torn from my shirt-sleeves and my own
+handkerchief, that I felt very little of the injury.
+
+"Now take my seat," he said, as he buttoned my coat round me. "I think
+I have had enough experience of motoring to ensure my taking you in
+safety to the nearest surgeon. It's infernally bad luck, though," he
+continued. "I would swear one of us must have hit our friend, and if we
+were only in a position to follow him up, we should be pretty certain to
+effect a capture."
+
+My mind had been considerably relieved to find that I was not seriously
+injured, and the dose of whisky I had taken had pulled me together.
+
+"You've bound me up pretty tightly?" I asked.
+
+"You are right enough until we find a doctor," he answered.
+
+"In that case," I said, "if there's any chance of our catching our man
+to-night, I'm not going to chuck it away. Put the light back and let us
+get on."
+
+My mind was made up on the subject. One reason was that physical pain
+always makes me feel mad, and I would have given a great deal to get
+even with the Pirate for that reason alone. Besides, call it vanity or
+what you will, I wasn't going to let any one say I had allowed a scratch
+to bowl me over. So the moment Forrest had replaced the light, I resumed
+my seat in the car, asserting that I was fully capable of driving.
+
+The detective attempted to dissuade me from the attempt, but I was bent
+upon having my own way. He did not argue the question at any length, for
+as soon as he was in the car I backed into the middle of the road and
+jammed on our highest speed.
+
+In three minutes we were at Buntingford, and there we nearly ran into a
+group of people who were gathered in the middle of the road. They were
+discussing, as it happened, the appearance of the Pirate, who had passed
+through the town twenty minutes previously. Here Forrest made another
+futile attempt to persuade me to see a surgeon immediately, but I would
+not listen to him. We swept onward. I could scarcely see, but I sent the
+Mercédès along recklessly, stopping for nothing until we reached Ware. I
+would never have driven in the manner I did in calmer moments. Forrest
+told me afterwards that his journey on the Pirate's car was nothing to
+it, for the car rocked so from side to side of the road that he was
+never certain whether I was not steering for the hedges; while at every
+bend his heart was in his mouth when he realized that the wheels were
+never on the ground together.
+
+On the outskirts of Ware we learned that the Pirate had been seen
+approaching the town, but that, instead of passing through the narrow
+streets, he had doubled back in the direction of Stevenage. He had kept
+his twenty minutes' start and I was for following him. Forrest was of
+another opinion.
+
+"According to his usual custom, he is obviously avoiding the towns," he
+argued; "and if, as I still suspect, his hiding-place is in the vicinity
+of St. Albans, we shall stand some chance of cutting him off if we take
+the most direct route. He cannot be badly hurt, or we should have picked
+him up before this, and under any other circumstance we are not likely
+to overtake him."
+
+I saw the force of his reasoning and we flew on. We heard nothing of him
+neither in Hertford nor in Hatfield.
+
+"Our only chance is at St. Albans," remarked my companion, and once more
+I put my car to top speed.
+
+We were just about half way between the two towns when we saw the lights
+of a motor ahead. I sounded the horn, or rather Forrest did, but the
+vehicle made no attempt to get out of the way. We caught up to the
+stranger hand over fist, and not until we were nearly touching did I
+slacken speed.
+
+As I did so the occupant of the car shouted out, "That you, Sutgrove?
+Never more pleased to meet with a friend in my life."
+
+It was Mannering.
+
+"Seen anything of the Pirate?" shouted Forrest, by way of reply.
+
+"Merely had the pleasure of exchanging shots with him ten minutes ago,"
+was the astounding answer. "Unfortunately he appears to have got the
+better of the exchange, for he has managed to put a bullet in my
+shoulder."
+
+"We have had a similar experience, and Mr. Sutgrove is the victim,"
+answered Forrest. "So I am afraid I cannot offer much assistance."
+
+"I think I can get to St. Albans all right," he replied. "It's only the
+left, and I managed to get a handkerchief round it."
+
+"If you will let us pass," I said, "I will run on to St Albans and see
+that assistance is sent to you."
+
+"Oh, I didn't notice I was taking all the road," he remarked, as he drew
+aside.
+
+Once more we drove ahead at our speed limit, and five minutes later we
+stopped before the police office. There we found every one in blissful
+ignorance of the fact that the Pirate was abroad. Nor did any one else
+see him that night. Again he had mysteriously vanished under
+circumstances which convinced the detective more firmly than ever that
+his retreat was somewhere in the vicinity of my home.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+OF THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED
+
+
+I SUPPOSE I must have lost more blood than I had reckoned upon, or else
+the excitement of the pursuit had been sufficient to keep me going; but
+whichever it was, no sooner had we pulled up than I collapsed. I was
+never nearer fainting in my life. In fact I had to take another stiff
+dose of whisky, and even then I was only too glad to relinquish the
+steering-wheel to Forrest, and let him drive me the rest of the way
+home. He never left me until I was safely in bed, and the surgeon he had
+summoned had stitched me up.
+
+Fortunately my wounds proved, as Forrest had foretold, more painful than
+dangerous. The bullet had carried with it some shreds of cloth; and the
+removal of these from my arm was the only really painful bit of work the
+surgeon had to perform. However, the medical man insisted upon my
+remaining in bed, and I obeyed his orders for a couple of days; but on
+the third I felt so well that I rebelled against any further
+confinement, and though still considerably sore, I managed to get out
+and about.
+
+I found I was a little bit shaky, yet I managed to get as far as
+Colonel Mainland's house, and there I found my adventure had been a
+blessing in disguise, for I could see from the manner in which she
+greeted me, that my last encounter with the Pirate had wiped from Miss
+Maitland's memory all remembrance of the previous occasion. There was
+only one thing to mar my enjoyment of the situation thus created.
+Mannering had unfortunately been successful in making himself a
+candidate for similar solicitude. His injury, however, was even more
+trivial than mine, the bullet having merely scored his shoulder. I
+wished devoutly it had missed him altogether, or been a few inches
+higher and more to the right; for in such case I should have had Miss
+Maitland's undivided sympathies and attention, whereas I had perforce to
+share them with my rival. I knew I had done nothing heroic; but if
+Mannering had not been hit I might at least have posed as half a hero,
+instead of which I had to be content with being a quarter of one.
+
+However, I made the most of what glory I had earned, and I am bound to
+confess that I traded upon my sore arm in the most shameless fashion.
+
+Fortunately the Motor Pirate at this time entered upon a long period of
+quiescence, so that I was free to make the most of my opportunity, and
+to devote the whole of my time to Miss Maitland's society. The detective
+was firmly of the opinion that this prolonged rest was due to one of our
+shots having found its billet, and declared that we should hear nothing
+more of him until he had repaired damages. The inaction, however, soon
+became very wearisome to him; and when a fortnight had elapsed without a
+single appearance having been chronicled, he became quite morose. By
+that time he had searched over the whole district, but not a trace of
+any other injured person could he discover; and he was as much at a loss
+for a clue to the identity of the Pirate as he had been when he first
+entered upon the job of running him to earth.
+
+The Press by this time had nothing but jeers for the police and for the
+detective force generally. Meantime the most extraordinary steps were
+taken to secure the Pirate's arrest when he should renew his career. The
+Automobile Club had officially lent their assistance to the police, and
+night by night the principal roads of the county were patrolled by the
+members of the club, thirsting for the opportunity of distinguishing
+themselves by the capture of the marauder. The Pirate must have been
+vastly amused in his retirement as he read of the sensation he had
+created. I rather think that the man in the street looked upon the whole
+matter as the great sporting event of the century, and his sympathies
+were undoubtedly with the man who could so easily snap his fingers at
+the army of police, amateur and professional, who were engaged in the
+task of seeking him. In fact, if he had not committed the murder at
+Towcester, I am convinced that the public would have elevated him to the
+position of a great popular hero. Even as it was, he had no lack of
+apologists; and an eminent ballad-monger celebrated his exploits in some
+verses, which were immensely applauded when recited by long-haired
+enthusiasts at smoking concerts and similar gatherings. All this was
+gall to Forrest; and at last one day, three weeks after our encounter
+with the Pirate, he told me he could stand it no longer.
+
+"I must try another line of country," he remarked.
+
+"What line do you propose?" I asked.
+
+"The only thing I can think of," he replied, "is to make inquiries in
+Amsterdam, to see if the diamonds which were taken from the mail, have
+been offered for sale. I am quite certain they have not been put upon
+the market this side of the water."
+
+I was very loth to let him go alone; but he would not hear of my
+accompanying him.
+
+"What! run away now, and let your friend Mannering have a clear field? I
+wouldn't if I were you," he remarked. "Besides, I can manage this sort
+of work better by myself."
+
+His final argument was conclusive, and he went away promising to look me
+up immediately he returned, and expressing the hope that nothing more
+would be heard of the Pirate until his return.
+
+On the very same day it happened that Mannering also took his departure
+from St. Stephens. I had mentioned in his hearing that Forrest had been
+called away, and he had then informed us--Miss Maitland and myself--that
+he had some business in Paris in connection with the patent tyre with
+which he was still experimenting, which would entail his absence for two
+or three days.
+
+I sincerely trusted that his business would require a much longer
+period to transact; and as he was leaving by an early train the next
+morning, I took particular care he should obtain no opportunity for a
+private leave-taking with Miss Maitland.
+
+It was not a sporting thing to do, perhaps, but I was so much in earnest
+about my love-making, that I had no scruples about spoiling as many of
+my rival's chances as I could. However, as it happened, I found somewhat
+to my surprise that my tactics were not unwelcome to Miss Maitland. She
+confessed as much to me the next day. She---- But perhaps it will be
+better for me to give in some detail the conversation we had upon this
+occasion, since it had a considerable bearing upon after events.
+
+The morning after Mannering had departed was as brilliant a one as June
+ever bestowed upon mortal. Now that my rival was out of the way, I
+thought I might dispense with the sling which I had worn hitherto, and
+directly after breakfast I strolled across to the Maitlands', with the
+intention of persuading Miss Maitland to come for a ride on the
+Mercédès. I found her on the point of starting for a stroll, with the
+object of giving her favourite Irish setter a run, and I was easily
+persuaded to abandon my projected ride and accompany her instead. We
+chose the footpath between St. Stephen's church and the village of Park
+Street, and, stepping out briskly, we soon reached our destination; and
+as my companion would not hear of turning back, we continued our walk to
+Bricket Wood. There I insisted upon resting.
+
+I had never seen her in higher spirits than she was that morning. She
+bubbled over with gaiety. So much so that I could not help commenting
+upon the fact.
+
+"Yes," she replied frankly, in answer to my remarks on the subject, "I
+do feel gay this morning. I feel as if a load had been removed from my
+shoulders."
+
+"Surely you can have no troubles," I remarked, half-banteringly.
+
+A shadow alighted for a moment upon her face and was gone again.
+
+"Nothing which ought to be a trouble. Nothing tangible and yet---- Oh,
+Mr. Sutgrove, do you--have you ever experienced a presentiment of
+something dreadful happening? No; that is not exactly what I mean. I
+don't know how to explain myself without----"
+
+Then she paused, and I discreetly kept silence. Presently she resumed.
+
+"Men are so stupid, or I would tell you all about it. You would never
+understand."
+
+I saw my opening and made use of it. "We men may be stupid both
+individually and collectively," I said. "But I can answer for one man
+being sympathetic to anything you like to say to him."
+
+She laughed. "I am so afraid you will think me silly."
+
+"Miss Maitland--Evie----" I began.
+
+"Hush!" She stopped me with an adorable smile. "You know you haven't
+caught the Motor Pirate, yet."
+
+I summoned up the most injured expression permitted by my contentment
+with my surroundings and fell silent again.
+
+"Poor boy!" she said mockingly. "It is unkind of me to remind you of
+your vow, when you have already done your best to fulfil it."
+
+"Not quite my best, yet," I muttered sullenly.
+
+"Anyhow I think you have done quite enough to warrant my taking you into
+my confidence."
+
+She said this quite seriously, and glancing up at her, I saw she was
+looking into a glade of the wood with a preoccupied expression on her
+pretty face, which showed me that it was in reality no petty trouble
+which worried her.
+
+"This scene is so delightfully restful. I love the cool green lights and
+the cool grey shadows of the woodlands in early summer," she remarked
+absently.
+
+I had no eyes for aught but the face of the speaker, though I was
+indirectly conscious that there was a good deal of beauty in the wood.
+To me it seemed an appropriate background, that was all.
+
+"Yes," I said. "But about this presentiment of yours----"
+
+"It is hardly a presentiment; in fact, I don't know what to call it,"
+she replied. Then she turned and faced me. "Now listen. There's an
+acquaintance of mine, whom I know very well and used to like a great
+deal. Yes, I think I am right in saying used to like. Well, for some
+undefined reason, my liking has change to something very like fear."
+
+"For what reason?" I asked.
+
+"None," she replied. "Absolutely there is no reason whatever."
+
+"A case of Dr. Fell," I said. "Well, avoid your Dr. Fell."
+
+"That is exactly what I am unable to do," she answered, and I could see
+she was speaking truly. "This fear has grown up in some degree, I think,
+from a subtle sort of consciousness that the person in question has it
+in his power to exert a curious influence over me. I seem to be drawn
+against my will into an attitude towards him which is not only against
+my judgment, but also against my inclination."
+
+"Him?" I asked. "Him? Is it Mannering?"
+
+"Why, what made you think of him? Does he affect you in the same way?"
+she said eagerly.
+
+"Far from it," I replied. My first feeling was one of delight at
+discovering that my rival was more feared than loved. But as I thought
+over the matter, my astonishment grew. I had looked upon Mannering as a
+rival, and as a favoured rival, but I was not prepared to hear that Evie
+Maitland was afraid of him, or of any other man for the matter of that,
+and I said so.
+
+"A month ago, I should have laughed at the idea myself," she replied,
+"but to-day----" She shuddered slightly. "Now you know why I feel so gay
+this morning. The fact is, when on awakening this morning I realized
+that I should be absolutely free from his presence for two whole days, I
+hardly knew how to contain myself for joy."
+
+"Surely you must have some grounds for fearing him, something in his
+manner----"
+
+"No. Yet I have thought--but it is nothing. When we have been alone
+together he has sat once or twice staring at me. I try to speak to him,
+but he sits and stares and stares, with his eyes so bright and all the
+time so sombre--so penetrating that I feel that he sees quite through
+me. Just like one does in those unpleasant dreams where one's clothes
+have somehow disappeared. To-day, and now, it seems very silly, yet I am
+certain I shall feel exactly the same the next time I meet him. Then
+when he sees how confused I am he gives a sort of a laugh, an unpleasant
+kind of a chuckle without any merriment in it."
+
+"He's a d----d cad!" I cried hotly.
+
+"I--I don't know," she answered. "I don't seem to mind at the time. It
+is just as if I were in a dream, for I am so fascinated in watching him
+that I have no thoughts left for myself. It is when he has gone that the
+thought seems unpleasant. Then I always think I will never see him
+again, but the next time he calls I feel bound to do so. There, now I
+have confided in you, don't tell me I am a weak hysterical girl or I
+really don't know what will happen to me."
+
+She laid one of her little hands on my arm and looked imploringly into
+my eyes.
+
+"I know you are neither weak nor hysterical," I replied.
+
+"You will help me, won't you?" she asked.
+
+I took both hands in mine and looked straight into her eyes.
+
+"The only way I see of helping you," I said deliberately, "is for you to
+give me the right to do so."
+
+She did not take her hands from my grasp.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"Do you know, Jim," she said an hour later, when we came out of the wood
+into the meadow, "that I told you not to speak to me until you had
+captured the Motor Pirate."
+
+"You could not answer for me, darling," I replied. "But I should not
+have done so if I----"
+
+"Had not found the temptation to do so irresistible," she said, taking
+the words out of my mouth with so bewitching an air, that again I found
+an irresistible temptation confronting me.
+
+We did not revert again to the curious influence which Evie had declared
+Mannering exercised. She would not allow of it. She wanted to think that
+he had gone completely out of her life, and that no more shadows were
+ever to fall across her path. And I was too happy myself to wish to
+refer to anything which should bring an unpleasant memory to her mind.
+
+I shall never forget our walk home. The silver thread of the Ver, the
+old monastery gate-house and the ruins of Sopwell Priory in the
+foreground, the churches of St. Stephens and St Michaels on either hand,
+and in the centre of the picture the Abbey of St. Albans brooding over
+all. We decided to be married in the abbey. I trod on air.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+A CLOUD APPEARS ON LOVE'S HORIZON
+
+
+MANNERING remained absent for a week, and during that time I learned
+from Evie a good deal about the curious dread which he had inspired in
+her mind. Had inspired, I say, for she assured me it had passed away,
+and that she felt quite safe now she was promised to be my wife. Our
+betrothal had been announced the day after the never-to-be-forgotten
+walk to Bricket wood, and I had hastened to make it known as widely as I
+could, for I could think of no likelier method of ensuring her against
+any further annoyance on the part of Mannering. When he saw that he had
+lost, I could not think that he would do otherwise than retire
+gracefully from the scene. If, however, he failed to take his failure
+kindly, I should not have the slightest hesitation about sending him
+about his business. I should have been tempted to do so without further
+delay, if there had in reality been anything in Mannering's conduct to
+which open exception could have been taken. Evie recognized there was
+nothing of the sort as strongly as myself, and she was even averse to do
+as I suggested, and ask her father to hint to him that he should, for a
+while at least, cease his visits to the house.
+
+"You see," she remarked, "if he had made himself offensive in any other
+way, I should have welcomed the opportunity of speaking to papa about
+it. But he has not. His attitude has been outwardly perfectly courteous,
+and papa would only laugh at me if I were to tell him what I have told
+you. He would not believe me if I told him I was afraid of Mr.
+Mannering."
+
+"Besides, you are now no longer afraid?" I said.
+
+"No; I am no longer afraid of him. I am quite sure of that," she
+repeated.
+
+The manner in which she made the assertion ought to have warned me that
+she was not quite so certain on the point as she was willing to believe,
+but no such thought crossed my mind at the time.
+
+"Anyhow," I continued, "if when you see Mannering again, you feel any
+recurrence of your dread, it will be easy for me to pick a quarrel with
+him, and so compel him to absent himself from the house. You see, he
+will be unable to come here without meeting me."
+
+Evie pouted a dissent. "You must not do that," she remarked. "A quarrel
+with him would make both of us look ridiculous. Everybody would conclude
+that you were jealous; and I--I should not like to imagine any one
+thinking that I gave you cause."
+
+"My own darling!" I cried.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When once more we resumed our conversation, I bethought me of another
+plan, and I suggested to Evie that she could always find a retreat at my
+home in Norfolk, if she wanted to get away from Mannering's presence. My
+aunt, I knew, would be delighted to entertain her. She agreed at once to
+adopt this course if the occasion should arise. Thus I thought I had
+provided against every contingency for the short period which was to
+elapse before our wedding-day.
+
+When Mannering did return, however, it seemed as if we had been making
+preparations to meet a contingency which was never likely to arise. He
+learned of Evie's engagement from the Colonel, the morning after his
+return to St. Albans. He took the news very well. Much more coolly than
+I should have done had I been the disappointed one. In fact, a few
+minutes after he had been made acquainted with Evie's engagement, he
+came to us where we were in the garden, and congratulated us forthwith.
+
+"You are a lucky fellow, Sutgrove," he said. "I had cherished a faint
+hope that your luck might be mine, and now the only consolation I have
+is that the best man always wins."
+
+Spoken in a different tone than that which he employed, his words would
+have made a very pretty compliment, but from his lips the words seemed
+to be very like a sarcasm. However, I could pardon the expression of a
+little bitterness under the circumstances, so I made no reply; and,
+turning to Evie, he continued--
+
+"I trust your new tie will not put an end to the old friendships, Miss
+Maitland?"
+
+"Why should it?" she asked.
+
+"They often do," he replied.
+
+"Not if the old friendships are the real thing," I interjected.
+
+"No; not if they are the real thing," he repeated slowly. "I hope you
+will find mine to be the real thing."
+
+A faint smile fluttered across his face as he spoke, and was gone in an
+instant. Neither Evie nor myself knew what to reply, and an awkward
+pause ensued. He seemed to feel the awkwardness of it just as much as
+either of us, and he changed the subject with an inquiry as to whether
+anything further had been heard or seen of the Motor Pirate during his
+own absence in Paris.
+
+"I have been far too busy to even look at the papers," he explained,
+"and he might have been captured for all I know."
+
+"No such luck," I replied. "This time he seems to have disappeared for
+good."
+
+"I see I shall have to take up your job, and devote my energies to the
+task of his capture," he said laughingly. And, turning to Evie, he said,
+"I presume you will not allow Sutgrove to take any risks of that sort
+now, Miss Maitland?"
+
+Again there was something sarcastic in his tone, and I could see by the
+flush in Evie's cheek that the question had angered her. She answered
+almost hotly--
+
+"I am quite sure if any one can capture the Pirate, Jim can."
+
+"I have no intention of giving up the pursuit just at present," I added
+quietly, with a glance of thanks to my dear one for her ready
+championship.
+
+"I don't think I should trouble myself about any Motor Pirate if I were
+in your position," he replied. "I fancy if I were engaged to be married
+to the best girl in the world, the first thing I should do would be to
+eliminate every risk from my life, instead of looking about for fresh
+ones. Besides, it seems scarcely fair on the girl, does it?"
+
+"Surely that depends on what the girl thinks, doesn't it?" asked Evie.
+"A good many girls haven't much admiration for the man who would act as
+you suggest."
+
+"Ah, well!" returned Mannering. "I see now where Sutgrove has succeeded.
+The prize always goes to the adventurous."
+
+Again there was a subtle provocation in his tone--something very like a
+sneer. An angry retort was on the tip of my tongue, but a glance from
+Evie checked it, and soon after he left us together.
+
+"You must not be angry with him," she said, as soon as we were alone.
+"He does not know you as I do; and besides I think he--he must be
+disappointed."
+
+"There's not the slightest doubt about that," I answered emphatically.
+"He is badly hit, and he takes it pretty well considering. I know I
+shouldn't have taken my gruel so coolly. In fact, that is just what I
+don't like about him. One never knows what is going on behind that
+handsome mask of his."
+
+"Handsome," she said. "Do you call him handsome?"
+
+"Yes. I should say he was one of the handsomest men of my acquaintance.
+How could you ever bestow a single glance or thought upon me when----"
+
+Evie placed her hand upon my lips. "You dear, foolish old boy," she
+said. "There is only one face in the whole wide world which I think is
+really handsome, and I have thought so from the first time I caught
+sight of it."
+
+There was another interlude in our conversation--they were pretty
+frequent in those days--and the subject dropped for a time. It recurred
+frequently, however, and gradually I perceived that whatever subject we
+discussed, sooner or later, Mannering's name was bound to crop up. At
+first I rather encouraged Evie to talk about him; but, after a while, I
+discovered that I was ministering to the feeling which I thought had
+been destroyed. I could not help but notice that, soon after Mannering's
+return, Evie's high spirits became subdued--her gaiety less spontaneous.
+Yet when I asked her whether Mannering's presence produced any effect
+upon her, she assured me to the contrary.
+
+Nor did I see how Mannering could possibly exert any influence over her.
+I took particular care that he should never have a _tête-à-tête_ with
+her. Sometimes she would not even see him for a couple of days at a
+time, and when she did, it would be merely for a few minutes, and
+nearly always in the presence of Colonel Maitland as well as myself.
+
+It appeared to me, indeed, as if Mannering even took pains to avoid
+seeing much of her; and, though I watched him closely, his bearing was
+always studiously correct. He was the same _insouciant_ person who had
+impressed me so favourably upon my first introduction to him. But
+whether it was owing to the distrust which Evie's fear of him had
+impressed upon me, or because I could really see things which had before
+been hidden from my sight, I certainly did observe about him certain
+singularities which I had never before remarked. I saw, for instance,
+that, in speaking of his face as a handsome mask, I had been nearer the
+truth than I had known. On more than one occasion, while his lips were
+parted in a genial smile, I observed in his eyes an expression strangely
+at variance therewith. It was the expression of a cat when it crouches
+to spring upon a mouse. I have seen that look bent upon my betrothed. I
+have caught it directed at myself. There was a restlessness, too, which
+gave the lie to his nonchalant manner. I could see that he forced
+himself to remain still. His fingers were always busy with something or
+other.
+
+These were trifles, and equally trivial seemed the sarcasms which he
+directed at me now and again. These I attributed to the ebullitions of
+temper, natural enough in a defeated suitor. In my heart I pitied him,
+for I fancied I knew what a struggle it must have cost him to stand
+aside and watch a successful rival's happiness.
+
+As the days passed, a certain constraint appeared to have arisen between
+Evie and myself. I told myself that the idea was foolish, and yet I knew
+that it was not so. Mind, I had not the slightest doubt as to the
+strength of Evie's love for me. She expressed it clearly, yet there was
+something drawing us apart, and I began to be afraid.
+
+Towards the middle of June the tension became so great, that I could see
+the time had arrived when it would be necessary to do something; and,
+one night, I determined to mention the matter. Accordingly, after
+dinner, I persuaded Evie to come into the garden, with the intention to
+speak firmly in my mind. There, however, in the faint light of the
+summer night, with the sweet scent of the early roses filling the air, I
+forgot everything in the blissfulness of my lot. We had paced our
+favourite walk once in silence--my heart was too full of delight for
+speech--when, as we retraced our steps, to my surprise, Evie burst
+suddenly into passionate tears. Some minutes elapsed before I could calm
+her, and when I managed at last to do so, it needed all my powers of
+persuasion to get her to confide in me the cause of her outburst. At
+first she said it was nothing but the hysteria of happiness. Then she
+asked me, with a fierce clutch on my arm, if I should think her
+unmaidenly if she asked that our wedding-day should be hastened. We had
+fixed it for September, so I at once suggested July.
+
+Her mood changed at once. She said she was not feeling well, and that I
+must not listen to her. But being now thoroughly alarmed at her
+obviously nervous condition, I questioned her until I elicited from her
+that all her old dread of Mannering had returned, and with double
+intensity, in that it was accompanied by a presentiment of disaster to
+myself.
+
+"Jim," she said, looking up into my face with eyes which glowed in the
+faint light like stars, "I shall not feel sure of you until I am with
+you always. I want to be near you to look after you. Every moment you
+are absent from my side, I am imagining all sorts of horrible things
+happening to you. And it is worse to bear, because, it seems to me, that
+I am the cause of it all."
+
+I strove to laugh away her fears, but, say what I would, I could not
+dispel the thought in her mind that some disaster threatened our love.
+Probing her mind for the foundation of her belief, I was not surprised
+to find that Mannering had something to do with it.
+
+I did my best to make her mind easy, while determining that I would at
+once take steps to secure change of air and scene for her at some spot
+where my late rival should not come. She became tolerably composed at
+last, and I took her back to the drawing-room, where I was glad to find
+Mrs. Winter, in whom I recognized a most useful sedative for
+over-excited nerves.
+
+We had a little music, and with that and the commonplaces of
+conversation, the evening passed until eleven had struck, and the
+Colonel's yawns warned me that the time had arrived for taking my
+departure.
+
+The Winters and myself had just risen to leave when we heard a hasty
+step on the gravel outside, and, turning, we saw a man's figure at one
+of the French windows opening on to the garden.
+
+"Hullo!" said the Colonel. "Who's that?"
+
+The new-comer stepped into the room, and, as the light fell upon his
+face, I recognized Forrest. He nodded to me and turned to the Colonel.
+
+"I trust you will excuse this unceremonious call of mine, Colonel
+Maitland," he said. "But I was desirous of seeing Mr. Sutgrove
+immediately, and I guessed I should find him here."
+
+"I'll excuse you, if you will come to the smoking-room and drink Mr.
+Sutgrove's health in a whisky-and-seltzer," replied the Colonel,
+heartily.
+
+"I don't think I can spare the time," said the detective, quietly.
+
+"Nonsense, man! You must drink the health of my future son-in-law!" he
+declared.
+
+"Most certainly," remarked Forrest. "I can find time for that, even
+though----" He paused, and then said, with quiet incisiveness, "Even
+though the Motor Pirate is upon the road again!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+A CLUE AT LAST
+
+
+IMMEDIATELY Forrest had made his dramatic announcement, I glanced at
+Evie, for in view of the apprehension she had exhibited earlier in the
+evening, I was just a little doubtful as to whether she would take
+kindly to the renewal of my attempts to catch the Pirate. To my
+satisfaction, she exhibited no signs of trepidation, if she did not
+appear altogether delighted that I was to have another opportunity of
+distinguishing myself. In fact as soon as the detective had followed
+Colonel Maitland from the room, she told me that she was glad.
+
+"I don't fear for you a scrap, Jim. At least not much," she said. "I
+know you won't do anything foolish, for my sake."
+
+I interrupted with, "Nor for my own."
+
+"And do you know," she continued, "I have a queer sort of impression
+that when the Pirate is captured, this horrible depression which has
+been hanging over me will disappear altogether."
+
+"Then captured he must be without delay," I said.
+
+"Though I don't see how Mannering will be affected thereby."
+
+"I am not so sure about that," said Evie.
+
+"You surely cannot think that Mannering is in any way connected with the
+Motor Pirate?" I inquired in surprise, for any such idea had long passed
+from my mind.
+
+"I don't know," she remarked dreamily; "I don't know. But I should not
+be surprised. I really could believe anything about him."
+
+I reminded her of the steps Forrest had taken to assure himself that
+there were no grounds for such a suspicion, but she was not convinced;
+so I forbore to continue the discussion, changing the conversation to
+the arrangements to be made for her proposed visit to Norfolk. It was
+decided that I should write at once to my aunt, and that she should be
+ready to start the moment I received a reply. We had settled all the
+preliminaries by the time the Colonel and Forrest returned, and I bade
+her good night, feeling quite easy in my mind.
+
+"I am delighted to be able to congratulate you," said Forrest, the
+moment we were outside.
+
+"I am the luckiest man in the world," I replied.
+
+"You are," returned the detective, emphatically. "All the same, I should
+not have been sorry if Miss Maitland had stuck to her intention of
+refusing to listen to you until after the capture of the Pirate."
+
+"Why?" I demanded.
+
+"For purely selfish reasons," he replied. "I take it you will not be so
+keen on the chase. Men in your position don't take risks."
+
+I held out my hand to him. "Put your fist in that," I said. "What I have
+promised, I stick to; and, to tell the truth, I was never keener on
+anything in my life."
+
+"That's good news for me," he answered, and I could tell from his tone
+that he meant it. Besides, he was not a man given to the paying of idle
+compliments.
+
+We were walking quietly towards my cottage as we talked, and the impulse
+came upon me to confide to him the presentiment which Evie had in regard
+to the capture of the Pirate relieving her from her burden of fear. That
+necessitated my explaining as well as I could the curious influence
+which Mannering exercised over her. Forrest listened attentively.
+
+"Curious," he muttered, when I had finished. "It is very curious that
+the fellow should have produced such an impression on Miss Maitland. By
+the way, he was not at the Colonel's to-night."
+
+"No," I replied.
+
+"I wonder----" he began. He never finished the sentence, nor did he
+speak again until he reached my door. There he paused, and said lightly,
+"I think I should like to discover whether the disappointed lover is at
+home to-night. Are you prepared for a little amateur burglary,
+Sutgrove?"
+
+"Ready for anything," I assured him.
+
+"It seems a little absurd to suspect Mannering," he remarked
+meditatively. "Yet there are times when a woman's intuition is a better
+guide than a man's ratiocination."
+
+"You didn't get any clue in Amsterdam, then?" I asked tentatively, for I
+was curious to hear the results of his journey.
+
+"No, no. Nothing at all in Holland."
+
+"If Mannering were the Pirate, and had tried to dispose of his plunder
+there, you would in all probability have caught him; but he would
+scarcely have chosen to go abroad at the same time as yourself," I
+remarked.
+
+Forrest emitted a long, low whistle. "By Jove!" he said. "Then it was
+indeed he whom I saw in Vienna."
+
+"In Vienna?" I queried.
+
+"When did he leave England?" asked the detective, ignoring my question.
+
+"The very day you left," I replied promptly.
+
+"Come, this is getting interesting," he said. "Tonight we will most
+certainly let the Pirate do his worst on the roads. We will look for a
+clue to the mystery of his identity nearer home." He looked at his
+watch. "It's a little too early to pay our call, so if you don't mind, I
+will come in and we can discuss the matter at leisure."
+
+To say that Forrest's enigmatic utterances filled me with excitement,
+very inadequately expresses the state of my mind. He followed me
+indoors, and, while I mixed a drink for each of us, he saw that the
+windows and doors were closed. Then seating himself in an easy chair, he
+selected a cigar and remarked--
+
+"Now we can talk."
+
+"I thought you only intended to go to Amsterdam," I began.
+
+"That was my intention," he replied. "But before giving you the results
+of my inquiries--it won't take long, by the way--I should like to ask
+you one or two questions, if I may?"
+
+"Fire away," I said.
+
+"Did you mention to any one where I had gone?"
+
+"Not to a soul. At least certainly not at the time, though I have
+probably mentioned the matter to Miss Maitland since."
+
+"Oh, you young lovers!" he interjected.
+
+"She would not speak of the matter, I know. I gave out to every one else
+that you had been recalled to London."
+
+"Anyway, it would not have mattered if she had, as Mannering left on the
+same day as myself. Where did he say he was going?"
+
+"He said he was bound for Paris on business connected with some patents
+he was applying for. He told us he would be absent for two or three
+days; and as a matter of fact, he was away for ten."
+
+"That would about fit in," remarked the detective, after a moment's
+thought. "But of that you shall judge for yourself." He moistened his
+lips and pulled at his cigar until it was well alight, and then he
+commenced his story.
+
+"I carried out my original intention, and the night after I left you I
+caught the 8.30 at Liverpool Street. The next morning I was in
+Amsterdam. I stayed there three days, until I was quite convinced that
+no such parcel of diamonds as had been stolen had been offered for sale
+to any of the Dutch dealers. I could not have failed to hear of it if
+any such attempt had been made. While there I had the good fortune to
+make the acquaintance of a Russian agent, whose work I fancy must have
+been largely political. Ivan Stroviloff his name was, and he had
+acquaintances in most European capitals. I discussed the matter with
+him. He thought that an attempt to dispose of the stones was much more
+likely to be made in Vienna or St. Petersburg than anywhere else except
+Paris. I was aware of our agents in Paris having been fully informed,
+and I knew it was not worth my while to go there; but beyond notifying
+the Austrian police, I doubted whether any steps had been taken in
+regard to Vienna, so I determined to proceed to the Austrian capital.
+Stroviloff proved a very decent fellow, rather an exception to the
+general run, for I don't take to those Russian agents as a rule; and as
+I was able to give him a few hints and some introductions over here--he
+was going on to London--he gave me in return letters to some of his
+colleagues in Vienna and Petersburg, thinking they would probably be of
+more use to me than application through the usual official channels.
+Well, I went on to Vienna. I won't weary you with a history of my
+fruitless inquiries, it would take far too much time. Anyhow, I did find
+eventually that a parcel of diamonds had been disposed of there, and, as
+Stroviloff had predicted, I obtained the information through one of the
+Russian agents and not through the Viennese police. I will say that I do
+not see how the latter could have helped me, for the purchaser was the
+representative of a Petersburg house who happened to be in Vienna for
+the purpose of attending the sale of the Princess Novikoff's jewels--you
+probably saw all about it in the papers."
+
+It was a remarkable sale, and the extraordinary prices realized are
+probably fresh in most people's memories. I told Forrest I had seen
+accounts of it, and he continued.
+
+"Unfortunately I did not get the information until after the
+representative in question had returned to Petersburg. There was nothing
+left for me to do but to follow him there if I wanted to satisfy myself
+as to whether the stones of which I had heard were really the ones
+stolen from the mail. It was rather like a wild goose chase, but I went.
+It was the day before I started that I saw the man who reminded me so
+forcibly of your friend Mannering. It was a very fleeting glimpse of a
+face which looked in at the door of a restaurant where I happened to be
+dining, and I should not like to swear that it was he whom I saw. At the
+time, I put my fancy down to one of those casual likenesses which
+sometimes lead even keen observers to accost total strangers in the
+streets as acquaintances. The likeness was, however, undeniable, in
+spite of something strange about his appearance. However, I paid no
+attention to the incident, and the next morning I was on my way to
+Petersburg. There I found no difficulty in obtaining full particulars
+from the dealer. I have no doubt but that he has purchased the stones
+which were stolen from the Brighton mail. In size, weight, and quality
+they answered to the description perfectly. I learned from him that the
+man from whom he had bought the stones had been introduced to him by a
+well-known Viennese jeweller. The price asked, though not very greatly
+below market value, was low enough to tempt him to purchase. The man who
+offered them suggested that payment should be made, not to himself, but
+to his firm in Amsterdam. The transaction seemed in every way _bonâ
+fide_, the explanation as to the low price being that the Amsterdam firm
+was rather pressed for cash, and so compelled to realize some of its
+stock, but was unable to do so in Amsterdam for fear of jeopardizing its
+credit. The man who sold the stones gave the name of Josef Hoffman, and
+the merchant produced his card which bore the name of Jacob Meyer and
+Meyer, and an address in the De Jordaan, Amsterdam. He was described to
+me as a tall, powerful, fresh-coloured, fair-haired German, of pleasant
+manners and address. The Petersburg merchant's representative had given
+him a draft on an Amsterdam bank and, on reaching the Russian capital,
+after examining the stones, his employer had authorized the payment of
+the draft by telegraph.
+
+"As soon as I obtained these particulars, I started once more for the
+Dutch city without wasting much time. Needless to say, I was too late to
+catch my man. The office in the De Jordaan I found to be a room which
+had been taken for a week or two, and then vacated, by a person whom I
+easily identified as the fair-haired German. The draft had been
+exchanged for a draft on the banker's London agents by the same man. I
+came on to London immediately, but Hoffman, or whatever his name may be,
+was a week ahead of me. I traced him to the London bank where he had
+cashed his draft. He did it in the coolest manner imaginable. He left it
+one day saying that he required gold, and that if they would get the
+amount ready--it was over £4000--he would call for it the next day. He
+actually allowed two days to elapse before doing so. Then he came in a
+cab with a handbag and took away the gold. That at present is as far as
+I have got. I only learned the last of these particulars this afternoon,
+and of course I went at once to the Yard to make my report and to
+arrange for the circulation of the description of the fair-haired German
+throughout the country. Then I came on to you."
+
+Forrest finished his drink and stood up. "Now you know as much about the
+case as I do," he remarked, "and I fancy it is about time for us to pay
+our proposed visit to our friend Mannering."
+
+"I don't see how you can connect him in any way with Hoffman," I said,
+as I rose from my seat.
+
+Forrest smiled. "I omitted to tell you one thing," he observed. "I could
+not see the hair of the man in Vienna whose face seemed familiar to me.
+But one thing I did remark. The man with Mannering's face wore a fair
+moustache."
+
+"But Mannering's is dark," I argued. "It was dark when he went away and
+dark when he returned."
+
+Forrest held up his hand mockingly. "In these days of scientific
+progress nothing is easier than for the intelligent leopard to change
+his spots. Ask the brunette when fashion decrees that fair hair is to be
+worn, and ask again of the blonde how she manages when the exigencies
+demand raven tresses."
+
+That settled me. "There's only one thing more," I said. "When did you
+hear that the Motor Pirate was at work again?"
+
+"At St. Albans. I called at the police office on my way here. He was
+seen about ten o'clock this side of Peterborough and going north."
+
+"It will be rather a sell if Mannering is at home," I remarked.
+
+"He will not be at home," replied Forrest with conviction.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+I COMMIT A BURGLARY
+
+
+THE night was moonless, but there was that soft diffused light in the
+air invariable in June, except on the cloudiest of evenings. There was
+just enough of it to enable us to see our way as we strolled towards
+Mannering's house. When we reached it everything appeared still. All the
+windows were dark. I felt my heart beginning to beat faster than
+ordinarily as Forrest lifted the latch of the gate opening on to the
+strip of garden, which lay between the road and the house. We walked
+along the turf edging of the path in order that our feet might not
+crunch upon the gravel. Forrest was first. He went straight to the front
+door and tried it. It was fast.
+
+"We will try one of those French windows," he whispered after returning
+to my side.
+
+The house was a two-story cottage with a verandah opening on the south
+side facing a lawn. On to this verandah windows opened from both the
+dining and sitting-rooms, the servants' quarters being on the other side
+of the house.
+
+We went round the angle of the building and tried the first window. It
+was fastened. With cat-like tread Forrest glided on to the second. It
+was one of the two giving entrance to the sitting-room. A sibilant sound
+from the detective's lips took me to his side. Without hesitating a
+second, he threw back the casement and stepped into the darkness.
+
+"Come," he muttered, and I followed.
+
+Heavy curtains veiled the windows and past these the darkness was thick
+enough to be felt. Of a sudden there was a crack which made me start. It
+was only Forrest striking a match. With imperturbable confidence, he
+stepped towards a table and lit the lamp which stood thereon. I felt
+exceedingly uncomfortable, but Forrest obviously knew no such qualms,
+for he at once proceeded to examine every object in the room. So far as
+I could see, there was nothing at all unusual about the place. The room
+was in exactly the same condition as I had observed it hundreds of times
+before when I had dropped in for a smoke and a chat. On the table,
+beside the lamp, was a tantalus and a glass, and a half empty syphon.
+The glass had been used and the ash on the floor, beside an armchair,
+showed that a cigar had accompanied the drink. A pair of slippers lay on
+the hearth rug as if they had been carelessly kicked off. Forrest
+pointed to them.
+
+"Mannering is not at home," he said. "If he had gone to bed, these would
+not be here."
+
+"I hope he will not return while we are about," I muttered.
+
+"It would be a little awkward for him," said Forrest, calmly. "I should
+be compelled to arrest him in self-defence, and I am not prepared to do
+so at present."
+
+He did not, however, hurry his movements in any way as he proceeded to
+deliberately search the room. Only once did he pause, and that was when
+he discovered a continental time-table of recent date. He brought the
+book to the light and turned over the pages carefully. A gleam of
+exultation crossed his face, as he pointed out to me a trace of tobacco
+ash between the pages which gave details of the train service between
+Vienna and Amsterdam.
+
+"We are on the right track," he observed.
+
+But that one slight piece of evidence was all that the most careful
+examination of the room revealed, although there was not a drawer nor a
+shelf which he did not overhaul.
+
+"We must try his bedroom," he remarked, when he had finished with the
+sitting-room.
+
+"What about the servants?" I asked.
+
+"If they are not asleep, they will merely imagine that it is their
+master going to bed," he replied, as taking a candlestick, which stood
+on an occasional table near the door, he passed out of the room. I
+followed him upstairs, with my heart in my mouth, and pointed out to him
+the door of the room which Mannering occupied. As Forrest turned the
+handle and entered, I was quite prepared to make a bolt for it. I should
+not have been a bit surprised to have discovered our suspect sleeping
+quietly within. But Forrest turned and beckoned me to enter. The room
+was empty, and this time I assisted the detective in his search.
+Between us we subjected the bedroom and the adjoining dressing-room to
+the closest scrutiny, but without result. We could not, unfortunately,
+make an exhaustive examination, for there were one or two ancient
+presses which were locked, and the Chubb safe let into the wall by the
+bed head was likewise fastened.
+
+The detective shrugged his shoulders when we had done.
+
+"As we haven't a burglar's outfit, we shall have to wait until we have a
+search warrant," he muttered.
+
+With a disappointed air he led the way out of the room. On the landing
+he paused. His keen gaze had rested for a moment on a travelling bag
+which stood under a table. There were the remains of a number of labels
+upon it and he scanned them carefully. There was no sufficient of any
+one of them left for identification.
+
+"He's a clever devil," he whispered.
+
+Then he opened the bag and again his countenance lightened. Inside was
+an empty bottle bearing the label of a London chemist, with the
+additional superscription--"Peroxide of Hydrogen."
+
+"The fair hair is accounted for," commented Forrest. "And as for the dye
+which would restore his locks to their natural colour, I presume he has
+it under lock and key."
+
+He slipped the bottle into his pocket and returned downstairs, I
+following at his heels.
+
+"There's not enough at present against him to warrant his arrest," he
+said, when we were again in the sitting-room.
+
+"Then why not have a look round his workshops," I suggested.
+
+"His what?" queried Forrest, eagerly.
+
+"Haven't I ever mentioned them to you? Haven't you ever heard that
+Mannering spends all his spare time in experimental motor construction?"
+I asked in surprise.
+
+"I think I have heard it mentioned, but until this moment I have always
+thought it was chaff," he replied.
+
+"Good heavens!" I ejaculated.
+
+"I should have been inside that shop a couple of months ago," he
+continued, "if I had thought---- Whereabouts is the shop?"
+
+"Just at the back of the house and abutting on the side of the road," I
+explained. "The old coach-house and stables." Then as the thought
+occurred to me, I continued, "Why I heard him tell you of his work
+himself."
+
+"That's precisely the reason why I paid no attention to it," said my
+companion. "Can you take me to the place?"
+
+I led the way through the French window, Forrest putting out the light
+before he followed me, and carefully closing the casement behind him as
+he stepped on to the verandah. A clock, somewhere in St. Albans, struck
+the half after two as we crossed the lawn in the direction of the
+workshop.
+
+"We have only a short time at our disposal," whispered Forrest. "The
+darkness is lifting, and our friend will soon be returning."
+
+We passed through a side door, which we found unlocked, into what had
+once been the stable-yard. But we could get no further. The two doors
+which gave admission to the building were firmly fastened, and there was
+no available window by which we might gain entrance. We retraced our
+steps, and, passing out of the door, approached the stables from the
+road. By this time the dawn had made such progress that we knew our
+chances of getting inside before Mannering's return were dwindling
+rapidly. We found no more likelihood of obtaining admission from this
+side than the other.
+
+"I cannot arrest a man on the evidence of a few grains of tobacco dust,
+and an empty phial," declared Forrest, savagely, as he shook the tightly
+locked door. "Listen!" I said.
+
+Borne on the wind came the throb of a motor. So still was the air that
+when the sound first reached our ears it must have been a mile away. The
+sound drew nearer and nearer, and while it was still a quarter of a mile
+distant, I recognized the familiar noise of Mannering's car, a sound as
+dissimilar to the hum of the Pirate car as it was possible to conceive.
+
+"Forrest," I cried, turning to my companion, "we must be mad to think
+that Mannering could play the part of the Motor Pirate on that old car
+of his."
+
+There was something so irresistibly ludicrous in the idea, that we both
+indulged in a hearty fit of laughter, and with one accord we turned and
+walked down the road.
+
+"He may keep his fast car elsewhere," remarked the detective, when his
+mirth had subsided.
+
+"It would be difficult to bring the guilt home to him if we failed to
+discover the car," I replied.
+
+A few seconds later we met the man whom we had so lately suspected. I
+felt a tinge of shame at the thought that, a few minutes previously, I
+had been sneaking into his house in the hope that I should find evidence
+to convict him of a crime. By this time dawn was sufficiently advanced
+to allow of recognition, and as he came level with us Mannering pulled
+up.
+
+"Hullo, Sutgrove!" he shouted. "You're about betimes. Been on the same
+job as myself?"
+
+"What's that, Mr. Mannering?" asked Forrest
+
+"Looking for an opportunity to pay back this little debt," was the light
+answer, as the speaker tapped his shoulder gently.
+
+"Any luck?" said Forrest, dryly.
+
+"Not a scrap," was the ready reply. "You see I'm a bit handicapped with
+this old car, for unless the fellow happens to take the same road as
+myself, there's precious little chance of my picking him up. Still, if
+you do not soon succeed in catching him, I think I shall have a good try
+myself."
+
+"I suppose by that you know who he is," I remarked, more in order to see
+what he would say than in the hope of eliciting anything.
+
+"Not the slightest idea on the subject," he responded promptly. "I am
+merely hoping that in a few days I shall be in possession of a new motor
+from which even the Pirate will be unable to escape."
+
+I made a gesture of surprise.
+
+"Fact," he continued. "My experiments have proved successful at last. In
+a week I shall have delivered to me the new motor I have designed, and
+then the Pirate had better look out. Good night."
+
+Waving an adieu, he set his car in motion, and jogged along until he
+reached the door of his coach-house. We watched him dismount, unlock the
+door, and disappear inside.
+
+"It beats me," remarked Forrest.
+
+"Surely you do not still harbour any suspicion concerning him?" I
+inquired in amazement.
+
+Forrest made no reply. His head was bent, his brow knitted deeply, his
+hands clasped behind him as we turned and walked back to my place. He
+did not speak until we stopped on my doorstep.
+
+"I wish he had not seen us," my companion then remarked. "He will be
+bound to tumble to the conclusion that we suspect him, and will be on
+his guard."
+
+"Then you do still suspect him," I cried again.
+
+"If I had one scrap of direct evidence," replied the detective,
+emphatically, "I would have him under arrest within half an hour. Only
+one little scrap," he almost groaned. "But, as it is, my reputation
+would not survive if I made a mistake."
+
+"Why, you don't imagine that he would go so far as to shoot himself just
+to avert suspicion," I asked, still incredulous.
+
+Forrest drew himself up smartly. "Good Lord! What a fool I am!
+What--a--blind--dunderheaded--jackass!" he cried.
+
+"What's the matter now?" I inquired smiling, for the detective was
+groping in his pockets. "Have you lost anything?"
+
+From his waistcoat pocket he produced a small leaden bullet, and he held
+it outstretched in the palm of his hand.
+
+"Here have I been wasting weeks on the continent, while with this I
+might have settled the matter once and for all."
+
+"How?" I asked.
+
+"I needed but to compare this with the bullet the surgeon extracted from
+Mannering's shoulder. This is the one which killed the poor fellow near
+Towcester. If Mannering's bullet is identical with this, I should have
+nothing more to say; but," he continued meaningly, "both your revolver
+and mine are of a different calibre to the weapon which fired this. If
+the bullet which hit Mannering should prove to fit either of our
+weapons, there would be no need to seek for further evidence. I must see
+that surgeon at once."
+
+He started off rapidly down the garden path. I hurried after him and
+laid my hand on his arm.
+
+"Steady, old man," I remarked. "You can hardly knock up a hardworked
+medical man at 3.30 a.m. just to ask him a question."
+
+Forrest stopped and gave a short laugh. "Upon my word, I had entirely
+forgotten what the time was. No, you are quite right. There is no need
+for such excessive hurry. Mannering is safe enough for the present."
+
+"At least, for the next eighteen hours," I observed, after glancing at
+my watch. "Meanwhile, your room has been kept ready for you."
+
+"A little sleep will not come amiss," he answered, yawning; "though it
+seems almost a pity to go to bed on such a morning."
+
+He was right. By this time dawn was breaking with a splendour I have
+never seen equalled before nor since. From east to west the sky was
+stained and flecked with crimson and gold, and our faces glowed ruddily
+in the reflected light. We both fell to silence, as with our faces to
+the east we watched the uprising of the sun; and, until the sky paled as
+the sun made its appearance above the line of the horizon, we did not
+stir.
+
+Then Forrest drew a deep breath. "There's been the beauty of destruction
+in the sunrise," he remarked. "We shall have a storm before nightfall."
+
+He followed me indoors, and, leaving him at the door of his room, I went
+to my own. I got into my pyjamas, but I did not feel inclined to sleep
+for the sunbeams were glancing in at my window, and all about were the
+sound and movement of the awakening earth-creatures. I wheeled an easy
+chair to the window, and wrapping a blanket about me, took a novel I had
+been reading and strove to fix my attention on the pages. I could not do
+so. Whether it was the reflex action of the brain from the excitement of
+the evening or not, but the fact was I felt unaccountably depressed. I
+fought against the feeling as best I could. But I could not get out of
+my head the idea that some great danger was threatening, not myself, but
+the one dearest to me in the world. From my window I could see her home,
+and I drew the chair into a position where my eyes might rest upon the
+roof which sheltered her. There was some consolation in this, and I
+watched until I eventually fell into an uneasy slumber, from which I
+awakened unrefreshed and ill at ease.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+STORM
+
+
+MY tub pulled me together to some extent, but I still felt restless when
+I went downstairs. Forrest had already gone out, leaving word that he
+expected to be back to breakfast at the usual hour. I went into the
+garden, but the sun was shining in a cloudless sky and there was not a
+breath of air stirring. It was insufferably hot and I was glad to return
+into the shade of the house.
+
+The detective came in panting, a little later, with disappointment
+plainly written in his face.
+
+"The surgeon out?" I inquired.
+
+"No," he answered. "But he was not much use though. Mannering kept the
+bullet. He wanted to retain it, so he said, as a memento of his
+adventure."
+
+"Perfectly natural," I commented.
+
+"Perfectly," returned Forrest. "The unfortunate result is, that his
+doing so prevents me from dismissing the possibility of his being the
+Pirate from my mind. And I ought to be doing something. Last night the
+rascal seems to have been everywhere. Apparently he was actuated with a
+desire to destroy everything which stood in his path. One would judge
+him to have become absolutely reckless. Instead of avoiding the towns,
+he courted observation by passing through them. This morning at the
+police office, I heard particulars of at least half a dozen cases of
+unoffending people being ruthlessly ridden down, and Heaven only knows
+how many more there may be of which the details are not yet to hand. The
+sheer devilry of his progress is simply amazing. What it comes to is
+this, Sutgrove. If I can't get hold of him within the next week I may as
+well resign the force at once. If I don't resign I shall be dismissed,
+and quite deservedly."
+
+I tried to say something consolatory, but he would not hear me; and it
+was not until after he had made a savage attack upon the eggs and
+rashers and had swallowed three cups of tea, that his usual equanimity
+returned.
+
+"What's the next move?" I asked, when breakfast was done.
+
+"I am going to town to see if I can identify the purchaser of this
+bottle," he replied, holding up the phial he had taken from the bag in
+Mannering's house the night before; "and to inquire whether anything
+more has been heard of the fair-haired German."
+
+"Then I can be of no assistance to you, to-day?" I said.
+
+"None whatever beyond remaining here and keeping an eye upon our friend.
+I shall ask for another man to-day to assist in shadowing him, but
+until his arrival I should be glad for some one to keep me acquainted
+with his movements. If, as I presume you will, you go over to Colonel
+Maitland's, you cannot help seeing whether he leaves his house."
+
+I promised to do as he wished, and shortly after he had gone, I took my
+hat and strolled over to the Colonel's place.
+
+Evie appeared to have quite recovered from her fears of the previous
+evening, and being busily engaged upon domestic duties, she sent me to
+join her father under the shade of a big tree on the lawn. There solaced
+by an iced lemon squash and the newspaper, I managed to pass the morning
+very comfortably. Mannering gave no sign of existence.
+
+I took myself home for lunch, remembering letters I had to write. I felt
+much easier in mind, and made a hearty meal in consequence. The result
+was that I fell asleep over my cigar afterwards.
+
+I awoke suddenly, wondering where I was. Then I thought I must have
+slept for hours, for a blackness only one degree less than that of night
+brooded over the earth. I took out my watch lazily, and was surprised to
+see that the hands only pointed to five. I sat still for a minute or two
+striving to collect my thoughts, for my head was heavy. I held my watch
+to my ear. It had not stopped. I jumped up and walked to the window, and
+I saw at once the reason why I had imagined that night had fallen. From
+east to west and from north to south a dense pall of cloud hung over
+the earth. Not a leaf moved, and except for the shrill chirp of a
+grasshopper, not a sound broke the uncanny stillness.
+
+"By Jove!" I muttered, "we are going to have it hot."
+
+There came upon me an intense desire to be near Evie during the progress
+of the storm which threatened every moment to break. I did not wait to
+analyse the feeling, but catching up my hat I bolted straight out of the
+window. I had only a couple of hundred yards to traverse, but when I
+reached the Colonel's house, so hot and heavy was the air, that I was
+soaked from head to foot in perspiration. I paused at the gate to wipe
+my brow with my handkerchief, and at the moment the storm broke. I heard
+the crackle of the lightning as it slid from the sky, and the thunder
+clap followed so swiftly that for a moment I felt deafened. I waited no
+longer, but raced across the lawn and into the open French window of the
+drawing-room. The apartment was unoccupied, so I passed through into the
+hall. That was vacant too, and I continued my search through the
+morning-room to the Colonel's sanctum. There I saw the genial warrior
+standing at the window, and watching the play of the lightning with
+every appearance of interest.
+
+"Hullo, Colonel!" I said. "Where's Evie?"
+
+"Isn't she in the drawing-room? She was there twenty minutes ago," he
+replied.
+
+"She is not there now, I have just come through," I explained.
+
+"Then I fancy she will be in all probability in her bedroom with her
+head under the sheets," he said, chuckling.
+
+"At all events I will send one of the maids to see," I said.
+
+I rang the bell, and after giving a message to the maid who answered the
+summons, I joined the Colonel at the window. He appeared to be very
+pleased with the progress the storm was making.
+
+"Thank goodness this will clear the air," he explained, as a reason for
+his satisfaction. "It was so hot that I could take no lunch but a
+mayonnaise, iced strawberries, and a glass of hock. Don't you think the
+air is cooler already? I begin to feel quite an appetite for dinner. My
+only fear is that, if the thunder has not turned everything sour, it
+will have frightened my cook out of her senses, and there will be
+nothing to appease my appetite."
+
+The window at which we were standing faced towards Mannering's house.
+There was a stretch of lawn outside and, beyond, a thicket of shrubs and
+small trees between the grounds of the two residences. I was glancing in
+the direction of these, when I thought I saw something white moving in
+the shrubbery. I was about to say something to the Colonel when a crash
+of thunder drowned the utterance. At the next flash of lightning, I
+perceived that my eyes had not deceived me, and in an instant I jumped
+to the conclusion that it was Evie who was out there in the storm.
+Without a moment's hesitation I vaulted through the window and raced
+across the lawn. The Colonel must have thought me mad.
+
+It was something of a shock for me to find that I was right in my
+conjecture. There, huddled up under the spreading branches of a cedar,
+stood my darling, her eyes wide open, her cheeks blanched with terror.
+
+"Why, Evie, dear heart! What is the matter?" I cried.
+
+At the sound of my voice she started, and, with a little cry of delight,
+she threw herself into my arms.
+
+"I knew you would come--I knew you would come!" she sobbed hysterically.
+
+The cedar under which she was standing was close to the hedge, and I
+fancied, as she spoke, that I saw a figure move away from the other side
+of the hedge. I could not verify my suspicion, for Evie needed all my
+attention. She had fainted. Catching her up, I bore her across the lawn
+to the house.
+
+It was some time before she came to herself, and then, at her own
+request, I left her with her maid and returned to the Colonel. Needless
+to say I was very much worried in my mind. Why Evie should have been
+sheltering in the shrubbery from the storm, with the house so near,
+seemed unexplainable, and I awaited with anxiety the time when I could
+learn the reason from her own lips. The presence of the figure--the
+figure of a man--on the opposite side of the hedge, was also
+inexplicable. I should have guessed it to be Mannering, but I would have
+staked my life upon Evie's truthfulness when she had told me how much
+she had learned to detest him. Besides, her delight was obvious when I
+arrived on the scene.
+
+Not until the evening, however, did I get a chance of speaking to Evie
+again. The Colonel and I dined alone, Evie sending word to say that the
+storm had left her with a headache, and that she would join us later. I
+was so silent during the meal that my host grew quite merry at my
+expense.
+
+"Wait till you are married, my boy," he remarked. "There will come times
+when you will be grateful for these feminine headaches."
+
+I hate cheap witticisms of this sort, but I could hardly resent them
+from the Colonel as I could have done had they fallen from any one
+else's lips; but I fancy he saw at last that they were distasteful to
+me, for after a while he forebore to comment upon my dour looks.
+
+About ten Evie came downstairs. By this time the storm had passed away
+entirely, and the air was deliciously fresh and cool after the rain. It
+was a strangely subdued girl who came nervously to me, and shrank away
+from me as I kissed her.
+
+"No, Jim, no! You mustn't do that," she said.
+
+Colonel Maitland had slipped away upon his daughter's entrance, and we
+were alone.
+
+"Why, darling, what ails you?" I asked.
+
+"Nothing--nothing. Oh! don't ask me," she almost wailed in reply.
+
+I put my arm about her waist, and drew her down beside me to a seat on
+a big Chesterfield drawn before one of the windows. She resisted faintly
+at first, but presently I heard her give a sigh of content, and felt her
+nestle towards me. Then I spoke.
+
+"Tell me, dear, what possessed you to go out into the storm?"
+
+"I don't know," she murmured--"I don't know. I--I felt that I must. I
+didn't think it was going to break so soon, and then the first flash of
+lightning and the voice of the thunder! It was like judgment day."
+
+"It is all passed and over," I remarked, with a man's clumsy attempt at
+consolation.
+
+"I wish it were--I wish it were," she repeated, with an indrawn sigh.
+
+"It is all over hours ago," I said.
+
+She broke away from me passionately. "Oh! Jim, you don't know," she
+cried.
+
+"I don't know what?" I inquired, as I attempted to draw her to me again.
+
+She pushed my hands away with a gesture of despair. Then with an effort
+she rose to her feet, and looking at me straight in the face, she said--
+
+"Jim, this must not go on. It is more than I can bear."
+
+I rose to my feet too, my heart beating wildly. "I don't understand
+you," I answered, though I comprehended her meaning only too well. "What
+must not go on?"
+
+"Our--our engagement," she faltered. She was white to the lips as she
+said the words.
+
+I staggered back under the blow, then leaning forward I sought to take
+her hand.
+
+"No, Jim, no!" she said. "It's no use; I can never be yours. It is
+impossible--quite impossible. My love would be fatal to you! I know it
+will! He said so."
+
+"He?" I asked.
+
+She faltered. "Oh! I cannot help believing him. He tells me that I am to
+be his." She shuddered. "Jim, you must leave me, and never see me again.
+I cannot have your--your blood on my hands."
+
+She held out her slender white fingers, and I saw that the ring which I
+had placed there had been removed. Though my brain was awhirl, I tried
+my utmost to be calm. I think the effort was successful, and that my
+voice was fairly even when I said--
+
+"Come, darling, a promise is a promise, and my own little girl is not
+going to break her promise because of the threats of a jealous rival."
+
+She shuddered from head to foot. "You don't know him as I know him," she
+murmured. "He would stick at nothing, Jim. I don't think he is a man; he
+must be a devil. He can do things no man ever thought of doing."
+
+"You exaggerate his capacities for evil," I said, as equably as I was
+able, for her agitation was so great that I feared for her reason. "What
+has Mannering been saying to you, for it was he whom I saw behind the
+hedge when I brought you out of the storm, I suppose?"
+
+"You saw him?" she queried. "Then it is true. I have been hoping you
+would tell me I had been dreaming again."
+
+"I saw nothing very terrible about him," I remarked.
+
+"You don't know him," she said again.
+
+"He will have cause to know me before many hours have passed," I
+declared savagely.
+
+She clung to me in terror. "No, Jim. You must not go near him. You do
+not know the power he exercises. This afternoon I was sitting thinking
+of you when I became conscious that he was telling me to come to him.
+There was no reason why I should have thought so. He was not in sight,
+but I was bound to go."
+
+"And you found him waiting for you?" I asked quietly, though my brain
+was aflame, for I was determined to ascertain all that had passed
+between them.
+
+"He was waiting for me," she repeated--"waiting for me and the storm.
+That must have come at his bidding too. It was horrible waiting for him
+to speak--horrible! I tried to ask him what he wanted, but my tongue was
+tied. Not until after the first peal of thunder did he utter a word.
+Then he told me the time was nearly at hand when he should come for me."
+I clenched my fists involuntarily, but I did not interrupt my darling's
+story. "I begged of him to leave me free. He paid no heed. 'I am going
+away,' he said. 'For three days you will see nothing of me, though all
+England will be talking of my deeds. On the third I shall return. Mind
+you are ready.'"
+
+"Did you not mention me?" I remarked weakly. I hardly knew what to say,
+for it seemed to me that either Evie must be the victim of some
+extraordinary hallucination, or else that Mannering was mad.
+
+"He mentioned you," she replied. "'Tell Sutgrove,' he said, 'that he has
+three days in which to capture the Motor Pirate and make sure of his
+bride. After that he will be too late. Tell him, too, that death waits
+on the fool who fails.'"
+
+"It's a sporting challenge," I muttered, for I had no doubt now in my
+mind that Mannering and the Pirate were identical.
+
+My words did not reach Evie's ear, for she continued,
+
+"Now you know why I have put away your ring. He is too strong for us. I
+must do as he bids me. I----"
+
+I interrupted her sharply. "Have you everything packed to go away on
+your visit to Norfolk to-morrow?" I asked.
+
+The tone of my voice roused her. She looked at me wildly.
+
+"Why--why----" she said. Then the expression faded out of her face. For
+the second time that day she had fainted.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+IN WHICH THE PIRATE APPEARS IN A FROLICSOME HUMOUR
+
+
+THE fainting fit which terminated my conversation with Evie alarmed me
+tremendously, and as soon as I could summon assistance I sent for a
+doctor. She came round before the medical man arrived, but I did not
+revert to the topic which had agitated her. Indeed, she appeared
+listless and disinclined to say a word on any subject. Colonel Maitland
+was less worried than myself, but even he was anxious until after the
+doctor had seen her and assured him that his daughter was merely
+suffering from over excitement, and that a sedative and a good night's
+rest would probably restore her completely.
+
+I was not so sure that such would be the case, and when she had retired
+I thought it well to take the Colonel into his study and give him as
+full an account as I could of all that had led up to the fainting fit.
+He listened to my story with attention, and when I had done, though I
+could plainly see that he thought his daughter's fears were due to her
+own morbid fancy, yet he agreed with me that it would be well that she
+should have a change of scene at the earliest possible moment.
+
+After arriving at this decision I determined to at once seek out
+Mannering, and demand from him some explanation of his conduct, for I
+could not conceive that Evie's story was entirely the outcome of her
+imagination. It was a delicate subject to discuss, yet I did not
+hesitate. I was in no humour to mince matters. My anger, though I had
+kept it well under control hitherto, only needed the slightest fanning
+to bring it to a white heat, and I longed whole-heartedly that Mannering
+would afford me some excuse for giving physical expression to my
+feelings.
+
+I walked up to his front door, and knocked in a manner to denote with
+sufficient distinctiveness that the mood of the knocker was the
+imperative. I could see by the lights within that the inmates of the
+house had not retired to rest, but I had to repeat my summons before
+there was any response. Then I heard footsteps within, and the door
+opening an inch or two, a voice inquired who was there.
+
+"Is Mr. Mannering in?" I demanded.
+
+"Mr. Sutgrove, is it?" replied the voice, and upon my answering in the
+affirmative, the door was thrown open, and I saw the two maidservants
+standing in the hall.
+
+"I beg your pardon, sir," said the parlourmaid. "We didn't expect any
+one at this time of night."
+
+"That's all right," I answered. "Can I see Mr. Mannering?"
+
+"He's gone away for a day or two, sir," said the girl.
+
+"That's very sudden, isn't it?" I asked. "I saw him this afternoon."
+
+"Yes, sir. He said nothing about it to us until after dinner. Then he
+packed his handbag and went away on his motor."
+
+"It's a confounded nuisance," I remarked. "I wanted to see him on
+important business. Did he say where he was going?"
+
+"He said Cromer, sir, but he did not leave any address." Then, after a
+momentary hesitation, she added, "Is--is anything wrong?"
+
+I looked at her keenly. She dropped her eyes, and I could see there was
+something on her mind.
+
+"What makes you ask?" I enquired.
+
+"I--I don't know," she replied, with obvious embarrassment.
+
+"There must be something or you would not have asked," I said
+encouragingly. "Come--out with it."
+
+She still hesitated, but the housemaid was bolder. "I'll tell the
+gentleman if you don't, Sarah," she declared. "It's like this, sir," she
+rattled out volubly: "the master, Mr. Mannering that is, has been so
+queer in his ways lately that Sarah and me 'as been quite scared. Not
+that he 'asn't been quite the gentleman. He always was that, wasn't he,
+Sarah? But he's been that restless and bound up in himself
+lately--walking up and down in his room and talking to himself. He
+always was one to shut himself up in that nasty old coach-house with his
+experiments and things, but he was quiet, and we never took no account
+of it. But lately he's been different."
+
+"How?" I asked.
+
+"Well, instead of going to bed like a Christian he's up all hours of the
+night. It ain't only that. He slips out as if he didn't want us to see
+him, and when we've known he hasn't been at home we've found he's taken
+the trouble to tumble the bed to make it appear as how he slept in it."
+
+"Pooh!" I remarked. "If that's all, my servants would probably say the
+same about me. You need not be alarmed about such trifles."
+
+"But it's not all," said Sarah, taking up the story. "The nights he goes
+out are just the nights the Pirate makes his appearance."
+
+"Those are just the nights I am away from home," I said.
+
+"But you have the detective gentleman with you," argued the girl, "and
+when you come back I warrant you do not bring diamond studs back with
+you that don't belong to you."
+
+"What!" I cried. "What!"
+
+"It's truth, sir," said the housemaid. "A week ago, just after he came
+back from Paris, I was sweeping the floor of his bedroom, when I sweeps
+up a diamond stud. Now, I knew he never had such a thing----"
+
+"I suppose you know exactly what jewellery he has?" I interrupted,
+laughing.
+
+"He always was a very careless gentleman until the last month, before
+which he left his things lying about all over the place, but then he had
+a safe put in his bedroom, and he never so much as left the key lying
+about. However, I mentions the stud to Sarah, and we talks it over and
+puts two and two together, and Sarah thinks that if he doesn't ask what
+has become of it, it might be as well as if we told the detective
+gentleman about it."
+
+"Quite right," I remarked. "You might let me look at the stud, though."
+
+After a little pressing the girls fetched the trinket, and I perceived
+that it very closely resembled the stud Winter had worn on the night of
+our first encounter with the Pirate. I said nothing about this
+supposition to the maids, but bidding them to be careful not to mention
+the matter to any one until they had seen Forrest, whom I promised
+should call upon them, I left the house.
+
+Though disappointed in my original intention of forcing an explanation
+from Mannering, I was by no means ill pleased with the result of my
+visit to his house. My suspicions as to his identity with the Pirate had
+become considerably stronger, and once that identity was established I
+fancied I should have little difficulty in preventing any further
+annoyance at his hands.
+
+Yet when I came to think calmly upon the subject I could not fail to see
+how frail was the foundation upon which my suspicions were built up. The
+fancies of a girl, the suspicions of a couple of gossiping servants, and
+the discovery of a stud, which might or might not prove to be the one
+which had been stolen from Winter. I longed for Forrest to return, for I
+felt utterly incapable of resting, and as he had not put in an
+appearance by midnight, I got out my car and went into St. Albans to
+meet him. At the police station there was no news of him to be obtained,
+but I did learn that the Pirate had been seen, his presence having been
+reported from the vicinity of Bedford.
+
+Knowing that it would be impossible for me to sleep until I had seen
+Forrest; knowing, too, how unlikely it was that he would now return to
+St. Albans before morning, I thought I might at least have one shot on
+my own account of bringing off the capture I so ardently desired. So, in
+case of an untoward accident happening, I scribbled a note to the
+detective, telling him briefly what I had heard from the servants, and
+my intentions; and making sure that my revolver was in working order, I
+bade my friends at the police-station good night, and departed.
+
+I knew it would be useless to take the direct road to Bedford if I
+wished to meet the Pirate, and, as he had been reported going east, I
+took the route through Hertford, trusting that I might be able to cut
+him off upon his return. I gleaned nothing concerning him at either
+Hertford or Ware, and was so doubtful of proceeding further in that
+direction that I left it to the arbitrament of a coin to determine
+whether I should go on by a road with which I was unacquainted to
+Cambridge through Bishop's Stortford, or take a route I knew through
+Royston. The choice fell upon the Stortford road, and later I was glad
+I had taken it, for about a mile to the south of Stortford I discovered
+that I was upon the right track.
+
+I was bowling along at about fifteen miles an hour when I came upon two
+horses grazing at the road-side. They galloped off at my approach, and,
+a few seconds later, I came upon a specimen of the Pirate's handiwork,
+which at first sight was irresistibly ludicrous. A brougham was drawn up
+at the side of the road, and, bound to the wheels, were a coachman and a
+footman, clad in gorgeous liveries. The coachman was fat and florid, the
+footman a particularly fine specimen of flunkeydom, and their faces, as
+the light of my lamps fell upon them--they could not speak, for they
+were both gagged as well as bound--were so convulsed with terror, that I
+could see they did not look upon me as a friend. As I dismounted from my
+car to go to their assistance, I heard a dismal wail from the roof of
+the vehicle and, looking up, I perceived a portly old lady perched upon
+the uncomfortable eminence.
+
+I made an attempt to explain that my intentions were purely pacific, but
+as I could elicit nothing from the old lady but appeals to spare her
+life, I turned my attention to the two men, and speedily released them
+from their bonds. By the time they were loose they had realized that I
+was a friend; but it was some time before I managed to obtain from them
+an account of how they got into such a mess. Even when their powers of
+speech had returned they were unable to give a lucid account of the
+affair.
+
+Of course it was the work of the Pirate. They had been returning with
+their mistress--the old lady on the roof of the brougham--from some
+local coming-of-age festivities, when they had met the rascal. He had
+bound the servants, set the horses free, and, after robbing the old lady
+of all the jewellery she wore, he had compelled her to climb to the
+position where I discovered her, threatening to return and kill her if
+she moved from her position for an hour. It needed much persuasion
+before she ventured to descend from her perch; but with the assistance
+of the coachman, I managed to get her inside the brougham, and further
+assisting in securing the two horses, I left them.
+
+This incident delayed me for nearly half an hour, and it was a good deal
+past one before I again set out on my quest. The brougham had been
+stopped just near a bye-road, and as the footman had assured me that the
+Pirate had taken this path when he departed, I thought I would follow. I
+could see for myself that a motor-car had passed that way, for the
+thunderstorm of the previous day had left the roads heavy in places, and
+the marks of his tyres were plainly visible.
+
+I had followed the road for about a couple of miles further when I came
+once more upon some of the Pirate's victims. These, too, were returning
+from the same function at which the old lady had been a guest, when they
+fell into the clutches of the Pirate. In this case my assistance was not
+required, for the two young ladies of the party had recovered
+sufficiently from their fright to have already set at liberty their male
+companion and the coachman. They told me of their experiences, and
+after I had heard them, I thought that Forrest's idea that the Pirate
+was a madman more likely than I had done previously.
+
+When stopped by the Pirate, the husband of one of the ladies had shown
+fight until he had been felled by a blow from the butt end of a
+revolver. The coachman had discreetly made no resistance. Then, after
+securing the jewels the women wore, the Pirate had displayed a freakish
+humour quite new to his character. He had insisted upon the two women
+dancing for his amusement in the road, threatening to shoot the husband
+if they did not comply with his request. They assured me that he had sat
+chuckling with laughter, and urging them on with all sorts of wild
+threats, until they fell from exhaustion. They were splashed with mud
+from head to foot, and their dainty frocks presented a sorry sight. In
+addition they told me that they could barely stand, for their feet were
+cut to pieces, since, at the first steps of the weird dance, their
+slippers had stuck in the mud, and they were given no opportunity to
+stop and recover them.
+
+I did not wait to hear more than the barest outline of the story, for I
+learned that he had left them not more than ten minutes before my
+arrival on the scene, and with the heavy roads, I thought there was at
+least a chance of some lucky accident bringing me face to face with my
+quarry.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+A HOT SCENT
+
+
+I RAN on through the night, but I could not make any great progress. I
+was now involved in a maze of Essex bye-roads, totally unknown to me,
+and every few minutes I was compelled to dismount, and search for the
+tracks. I never lost them, however, until I came once more to a
+high-road. The curve of the tyre marks at the junction of the road gave
+me the direction I needed, and, letting my car go, in four or five
+minutes I found myself running into the electric-lighted streets of a
+town. The place was deserted, but eventually I found a policeman, and of
+him I inquired whether anything had been seen or heard of the Pirate.
+There was no need for me to describe the appearance of the pirate car.
+It was as well-known throughout the land, as the Lord Mayor's coach, but
+he had seen nothing of it, and was quite positive that it had not passed
+through the town. An ordinary car had passed about half an hour before
+my arrival, and though the constable's description of the car was not
+very lucid, it was sufficiently near the mark to make me think of
+Mannering.
+
+"I fancy the man you describe is a friend of mine," I said. "Which
+direction did he take?"
+
+"He went straight along the Colchester road," was the astonishing reply.
+
+"The Colchester road?" I inquired. "What town is this, then?"
+
+"This is Chelmsford, sir," he answered, with a surprise equalling my
+own.
+
+I could see my unguarded question had awakened his suspicions of me, so
+I made haste to remark that I had not realized how quickly I had
+travelled, adding that I might have known there was no other town of the
+size thereabouts.
+
+"I am afraid," I added, "that if you had met me outside the borough you
+would have had a case for the Bench in the morning."
+
+"I don't take no heed of speed myself, sir, when the roads is clear," he
+remarked; "but when the traffic's thick, it's another matter."
+
+I thought his sound common sense deserved a reward. Anyway it got one,
+and with a cheerful good night, I set my car going at a pace which made
+me hope that any other constable I chanced to meet would prove as
+intelligent as he from whom I had just parted. It is about twenty-two
+miles from Chelmsford to Colchester, and, in spite of the greasy state
+of parts of the road, I managed the distance in thirty minutes.
+
+Every one of those minutes I expected to be able to overtake Mannering;
+but I saw nothing of him, and by the time I came to Colchester, I began
+to fancy that he must have given me the slip at some bye-road. From my
+inquiries at Colchester, I learned, however, that I was still on the
+right scent; but I was mightily puzzled to discover that though he was
+driving the old car which he had always declared was unable to compass
+more than twelve or fourteen miles an hour, he was still half an hour
+ahead of me.
+
+He was still going away from town, and I followed. There is no need for
+me to give in any detail particulars of my journey that night. Day was
+breaking when I came into Ipswich, and it was broad daylight when I
+passed through the long, untidy street of Wickham Market. Mannering
+still kept ahead, and I followed doggedly. I heard of him at Saxmundham,
+but when I inquired at Blythburgh, I found I had missed him, and I had
+to hark back to Yoxford before I got on his track again. He had taken
+the side route to Halesworth, through which he had passed in the
+direction of Beccles. By this time he was an hour ahead of me, and, as
+he had left Beccles by the Yarmouth road, I went ahead as fast as I
+dared. It was not quite my highest speed, for by this time I was both
+tired and hungry, and the strain of travelling over unknown roads at a
+high speed at night made my head swim. I knew that unless I could soon
+get food and rest I should soon be fit for nothing. So immediately I
+reached Yarmouth, I went to a hotel, ordered breakfast, indulged in a
+hot bath while it was preparing, and went to sleep in my chair directly
+I had eaten the meal.
+
+The waiter awakened me about ten. I went down to the beach and indulged
+in a swim, and, returning to the hotel, amazed the waiter by ordering
+and doing justice to a second breakfast before taking my departure.
+
+On leaving the hotel, my first consideration was to get my tank
+refilled, and, that done, I sent off a couple of wires, one to Evie and
+the other addressed to Forrest, at my own place, telling each of them to
+communicate with me at Sutgrove Hall if anything happened, for it was my
+intention to call at my home if I could possibly manage to do so.
+
+My next business was to search for traces of Mannering in Yarmouth, but
+it was some time before I ascertained that the man I imagined to be he,
+had left by the coast road through Caister. It was a tedious job to
+track him through the Norfolk lanes, for he had turned and doubled as if
+anxious to throw a pursuer off the scent, and it was one o'clock before
+I eventually struck the high-road between Norwich and Cromer. There I
+finally lost him, owing chiefly to the fact that the day was fine, and a
+large number of motor-cars were on the road in consequence.
+
+By this time I was beginning to think my impulsive action to be more
+than a little foolish, but in order that my journey should not be
+altogether wasted, I determined to run on to Cromer, lunch there, and
+afterwards proceed to Sheringham, near which delightful village my home
+was situated, and seize the opportunity to make arrangements with my
+aunt for Evie's visit.
+
+In pursuance of this plan, in half an hour's time, I walked into the
+dining-room of the Royal Hotel at Cromer. You may judge of my surprise
+when I saw Mannering seated at a table at one of the windows. He
+observed my entrance, and, rising, greeted me heartily.
+
+"Hullo, Sutgrove!" he said. "This is indeed a welcome surprise. I had
+not the slightest idea you were in this part of the country."
+
+"If you had, I presume you would not have chosen it for the scene of
+your exploits," I replied.
+
+The expression of astonishment which spread over his features at my
+rejoinder was so perfect that I felt all my suspicions begin to crumble
+away.
+
+"I don't follow you," he remarked.
+
+His manner was either the result of one of the best pieces of acting I
+had ever seen in my life, or due to absolute unconsciousness of my
+meaning. It made me remember that though there were undoubtedly
+suspicious circumstances connecting him with the Motor Pirate, yet so
+far there was not one iota of direct evidence. I thought it best to
+temporize.
+
+"Oh," I remarked; "I was only referring to your attempts to cut the
+records with your old car."
+
+He smiled calmly before replying. "You may be nearer the truth than you
+think. I've had a new motor fixed in the car--an idea of my own, and I
+find she travels at quite a decent pace. That's why I left home last
+night. After the rain I thought the roads would certainly be clear
+enough to give me the opportunity of making a fair test. The engine is a
+model of the one I have designed for the new car which I mentioned--last
+night was it? No; the night before."
+
+I was fairly staggered at his assurance. His demeanour was entirely
+without the suggestion of his being in any way aware that he was an
+object of suspicion.
+
+"Were you not afraid of meeting the Pirate? I heard he was abroad last
+night," I said.
+
+"Afraid!" he remarked witheringly. "Afraid! All I am afraid of is, that
+some of your Scotland Yard friends will be beforehand with me in his
+capture, and that is an adventure which has a particular appeal to me,
+since he left his mark upon me here." He tapped his shoulder
+significantly. "I have promised myself to repay this injury with
+interest."
+
+"Well, I suppose we are as likely to meet him here as anywhere," I
+ventured to remark.
+
+"I hope so," he answered. "But I am not stopping here for long. I've
+taken a bed for the night, because I feel confoundedly tired after last
+night's run. But what brings you down here? Are you motoring?"
+
+"In the first place I wanted a word with you," I replied.
+
+"With me?" The amazement in his voice was obvious.
+
+"Yes," I said; "that is my principal object."
+
+"But how did you discover my address? I left no word with any one."
+
+"I'll tell you later," I said.
+
+"Well, we have plenty of time to talk," he replied. "If there's any
+little difficulty in which I can be of any assistance, I need hardly
+assure you I am at your service. But hadn't you better have lunch
+first?" He lowered the tone of his voice. "Unless you wish the waiters
+to become acquainted with your affairs, I should think what you have to
+say could be much better said outside. Neither pier nor esplanade are
+much frequented at this time of the year."
+
+The suggestion was so natural and reasonable that, after a moment's
+consideration, I decided to accept it.
+
+All through the meal he chatted as easily as if there was not the
+slightest possibility of anything happening to interrupt the friendship
+which had always ostensibly existed between us. The longer we talked,
+the more puzzled I became. His manners were so natural, so fearless,
+that it was quite impossible for me to believe that I was sitting at
+lunch with the Motor Pirate. He was very curious to know how I had
+learned of his intention to come to Cromer, and I was induced to tell
+him of my experiences on the previous night. I watched his face keenly
+while I narrated the stories of the Pirate's victims. He listened quite
+gravely, not even the ghost of a smile crossing his face when I told him
+of the ludicrous pictures presented by the old lady and her two
+servants.
+
+"It is no laughing matter," he observed. "The rascal was bad enough when
+he confined his attentions to men; but now he has taken to bestowing
+them upon women, he deserves no mercy, and when I am able to get upon
+his track, he will get none."
+
+"Then you are really hoping to join in the hunt?" I asked.
+
+"Yes," he said. "I'll let you into my secret. At my place at St.
+Stephens, I had a car which only wanted one minor detail to make it
+complete. I have known for months, that if I could supply that detail, I
+should be in possession of a car which would outpace even the Pirate's.
+For months I've racked my brains over it. A week ago an idea occurred to
+me. I worked it out. I tried it for the first time last night. It has
+proved to be a success. The day after to-morrow I shall join in the
+pursuit of the Motor Pirate, so if your Scotland Yard friend does not
+make haste, he will be too late."
+
+"What power do you propose to use?" I asked. "Petrol?"
+
+He laughed before replying. "A month ago I would have told nobody; but
+to-day there is no need of secrecy; my drawings are all ready for
+deposit at the Patent Office, so there is no chance of any one
+forestalling me."
+
+"Well, what is it?" I said.
+
+"I don't want you to tell anybody else just yet," he said; and as I
+nodded my acquiescence, he continued, "My new motor is on an entirely
+novel principle. It is a turbine engine, worked by the expansion of
+liquid hydrogen."
+
+"What?" I gasped. The idea was so novel that I could not grasp it. He
+lifted his hand, checking the questions which started to my lips.
+
+"No. No questions, if you please: because, if you ask any, I shall not
+answer them. Meanwhile, you have not yet told me how you learned of my
+presence here?"
+
+I related how, in the course of my inquiries at Chelmsford, I had
+ascertained that a person so like himself had passed through the town,
+that I had determined to attempt to overtake him, little thinking the
+chase would prove so stern.
+
+He chaffingly congratulated me on my tracking powers, and expressed
+regret that I had not made my appearance earlier, so that we might have
+arranged a race; and by the time we had finished lunch, I was as
+completely convinced as I had ever been of anything in my life, that he
+had no connection whatsoever with the Pirate. Still, I was none the less
+determined to tackle him upon the subject of the influence which Evie
+declared he exerted over her, so when the meal was over, we left the
+hotel together and, seeing from the front that the pier was practically
+deserted, I led the way to the far end, determined to have a complete
+explanation.
+
+He was silent during our walk. So was I, for I was deliberating how best
+to introduce the subject. As it happened, he made the task easy for me,
+as after finding a comfortable seat and lighting a cigarette, he turned
+to me with--
+
+"Now, old fellow, what is it you have on your mind? Out with it!"
+
+I told him--told him fully and frankly everything that Evie had
+mentioned to me concerning him, and I finished by warning him that I was
+determined to exercise the right she had given me to protect her. He
+listened to me attentively and, one might have thought, even
+sympathetically. When I had concluded, he sat silent awhile; then,
+looking me full in the eyes, he remarked--
+
+"I suppose, Sutgrove, if I tell you that this story of the influence I
+am supposed to exercise over Miss Maitland is absolute news to me, you
+will not believe me?"
+
+I was staggered, and my astonishment must have been visible in my face,
+for he continued--
+
+"You may be surprised, but not half so much as I have been, by what you
+have told me. Really, the whole story sounds the maddest farrago of
+nonsense I have ever heard."
+
+I was about to make an angry retort, but he checked me with a gesture--
+
+"I do not mean any offence," he said; "for I can quite understand what
+your feelings on the subject must be. I, no more than yourself, would
+tolerate any unwarrantable interference such as you describe. It is just
+as well that you should have mentioned the matter to me, however, for
+you will know so much better how to proceed."
+
+"What do you mean?" I gasped.
+
+"Why, what else than that you will not waste any time before obtaining
+medical advice for Miss Maitland," he replied.
+
+I felt a grey horror creeping over me--a horror that tied my tongue, to
+think that Evie--my Evie--might prove to be--mad. Again, he must have
+divined my thoughts, for he said reassuringly--
+
+"You must not take too serious a view of the case. Miss Maitland is of a
+highly nervous temperament, and, I should imagine, rather prone to
+hysteria." Then, rising, he clapped me on the shoulder, "Take a cheerful
+view, Sutgrove. I'll bet you ten to one that her doctor will inform you
+that marriage will provide a complete cure."
+
+His tone was so hearty, so friendly, that I instinctively grasped his
+hand, and he returned my grip.
+
+The subject was not resumed; and, as we walked back to the hotel, I was
+completely convinced that I had been an unutterable cad ever to allow a
+single doubt concerning him to enter my mind, much less to harbour
+there.
+
+I left him at the hotel door and went in search of my car to continue my
+journey to Sutgrove Hall. He was still standing where I parted from him
+when I swept past, and he waved his hand to me, a smile upon his face.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+RELATES HOW THE PIRATE HOLDS UP AN AUGUST PERSONAGE
+
+
+I REACHED my destination about five, and found, as I hoped, a telegram
+awaiting my arrival. It read--
+
+          "Ever so much better. Do not worry about me.
+          Cannot spare you for long though. Lots of
+          love.--E."
+
+With my mind very much relieved, I was able to devote my attention to my
+aunt, who was full of questions as to the reason for my unexpected
+arrival and equally eager for a full account of my doings during the
+past six months, during which time, she assured me, I had grossly
+neglected my duties, especially by my failure to keep her adequately
+posted regarding my engagement.
+
+I was anxious, after reading Evie's wire, to start forthwith for St.
+Albans; my aunt was equally anxious that I should remain the night at
+Sutgrove, and while we were arguing the point, a second telegram
+arrived, which settled the matter. I tore open the envelope and read--
+
+          "Meet the 8.49 at Cromer with motor. Do not fail.
+          Most important.--FORREST."
+
+The message had been handed in at Liverpool Street at 4.50, and I
+wondered what could have happened to necessitate Forrest's presence in
+Norfolk. There was little use speculating, however, and I settled down
+to satiate, if it were possible, my aunt's curiosity.
+
+She was duly impressed by such of my adventures as I thought fit to
+relate, but she was not neglectful of what she considered her duties as
+hostess and, in spite of the fact that I had eaten a hearty lunch about
+two, I was able shortly after seven to do adequate justice to the early
+dinner which she provided for me. I left home soon after eight, and, in
+consequence of my impatience, had to wait ten minutes on the Cromer
+platform for the arrival of the train.
+
+As the engine drew into the station, I saw Forrest's head thrust out of
+the window of one of the carriages, and, before the train had come to a
+standstill, he had leaped from the door and was at my side. He was for
+him unusually excited, and, without reply to my greeting, save with a
+silent hand grip, he said--
+
+"Seen anything of Mannering?"
+
+"Why, yes," I replied directly. "I lunched with him, to-day. He's
+stopping at the Royal."
+
+"That's a bit of luck," replied the detective. "Come along;" and he
+pushed on in advance of me through the barrier.
+
+"What has happened?" I asked, as I caught him up in the station yard.
+
+"I hold a warrant for his arrest, and I am desirous of executing it at
+the earliest possible moment, that's all," he replied.
+
+I could hardly believe my ears. "What in the world for?" I asked.
+
+"What should it be for?" said Forrest, with a touch of sarcasm in the
+tone of his voice.
+
+"He cannot be the Motor Pirate. It is impossible. He could not have
+deceived me so completely," I exclaimed.
+
+"I would stake everything I hope for in the future, as well as
+everything I possess at the present moment, that he is though," returned
+the detective with conviction. "But we must not waste time. Take me to
+the hotel."
+
+Without stopping to argue the point, I jumped on my car, Forrest took
+the seat beside me, and we proceeded to the Royal.
+
+"Leave the car and come with me, I may want your assistance," he said,
+as we pulled up at the entrance to the hotel.
+
+He sprang out the moment I stopped and ran briskly up the steps. A
+porter was in the hall, and to him Forrest turned.
+
+"I want to see a Mr. Mannering, who is stopping here, at once, and I do
+not wish to be announced," he said.
+
+The man walked across to the office and made an inquiry of the clerk,
+then returning, announced that Mannering had left an hour previously.
+
+"Left?" said Forrest, and his jaw fell. He stepped across to the office
+himself, only to learn that though Mannering had booked a room for the
+night, he had after dinner called for his bill, paid it, and left on his
+motor, without giving any reason for his alteration of plans.
+
+Forrest stalked out of the hotel, his brow heavy with thought. I
+followed him. He stepped on to the car, and, taking my seat, I asked him
+tersely--
+
+"Where to?"
+
+"St. Albans," he replied with brevity equal to my own, and without
+further question we were off.
+
+"Don't mind taking a few risks," he said presently. "The sooner we can
+get there the better I shall be pleased."
+
+Then, leaning back in his seat, he asked me to tell him how I happened
+to learn of Mannering's presence in Cromer, and what he had said to
+convince me that he was in no way connected with the Pirate. So while we
+were still running at a moderate pace, I gave him a brief history of my
+adventures of the previous night. Before I had concluded, however, the
+road ahead seemed clear, and, pulling my mask over my face, I jammed on
+my highest speed and conversation became impossible.
+
+Forrest pulled his cap down over his eyes and, turning his coat-collar
+about his ears, settled himself apparently to slumber. Within half an
+hour the lights of Norwich sparkled in front of us, and it became
+necessary to slacken speed. Forrest immediately resumed the conversation
+at the point where we had broken off, and questioned me closely with
+regard to what Mannering had said to me. Once and again I endeavoured
+to ascertain what had induced him to take out the warrant; but he would
+not satisfy my curiosity, declaring that it was of more importance that
+he should know all that I could tell him first. There seemed little
+likelihood of my learning anything, for we soon left Norwich behind us,
+and were running at full speed on the road to Thetford and Newmarket,
+slackening speed only slightly as we swept through the villages and
+trusting to the continuous toot-toot of the horn to clear our path. Our
+progress was uninterrupted until we had reached and left the little town
+of Attleborough five or six miles behind us, when Forrest was afforded
+an opportunity, much to his chagrin, of giving me the reasons for his
+haste.
+
+Incidentally, I may remark, that the occurrence which afforded this
+opportunity came very near depriving me of the chance of hearing
+anything from anybody, or him from ever opening his lips again, for
+while we swept along at our top speed there was a sudden hissing sound,
+a sudden succession of jars, and the car swerved violently, nearly
+overturning. I jammed on both my breaks, and by good fortune the car did
+not overturn. I guessed what had happened, and there was no need for me
+to get a light to make sure--my sense of touch informed me that the off
+back tyre was as flat as a pancake.
+
+I hoped that the injury was only slight, but my hopes faded the moment I
+examined the injury. The tyre had picked up a curved and pointed piece
+of iron, and had been irreparably damaged. No patching was of any use.
+There was nothing for it but to replace the tyre with a new one.
+Fortunately, I was prepared with a spare outer cover as well as inner
+tubes, and, with a muttered curse, I threw off my coat and set about the
+job. Then when that was done, and it took me a good hour to complete the
+task, I discovered, on restarting the car, that a further misfortune had
+befallen us. Either owing to the jumping of the car when the tyre went,
+or more likely because of the sudden application, the footbreak had
+seized, and the transmission was so far injured that I could not get the
+car along above seven or eight miles an hour. I did my best to put the
+damage right. I lay on my back in the middle of the road, and used all
+the language approved by the most fluent members of the Automobile Club
+for use on such occasions, but entirely without result. Exactly where we
+were I did not know, and, after I had relieved my feelings, I thought it
+best to jog along until we came to some town where it would be possible
+to get skilled assistance.
+
+And it was while we were progressing in this humdrum fashion that
+Forrest confided to me the reasons for his anxiety.
+
+"In the first place," he said, "your theory as to the stud found by
+Mannering's servants proved to be correct. It was Winter's. I arrived at
+St. Albans the first thing this morning, and, after getting your note,
+went straight away and interviewed the girls. They handed me the
+trinket. I took it to Winter, and he identified it. He will swear to it
+anywhere. By the time I had done this, your wire for me had arrived,
+and your man, having seen me go into Winter's house, brought it on. I
+took the next train to town and went straight to the Yard, thankful that
+at last I was able to report something definite. Besides, I wanted to
+take a warrant without any one being aware of it, and I knew I could
+manage that better in London than in the country. Well, I called at the
+Yard, ran across to Bow Street and got my warrant, and returned to the
+Yard in order to instruct a couple of our men who had been placed at my
+disposal. While I was there particulars came to hand of a feat which
+throws all the other doings of the Pirate into the shade. You mentioned,
+I think, that Mannering, when he told Miss Maitland that he was going
+away, said that all England would be talking of him."
+
+"She said so," I replied doubtfully; "but she was so excited----"
+
+"She was probably correct in her recollection of what passed," he said.
+"If further proof were wanted to connect your friend with the Motor
+Pirate, those words would be sufficient. If what I know leaks out, the
+Pirate will fill the popular mind more to-morrow than he has done in the
+past even. Yesterday morning, within six miles of Sandringham, he held
+up"--he hesitated--"I must mention no names--he held up, let me say, an
+August Personage----"
+
+"The King?" I cried.
+
+"An August Personage," remarked Forrest, severely, "in broad daylight."
+
+"Let me hear all about it?" I asked eagerly.
+
+"I don't know that I can tell you everything, for so far I only know the
+particulars wired to the Yard. But the story is complete enough to
+enable me to do what I have hitherto failed in, and that is, complete
+the necessary identification of our friend Mannering. And curiously
+enough, it is owing to the keen powers of observation possessed by
+the----"
+
+"The August Personage," I reminded him, a trifle maliciously as he
+hesitated.
+
+Forrest laughed. "Quite right, you score that time," he remarked, before
+resuming his tale. "Owing to the August Personage's keen powers of
+observation, I am able to lay my finger on the one point which has
+puzzled me, namely, the manner by which Mannering has managed to escape
+suspicion. It is a simple trick. So simple, in fact, that I cannot
+conceive how I managed to overlook such a possibility for so long.
+However, you shall hear the facts as they were told to me, and judge for
+yourself with what transparent means we have been hoodwinked by the
+rascal. The August Personage, who, as you are probably aware, has been
+staying at Sandringham for some days past, has been in the habit of
+taking a ride on one of his cars whenever the roads were in good
+condition, accompanied only by his chauffeur. This morning he started
+for the customary run shortly after eleven, with the intention of taking
+a circular trip through Hunstanton, Burnham, Docking and Bircham, and
+returning for luncheon. The intention was not fulfilled since, before
+reaching Hunstanton, the Pirate made his appearance, and approaching as
+usual from behind, overtook the August motor. The August driver did not
+at first take any notice of the approaching car, but, merely imagining
+that the driver had recognized him, and felt some delicacy at passing,
+he signalled with his hand for the stranger to go ahead. What was his
+surprise to hear the stranger in a loud voice bid him stop his car. He
+turned to look at the audacious person who had dared take such
+unwarrantable liberty, and at once observed with whom he had to deal.
+The Pirate had in his hand a revolver, which was levelled at the August
+head. The August face flushed with anger, and turning away, he
+contemptuously took no notice of the summons. The Pirate thereupon fired
+two shots, aimed, fortunately, neither at the August Personage nor at
+the chauffeur, but at the tyres of the back wheels. The aim was good,
+the tyres ran down at once, and the August Personage found progress on
+the rims to be so uncomfortable that he thought it desirable to stop.
+The stranger ranged alongside, and the chauffeur, rising from his seat,
+was about to throw himself at the throat of the assailant, when his
+August master laid a hand upon his arm.
+
+"'No, no,' he said, 'I can easily get another car, but I do not know
+that I could replace my chauffeur.'
+
+"Thereupon the Pirate observed, 'I think, sir, there is so much wisdom
+in your remark that, in spite of my necessities, I almost feel inclined
+to forego my usual toll in your case.
+
+"The August Personage, whose coolness had never for a moment deserted
+him, replied imperturbably--
+
+"'Having robbed me of a morning's enjoyment, it seems to me there is
+nothing of any particular value left for you to take.'
+
+"'Then, sir,' replied the rascal, 'you will be doubtless glad to
+purchase my immediate disappearance with the contents of the August
+pockets?'
+
+"August was not the word he used, but it was one which showed that he
+was acquainted with the personality of his victim.
+
+"The August Personage shrugged his shoulders, and, searching his
+pockets, could produce nothing but a cigarette case and a button. To
+show his _sang-froid_, I need only remark that when he produced the
+latter article he laughed heartily and said to the chauffeur--
+
+"'I hope, P----, you have something to add to the contents of my
+pockets, or I fear this too eager gentleman will destroy our front tyres
+as well as the back.'
+
+"The chauffeur had some loose gold, a silver matchbox, and a watch, and
+when these were produced, speaking with the same nonchalance he had
+retained throughout, the August Personage remarked--
+
+"'I fear you have drawn a blank this time, Mr. Pirate; for, upon my
+word, that is the best I can do for you.'
+
+"The Pirate took the articles. Then he raised his hat. 'I take,' he
+said, 'the August word as readily as I take these souvenirs of this
+memorable meeting,' and with these words, he pulled a lever and was
+speedily out of sight."
+
+"By Jove!" I muttered. "The fellow's audacity is almost past belief. But
+you said something of observations made by the August victim?"
+
+"Yes," said Forrest. "The chauffeur was much too agitated to notice
+anything, but his master was not. He observed four things. First, that
+the Pirate was a man of about six feet in height."
+
+"Mannering is five feet eleven and a quarter in his socks," I remarked.
+
+"Secondly, that his hair was black. Thirdly, that the nails of the right
+hand, with which he took his plunder, were bitten to the quick."
+
+"The identification becomes nearly perfect," I interrupted.
+
+"Fourthly, that the car was originally a two-seated car, with a tonneau
+body, but that the seat had been set back, and the bonnet was enclosed
+by metal plates shaped into the form of the bow of a canoe, and bolted
+together in a manner which gave the impression that they might easily be
+removed. Why," continued the detective, "I did not think of so obvious a
+solution of the Pirate's mysterious disappearances before I cannot
+imagine. It is the trick the black flag merchants have practised since
+the days of Captain Kidd."
+
+I was silent. I could only wonder at my own blindness. Then an excuse
+occurred to me.
+
+"After all," I remarked, "we only met him in the dark."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+WE PLAN AN AMBUSH
+
+
+FORREST had just concluded his story when the lights of Thetford gleamed
+in our eyes. The time was 12.30. The last train was gone. The
+inhabitants were all in bed, and there we were, stranded with a broken
+car, and no means of putting it right. Forrest would not despair,
+however, and after some difficulty we managed, with the assistance of
+the local police, to knock up a man who was locally reputed to know all
+about motors. He was a little surly at first, but the inducement I
+offered him to make an attempt to put the transmission right, was
+sufficient to dissipate his very natural disgust at being disturbed in
+his beauty sleep. Fortunately his local reputation had reasonable
+foundation. He was a very capable mechanician, and the way he set about
+the job gave me great hopes that the car would run as well as ever when
+he had done with it. And my expectations were gratified. In less than an
+hour he had completed the repairs. I paid him and asked him to remain up
+for ten minutes in case we had another breakdown, telling him that after
+that period had elapsed, he would be at liberty to return to his bed.
+Whether he waited the ten minutes or not I do not know, for by that time
+we were halfway to Newmarket, flying through the darkness at a pace
+which two months previously I would not have dared venture upon in broad
+daylight. And right onward to St. Albans, we kept it up, reaching the
+ancient town just as the birds began to twitter in the hedges at the
+first grey light of early dawn. At St. Albans we stopped at the
+police-station. A man was waiting at the door.
+
+"Any news?" asked Forrest.
+
+The man shook his head.
+
+"You know where to bring it?" asked my companion.
+
+The man nodded.
+
+"Let us get on home," said Forrest to me.
+
+As I wheeled my vehicle into my yard I thought I should drop. The strain
+of that rush through the night, expecting every moment that something
+would give way, had been tremendous, and the moment the tension was
+relaxed I shook like an aspen leaf. When I tried to get in at my own
+door I found I could not fit the latch-key, and was obliged to hand it
+to the detective. He saw what was the matter with me, and the moment we
+were inside, he led the way to my study, thrust me down into a chair and
+mixed me a whisky-and-soda. I was never more grateful for a drink in my
+life. It pulled me together, and in less time than I had conceived
+possible, I felt as if I could have managed another seventy-five miles
+without a halt.
+
+The moment he saw my nerves were steady again, Forrest proposed that we
+should get something to eat. I declared that I did not want anything.
+
+"When you haven't time for sleep, the next best thing is to feed well if
+you want to keep fit," he remarked. "Besides, I am as hungry as a hunter
+has a right to be."
+
+"That settles it," I laughed. "We shall have to forage for ourselves.
+The servants are all asleep."
+
+We found our way to the larder and made a hearty meal on a cold pie we
+found there; and directly we had finished, we set out forthwith in the
+direction of Mannering's home. As soon as we arrived opposite the house,
+Forrest paused and gave a low whistle. It was answered immediately by a
+man dressed as a labourer, who made his appearance from behind the hedge
+opposite the house.
+
+"Any one been here to-night, Laver?" asked Forrest.
+
+"No one," the man answered. "The servants turned in about ten after
+locking up. No signs of any one about the place since."
+
+"That's all right," grunted Forrest. "We shall be ready for him when he
+does come. Have you got the tools?"
+
+The man was proceeding to scramble through the hedge when Forrest
+checked him.
+
+"Better stay where you are," he advised. "Keep out of sight, and if I
+whistle, come at once."
+
+"All right, sir," replied the man, as he handed through a gap in the
+hedge a small chamois leather bag.
+
+I had no idea as to what steps Forrest proposed to adopt in order to
+effect the arrest, so I asked him, and he explained briefly his plan of
+campaign.
+
+"One can see," he remarked, "that Mannering feels so confident of the
+completeness of his disguise that he will have no hesitation about
+returning. I am reckoning, too, upon there being an element of truth in
+the story he has told you about the construction of his motor, in which
+case his own workshop would be the only place where he would be able to
+refill his tank. We shall be able to decide that point in a very few
+minutes. If we do find any plant for the production of liquid gases, we
+can count upon catching our man within a very few hours."
+
+"Unless he smells a rat, and makes for some convenient port and gets out
+of the country," I remarked.
+
+"That eventuality is provided against," remarked the detective. "His
+description is in the hands of the police at every port in the kingdom,
+and even if he changes the colour of his hair, I don't think he will
+manage to get away. What I propose is, that we shall remain concealed in
+his coach-house and await his return."
+
+"How are we going to get in?" I inquired.
+
+Forrest took a bunch of skeleton keys from the bag Laver had handed to
+him and dangled them before his eyes.
+
+"There's not a burglar in the kingdom is better provided," he remarked,
+and set to work upon the lock forthwith.
+
+The lock was an ordinary one, and his efforts were speedily successful.
+The door swung open, and we entered eagerly a bare, stone-paved
+coach-house. Opposite the door by which we had entered from the road was
+a similar door, which gave upon the inner yard. On the left, a large
+sliding door had been fixed in place of the wall which had divided the
+coach-house from the stables. Relocking the door by which we had
+entered, Forrest led the way to the door on the left. It was unfastened,
+and as it swung back a cry of amazement sprang to my lips.
+
+"Hush--sh--sh!" said the detective warningly.
+
+But I could not have repressed the cry, for there before me stood a
+replica of the car I had seen on two occasions. There was only one point
+of difference at first apparent. The pirate car had been black. This one
+was built of aluminium and gleamed silvery white. But although the lines
+were very similar, I soon came to the conclusion that the car we saw
+before us was not the one which the Pirate had used when engaged upon
+his nefarious work. One glance at the tyres convinced me that they had
+never been upon the road, and I fancied that the wheels were smaller and
+the lines of the body finer altogether. I pointed these things out to
+Forrest, who, while agreeing that this particular car could not have
+been the one which had been responsible for holding up the "August
+Personage" on the previous day, would not commit himself further.
+
+We did not spend much time upon a close examination of the car, for the
+other contents of the building claimed our attention. We found ourselves
+in a long workshop. There were no windows in the walls, but the place
+was amply illuminated by a skylight which ran along nearly the whole
+length of the northern slope of the roof. On the right of the large door
+by which we had entered the inner shop was a small room, which had
+probably once served as a harness-room, for through this another door
+gave on to the yard, though this exit was evidently never used, for the
+door was fixed by screws. The contents were a couple of broken chairs,
+and some coats and rugs hung upon hooks upon the walls, together with a
+miscellaneous assortment of odds and ends upon a shelf. I gave merely a
+cursory glance at the contents of this apartment, for my attention had
+been attracted by a plant of machinery, which occupied the far end of
+the large room. As it happened, I had once had an opportunity of
+inspecting the laboratory of the Royal Institution, and I recognized at
+once that Mannering had set up an installation for the preparation of
+some one or other of the liquid gases. Without this experience, I doubt
+whether it would have been possible for me to guess even the purpose for
+which the plant had been devised. As it was, I had no hesitation in
+discovering the receiver into which the liquid gas was distilled; and
+when I let a little of the liquid with which it was filled run into a
+glass which I found handy, and saw the air fall in a shower of tiny
+snow-flakes as the stuff evaporated, I knew that Mannering had told me
+the exact truth when he had informed me that liquid hydrogen supplied
+the power for his new car.
+
+Once satisfied on this point, I examined the other contents of the
+place. I do not think there is any need to particularize all that we
+discovered, even if my memory served me. Practically the workshop
+contained a sufficient engineering equipment to build such a car as
+stood in the centre, though I judged that there was no convenience for
+the forging of the parts of the motor.
+
+Still, as I pointed out to Forrest, there was nothing in all these
+discoveries to negative the truth of the story Mannering had told me
+about his being engaged in building a car which should serve to outpace
+the Pirate car, but he would not listen to any theorising on the
+subject.
+
+"He can tell that story to the jury," he said, as he significantly drew
+a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and clinked them together. Then he
+proceeded to investigate the contents of the harness-room, while I went
+back to the new car and began a careful examination of the engines. The
+whole mechanism was, however, so novel to me, that I could only surmise
+as to the method of its working. I did notice, however, that the driving
+and steering gear varied very little from that of my own car, so far as
+it was controlled by the levers and wheel, while the breaks seemed to be
+particularly powerful. There was only seating accommodation for two, and
+judging from the size of the tank which was fitted behind the seat, I
+judged that Mannering contemplated runs over distances which would make
+large demands upon his supply of liquid gas.
+
+At the moment I made this discovery, I heard Forrest call to me in an
+excited whisper, and going across to him, I found him contemplating with
+keen interest a dirty piece of rope.
+
+"Look here, Sutgrove," he said; "this is the piece of cord with which he
+trussed me up on the occasion when he dropped me into the pond. Compare
+it with this"--he kicked a coil which lay at his feet--"and tell me if
+they are not identical."
+
+I examined them both, and came to the conclusion that Forrest was
+correct in his supposition. Next, mounting one of the chairs, he
+proceeded to rummage amongst the rubbish piled on the shelf. A moment
+later he observed triumphantly, albeit in subdued tones, "Another piece
+of evidence," and descending from his perch, he handed me a box of
+cartridges. A glance at the label had apparently been enough,
+nevertheless, to make sure, he searched again in his pocket, and
+produced the bullet which had proved fatal to the poor victim at
+Towcester. He compared it with one of the cartridges, and gave a grunt
+of content. "I fancy we shall soon obtain sufficient evidence to hang
+him," he murmured. Then a shadow crossed his face. "What an infernal
+dunderhead I have been not to suspect him before," he said, and turning
+impatiently away, he replaced the box of cartridges on the shelf, before
+renewing his systematic examination of the rest of the contents of the
+room. The search revealed nothing further, and at length he desisted.
+
+All the while we were keenly on the alert to detect any sound which
+should tell us of the approach of Mannering's car. But the minutes
+passed and grew into hours without a sign. It must have been about five
+in the morning when we had entered the coach-house, and when I saw by my
+watch that it was nearly ten, I began to think that in some way or
+another Mannering had got warning of the danger that threatened him. I
+suggested to Forrest that we might as well leave our hiding-place, but
+he would not hear of it.
+
+"I don't leave this building except in his company, unless I hear that
+he has been captured elsewhere," he declared obstinately. "At the same
+time, don't let me detain you."
+
+I wanted badly to see Evie, whom I thought might be getting anxious
+concerning me; but I hardly liked the idea of leaving Forrest to tackle
+Mannering alone if he should return. However, my first desire triumphed,
+so I persuaded Forrest to let me out of the door, promising to return
+within as short a time as I could manage.
+
+I hurried first to the Colonel's house, and had a brief interview with
+the dear girl, telling her what had happened and what was likely to
+happen in the near future. Next, I went to my own place, and had a
+basket packed with a plentiful luncheon, not forgetting to provide a
+couple of bottles of champagne, and thus provided I returned to the
+coach-house after an absence of less than an hour.
+
+When in response to my signal Forrest admitted me, his eyes twinkled
+with satisfaction as he saw my burden.
+
+"It is truly thoughtful of you," he remarked, as I lifted the lid of
+the basket and revealed the contents. "I only hope our friend will not
+spoil our picnic by arriving in the middle of it."
+
+The better to avoid any such _contretemps_, we set about our meal
+immediately with very good appetites. When we had finished, I do not
+know how Forrest felt, but I was confoundedly drowsy. I tried all sorts
+of tricks to keep my eyes open, but the quiet of the place, the
+coolness, and the subdued light of the saddle-room, where Forrest
+thought it best for us to remain, were too much for my powers of
+resistance and I dropped off to sleep.
+
+I must have slumbered for a couple of hours, if not three, when I was
+suddenly awakened by a hand placed on my mouth, while a voice whispered
+in my ear--
+
+"Wake up, man--wake up! There's no time to lose."
+
+I came to myself with a start. Forrest had hold of me, and was shaking
+me violently. At the same moment I became aware of the throb of an
+approaching motor.
+
+Recognizing the sound, I turned to the detective.
+
+"That's Mannering," I whispered.
+
+"Yes," replied my companion. "I could swear to the sound anywhere."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+GONE AWAY
+
+
+"DON'T stir an inch until I give the signal," whispered Forrest in my
+ear, as soon as he saw I was fully awake. He was perfectly calm, and he
+closed the door in order to conceal us from the sight of any one
+entering the workshop.
+
+The car pulled up outside. We heard the grate of the key in the lock,
+and the door creak on its hinges, as it swung open. There was a second
+grating noise, and I judged that the door of the inner yard had been
+opened by whoever had entered. There followed a few more pants from the
+motor, as it passed through the coach-house into the yard, and then
+everything was silent. The outer door shutting with a snap apprized us
+that the crucial moment was at hand, and my heart began to thump as I
+heard footsteps approaching. Forrest pointed to a vacant hook over my
+head, and I recognized why he had selected the harness-room for our
+hiding-place. The footsteps came slowly nearer, then stopped, and a long
+low laugh came from the lips of the unseen man. I thought we must have
+been discovered in our hiding-place and glanced at Forrest for
+instructions. He never moved a muscle. He stood poised like a greyhound
+about to be slipped from the leash.
+
+The footsteps approached again. The door knob rattled as a hand was laid
+upon it. The door flew open. Forrest darted forward.
+
+I caught one glimpse of Mannering's face, for it was indeed he, and I
+saw it become suddenly livid. It was not the pallor of fear. His eyes
+flashed. He had doffed his coat and was holding it in one hand, and
+quick as was Forrest's spring, he was equally swift to meet it. His
+other hand passed swift as lightning from the door handle, and catching
+the edge of the coat, spread the garment in front of him. Forrest,
+missing his grip, plunged heavily into the wide folds of the garment.
+Mannering's arms closed as a vice. The door swinging back had
+momentarily blocked my passage. I thrust it open, and had taken one step
+forward to Forrest's assistance, when Mannering with a herculean effort,
+swung the detective from his feet, and hurled him full at me. It was a
+magnificent effort, and I went down with a crash amongst the remains of
+the lunch with Forrest on the top of me. The whole incident had not
+lasted twenty seconds, and before either of us could regain our feet,
+the door was slammed and locked.
+
+Forrest was the first to regain his feet, and he rushed at the door
+furiously. We were trapped. The door was a strong one of oak, and I
+remembered that it fastened by a couple of bolts on the other side. The
+detective worried the door like a bear at the bars of his cage, but he
+could not move it. He gnashed his teeth, and he was white with rage.
+From the other side we could hear the sound of heavy objects being
+moved, and we guessed that our enemy was piling the most massive
+articles his workshop contained against the door to make it more secure.
+
+"D----n you, Sutgrove!" shouted the detective. "Don't stop to think, or
+we shall lose our man after all. Come, both together."
+
+I saw his intention, and I could understand and forgive his curse in the
+excitement of the moment. Together we hurled ourselves against the door.
+It did not move an inch, and a long low chuckle greeted the attempt from
+the other side. We tried madly again and again, but the barrier was
+immovable.
+
+Then I looked round for some tool which would enable me to break down
+the door itself. There were only the chairs available, and so I tore off
+the leg of one of them, and, bidding Forrest stand back, I swung the
+piece of wood round my head, and struck as hard as I could against one
+of the lower panels of the door. The improvised club flew into half a
+dozen fragments, but the panel had cracked. Forrest had provided himself
+meanwhile with a similar club, and directed his blows so effectively
+that the panel was driven out. I threw myself at the gap, trusting to be
+able to force my way through.
+
+What I saw filled me with rage. The wheels of the new car were moving,
+and right before my eyes the car disappeared into the outer
+coach-house. I made an unavailing attempt to struggle through the
+aperture, but the attempt was hopeless. It was too narrow to admit even
+my shoulders. Withdrawing, I told Forrest what I had seen.
+
+"I had entirely forgotten Laver," he remarked, and putting his whistle
+to his mouth, he blew it shrill and clear.
+
+Then together we renewed our attack upon the door. The sound of a shout
+from the outside followed by a pistol shot made us work like madmen, and
+within a minute, another panel gave, and we managed to get at the bolts
+and draw them. The articles piled against the door toppled in all
+directions, as we finally forced our way out.
+
+We were too late. The outer door was wide open, and just on the
+threshold, was Forrest's unfortunate subordinate lying on the ground,
+with blood trickling down his arm. He struggled into a sitting position
+as we came out, and pointed up the road in the direction of St. Albans.
+
+"Gone away, sir," he said.
+
+"Hurt?" asked Forrest, pausing as he did so.
+
+"Not much; smashed shoulder, I fancy," remarked the sufferer
+philosophically.
+
+"I'll send assistance," said my companion as he rushed after me into the
+road, where I stood horror stricken at what met my gaze.
+
+Fifty yards distant, opposite the entrance gate of Colonel Maitland's
+house, the new car was standing still. It was empty. The gate was open,
+and even as I watched, I saw Mannering come out of the gate, bearing in
+his arms the helpless figure of a girl. There was no need to guess who
+the victim might be. Even before I saw him appear, I knew intuitively
+why he had stopped. Had he not told Evie that on the third day he would
+return, bidding her be ready for him?
+
+I rushed forward towards the car, but before I had covered half the
+distance which separated me from it, he was aboard with his burden and I
+knew pursuit on foot to be hopeless.
+
+Yet, even as I saw him move away, there flashed across my brain one
+means by which I might possibly get on terms with my enemy. There was
+just one chance, and one chance only, of rescuing my darling from the
+Pirate, and that chance depended entirely upon the question as to
+whether the car upon which Mannering had returned was fitted with the
+same sort of motor as that on which he had departed.
+
+With the haste of a madman I returned to the coach-house I had just
+quitted. My hopes fell to zero. There was an unmistakable scent of
+petrol about the car. They rose again, however, upon a closer
+examination, for I saw at once that the motor was a turbine, though
+petrol was utilized in some way as a means of securing the necessary
+heat to secure the expansion of the gas for the starting of the engine,
+though I could see that once started, the expanded hydrogen was, as in
+the new car, ingeniously utilized to produce the necessary heat. I was
+glad then that I had spent as much time as I had upon examining the car
+upon which the Pirate had escaped, for I was enabled to see that, if
+only a supply of the liquid hydrogen were obtainable, I should be able
+to put my wild plan into execution. As it was, the tank was nearly
+empty, so putting my shoulder to the car, I shoved it into the workshop
+where, unless Mannering had let it run to waste, I knew I should find a
+supply of the hydrogen. Thank Heaven, Mannering had forgot to empty the
+receiver, and filling the tank and tightly screwing down the nuts of the
+covering, I wheeled the car into the open road. There I saw Forrest
+leaning against the wall of the coach-house, a figure of inexpressible
+dejection.
+
+"Come and lend a hand!" I shouted.
+
+The light that flashed into his face, as he realized what I would be at,
+was extraordinary. He sprang forward at once to my assistance. Now, in
+my attempts to get at the machinery of the car, I had discovered the
+plates with which Mannering had been wont to disguise its shape, and it
+occurred to me that they performed the further purpose of diminishing
+the wind resistance, so that if I wanted to get the full speed out of
+the car it would be necessary to fix them in their places. I immediately
+set to work to join up the various sections, leaving Forrest to bolt
+them together. We worked like niggers at the job, and it was nearly
+completed when a curious sound came down the breeze. I looked up, and to
+my surprise I saw the Pirate once more approaching.
+
+"Look!" I shouted to Forrest in my excitement, though there was no need
+to warn him.
+
+Nearer the Pirate came; still nearer. Every moment I expected to see him
+pull up and surrender. But it was a mad hope. He had not the slightest
+intention of so obliging us. As he approached, he suddenly increased his
+pace and flashed past us at full sixty miles an hour.
+
+Forrest fingered a revolver, but he dared not shoot for fear the bullet
+should find the slender form of Evie, who we saw was huddled close to
+his side. Mannering laughed as he passed us and waved his hand in
+derision.
+
+"There are a couple of masks in the coach-house," I said quietly to the
+detective.
+
+He darted into the doorway and returned a moment later with them,
+thrusting at the same time a bottle into his pocket. It took us no time
+to climb into the car and as, during his momentary absence, I had
+succeeded in starting the engine, we were in a position to move at once.
+
+For a hundred yards we travelled at the speed at which we were
+accustomed to see Mannering while using the car in the sight of men and
+in the light of day. Then with a word of warning to my companion, I
+pulled at the change-speed lever. The effect was marvellous. The car
+seemed to leap forward and the hedges suddenly transformed themselves
+into long green streaks.
+
+A cloud of dust on the road ahead gave the direction Mannering had
+taken, so I jammed down the lever to its limit and commenced the
+pursuit. At any other time the idea of chasing the Pirate on one of his
+own cars would have delighted me beyond measure, but my thoughts were
+too much occupied as to the fate which might await Evie if we failed to
+overtake her abductor to allow room for anything else.
+
+Exactly what speed we made I cannot tell, it must have been nearer
+eighty than sixty miles an hour, but the smoothness of the motion was
+wonderful, and I felt not the slightest tremor.
+
+Mannering had disappeared on the Watford road, and in a few minutes we
+swept through the north end of the town and, directed by a boy at the
+cross roads, made for Rickmansworth. Forrest took charge of the horn,
+and kept it braying continuously. We slackened speed through
+Rickmansworth, for the streets were full of vehicles, and there we
+learned that the white car was five minutes ahead. Once clear of the
+streets I let the car go again, and we tore away towards Uxbridge. On
+reaching the main Oxford road once more a dust cloud in the distance
+served as a guide, and informed us that Mannering had crossed the
+highway, and gone away in the direction of Slough. The going was rough
+for a while, but I did not slacken pace, though the road was narrow, and
+to have met a cart would have meant certain destruction. The road
+broadened after a time, and I fancied we were gaining, for the dust
+cloud seemed nearer. We skirted Slough to the east, the guiding cloud
+bearing towards Dachet. Darting through that little riverside town at a
+pace which set the police whistles blowing behind us, we came to the
+bridge across the Thames, and here we were informed that our quarry was
+barely a minute ahead, and running in the direction of Egham. A mile
+further on, at a straight piece of road, we first sighted the fugitives,
+and a cry of triumph escaped my lips. It was a little premature,
+however. Once again the silver car turned into a bye-road so winding
+that I was compelled, much against my will, to slacken speed. Then once
+more we came out upon a main road, to find our quarry not more than a
+hundred yards away as we swept out into the broad highway.
+
+And here, looking back, Mannering for the first time learned that we
+were on his track. At that moment, too, commenced a race which, I
+venture to think, will not soon be equalled in the history of the motor
+world. At all events, I trust it will never be my lot to take part in
+any similar trial of speed, at least, with such issues depending upon
+the result. Upon emerging from the bye-road we were a mile from Egham,
+and knowing the road, I asked Forrest to glance at his watch. The way
+was clear before us, and three minutes and a quarter later, we flashed
+through the railway arch at Sunningdale railway-station, four miles from
+the point where the timing commenced. But fast as we had travelled,
+Mannering travelled faster. When we reached Bagshot we learned he was
+half a minute ahead.
+
+We flew through the lovely pine country on the wings of the wind,
+through Hook, and so into Basingstoke. By this time we were covered from
+head to foot with white dust, looking more like working masons than
+anything else; but wherever we went, I knew Forrest had the power to
+make the way easy. If he had been anybody else but a detective from
+Scotland Yard, we should never have got through Basingstoke, for there
+the police, warned in some manner of our approach, had drawn a huge
+waggon across the road, thus completely barring our progress. It was
+soon drawn aside when Forrest produced his badge, and once more we flew
+westwards. So through Whitchurch and Andover.
+
+How we succeeded in escaping accidents I cannot explain. Providence
+seemed to watch over both pursuers and pursued. We were always on the
+verge of a collision with somebody or something. Cottages, carts,
+pedestrians, cyclists, seemed to be flying by in a never-ending
+procession. Yet we touched nothing.
+
+Once past Andover the road became clearer, for instead of turning
+towards Salisbury, as I expected, the Pirate chose the road through
+Amesbury and Stonehenge. We swept over Salisbury Plain at a magnificent
+pace, but we did not catch sight of the fugitives, though now and again
+a glimpse of a distant dust cloud raised my hopes momentarily. At
+Wincanton we learned we were three minutes behind, and setting my teeth,
+I determined I would not slacken speed again until we overtook the
+fugitives or reached Exeter. The road was admirable hereabouts, and we
+ran so steadily that, but for the hedges flying past, we might have been
+sitting in armchairs. After Ilminster the road became steeper, though
+it was yet too early in the year to be very rough.
+
+But how is it possible to describe a journey at the pace we were making?
+Our progress became dream-like to me. It was almost monotonous. One
+could observe so little, just an incident here and there to mark the
+stages in the journey. Thus I remember Honiton by the frightened scream
+of a cur which was swept off its feet by the rush of the air as we
+passed close at his tail. Then nothing of note until we reached Exeter.
+
+At the cathedral city we were told the white car was only a minute in
+advance. I began to wonder where the chase was going to end, for
+Mannering was still going westward without pause. Still we followed. Out
+on to the Launceston road; onward, ever onward until the bare hills of
+Dartmoor frowned upon us, and we had to slacken slightly for the long
+upward grind. Fortunately the hills were free from mist, and on reaching
+the summit of Whiddon Down we caught once more a glimpse of the white
+car before it disappeared in the distance. I was getting reckless, and I
+took the descent at a pace which blanched even Forrest's cheek. Then
+through a streak of white houses, which I fancied must be Okehampton.
+There was no need to inquire the way. At the pace both cars were
+travelling there was only one road which would serve either Mannering or
+myself. In fifteen minutes Launceston came into view. Then up again
+until from the top of Bodmin moor we caught fleeting glimpses of the sea
+on either side of us. On still without pause, through Redruth and
+Camborne and Hayle. Finally a sight of them at last, as we opened up St.
+Michael's Bay as we came to Marazion. And here I thought the chase had
+come to an end. I was mistaken.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+SAVED
+
+
+MY brain reeled as we rushed along the road into Penzance. My forehead
+seemed to be encircled with a band of steel. My mouth was so parched
+that my tongue rattled against my palate as I tried to speak to Forrest.
+My fingers were so cramped with the grip on the steering wheel, a grip
+which had never once been relaxed during our five hours' run, that I
+could not relinquish my hold. The road became dark, and involuntarily I
+cut off the supply of the gas to the motor and brought the car to a
+standstill.
+
+"Go on, man! Go on!" shouted Forrest in my ear.
+
+I could only gasp for answer. I felt suddenly sick.
+
+Then Forrest gave proof of his ready common sense. He thrust his hand
+into his pocket and produced the bottle of champagne which had been left
+over from our lunch, and which he had thoughtfully brought with him in
+view of some such eventuality as this. Tearing off the wire he cut the
+string. The cork flew out and the liquor creamed from the neck of the
+bottle. Pushing up my mask with one hand he held the bottle to my lips
+with the other.
+
+I spluttered. I choked. But I drank and I drank again. Never surely was
+champagne more grateful or more useful. My strength returned to me
+instantaneously. My brain cleared. My eyes saw. My hope returned. I drew
+a deep sigh of relief. Forrest handed me the bottle again.
+
+"After you," I said.
+
+He took a drink and then remarked authoritatively, "Finish the bottle."
+
+I obeyed and, draining it, tossed it into the hedge and once more set
+the car in motion. If our progress had been speedy before, when we were
+once through Penzance, it became absolutely reckless.
+
+My brain was dancing from the effect of the champagne, and a wild
+exhilaration throbbed in every artery. The pace was tremendous, and we
+had not left Penzance a couple of miles behind us before the fugitives
+came once more into view. Now for the first time I could see that we
+were holding our own in the race. It may have been that some bearing had
+become heated in the car Mannering was driving, for undoubtedly his new
+car was more speedy than the old, but it was clear that he could no
+longer leave us as he had been able to do in the earlier part of the
+chase. If only I could increase ever so slightly the speed of my car, I
+felt confident of overtaking him. I motioned to Forrest to bend towards
+me, and when his ear was level with my mouth, I asked him to throw
+everything which could be got rid of overboard, in order to lighten the
+car. He took my meaning at once, and away went the cushions and rugs.
+The difference was slight, but still there was a perceptible difference.
+At the pace we were now travelling the car rocked from side to side of
+the road, and Forrest had to brace himself stiffly against the
+foot-board to prevent himself being thrown out. But we were gaining foot
+by foot on the fugitives. I felt a thrill of delight when, on reaching
+the brow of a hill, I saw the white car only two hundred yards ahead,
+and reckoned that in a couple of minutes we should have overtaken them.
+
+But one thing I had overlooked. I became conscious that we should soon
+be at the end of our journey, for suddenly I saw the sea on the horizon.
+I knew now where we were, knew that the end was in sight. For Mannering
+there could be no return, and I shouted aloud with exultation when I
+realized it. We drew closer to him, so close that I fancied I could see
+his eyes glittering through the mica plate of his mask as he turned to
+look at us.
+
+A sudden horror gripped me by the throat. He surely must know as well as
+myself that he was near the spot where all roads ended; that we were
+barely a mile or two from Land's End. What if he intended to end his
+life and his journey together? And what if, not content with destroying
+himself, he were to carry with him to destruction the girl who rode
+beside him on his car?
+
+We reached within twenty yards of him, and then as if in answer to my
+thought, I heard him emit a screech of laughter as his car suddenly shot
+away from us, and in half a minute placed him at least a quarter of a
+mile ahead. The bitterness of that moment, as my hope died within me, I
+can never forget. I only continued the pursuit mechanically.
+
+We thundered through Sennen without pause and so onward until we opened
+up the hotel and the stretch of green on the brow of the cliff. Then I
+could have shrieked with delight. The white car was standing still and
+Mannering had left his seat and was standing by the side. Ten seconds
+would have brought us to him. Five passed. He leaped again to his seat,
+and as he did so, the white robed figure sprang from the car to the
+turf. The Pirate gave a cry of baffled rage. But he had no time to waste
+in recovering his escaping victim, for we were within fifty yards of
+him. His car leaped forward and, leaving the road, tossed like a boat at
+sea over the uneven boulder-strewn turf. We were within five yards of
+him, and it was as much as we could manage to do to keep our seats.
+
+Just in time I realized the danger into which we were being unwittingly
+drawn, and reversing the gear, I put on both breaks. I was in time, but
+only just in time, for we were on a treacherous grassy slope and in
+spite of the breaks our car continued to glide forward under the impulse
+of the velocity it had attained.
+
+"Jump for your life!" shouted Forrest.
+
+I had wit enough to obey without hesitation.
+
+As I leaped, my eyes were fixed upon Mannering who at that moment had
+reached the very edge of the cliff. I saw him disappear, and then I
+rolled over on the turf. I was unhurt, and gathering myself together, I
+regained my feet just as the car which had carried us so well followed
+the maker over the cliff. A dozen paces took me to the spot. I shuddered
+as I glanced downwards and saw the fate I had escaped. Two or three
+hundred feet below the tide was boiling over the jagged rocks. I fancied
+I could discern a few fragments of the white car and that was all.
+
+Not ten seconds before I had seen Mannering wave his hand at us
+mockingly as he rode to his death, and I guessed that his intention had
+been to lure us on to a common destruction. Once again he had
+disappeared, but now I knew it was for all time.
+
+A strange calm came upon me. Straight in front of us the Longships
+lighthouse made a pillar of black marble against the huge red disc of
+the setting sun. In the far distance the Cassiterides floated cloud-like
+on the horizon. I gulped down a sob of thankfulness, for the memory came
+upon me that the one whom I loved had been saved by the merest chance
+from sharing the fate of the madman who had so unhesitatingly rushed
+upon his doom.
+
+I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Forrest.
+
+"Our work is done," he said, and with an impatient sigh, he took from
+his pocket the useless handcuffs and hurled them after the cars. "One
+thing we have to be thankful for," he continued, "thank God, Miss
+Maitland is safe."
+
+For reply, I could only grasp his hands and wring them silently. As I
+did so, I became conscious that a number of excited people had gathered
+about us.
+
+"Where--where is she?" I gasped.
+
+Some one pointed to the hotel a hundred yards or so distant, and Forrest
+and I hurried towards it. I was a prey to the most horrible anxiety. I
+dreaded to contemplate what the result upon the mind of my darling might
+be. I had nearly reached the hotel door, when I saw a slight figure step
+across the threshold and shade her eyes with her hand. With a cry of
+delight I sprang forward.
+
+The next moment Evie was in my arms.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That is the story of the Motor Pirate. There remain but a few things to
+say. And first of them, let me explain how it happened that Evie managed
+to fall into the Pirate's clutches.
+
+I told her later that it was owing to feminine curiosity. She, on the
+other hand, declares it was entirely owing to her anxiety on my account.
+Whichever was the reason, the moment she had heard Mannering's car
+approach, she had gone to the garden-gate, whence she was able to
+command a view of the coach-house door. She had seen the man Laver rush
+forward at the sound of the whistle. Then the pistol shot rang out, and
+the next moment Mannering had appeared on the new car. He had seen her,
+and she had attempted to fly to the house, but he had overtaken her and
+carried her off. Once on the car he had proceeded a short distance on
+the St. Alban's road, and then stopped to speak to her, for the first
+and only time on that day.
+
+"I am going to take you for a ride with me, Miss Maitland," he had
+observed. "I merely wish to warn you before we start, that at the pace
+we shall travel, you will find any attempt to escape exceedingly
+dangerous."
+
+It was then from his manner and appearance she had realized that she was
+in the power of a madman.
+
+As regards the ride, she could tell me very little. The pace was so
+great that, being unprovided with a mask, she was obliged to crouch down
+on the seat and cover her face with a rug as a protection against the
+dust. It seemed an interminable time, she said, and the moment the car
+stopped she made an attempt to regain her liberty, without knowing how
+near she was to destruction at the time she made it.
+
+Fortunately the strain had been much less than I expected, so far as
+Evie was concerned, and much more than I anticipated, was its effect
+upon myself. It was a long time before I completely recovered from the
+effects of those three adventurous days. And the worst of it was, that
+everything combined to prevent me obtaining the absolute quiet which I
+needed. After spending a night at the hotel I, of course, hastened to
+take train to London in order to restore Evie to her father. But when I
+arrived at my place at St. Albans, I found a veritable army of pressmen
+encamped on my doorstep. They would not give me a moment's peace. I was
+compelled to remain in bed, and upon sending a message over to Evie to
+inform her of my predicament, she informed me that she was similarly
+besieged.
+
+We exchanged a dozen notes. I rose when it was dark, and slipped out of
+my back door. I could only see one method of securing quiet. Even a
+hardened pressman has a dislike to intrude upon the privacy of a newly
+married couple, so the next morning Evie and Colonel Maitland joined me
+in town, and we were married by special license and, without returning
+to St. Albans, we started for my home in Norfolk.
+
+So much for myself.
+
+Forrest was for a long time inconsolable at the final escape of the
+Pirate from the hands of justice. So was his subordinate, Laver, whose
+sentiments on the subject are quite too lurid for publication.
+
+As for Mannering, no trace of his body was ever found, though I have
+since heard that certain portions of the cars have been fished up from
+the pools amongst the rocks at the base of the cliffs at low tide. At
+present, however, there has not been sufficient of the machinery
+recovered to enable any one to construct a similar motor. He had
+apparently made no drawings, or else had destroyed them when they had
+served his turn, so it would seem as if the secret of the singularly
+speedy motor he invented is destined to be lost to the world. Still, it
+may be that sufficient will be recovered to give some skilled
+mechanician sufficient guidance to enable him to reproduce the lost
+pirate car. If not, well, I don't suppose it matters. Some one else will
+be sure to invent something similar. In fact, from the hints Mannering
+gave me, and owing to the opportunity I had of examining the car in his
+workshop, I think it is not unlikely that I shall shortly be applying
+for letters patent myself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+REVELATIONS
+
+
+THERE remains only one thing more. I feel that the story would be
+incomplete if I kept to myself certain particulars concerning Mannering,
+which have come to my knowledge since the day when he made his
+sensational flight into eternity from the brow of the cliff at Land's
+End. At the time, both my wife and myself wished never to hear again the
+name of the man whose actions had provided us with such terrible and
+nerve-shattering experiences, but afterwards, when we came to think over
+the matter, it occurred to both of us that in fact we knew very little
+about the man who had nearly wrecked our lives. To dwell upon that
+thought naturally awakened our curiosity concerning his past life, and,
+needless to say, when the opportunity occurred for gratifying our
+curiosity, we did not for a moment hesitate about accepting it. It is
+true that we had gathered from his conversation that he had travelled
+widely, but in what capacity, or with what object, we knew as little as
+we knew of his birthplace or parentage. We found, too, a difficulty in
+understanding the motives which had prompted Mannering's actions, and,
+though we often discussed the question, we could never of ourselves
+have arrived at a satisfactory solution of the problem.
+
+On this latter point I must mention the conclusion arrived at by _The
+Speaker_. This sober-minded and extremely British review declared that
+his animating motive was "the strong rock of equity, or abstract
+justice," inasmuch as, by principally directing his attention to
+motorists, he was avenging _The Speaker's_ quarrel with a class which
+this journal held in particular abhorrence. Naturally, both Evie and
+myself smiled at the thought that the Motor Pirate was a conservative
+gentleman, anxious only to restore to the highways of England something
+of their pristine calm. For myself, I inclined to the belief that he was
+a remarkable specimen of the megalomaniac, whose exploits were prompted
+much more by the desire for notoriety than by any altruistic motive, or
+even by any sordid consideration regarding the plunder which he secured.
+Certainly had he been a mere criminal, impelled by the desire for the
+easy acquisition of wealth, he could have pursued his career for a much
+longer period than he actually did. As for my wife, with a woman's
+natural tendency to read a romance into any and every development of
+human activity, she held fast to the opinion that the Pirate's
+extraordinary career was the outcome of an overmastering passion for
+herself. The probability is, that in his brain all these motives
+operated at different times. The natural love of plunder, inherent in
+the criminal mind, is as often as not accompanied by a morbid delight in
+awakening the wonder of the public by the performance of startling
+deeds and, in the same temperament, it is not unusual to discover the
+romantic nature developed to a considerable degree. But, from the data
+at our command, I fancy it would have been impossible even for the
+experienced psychologist to decide which, so to speak, was the master
+impulse.
+
+Perhaps, however, the few facts concerning him, which came into our
+possession afterwards, tend to clear up these points to some degree.
+Certainly they left me with a clearer light upon his individuality.
+
+To these facts I am indebted to Inspector Forrest, who, some six months
+after our famous ride together in pursuit of the pirate, managed to find
+time to pay a flying visit to our Norfolk home, where we had continued
+to dwell in peaceful seclusion.
+
+It was at dinner, on the night of his arrival, that Forrest first hinted
+that he had picked up some details of Mannering's life-history, and of
+course nothing would content Evie but a promise that we should hear what
+he had discovered. So, directly the meal was finished, we adjourned for
+our coffee and cigars to my sanctum, where, in front of a comfortable
+fire, Forrest made no difficulty about satisfying our curiosity.
+
+"You see," he began, when his cigar was once well alight, "I was every
+bit as curious as Mrs. Sutgrove."
+
+"Or myself," I interrupted.
+
+"Or Mr. Sutgrove," said the detective, smiling, "for there is precious
+little difference between the sexes so far as curiosity is concerned, in
+spite of the generally accepted opinion on the matter. But being
+curious, I naturally made the most minute search when I searched his
+place at St. Alban's. I didn't find much there, it is true, but I did
+secure a clue which ultimately led me to some lodgings which he had
+occupied some three or four years previously, and there, by the merest
+good luck, I discovered that when he had departed he had left behind him
+a worn-out travelling-bag, and in that bag was a bundle of papers which
+supplied me with sufficient information to reconstruct his history to
+some extent, though I should not like to swear to the absolute accuracy
+of every detail of his biography as I see it."
+
+"Was there nothing at all found at St. Alban's then?" asked Evie.
+
+"I fancy you must have seen in the papers a pretty full account of all
+that the police discovered there?" said the detective.
+
+"Yes," replied Evie. "We read a lot of stories, but they varied to such
+an extent that we really did not know what to believe."
+
+Forrest smiled. "Now I come to think of it, the reporters did give their
+imaginations free reins, but you can take it from me that, with the
+exception of the plunder he amassed after his return from that
+Continental trip, and the apparatus for the production of the liquid
+hydrogen, there was very little in his house of interest to me or you.
+There was his bank-book, and some correspondence with a learned
+professor at the Royal Institution. I followed up both clues. At the R.
+I. I discovered nothing. Mannering had merely posed as a wealthy
+amateur in chemistry, and of course he met with every assistance when he
+had asked for help in following up his researches into the behaviour of
+liquid gases. At his bank also, very little was known about him. When he
+had come to St. Alban's he had opened an account by a payment into it of
+six or seven thousand pounds in Bank of England notes. He had drawn
+steadily upon the account until it was nearly exhausted, and, in point
+of fact, there was only a few pounds to his credit from the time when he
+commenced his career on the road, until a week or two after his return
+from Amsterdam, when he paid in two thousand pounds in gold, and a
+fortnight later swelled his balance with a similar amount."
+
+"That was the proceeds of the Brighton mail robbery," I remarked.
+
+Forrest nodded. "That was his only really big coup. As for his other
+plunder, he probably disposed of the proceeds of all his early cruises
+on the Continent, at the same time that he sold the diamonds. That which
+he obtained afterwards was found intact in the safe in his bedroom.
+Heavens! What an opportunity I missed by not taking out a search-warrant
+for his house. When we paid our midnight visit, there must have been
+ample evidence behind the steel door to have convicted him."
+
+The detective was silent for awhile, and bit savagely at his cigar.
+
+"He was not a wealthy man, then," I remarked.
+
+"No," replied Forrest. "There was no trace of his owning any property
+anywhere, and his expenditure on the gas plant and on his motors--we
+found that the various parts had been made to specification at a variety
+of works in England and abroad--had eaten heavily into his capital, so
+that at the time of the commencement of his career he must have been
+very nearly penniless. Whether he built the motor with the idea of
+utilizing it for the purpose he ultimately put it to, of course I cannot
+say, but I have a shrewd suspicion that he really did design it for the
+purpose, since from what I have learned of him the predatory instinct
+must have been pretty strongly developed in him."
+
+The detective paused for a minute, and, flicking the ash off his cigar,
+gazed meditatively into the fire.
+
+"You shall judge for yourselves," he continued. "Unfortunately, I cannot
+begin right at the beginning, for I do not know where he was born, nor
+who his parents were. I can only guess at these facts from the knowledge
+that, as a boy, he was at school in the south of England, and that then
+his name was Ram Krishna Roy."
+
+"What?" I asked, in amazement. "A Hindu?"
+
+"An Eurasian, I should fancy," replied Forrest. "He had been sent to
+school in England by one of those petty Indian princes, who still
+exercise sovereignty under British suzerainty."
+
+"How did you discover that?" asked Evie.
+
+"It was like this, Mrs. Sutgrove," replied Forrest. "Amongst the papers
+I spoke about as being in the old portmanteau, were a number of letters
+written in characters I could not understand. I could see they were
+oriental, and that was as much as I could make of them, so I took them
+to a noted oriental scholar who translated them for me. The language was
+Urdu, and the writer was a munshi, who was obviously communicating with
+an old pupil. There were so many references to scenes with which the
+person to whom the letters were addressed, as well as the writer, was
+familiar, that it was quite clear that the former must have been brought
+up amidst purely native surroundings. There were one or two more obscure
+allusions which led me to conclude that the boy's mother must have been
+a white woman, and from what we saw of him there can be no doubt but
+that he was white on one side."
+
+"Nobody would have taken him to be aught but an Englishman," murmured
+Evie.
+
+"No," said Forrest. "I was intensely surprised when I discovered these
+proofs of his identity and at first I thought they could not apply to
+him, but before I come to the connecting link, let me mention one
+curious thing in the letters, which may do something to explain the
+curious influence which Mannering exerted over Mrs. Sutgrove."
+
+"He hypnotized me, I am sure," declared Evie, decidedly.
+
+"Very possibly," replied the detective. "In nearly every letter was to
+be found an admonition to the effect--I cannot give you a verbatim
+translation--that the writer hoped his old pupil would not forget that
+to him was entrusted the secret power of Siva, which would, by
+practice, enable him to mould all men to his will."
+
+"If he had possessed that," I interrupted, "there would have been no
+necessity for him to have practised piracy on the high-road."
+
+"True," said Forrest. "But it is quite possible that Mrs. Sutgrove's
+conjecture is correct, and that even at that early age Mannering had
+learnt something about hypnotism from his native instructor, for I am
+very certain that of these semi-occult sciences, the East has much more
+precise knowledge than is realized by the Western world."
+
+"Very likely," said my wife, shuddering slightly at the remembrance. "He
+certainly had a most singular power over me."
+
+"He probably increased his knowledge when he returned to his native
+land, which, I gathered, must have taken place when he was about
+seventeen. Then there is a break for nearly ten years in his history."
+
+"I don't quite see how you connect Ram Krishna Roy with Mannering," I
+interpolated.
+
+"I'm coming to that," replied Forrest. "With these letters was another
+in its original envelope addressed in the same hand to Julian Mannering
+at San Francisco. It was the most interesting letter of the lot. It was
+full of reproaches addressed to the dear pupil, who had cut himself off
+from the asceticism of the East, and devoted himself to the gross
+materialism of Western civilization. It concluded by the expression of
+an intention to once more attempt to persuade him to return by a
+personal appeal. On the back of the letter was a note in Mannering's
+handwriting. 'Old Chatterji kept his promise. I had quite a long
+conversation with him in the ballroom last night. Everybody thought I
+was drunk or mad to be talking Hindustani, apparently to empty air.
+However, that's the last of him. I've done with the East.'".
+
+"You make him more a man of mystery than ever," I exclaimed.
+
+"I can't help it," said Forrest. "Perhaps his old tutor really did
+appear to him. Perhaps Mannering was mad. Who knows? Both are dead.
+However, he seems to have carried out his intention of not returning to
+India. Ram Krishna Roy disappeared from that time forth, and Julian
+Mannering took his place. He seems to have been doing nothing at San
+Francisco at the time, but a little later he appears to have accepted an
+appointment as engineer to a mine in Arizona. He left the berth suddenly
+a few months later, owing to some trouble about the wife of one of the
+miners. The miner was shot, and his comrades were so incensed that
+Mannering had to depart hot-foot. Then for awhile I can only guess at
+his occupation from some newspaper cuttings which he had preserved.
+These point to his identification with the leader of a gang of
+desperadoes whose most notable exploit was the successful holding up of
+a train which had a considerable quantity of specie on board."
+
+"I remember him describing the affair," said Evie, "though he
+represented himself as on the side of the attacked."
+
+"The only assistance he gave to the plundered was to assist them to a
+better land by the aid of his gun. He escaped, though, and made his way
+to Australia, and once again he resumed the practice of his
+profession,--mining engineering. For three or four years he was engaged
+at a newly-opened mine in the northern territory of West Australia. But
+instinct was too strong for him. He must really have had a strong dash
+of the blood of some of those Indian hill-tribe freebooters in his
+veins, for he never seems to have been able to resist the prospect of
+plunder, and the likelihood of having to fight for it seems to have been
+an additional inducement. Thus, at the mine, under his charge, it was
+the custom to send, periodically, the gold extracted, under a strong
+escort, to the nearest town, some forty miles distant. For a long time
+these consignments were delivered with perfect safety. Then, after a
+particularly rich vein had been struck, it became necessary to forward a
+very large consignment of bullion. Contrary to the usual practice, only
+two men were sent in charge of it. Their dead bodies were afterwards
+discovered, and the gold was never recovered. No one seems to have had
+the least suspicion that the gentlemanly engineer at the mine was likely
+to have had something to do with the business, and when, shortly
+afterward, he resigned his post and took a passage to Europe, he
+received the highest possible testimonials from his manager and
+directors. I have no doubt, myself, that he was the prime mover in the
+robbery, for his salary was a small one, and directly afterwards he
+spent six months in Paris, where his expenditure would have been lavish
+for a millionaire."
+
+"That was where my father met him," remarked Evie. "I remember him
+expressing surprise at the simplicity of Mannering's life at St. Alban's
+in view of the luxury with which he had been surrounded when they had
+met previously."
+
+"Just so," said the detective. "But his Paris career ended as it had
+commenced. He disappeared suddenly, without a word of farewell to any of
+his acquaintance, and had it not been for one bit of evidence, I should
+have had not the slightest idea as to what he had been doing with
+himself in the interval between that time and his arrival at St.
+Alban's. You may remember that a scientific expedition was despatched by
+the Dutch government about six years ago to make some investigations in
+the interior of New Guinea?"
+
+I shook my head.
+
+"It started six months after Mannering disappeared from Paris, and from
+the time it left Batavia _en route_ for New Guinea not a word has ever
+been heard of it."
+
+"You cannot mean to infer that Mannering had anything to do with that?"
+I asked, incredulously.
+
+"I infer nothing," replied Forrest. "But I do know that a pocketbook,
+which had belonged to a chemist attached to the exploring party, was one
+of the documents I found in his bag. The book contained a number of
+notes upon the liquefaction of gases, and these may very likely have
+first interested Mannering in the subject. As I have since discovered
+from a search of the registers at Lloyds that there were quite a number
+of ships lost about the same time in those seas, I cannot help thinking
+that our friend had served an apprenticeship under the black flag at sea
+before taking to land piracy."
+
+"At that rate he must have been the greatest criminal on earth," I
+declared.
+
+"He was certainly the biggest I ever came across," replied Forrest, "and
+my only regret is that I was unable to secure him in order that he might
+have judicially paid the penalty for his crimes."
+
+"It was a pity," I said, "though I fancy if we had trapped him he would
+have found some means of cheating the gallows and making a melodramatic
+exit from the world."
+
+"It is more than likely," said Forrest. "He was not the ordinary type of
+criminal. I was speaking to a big mental specialist the other day,
+and--but I had better complete the story of his career first. Where did
+we leave him?"
+
+"New Guinea," I prompted.
+
+"The only other reason I have for suspecting him of being engaged in
+deeds of violence in that quarter of the globe is that he returned to
+England _via_ Singapore, with a considerable quantity of bullion in his
+possession. The rest of his history you know."
+
+"He seems to have had a stirring existence, anyhow," I commented. "And
+one hardly sees any reason for it save natural sin."
+
+"The alienist I was talking to the other day described him as a moral
+pervert. He said he was a type of insanity usually associated with
+physical incapacity or a low order of intelligence, but when, as in
+Mannering's case, both physique and intelligence were above the average,
+the moral pervert is a greater danger to the community than an army of
+ordinary criminals. If ever I said a prayer it would be when a madman of
+that type was removed from the world."
+
+"Amen," said both Evie and I, heartily.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+Text uses both St. Alban's and St. Albans.
+
+Page 24, "has" changed to "had" (papers had not)
+
+Page 76, "continue" changed to "continued" (he continued earnestly)
+
+Page 86, "sang-freid" changed to "sang-froid" (companion's _sang-froid_
+soon)
+
+Page 88, "typeing" changed to "typing" (typing, and upon)
+
+Page 139, "choose" changed to "chose" (We chose the footpath)
+
+Page 189, closing quote added (address." Then, after)
+
+Page 242, "couples" changed to "couple" (a couple of minutes)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Motor Pirate, by George Sidney Paternoster
+
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+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Motor Pirate, by G. Sidney Paternoster.
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+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Motor Pirate, by George Sidney Paternoster
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Motor Pirate
+
+Author: George Sidney Paternoster
+
+Release Date: September 19, 2008 [EBook #26657]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MOTOR PIRATE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Emmy and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
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+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[i]</a></span></p>
+<h1>The Motor Pirate</h1>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[ii]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 379px;">
+<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="379" height="600" alt="Cover: The Motor Pirate" title="Cover: The Motor Pirate" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/illo-frontis.jpg" width="500" height="360" alt="HE HAD INSISTED UPON THE TWO WOMEN DANCING FOR HIS AMUSEMENT" title="HE HAD INSISTED UPON THE TWO WOMEN DANCING FOR HIS AMUSEMENT" />
+<span class="caption">HE HAD INSISTED UPON THE TWO WOMEN DANCING FOR HIS AMUSEMENT</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[iii]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr><td align='center' colspan='3'><div class="figcenter" style="width: 463px;">
+<img src="images/bordertop.png" width="463" height="37" alt="Border top" title="Border top" />
+</div>
+</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class="figcenter" style="width: 40px;">
+<img src="images/borderleft.png" width="40" height="721" alt="Border left side" title="Border left side" />
+</div></td><td align='center'><h2>THE</h2>
+
+<h1>MOTOR PIRATE</h1><div class="figcenter" style="width: 390px;">
+<img src="images/insidebar.png" width="390" height="33" alt="Border inside bar" title="Border inside bar" />
+</div>
+<h3>By</h3>
+
+<h2>G. Sidney Paternoster</h2>
+
+<br /><br /><br />
+With a Frontispiece by Charles R. Sykes<br /><br /><br />
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 166px;">
+<img src="images/emblem.png" width="166" height="200" alt="Emblem" title="Emblem" />
+</div><br /><br /><br />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 390px;">
+<img src="images/insidebar.png" width="390" height="33" alt="Border inside bar" title="Border inside bar" />
+</div>
+<div class='center'>
+New York <big>* &nbsp;*&nbsp; *&nbsp; *</big><br />
+A. Wessels Company<br />
+<big>*&nbsp; *&nbsp; *&nbsp; *</big> MCMVI<br /></div>
+
+</td><td align='right'><div class="figcenter" style="width: 40px;">
+<img src="images/borderright.png" width="40" height="721" alt="Border right side" title="Border right side" />
+</div>
+</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='center' colspan='3'><div class="figcenter" style="width: 463px;">
+<img src="images/borderbottom.png" width="463" height="37" alt="Border bottom" title="Border bottom" />
+</div></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style='width: 65%;' />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[iv]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<div class='copyright'>
+<i>Copyright, 1904</i><br />
+<small><span class="smcap">By L. C. Page &amp; Company</span></small><br />
+(INCORPORATED)<br />
+</div>
+
+<hr style='width: 25%;' />
+
+<div class='copyright'>
+<i>All rights reserved</i><br /></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents">
+<tr><td align='left' colspan='2'><small>CHAPTER</small></td><td align='right'><small>PAGE</small></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>I.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Mainly About Myself</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>II.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Compton Chamberlain Outrage</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>III.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Wherein I Meet the Pirate</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_21">21</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>IV.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Concerning My Rival</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_36">36</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>V.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Colonel Dreams and I Awaken</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>VI.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">I Am Arrested</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_59">59</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>VII.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">I Make Friends with Inspector Forrest, C.I.D</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_71">71</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>VIII.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Murder</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_81">81</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>IX.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Explains a Mysterious Disappearance</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_92">92</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>X.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Describing a Ride with the Pirate</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_104">104</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XI.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">In Which the Pirate Holds up the Brighton Mail</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XII.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">How We Exchange Shots with the Pirate</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_123">123</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XIII.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Of the Advantages of Being Wounded</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_135">135</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XIV.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">A Cloud Appears on Love's Horizon</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_145">145</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XV.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">A Clue at Last</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_155">155</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XVI.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">I Commit a Burglary</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_165">165</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XVII.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Storm</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_176">176</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[vi]</a></span>XVIII.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">In Which the Pirate Appears in a Frolicsome Humour</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_187">187</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XIX.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">A Hot Scent</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_196">196</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XX.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Relates How the Pirate Holds up an August Personage</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_207">207</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XXI.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">We Plan an Ambush</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_218">218</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XXII.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Gone Away</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_228">228</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XXIII.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Saved</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>XXIV.</td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Revelations</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_249">249</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>THE MOTOR PIRATE</h2>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CHAPTER I</h2>
+
+<h3>MAINLY ABOUT MYSELF</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>Of</span> course every one has heard of the Motor Pirate. No
+one indeed could help doing so unless he or she, as the
+case may be, happened to be in some part of the world
+where newspapers never penetrate; since for months his
+doings were the theme of every gossip in the country,
+and his exploits have filled columns of every newspaper
+from the moment of his first appearance until the day
+when the reign of terror he had inaugurated upon the
+roads ended as suddenly and as sensationally as it had
+begun. Who the owner of the pirate car was? Whence
+he came? Whither he went? These are questions
+which have exercised minds innumerable; but though
+there have been nearly as many theories propounded as
+there were brains at work propounding them, so far no
+informed account of the man or his methods has been
+made public.</div>
+
+<p>Nearly twelve months have now elapsed since he was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span>
+last heard of, and already a number of myths have grown
+up about his mysterious personality. For instance, it
+is not true, as I saw asserted in a sensational evening
+paper the other day, that the Motor Pirate was in the
+habit of abducting every young and attractive woman
+who happened to be travelling in any of the cars he held
+up. On only one occasion did he abduct a lady, and
+in that case there were special circumstances with which
+the public have never been made acquainted. His deeds
+were quite black enough without further blackening with
+printer's ink, and it would be a pity if the real Motor
+Pirate were lost sight of in mythical haze such as has
+gathered about the name of his great prototype, Dick
+Turpin.</p>
+
+<p>It has occurred to me, therefore, to tell the story of his
+doings&mdash;it would be impossible for any mortal man to
+give an absolutely detailed account of his life and
+actions&mdash;but I know more than the majority of people about
+the personality of the man. Of one thing my readers
+may be assured: I personally can vouch for the accuracy
+of every fact which I chronicle. You see I am not a
+professional historian.</p>
+
+<p>How it happened that I am in a position to give
+hitherto unknown particulars about the Motor Pirate
+will appear in the course of my narrative. Sufficient for
+the moment let it be for me to say that it was purely by
+chance that the opportunity was thrown in my way;
+though, as it happened, it was not entirely without my own
+volition that I became involved in the network of events<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span>
+which finally resulted in the tragedy which closed his
+career. By that tragedy the world lost a brilliant thinker
+and inventor, though unfortunately these great talents
+were accompanied by an abnormal condition of mind,
+which led the owner to utilise his invention in criminal
+pursuits.</p>
+
+<p>It may probably seem strange that, being in possession
+of facts as to the identity of this mysterious person, I did
+not lay them before the police, who, at any time during
+the three months of his criminal career, would have given
+their ears to lay him by the heels. You may even think
+it is their duty to take proceedings against me as an
+accomplice. Well, I am quite prepared to answer any
+question which the police, or any one else for that matter,
+desires to put to me. James Sutgrove, of Sutgrove Hall,
+Norfolk, is not likely to change his address. When my
+poor old governor died he left me sufficient excuse, in the
+shape of real estate, for remaining in the country of my
+birth; though, if the necessity had arisen, I should not
+have hesitated about going abroad. At twenty-five, my
+age within a few weeks, a man has usually sufficient
+energy to enable him to carve out a career for himself
+in a new country, and I do not think I am very different
+to my fellows in that respect. But the fact is, I have
+nothing to fear from the police. My criminality was
+less than theirs. An ordinary citizen may be forgiven
+if he is blind to the meaning of things which occur under
+his nose, but the police are expected to be possessed of
+somewhat sharper vision. The utmost that can be urged<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span>
+against me is, that if my eyes had been keener than those
+of Scotland Yard, reinforced by the trained vision of
+some hundreds of intelligent chief constables throughout
+the country, I might have been able to lay my hands
+upon the Motor Pirate before&mdash;but I must not anticipate
+my story.</p>
+
+<p>One word of apology, however, before I begin. In
+order to make my narrative fully intelligible I shall have
+to refer to matters which may seem of a purely personal
+nature. I will make these as brief as possible, but it
+was entirely through such that I was brought into closer
+touch with the Motor Pirate than, perhaps with one
+exception, any other person in the world. If therefore
+I seem to be devoting too much attention to what appears
+to be merely personal interest, I trust I may be excused.
+To begin, then, at the beginning.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>On the evening of March 31, 19&mdash;, I had arranged
+to dine in town with a couple of friends, both of them
+neighbours of mine. I am not going to mention the
+name of the restaurant. It was not one of the fashionable
+ones, or probably neither the cuisine nor the wines
+would have been so good as they were, though both
+would unquestionably have been more expensive. I
+prefer, therefore, to keep the name to myself. It was
+in the neighbourhood of Soho, however, and the reason
+I had invited my friends was in order to disabuse their
+minds of the idea that everything in that neighbourhood
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span>was of necessity cheap and nasty. I had determined
+that their palates should be charmed by the dinner they
+were to eat, so, in addition to sending a note to the
+proprietor, I thought it as well to arrive at the restaurant
+a quarter of an hour before the appointed time, in order
+to make assurance doubly sure that everything was as
+I desired it. Had my guests been casual acquaintances,
+I must confess that I should never have taken this
+trouble. But they were not. One of them was the
+renowned Colonel Maitland. I never heard anything
+about his war service, but I do know that as a
+gastronomist his reputation is European. The cool way
+he will condemn an <i>entr&eacute;e</i>, presented to him by an
+obsequious waiter, merely after casting a single glance
+upon it, speaks volumes for his critical insight; and as
+for wines&mdash;well, he can tell the vineyard and the vintage
+of a claret by the scent alone. I verily believe that
+were he to be served with a corked wine, the result
+would be instant dissolution between his gastronomic
+soul and body. Naturally I had to make some preparations,
+in order that such delicate susceptibilities should
+not be offended. In addition, I had a special reason for
+seeking to please him. Colonel Maitland had a daughter.</p>
+
+<p>I have only to mention the name of my other guest
+to reveal his identity to every one with any knowledge
+of the motoring world. It was Fred Winter, <i>the</i> Fred
+Winter, leading light of the Automobile Club, holder
+of more road records than I can count, in fact the most
+enthusiastic motorist in the country. It was in consequence
+of this, indeed, that he came to be my guest.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span>
+There were few questions in regard to motoring upon
+which Winter was not competent to give an opinion,
+and being myself a victim to the prevailing motor-mania,
+I was deeply indebted to him for many valuable tips.
+By this time I had passed my novitiate, and was still
+driving a neat little 9&frac12;-h.p. Cl&eacute;ment in order to fit
+myself for a more powerful and speedy car.</p>
+
+<p>I arrived then at the restaurant about a quarter to
+eight, and having had a brief but satisfactory interview
+with the proprietor, I made my way to the table I had
+reserved in my favourite corner of the dining-room.
+Finding I had ten minutes to spare, to kill time I ordered
+a vermouth and the evening papers. The <i>Globe</i> was the
+first upon the pile the waiter brought to me, and following
+the example of most sane men, I skipped the parliamentary
+intelligence and turned to the "By the Way"
+column. I remember distinctly there was only one
+amusing paragraph therein, and I was about to throw
+the paper aside, with the customary lament as to the
+decadence of British humour, when my attention was
+arrested by a paragraph at the bottom of the next column.
+The heading was "Strange Highway Robbery." This
+was the paragraph:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Our Plymouth correspondent reports a novel highway
+robbery on the road between Tavistock and Plymouth.
+Two gentlemen who had been for a run on
+their motor to Tavistock, left the latter town about eight
+o'clock last night. Their journey was uneventful until
+they reached Roborough, where they were suddenly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>
+overtaken by a motor-car occupied by a man, who presented
+a pistol at their heads, and ordered them to stop.
+Thinking that the stranger merely intended to scare
+them, and that the summons was only an ill-advised
+piece of pleasantry, they paid no attention to the demand;
+whereupon the driver of the strange car, with a well-directed
+shot, so damaged the machinery of their vehicle
+that they were compelled to obey. Their attacker then
+demanded all the money and articles of value they had
+in their possession under threat of completely wrecking
+their car, and after securing his booty the highwayman
+decamped. In consequence of the damage to their motor,
+it was not until late at night that they reached Plymouth,
+and were enabled to give particulars of the occurrence
+to the police. From their description of the stranger's
+vehicle, identification should not be difficult. It is a
+long, low, boat-shaped car of remarkable speed, and from
+the little noise it creates is probably driven by an electric
+motor. As to the personal appearance of the driver, the
+gentlemen who were robbed could form no opinion, for
+he wore the usual leather coat affected by tourists, and
+his head was completely enveloped in a hood."</p>
+
+<p>On reading this paragraph, my first impulse was to
+lay aside the paper and indulge in a hearty laugh. My
+impression was that some wag had been hoaxing either
+the Plymouth correspondent or the London editor of the
+<i>Globe</i>. However, my curiosity was sufficiently aroused
+to lead me to take up another paper, to see if the <i>Globe</i>
+was the only paper which reported the occurrence.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The next paper on my pile was the <i>Star</i>, and the
+moment I unfolded the pink sheet, I perceived that this
+liveliest of evening journals was not going to be left
+behind by the <i>Globe</i> in providing the public with particulars
+of the latest sensation. Under the heading of
+"A Motor Pirate," with descriptive headlines extending
+across a couple of columns, and as attractively alliterative
+as the cunning pen of a smart sub-editor could make
+them, was the account of a similar incident. At first
+I thought it must be the same occurrence, but a brief
+perusal showed me that this impression was a wrong one.
+But I will give the <i>Star</i> account in full, and I do so the
+more readily, not only because it contains the first detailed
+account of the man whose extraordinary audacity was
+shortly to raise the interest of the public to fever pitch,
+but also because it tells the story with a force and colour
+of which my unpractised pen is incapable. Apologising
+therefore to the editor for the liberty I have taken, I
+reprint the <i>Star</i> account verbatim. I think, however,
+the story deserves a new chapter.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER II</h2>
+
+<h3>THE COMPTON CHAMBERLAIN OUTRAGE</h3>
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+"A MOTOR PIRATE<br />
+"TAKES TOLL OF TRAVELLERS IN THE WEST.<br />
+<br />
+"<span class="smcap">A Veiled Stranger on a Mysterious Motor flies</span><br />
+"<span class="smcap">the Black Flag near Salisbury.</span><br />
+</div>
+
+<div class='unindent'>"<span class="smcap">On</span> receipt of the following extraordinary story from
+the Central News Agency this morning, the <i>Star</i> at once
+sent a representative to make inquiries on the spot. His
+inquiries reveal the existence of a new terror to all who
+travel by road. Following are the facts communicated
+to us by the agency:&mdash;</div>
+
+<p>"'A daring highway robbery was committed near
+Salisbury late last night. The victims were two gentlemen
+who had been touring in the west country by motor.
+They had intended to reach Salisbury early yesterday
+evening, but were delayed by a puncture. When about
+eight miles from Salisbury they were attacked by the
+occupant of another car, who wrecked their vehicle, and,
+after robbing them of all their valuables, decamped, leaving
+them badly injured by the wayside. There they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span>
+were discovered some time afterwards and removed to
+the nearest inn at Compton Chamberlain, where they
+remain under medical attendance.&mdash;<i>Central News.</i>'</p>
+
+<p>"The <i>Star</i> special correspondent wires:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class='right'>
+
+"Compton Chamberlain, 12.30.<br />
+</div>
+
+<p>"There is no doubt but that the Motor Pirate has a
+real existence. On arriving at Salisbury I at once proceeded
+to make inquiries as to what was known of the
+outrage, but Salisbury generally was sceptical on the
+subject. I found, however, that the affair had been
+reported at the county police office; and I at once drove
+on here, and am now in a position to assert that this quiet
+Wiltshire village has been the scene of the most astounding
+robbery of modern times. It is safe to prophecy that in
+a few more months Dick Turpin will be forgotten. He
+has a rival in the field whose exploits will soon relegate
+him into comparative obscurity.</p>
+
+<p>"The first visible evidence of the outrage was afforded
+me about a quarter of a mile from Compton. The road
+dips here slightly, and at the end of the incline a motor-car
+was drawn to the side of the road, or rather the
+remains of what had once been a smart Daimler of some
+7 or 8 h.p. A stonebreaker was at work on an adjacent
+pile of flints, and when I alighted to examine the wreck,
+he nailed me with, 'Hoy, mister! Ye'd better leave
+thick thur car alone. The p'lice be comin' to tek un up
+zhortly.'</p>
+
+<p>"I gathered from him that he had been told to keep<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span>
+an eye upon the car, but beyond having heard that the
+owners had met with an accident, he knew nothing.
+There was no doubt about the accident. The car was
+so broken up that it looked as if it had been in collision
+with an armoured train.</p>
+
+<div class='right'>
+"Compton Chamberlain, 2.45 p.m.<br />
+</div>
+
+<p>"I have just succeeded in interviewing the owner of
+the motor-car, a Mr. James Bradshaw, of 379, Maida
+Vale. His companion was Mr. Gainsborough Roberts,
+of 200, Clapham Common. Mr. Roberts is suffering
+from severe concussion, and has not regained consciousness;
+but fortunately Mr. Bradshaw's injuries, though
+painful, are not dangerous, and he has been good enough
+to give me a full account of his unique adventure. It
+seems the two gentlemen had been touring in the west
+country for ten days, and were on their way home.
+They stopped the previous night at Exeter, leaving about
+ten in the morning with the intention of reaching Salisbury
+about five or six yesterday evening. They lunched
+at Ilminster, and afterwards had traversed another twenty-five
+miles of their journey when one of their tyres
+unfortunately punctured. This was shortly after they
+had passed through Wincanton. When the tyre was
+mended, something went wrong with the electric ignition,
+and altogether the repairs proved such a tedious job that
+they could not make a fresh start until close upon lighting-up
+time.</p>
+
+<p>"The delay had not troubled them, for the weather<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>
+was beautifully fine. As, however, they were very
+hungry, they determined to stop at Shaftesbury for dinner
+before finishing the day's run they had mapped out.
+There is a particularly long hill into Shaftesbury, and
+they did not reach that town until 8.30. At the hotel
+they met another party of motorists, and, agreeing to dine
+together, it was not until after ten that they found themselves
+once more on their way, with twenty miles of a
+hilly road to cover. The lateness of the hour did not
+trouble them much. They had wired to Salisbury for
+rooms; the night was fine and clear; a bright moon was
+shining; the roads were clear of traffic, and their motor
+was guaranteed to do its thirty-five miles an hour. They
+thought that it would be a good opportunity to find out
+what Mr. Bradshaw's car was really capable of doing on
+a hilly track.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Bradshaw declares that he had never enjoyed a
+run more than he did on this occasion. A brisk wind
+was blowing behind them, they found there was more
+downhill than up, the road was absolutely clear, and they
+were able to take the declines at a pace which took the
+sting out of the ascents."</p>
+
+<p>"So for twenty minutes they ran at full speed, and
+after slowing to pass through a village, they had just put
+on full speed again when Mr. Bradshaw's attention was
+arrested by a curious humming sound which appeared to
+arise from something behind. He was, of course, unable
+to glance back, as all his faculties were engaged in driving
+the car; but Mr. Roberts, whose attention was attracted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span>
+at the same moment, informed him that another motor-car
+was coming up behind. Then, to quote Mr. Bradshaw's
+own words, 'Thinking the other chap was on for
+a race, I did everything I knew to get every ounce out of
+my motor. But,' he continued, 'though I'll swear we
+were running nearer forty than thirty-five, the other
+fellow swooped up and passed us as if we were standing
+still.'</p>
+
+<p>"For the moment he thought that the stranger was
+one of those American speed motors specially built for
+racing on the track, but only for a moment. The strange
+car slackening speed, allowed them to come alongside.
+What followed may be best described in Mr. Bradshaw's
+own words.</p>
+
+<p>"'There was only one occupant of the strange car,
+and, seeing him slacken speed, I naturally thought he
+wished to speak to us. So, as he came level, I shouted
+to him, my exact words being, if I remember aright,
+"Hallo, sir! You've got a flyer there." I fancied I
+heard a chuckle from beneath his mask (he wore a hood
+covering the head fitted with a mica plate in front) and
+he replied, "Yes; I fancy my car is fast enough to
+overtake anything that is to be found on the road."
+There was something in his tone that struck me as
+peculiar, but I merely attributed it to the motorist's pride
+in his car. As however he said nothing further, but
+continued to keep alongside, in a manner that looked
+as if he were inclined to gloat over the owner of a less
+speedy machine, I asked with some little irritation, "Is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span>
+there anything I can do for you, because if not&mdash;&mdash;"
+He did not allow me to finish my query. "Yes, sir,"
+he replied promptly, "there is something I am going to
+ask you to do for me," and he gave another of his infernal
+chuckles.</p>
+
+<p>"'"Well, what is it?" I demanded, with a little
+warmth.</p>
+
+<p>"'"I must request you to hand over all your money
+and valuables to me," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>"'I could not believe my ears. I was so astonished
+that I gave the wheel a turn that nearly landed us in
+the ditch. Will you believe it? Even in that swerve
+the strange car followed mine, and when I had got her
+straight in the road, I heard him chuckle again. His
+manner angered me beyond bearing.</p>
+
+<p>"'"What the deuce do you mean?" I shouted.</p>
+
+<p>"'"There's no need for you to lose your temper,"
+he answered coolly. "I must, however, trouble you to
+stop that car at once."</p>
+
+<p>"'As he spoke he raised his hand, and I saw the barrel
+of a revolver glisten in the moonlight. There seemed
+to be only one way out of the predicament, for I thought
+I had to deal with a madman, and I took it. I pretended
+to be so alarmed that I fell over the steering wheel, and
+made my car swerve again. But this time we swerved
+towards, instead of away from, the stranger. I doubt
+whether there was light enough for him to have read
+my intention in my face, but it was obvious that he
+anticipated my move, for his car shot forward with such<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>
+wonderful speed that the fate I intended to force upon
+him befell myself. I saw his car disappearing ahead,
+and the next moment I was just conscious of a shock
+that sent me flying into oblivion.</p>
+
+<p>"'Exactly how long I remained unconscious I do not
+know, but when I came to my senses I found myself
+lying on the grass at the roadside, having fortunately
+been thrown on the soft turf. Roberts was lying unconscious
+on the road; the car was smashed to bits; our
+pockets had been turned inside out, and our money,
+watches, and every article of value we had about us,
+taken. Needless to say, the stranger had disappeared.'</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Bradshaw was not in a state to be of much
+assistance to his more badly injured friend, and he was
+at a complete loss as to what course to pursue, when a
+trap coming from Salisbury fortunately made its appearance
+on the scene. Assistance was procured, and the
+two injured gentlemen were conveyed to Compton, and
+medical attention quickly provided. Though much
+shaken, and badly bruised, Mr. Bradshaw has sustained
+comparatively little injury. Mr. Roberts, however, is
+dangerously ill, and his relatives have been telegraphed for.</p>
+
+<p>"As regards the appearance of his assailant, Mr.
+Bradshaw can give few particulars, save that he was clad
+in a large leather motoring coat, and his face completely
+hidden by a mask. The car can, on the contrary, be
+easily identified. It is boat-shaped, running to a sharp,
+cutting edge both in front and behind. The body is
+not raised more than eighteen inches from the ground.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>
+The wheels are either within the body, or so sheathed
+that they are completely hidden. It has apparently
+seating accommodation for two persons, the seat being
+placed immediately in the centre of the car. Mr. Bradshaw
+is quite convinced that petrol is not the motive
+force used for its propulsion, and as he cannot imagine
+that an electric motor of any kind was employed; the
+rapidity of motion, the perfection of the steering, the
+absence of noise and vibration, are so remarkable that
+he is utterly at a loss as to what build of car was driven
+by the stranger."</p>
+
+<p>I had just finished reading this extraordinary story
+when I felt a tap on the shoulder, and, looking up, saw
+Colonel Maitland standing before me.</p>
+
+<p>"'Pon my word, Sutgrove," he remarked, "I have
+never before seen any one so completely enthralled in
+a newspaper in my life. I've been standing watching
+you for nearly a minute."</p>
+
+<p>I sprang to my feet, and held out my hand.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the latest from Mr. Justice Jeune's division?
+When you come to my years of discretion you will be
+more interested in the <i>menu</i>."</p>
+
+<p>I laughed. "It was not the inanities of the divorce
+court, Colonel," I remarked; "but the most astonishing&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>He checked me with uplifted hand. "Being a
+rational being," he said, "I prefer my stories with my
+cigar. One should come to dinner with a calm mind."</p>
+
+<p>At this moment Winter entered the room, and, giving<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span>
+a signal to the waiter, the <i>hors d'&#339;uvre</i> were placed before
+us as he seated himself at the table.</p>
+
+<p>When he had greeted me I had observed that Colonel
+Maitland's face had worn a slightly resigned expression
+that reminded me of a picture I had seen somewhere
+of Christian martyrs being led to the stake. He took
+a mouthful of caviar and the cloud lifted. After the
+soup the dominant note of self-sacrifice had vanished
+entirely. With the fish his features attained repose.
+When we reached the <i>entr&eacute;e</i> his face had the radiance
+of a translated saint's. Then, with my mind at rest as
+to the effect of my little dinner upon my chief guest, I
+found time to devote a little attention to Winter. Yet,
+bearing in mind the Colonel's objection to anything but
+light generalities during the serious business of dinner,
+I forbore to introduce the topic I was burning to discuss
+with him. Not until the coffee was upon the table, and
+Colonel Maitland had expressed his contentment with
+the dinner, did I venture to refer to it. Then, while
+our senior was dallying with an early strawberry, Winter
+gave me a lead.</p>
+
+<p>"By the way, Sutgrove," he said, "what's this I saw
+on the evening paper bills about a motor pirate?"</p>
+
+<p>I told him. His interest was awakened to such an
+extent that he forgot to taste the glass of port which
+stood before him, and which I had ordered out of compliment
+to the Colonel's ideas of what was desirable.</p>
+
+<p>When my story was concluded Winter was silent.
+Colonel Maitland, however, hazarded the remark that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span>
+the whole narrative was "a concoction of some of those
+newspaper fellows. I have been at the War Office," he
+said, "so I ought to know of what they are capable."</p>
+
+<p>"I can scarcely imagine that any newspaper would
+dare hoax its readers to such an extent," remarked
+Winter.</p>
+
+<p>"They are capable of anything&mdash;anything," replied
+the Colonel, vigorously. "I have known them on more
+than one occasion to attack even my department."</p>
+
+<p>"That of course is scandalous," I replied warmly;
+"but here the conditions are different. They are referring
+to people who are able to reply if the facts are not as
+stated. In your case your mouth, of course, was closed."</p>
+
+<p>"Umph!" growled the Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>"At the same time," said Winter, "it may very well
+have happened that consciously or unconsciously the
+papers have been made the victims of a practical joke.
+To-morrow is the first of April, remember. Or even
+apart from the joke theory, the event happened after
+dinner, and Mr. Bradshaw may have found it necessary
+to be prepared with an explanation of his accident."</p>
+
+<p>"But the robbery?" I objected.</p>
+
+<p>"A passing tramp may have thought the opportunity
+too good to be neglected."</p>
+
+<p>"At all events," I persisted, "it is curious that two
+similar accidents should have occurred the same night in
+the same part of the country."</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly the coincidence is remarkable," answered
+Winter. "But do not forget that the two occurrences<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span>
+took place at least a hundred and thirty miles apart within
+less than three hours of one another. I will swear that
+no motor yet built would cover those roads inside three
+hours. I know them. No, Sutgrove. The moral
+seems to me to be that it is unwise for a motorman to
+look upon the wine when it is red, if he wants to get
+anywhere afterwards."</p>
+
+<p>The Colonel stretched his hand across the table and
+removed the glass which stood on the table before
+Winter.</p>
+
+<p>"My young friend," he observed, "you have, I
+believe, undertaken to bring me safely home to-night?"</p>
+
+<p>"You need not fear," replied Winter, laughing, "it's
+only the liquors supplied at country inns which drive
+motor-cars into ditches."</p>
+
+<p>The Colonel replaced the glass with a smile and
+refilled his own from the cradled bottle at his elbow.</p>
+
+<p>"I am merely a passenger, but you drive," he remarked.
+"I think, Sutgrove, under the circumstances,
+I will be responsible for the remainder of this bottle. It
+is endowed with certain qualities which particularly
+recommend themselves to me. It would be a sad thing
+if an accident were to befall us on our journey. In times
+of stress such as these one never knows when the War
+Office may not require the services of a capable man."</p>
+
+<p>Though the Colonel spoke in jest, in the event his
+words indicated with a fair amount of accuracy the
+destination of the port, for while we continued to discuss
+every point in the story, he sipped and sipped and nodded<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>
+his head beatifically. I did not replenish my glass, but
+when we rose the bottle was empty.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Colonel, what do you say to a music hall?"
+I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"My boy," he replied, as he patted me on the back,
+"I sleep far more comfortably in my bed."</p>
+
+<p>I realized where the contents of the bottle had gone
+by the sententiousness of my friend's phrasing, the slight
+turgidity, so to speak, of his articulation.</p>
+
+<p>"My dear boy," he continued, "I have never known
+you until this moment. You are greater than Columbus.
+Any one might discover a new continent, but in these
+days it needs exceptional qualities of enterprise and
+endurance to discover a fresh restaurant. I am content.
+Let us go home."</p>
+
+<p>We donned our overcoats and came into the open
+air. Winter's motor was waiting at the door in charge
+of a man from the <i>garage</i> where he had left it. We
+stepped in.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER III</h2>
+
+<h3>WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>We</span> were soon out of the narrow Soho street, and I
+observed that the time was just half-past ten as Winter
+steered us carefully through Piccadilly Circus. Colonel
+Maitland occupied a seat behind while I sat beside
+Winter.</div>
+
+<p>The car my friend drove was a magnificent 22-horse
+Daimler, built to his own specification and capable of
+doing considerably more than any car I had hitherto
+been privileged to ride upon. Of course while passing
+through the streets there was little chance of exhibiting its
+capabilities. Yet even there, the way the car glided in
+and out of the traffic, delicately responsive to the slightest
+touch of the steering wheel, was sufficient evidence of
+its quality to set the most nervous passenger at ease. As
+it was as yet too early for the after theatre traffic to fill
+the streets and compel us to stop every few minutes, we
+followed the main road up Oxford Street as far as the
+Marble Arch. There we turned to the right. Once
+clear of the narrow part of the Edgeware Road, Winter
+put on his second speed and a very few minutes seemed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>
+to have passed before we were bumping over a rough bit
+of roadway by Cricklewood.</p>
+
+<p>"There's not much of this," said Winter, cheerily
+over his shoulder to the Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>Our gastronomic friend merely grunted for reply, and
+I should have thought him to be asleep had not the red
+glow of his cigar assured me that he was still awake.</p>
+
+<p>Winter jammed on his third speed and the hedges
+began to fly past us. We were in the country now and
+were able to appreciate the fineness of the night. Indeed
+it was a perfect night. The air was sharp but without
+sting. The moon shone with a clear brilliance which
+betokened rain in the near future. The road was clean
+and dry, and there was no dust in the air except the thin
+cloud which floated behind us. We passed the Welsh
+Harp without a check, and not until we reached Edgeware
+did Winter revert to his second speed. We ran through
+the little town with only momentary slackening of pace,
+and so we sped onwards until we opened the stretch of
+road leading to Brockley Hill. Here Winter, seeing the
+road clear ahead, jammed on his highest speed and the
+wheels droned like a hive of bees as we darted towards
+the incline. We were half way up the hill before
+Winter found it necessary to transform his speed into
+power, and we finished the ascent with ease. Then
+once more the order was third speed, and we whirled
+away through Elstree and passed through Radlett a bare
+half hour from the time we started.</p>
+
+<p>Just at this time I looked back to see how Colonel<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>
+Maitland fared. His cigar no longer glowed, though it
+was still tightly held between his teeth. His head was
+bent forward, and the regular and gentle murmur which
+came from his nose proclaimed that he slept. I had just
+mentioned the fact to Winter, and had turned again to
+assure myself that he was comfortably wrapped in his
+rug, when I thought I saw on the road behind me
+another car.</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo!" I said to Winter. "There's another chap
+coming on behind us. Without lights, too!"</p>
+
+<p>A slight bend in the road shut out the view, however,
+and made me doubt whether or no my eyes had been
+deceiving me.</p>
+
+<p>"Pooh!" replied Winter. "We've passed nothing
+on the road, and at the pace we've been travelling there's
+not another car owned in this district we should not
+have left miles behind us, even if it had started at the
+same time as ourselves. You must have mistaken some
+of the shadows from the trees. How much of that port
+did you drink?"</p>
+
+<p>I laughed, but as we had now reached a straight
+stretch of road I looked back again.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm right," I said. "There is another car, and by
+jove! It's coming up hand over fist."</p>
+
+<p>"What?" shouted Winter. "What?"</p>
+
+<p>He clearly did not appreciate the idea of being overtaken
+by any one, for he whipped on his highest speed
+and jammed down the accelerator. The change was
+enormous. Our powerful car, relieved from all restraint,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span>
+simply leaped through the air. Winter gave a pleased
+laugh as he steadied her with the wheel.</p>
+
+<p>"If the stranger can catch us now I shall believe it's
+the Motor Pirate himself," he remarked in a pleased
+tone, that showed how proud he was of his own car.</p>
+
+<p>Our progress was so exhilarating that I wanted to
+shout defiance to the stranger; yet I was so fascinated
+with the pace we were travelling, that I could not take
+my eyes from the road which uncoiled before us.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly a humming sound forced itself upon my
+ear. For a moment I thought it was due to the whirr
+of our own wheels. Then it struck me that the note
+was a higher one. I half turned. The other car was
+within a yard or two of us. In another second it was
+level and, running without any visible vibration, indeed,
+without any noise save the snore of the wheels as they
+raced round, the stranger slackened speed and ran by
+our side.</p>
+
+<p>Winter cast a hasty glance at the strange car, and
+I saw him bite his lip with annoyance at finding his
+Daimler so outpaced.</p>
+
+<p>One glance at the stranger was enough to tell me
+with whom we had to deal. In the brilliant moonlight,
+the boat-shaped car with its sharp prow, the almost
+invisible wheels, the masked occupant, assured me that
+the evening papers <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'has'">had</ins> not been the victims of a
+hoax.</p>
+
+<p>"It's the Motor Pirate himself," I said to Winter,
+and my voice was hoarse with excitement.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Motor Pirate be d&mdash;&mdash;d!" replied Winter. What
+more he would have said I do not know, for at this
+moment the stranger turning his mask towards us called
+out in the most urbane manner&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I must trouble you gentlemen to stop that car."</p>
+
+<p>Winter at the best of times is of rather a peppery
+disposition, and whenever any one requires him to pull
+up, his temper invariably gets the better of his manners.
+His reply was an unnecessarily verbose, and needlessly
+forcible negative.</p>
+
+<p>I heard the stranger chuckle. "I really must trouble
+you to obey my wishes," he replied, with ironic courtesy.
+"Otherwise I shall be compelled to do some damage to
+that car of yours, a proceeding I always try to avoid if
+possible."</p>
+
+<p>"Do what you please," was in effect Winter's luridly
+adjectived answer.</p>
+
+<p>"If you do not pull up within thirty seconds your
+fate will be upon your own heads," said the stranger,
+shortly, as he laid his hand upon a lever.</p>
+
+<p>His car leapt away from ours, and though we were
+running nearly sixty miles an hour, we might have been
+standing still, he dropped us so rapidly. In fifteen
+seconds he had vanished in a cloud of dust ahead.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm going to stop," said Winter, abruptly. He
+suited the action to the word, and none too soon.</p>
+
+<p>Again we heard the curious drone of the strange car
+as it swooped down upon us, coming to a sudden halt a
+yard distant, with really beautiful precision.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What do you want?" shouted Winter, in his
+gruffest tones.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad to find you have had the wisdom to do as
+I desired you," said the Motor Pirate; for it was indeed
+he with whom we were now face to face. "It would
+have deeply grieved me to wreck so good a car as that
+you have there. A Daimler, I believe?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, d&mdash;&mdash;n your compliments! What is it you
+want?" growled Winter.</p>
+
+<p>"Merely any articles of jewellery and any money you
+may happen to have about you," remarked the stranger,
+pleasantly.</p>
+
+<p>I saw the moonlight glitter on the barrel of a revolver
+as he spoke, and he now lifted the weapon and
+pointed it towards us.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not wish to proceed to extremities, and, as I
+gather from your speech that I am dealing with gentlemen"&mdash;really
+Winter's language had fully warranted
+the sarcasm&mdash;"if you will give me your word of honour
+that you will hand over to me all articles of value in
+your possession, I will leave your car untouched. If, on
+the contrary, you decline to oblige me, I shall be under
+the disagreeable necessity of ruining that very handsome
+car you are driving. I do not like to hurry you, but I
+am afraid I must ask you to come to a speedy decision
+on the matter, for these roads in the vicinity of London
+are not quite so secluded as one of my profession could
+wish."</p>
+
+<p>He delivered this speech with an air of mock<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>
+politeness, which made Winter writhe. He did not,
+however, reply. I think he was too angry.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, gentlemen! Make up your minds. Your
+money or your&mdash;car!"</p>
+
+<p>He made a slight pause before he said the word
+"car," and his fingers played with the revolver in a
+manner that sent a cold shiver down my spine.</p>
+
+<p>"It's his turn now," I whispered to Winter. "It may
+be ours presently."</p>
+
+<p>"Come, come, gentlemen!" said the stranger again;
+"do you give me your words?"</p>
+
+<p>"D&mdash;&mdash;n you! I suppose we must," jerked out
+Winter, almost inarticulate with rage.</p>
+
+<p>"Each of you will dismount in turn and lay the
+contents of your pockets before me here." He indicated
+a level shelf, which formed apparently part of the casing
+of one of the wheels. "I must insist upon seeing the
+linings of your pockets; and I need hardly warn you that
+it will be extremely undesirable for you to make any
+movement liable to misconstruction. This toy"&mdash;he
+lifted his pistol&mdash;"has a very delicate touch. Now,
+gentlemen. One at a time, please, and do not wait to
+discuss the question of precedence. I am quite willing
+to overlook any little informality."</p>
+
+<p>I listened closely to his speech, but the voice was so
+muffled by the mask he wore, that I felt I should be
+unable to recognize it again. Only one point I was
+assured upon&mdash;that the Pirate was an educated man.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile what were we to do? All sorts of wild<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span>
+plans were darting through my brain, and I knew that
+Winter's mind must be equally active. But out of the
+medley no coherent scheme took shape. Winter dismounted,
+and, throwing off his overcoat, advanced into
+the brilliant circle of light cast by our lamps, and proceeded
+to empty his pockets. He laid his note-case, his
+watch and chain, and sovereign-purse upon the car in
+front of the highwayman, and, in obedience to a further
+command, added the diamond which shone upon his
+little finger, and another which adorned his shirt-front,
+to the pile. Then he resumed his place in the car, and
+I passed through a similar humiliating ordeal. All the
+while the stranger kept up a flow of apologies for the
+inconvenience which his necessities compelled him to
+occasion us. I kept silence, though I must confess the
+effort was a considerable strain upon my temper. Still,
+a pistol with a business man at the butt end of it, is of
+considerable assistance in preventing the exhibition of
+annoyance.</p>
+
+<p>"If the other gentleman will make haste, I shall be
+the sooner able to relieve you of my unwelcome society,"
+the Pirate remarked, as I returned to our car after
+handing over all the valuables in my possession.</p>
+
+<p>In the excitement, I had, until this moment, entirely
+forgotten the presence of Colonel Maitland; and now,
+looking closely at him, I discovered that he was still in
+happy ignorance of the <i>contretemps</i> which had befallen
+us. Swathed in rugs, he was propped up on the seat
+behind us slumbering peacefully. A smile was upon his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>
+rosy face, and ever and again he smacked his lips. He
+must have been dreaming of a finer vintage than ever
+terrestrial vineyard produced.</p>
+
+<p>"What the deuce can we do?" I asked Winter.</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo, Colonel!" shouted my friend.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter?" inquired the Pirate. "Does
+your friend refuse to acknowledge the compact?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm afraid he can hardly be said to be a party to
+it," I replied. "He has dined, and now he sleeps."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you will awaken him less roughly than I
+shall," was the retort.</p>
+
+<p>"Any one who knows Colonel Maitland is aware
+that he is exceedingly annoyed if awakened from his
+after-dinner nap," I urged.</p>
+
+<p>"Colonel Maitland? Colonel Maitland the
+gourmet?"</p>
+
+<p>"You know him?" said Winter.</p>
+
+<p>The Pirate laughed pleasantly. "I have met him
+on one occasion, and, as some slight return for a very
+excellent dinner which he ordered, and for which&mdash;doubtless
+by an oversight&mdash;he left me to pay, I will not trouble
+you to awaken him on this occasion. I wish you good
+evening, gentlemen."</p>
+
+<p>As he finished speaking he backed his car for a few
+yards. His hand moved to a lever. The car turned.
+He waved the hand which was disengaged, and in a
+moment he was gone, attaining at once a speed, which,
+until then I had thought it impossible for a motor-car
+ever to achieve.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Both Winter and I sat stock still, gazing after the
+fast disappearing car. We could not watch it for long;
+as in fifteen seconds it was out of sight, and even the
+dust-cloud it had raised in its progress had cleared.</p>
+
+<p>Then Winter turned to me and muttered a few
+expletives gently in my ear. I followed his example
+and we both felt better, at least I think so; for, without
+rhyme or reason, Winter burst into a fit of laughter,
+and I followed his example, though I cannot explain
+now, any more than I could have done then, why I
+laughed.</p>
+
+<p>When we had done laughing, Winter turned to me
+and said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Sutgrove, old fellow, would you mind punching
+me? I'm not quite sure whether it is the Colonel who
+is asleep or myself. I feel as if I have just awakened
+from dreaming of the story those newspapers printed."</p>
+
+<p>"It's not much of a dream," I remarked. "I little
+thought that we were to have the good fortune of so
+early an introduction to the Motor Pirate, however. The
+Colonel will be quite cross to think that his bottle of
+port prevented the renewal of an old acquaintance."</p>
+
+<p>Then Winter laughed again. I think he saw the
+amusing side of our adventure more clearly than I did,
+for I said sharply&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Hadn't we better be getting on to St. Albans, and
+giving information to the police?"</p>
+
+<p>"H&mdash;m&mdash;m!" he answered meditatively. "I think
+perhaps we had better not."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Not?" I replied in surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"In the first place it is after dinner," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"What of that? We dined wisely."</p>
+
+<p>"One of us knows nothing about it." Winter jerked
+his thumb in the direction of the slumbering warrior.
+"We could hardly explain the reason why the Colonel
+slept so soundly through the adventure. The explanation
+could hardly please him, would it?"</p>
+
+<p>I muttered an assent.</p>
+
+<p>"Besides," continued Winter, "for three of us to
+admit that we tamely allowed ourselves to be held up
+by one man, and forced to hand over to him all our
+valuables, well it&mdash;er&mdash;it hardly seems heroic, does it?
+That wouldn't create a very favourable impression upon
+Miss Maitland either."</p>
+
+<p>I was compelled to agree with him.</p>
+
+<p>"I think perhaps we had best keep the matter to
+ourselves. I have no desire to provide another sensation
+for the evening papers to-morrow."</p>
+
+<p>"At any rate I'm not going to sit down quietly
+under my loss if you are," I responded irritably.</p>
+
+<p>"That's another matter altogether," replied Winter,
+as he set our car in motion once more. "I did not say
+that I was going to grin and bear it either."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you propose?" I cried eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"That is a question we will discuss over a whisky
+and soda, when we have deposited the Colonel safely at
+home;" and he refused to say anything further.</p>
+
+<p>Our car was once more put at full speed, and in five<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>
+minutes we reached the cross-roads on the outskirts of
+St. Albans, where the road to Watford makes a junction
+with that on which we had come from town. Here
+Winter pulled up, and, much to my surprise, dismounted
+and made a careful examination of the road by the light
+of our lamps.</p>
+
+<p>"I just want to see in which direction the fellow
+went," he answered, in reply to my inquiry as to the
+meaning of his action.</p>
+
+<p>He was still engaged on the task when we heard in
+the distance the regular beat of a petrol motor approaching
+us on the Watford road.</p>
+
+<p>"If it's another pirate, he won't get much plunder,"
+I remarked.</p>
+
+<p>"That's no pirate," replied Winter, as a couple of
+lights came into view. "Cannot you recognize the
+rattle of Mannering's old car? I should know it anywhere.
+He will be able to tell us if any one has passed
+him on the road."</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the new-comer came within range of his
+voice, Winter hailed him.</p>
+
+<p>"That you, Mannering?"</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo, Winter! Got a puncture? Can I be of
+any assistance?"</p>
+
+<p>Was it indeed Mannering's voice, or were my ears
+deceiving me? The intonation was remarkably like
+that of the stranger, who so short a time previously had
+bade us stand and deliver, that I sprang to my feet with
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>an exclamation of astonishment. My eyes at once
+convinced me that my ears had played me false. There
+was no mistaking Mannering's lumbering old car for the
+graceful shape of the Motor Pirate's vehicle. I resumed
+my seat, taking my nerves seriously to task for generating
+the suspicion, if suspicion it could be called, which had
+flashed across my mind. If anything further had been
+needed to dispel it, the reply vouchsafed to Winter's
+query as to whether he had met any one on the road
+would have done so.</p>
+
+<p>"Met any one?" said Mannering; "I should think
+I have. Met the most wonderful motor I've ever seen,
+about a couple of miles back. 'Pon my soul, I'm not
+sure even now whether it was not a big night bird, for
+it just swooped by me with about as much noise as a
+humming-top might make. It must have been travelling
+eighty miles an hour at least. Reckless sort of devil the
+driver must be too. He hadn't a single light. I suppose
+his lamps must have been put out by the rapidity with
+which he was travelling. Never had such a scare in my
+life. I'd like to meet the Johnny. I'd welcome an opportunity
+of telling him what I thought of his conduct."</p>
+
+<p>"So should I," replied Winter, grimly; "and I fancy
+Sutgrove would not be averse to a meeting with him."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, what has he been doing?" asked Mannering.</p>
+
+<p>"It's too long a story to tell you now," said Winter,
+as he climbed back into his seat; "but if you will come
+up to my place as soon as you have put your car to bed,
+I'll tell you all about it."</p>
+
+<p>"Right!" sang out Mannering, as we once more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>
+set out upon our homeward way. We had not much
+further to go. In two minutes we had pulled up at
+Colonel Maitland's door.</p>
+
+<p>I leaned back and shouted, "Here we are, Colonel,"
+in the slumbering warrior's ear.</p>
+
+<p>"Eh! What&mdash;what?" he replied, as he awakened
+with a start. "When are we going to start?"</p>
+
+<p>"Start? Why we've brought you safely home to
+your own threshold," said Winter.</p>
+
+<p>"'Pon my soul! I remember now," he answered.
+"I just shut my eyes to keep the dust out of 'em,
+and&mdash;&mdash; You will come in for a peg, of course," he
+continued, as he emerged from the rugs in which he had
+been enveloped.</p>
+
+<p>I glanced at the windows. There was only a light
+in the Colonel's study. If there had been another in
+the drawing-room, I should have accepted forthwith. As
+it was, I merely said that I could not think of disturbing
+Miss Maitland.</p>
+
+<p>"Pooh!" said the Colonel, with the usual callous
+disregard of the mere father for his children's beauty
+sleep.</p>
+
+<p>But he did not press the invitation. Indeed it was
+with difficulty he succeeded in repressing a yawn.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll call to-morrow, and get a considered opinion
+upon my Soho house of entertainment," I remarked, as
+the Colonel opened his door, and paused at the entrance
+to bid us a final good night.</p>
+
+<p>"Glad to see you," he replied, as he grasped my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span>
+hand and shook it warmly. "But of one thing you
+may rest assured. So long as that bin of port holds out,
+your house of entertainment may count upon me as a
+regular customer whenever I dine in town."</p>
+
+<p>"Opium isn't in it," commented Winter in a low
+voice, as he set the car in motion and wheeled out of the
+drive. "How he could have slept so soundly through it
+all absolutely beats me."</p>
+
+<p>I did not reply. My attention was concentrated
+upon one of the upper windows, at which I thought I
+had seen a form I knew very well make a brief appearance.
+But we left the window and house behind us.
+Winter's place was only about a hundred yards further
+up the road.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+
+<h3>CONCERNING MY RIVAL</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'>"<span class="smcap">Now</span>, Jim, dip your beak into that, and let me see if it
+will not restore to your classic features their customary
+repose."</div>
+
+<p>So saying, Winter handed me a stately tumbler, and
+the mixture was so much to my liking that I felt an
+involuntary relaxation of my facial muscles immediately I
+obeyed the command. I stretched myself at length in
+the easy chair which I had drawn up before the fire, and
+felt able to forgive even the Motor Pirate. We
+were alone in the apartment which Winter called his
+study, but since the only books he read therein were
+motor-catalogues, and the lounges with which the
+snuggery was furnished were much more conducive to
+repose than to mental exertion, I refused to acknowledge
+its claim to the title. That, by the way. The fire was
+burning brightly. Winter's red, rugged, honest face was
+beaming with almost equal radiance. Who could help
+feeling happy?</p>
+
+<p>Then Mannering was announced, and Mannering was
+a man I had learned to passively dislike. Why, I scarcely<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>
+knew. I was aware of nothing against him. Indeed,
+when six months previously, on my first coming to St.
+Albans, I had been introduced to him, I had been rather
+favourably impressed. He was a tall dark man of thirty-five,
+with more than the average endowment of good
+looks. He could tell a good story, had shot big game in
+most parts of the world, was well-read, intelligent,
+possessed unexceptionable manners, and yet&mdash;&mdash; Well,
+Winter had none of his various qualifications, but I
+would at any time far rather have had one friend like
+Winter than a hundred like the other man.</p>
+
+<p>I had first made his acquaintance at Colonel Maitland's
+house, where I had found him on an apparently intimate
+footing. Perhaps it was this very intimacy which formed
+the basis for my dislike, for&mdash;there is no need to mince
+matters&mdash;at this time I was jealous, horribly and unreasonably
+jealous, of every male person who entered the
+Colonel's house. And here, perhaps, it will be better
+for me to explain how it happened that I came to be
+living in a cottage on the outskirts of St. Albans in
+preference to my own house in Norfolk.</p>
+
+<p>The change in my residence had been entirely due to
+a tennis party at Cromer. There I met Evie Maitland.
+She was&mdash;&mdash; No, every one can fill in the blank from
+their own experience for themselves; and if they cannot,
+I pity them.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately I had an aunt present. She was the most
+amiable of aunts, and quite devoted towards her most
+dutiful nephew. With her assistance, I managed not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span>
+only to improve my acquaintance with Miss Maitland,
+but also to effect an introduction to her father. I had
+only known them a week, however, before the Colonel
+took his daughter back to St. Albans. I allowed an
+interval of a fortnight to elapse, and then I followed. Of
+course I had to be prepared with some excuse, and here
+luck favoured me. Looking through the directory I
+discovered that Winter, whom I knew slightly as having
+been up at Camford about the same time as myself, was
+also a resident in the delightful St. Alban's suburb of
+St. Stephens where the Maitlands resided. I sought
+out Winter. I confided my story to him. The upshot
+of it all was that I took a cottage close to his house, and
+not far from the Colonel's, ostensibly that under Winter's
+tuition I might develop into a first-class motorist.</p>
+
+<p>Somehow I found that I made a great deal more
+progress with my motoring than with my love-making.
+Surely a more bewitching, tantalizing, provoking little
+beauty than Evie Maitland never tore a man's heart to
+fragments. If she was kind to me one day, she would be
+still kinder to Mannering the next. But that is neither
+here nor there. Anyhow, I heartily wished him out of
+the way, for there was no doubt whatever that Randolph
+Mannering was a much more attractive person than my
+insignificant self. His mere advantage in age counted
+for something; but I could have forgiven him that, had
+he not made use of the years to see so much and do so
+much, that he could not help appearing in the light of a
+hero to a girl who was just at the worshipping age.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span>
+And he knew so well how to get the fullest value out of
+his experiences. He never paraded them, I must admit
+that much in his favour. He was far too clever. An
+anecdote here and there to illustrate some point in
+the conversation, a modest account of some thrilling
+adventure, in which he hardly ever mentioned the part
+he had personally played, produced a much greater effect
+than if he had gone about trumpeting the deeds he had
+done and the dangers he had survived.</p>
+
+<p>He had, too, the advantage of a much longer acquaintance
+with the Maitlands than myself. I learned from
+the Colonel that Mannering had been living in a house
+whose garden adjoined his own for a year before my
+arrival on the scene. His life, until the Colonel had
+recognized him as an acquaintance he had made at the
+house of a friend some years before, had been that of
+a recluse, the object of his retirement being to perfect
+some mechanical invention upon which he was engaged.
+He had soon developed into a friend of the family, and
+I had found him firmly installed as such when I made
+my appearance at St. Albans.</p>
+
+<p>Naturally then I was none too pleased that Winter
+had proposed to take him into our confidence, but I
+made no absolute objection.</p>
+
+<p>I sat smoking quietly while Winter told the story of
+our adventure. He listened most attentively.</p>
+
+<p>"It's a most extraordinary story," he remarked, when
+the narrative was concluded. "You are quite sure
+neither of you touched any of that port?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Winter turned one of his pockets inside out with an
+expressive gesture.</p>
+
+<p>"Wine may rob a man of his wits," he replied, "but
+it does not relieve him of fifty pounds in notes, six in
+gold, a watch and chain worth fifty, and a diamond
+which has been valued at a hundred."</p>
+
+<p>"The numbers of the notes should enable you to
+trace the thief," said Mannering, thoughtfully.</p>
+
+<p>Winter laughed. "The fact is, I am such a careless
+beggar. I always carry notes about with me, replenishing
+my case when necessary; and really I have nothing
+to tell me whether those notes I had in my possession
+were the last batch I had from the bank, or odd ones
+left over from previous consignments. They may have
+been in my case for months."</p>
+
+<p>"Both Winter and I could identify our watches,"
+I hazarded.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course," replied Mannering, "if your Motor
+Pirate is fool enough to attempt to pawn them you may
+get the chance; but if he sells them to a receiver, they'll
+go straight into the melting pot."</p>
+
+<p>Winter lit a cigarette and Mannering turned to me.
+"What was the extent of your loss?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ten in gold, thirty in notes, and say thirty for my
+watch. My loss is comparatively light."</p>
+
+<p>"You know the numbers of your notes, I suppose?"
+he inquired, as he lit a cigarette in turn.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I replied, "I'm not quite so casual as
+Winter."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"There's some clue for the police to work upon,
+then."</p>
+
+<p>"It might prove to be so, only Winter thinks we
+show up so badly in the whole affair that he won't hear
+of my giving information."</p>
+
+<p>"The fact is," said Winter, "Maitland slept soundly
+through the whole affair, and it wouldn't be sporting to
+give him away."</p>
+
+<p>"I see&mdash;&mdash;" began Mannering.</p>
+
+<p>Winter deftly changed the subject. "What puzzles
+me," he said, "is the kind of motor the fellow employed
+to propel his car. I know of nothing at present on the
+market anything like so effective. I've seen 'em all."</p>
+
+<p>"Your loss doesn't seem to trouble you much,
+anyhow," commented Mannering.</p>
+
+<p>"I would willingly give a hundred times as much
+for a duplicate of that motor. I should be pretty sure
+to get my money back once I put it on the market."</p>
+
+<p>"If there's all that value in it, why should the owner
+go in for highway robbery?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"That's just what I fail to understand," said Winter.
+"From what I could see of it, our friend the Motor
+Pirate is possessed of an ideal car, graceful in shape,
+making no noise, running with a minimum of vibration
+and a maximum of speed. Why, there's a fortune in it."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course it is quite impossible that the motive
+power can be electricity?" remarked Mannering, gazing
+into the fire as if he could see a solution of the mystery
+therein.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Quite out of the question. Any one who has the
+slightest knowledge of motoring would know it to be
+impossible, even if the Pirate had devised a storage
+battery which would knock Edison's latest invention
+into a cocked hat. But supposing he had achieved the
+feat, remember that, according to the newspaper reports,
+he was at Plymouth yesterday at dusk, near Salisbury
+at eleven the same evening, and holding us up on the
+confines of St. Albans to night. He would be bound to
+get his batteries recharged somewhere and, with a car of
+such remarkable shape, how is he to do so without
+exciting remark? No; electricity is quite out or the
+question. I should be glad to think that the car was
+an electric one. His capture would only be a matter of
+a few hours."</p>
+
+<p>An indefinable expression, which might have been a
+smile, flitted across Mannering's face.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope, for all our sakes, his motor is an electric
+one," he said. "At all events it should not be difficult
+to track a car of so singular a shape. If it were built on
+the same lines as yours or mine, for instance, the owner
+might go anywhere without attracting attention."</p>
+
+<p>"Anyhow," I broke in, "until he is captured I'm
+going for a run every night with something that will
+shoot within easy reach. The next time I have the
+fortune to meet with him I hope I shall be in a position
+to get a bit of my own back."</p>
+
+<p>Again a smile appeared on Mannering's face as he
+exclaimed, "I almost feel inclined to follow your example.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span>
+I have nearly forgotten how to use a pistol since I have
+resided in this law-ridden land."</p>
+
+<p>"Surely you won't expose your experimental car to
+the chance of being rammed by the Motor Pirate,"
+remarked Winter, chaffingly.</p>
+
+<p>Mannering's car was a stock joke with us. It was a
+particularly cumbersome vehicle, with heaven only knows
+what type of body. It might have been capable of
+twenty miles an hour on the flat, but that would be the
+extreme limit of its powers. "You fellows," he had
+explained to us one day, "have taken to motoring for
+the fun of flying along the high-roads at an illegal speed.
+I have taken to it for a more utilitarian purpose. I have
+my own ideas about the motor of the future, and I am
+working them out down here. My old caravan is heavy,
+perhaps, but I want a heavy car. It's most useful for
+testing tyres, and that is one of the special points engaging
+my attention. Besides, in this car I am not tempted to
+get into trouble with the police. Twelve miles an hour
+is quite fast enough for all my purposes."</p>
+
+<p>Both Winter and myself had frequently asked him
+how he was progressing with his work, but as he had
+never returned us any but the vaguest of answers, nor
+ever invited us into the workshop which had once formed
+the stables of the house where he resided, we had thought
+that his story of being engaged in mechanical invention
+merely an excuse for getting rid of unpleasant visitors.
+I think we were both surprised when he answered
+Winter's chaff quite warmly.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I should not at all mind exposing my car to any
+risk if I could get the opportunity to examine the Motor
+Pirate's car. If the truth must be told, from what
+I have seen of his car, and what you have told me, I am
+rather inclined to think that whoever designed it has
+forestalled me in an idea which I had thought quite my
+own. I have long been working to produce a car which
+would run at least a hundred miles an hour without
+noise or perceptible vibration."</p>
+
+<p>"Couldn't you get it completed in a week?" interrupted
+Winter. "We might have a most exciting chase
+after our friend."</p>
+
+<p>Mannering shook his head. "I've been absolutely
+floored on one detail, and if that fellow has solved the
+problem&mdash;&mdash;" Shrugging his shoulders, he rose and
+held out his hand to Winter. I followed his example.</p>
+
+<p>"I had no idea that you had anything so important
+on the stocks," remarked Winter, as he accompanied us
+to the door.</p>
+
+<p>"Nor would you have done so until you saw the
+perfect machine on the road, if it had not been for my
+chagrin at seeing that car to-night. Of course I can
+count upon you both to say nothing of the matter."</p>
+
+<p>"On condition that you do not refer to our adventure
+again," said I, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>"Agreed," responded Mannering, as he smiled
+again.</p>
+
+<p>We both said good night to Winter, and in spite of
+our host's efforts to persuade us to stay for another peg, I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>
+followed Mannering out, declaring that I should never
+be able to face Mrs. Winter again if I kept him up any
+longer.</p>
+
+<p>I found Mannering standing at the gate, and I paused
+beside him to glance at the sky, across which one or two
+fleecy clouds were hurrying from the west. The moon,
+brilliant as earlier in the evening, now hung low down
+over the horizon. The breeze had freshened, and we
+could hear it whispering amongst the trees.</p>
+
+<p>"We shall not be long without rain. If the Pirate
+is still abroad he will leave tracks," said Mannering.</p>
+
+<p>The beauty of the night held so much of appeal to
+me that I felt annoyed at the current of my thoughts
+being turned back to the topic.</p>
+
+<p>I answered shortly. My companion took no notice
+of my petulance.</p>
+
+<p>"You have always thought I cared nothing for
+speed," he remarked, "but you were mistaken. I thought
+I would keep my desires in the background until I had
+succeeded in perfecting a car which I knew it would be
+impossible to outpace. I could not enter into competition
+with longer purses than my own, and if I had bought the
+fastest car in the market somebody else would have
+bought one faster. But to-night&mdash;&mdash; By Jove! How I
+envy that Motor Pirate. Imagine what the possession of
+that car means on a night like this, with the roads clear
+from John-o'-Groat's to Land's End. Fancy flying
+onwards at a speed none have ever attempted. Can you
+not see the road unwinding before you like a reel of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>
+white ribbon, hear the sweet musical drone of the wheels
+in your ears&mdash;&mdash;" He stopped abruptly.</p>
+
+<p>He must have observed my natural amazement at the
+intensity of feeling which his speech displayed, for he
+observed in a lighter tone&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Not being Motor Pirates, however, the next best
+thing is, I suppose, to go to bed and dream that we are."
+He turned on his heel and strode away in one direction,
+while I went in the direction of my own home. But I
+was in no hurry to get there. The night was too
+delightful.</p>
+
+<p>In the few hours which had elapsed since we had sat
+down to dine, a change had come over the face of the
+land. I could feel the presence of Spring in the air, and
+all the youth in me awoke. The creatures of the earth
+felt it too. In the silence of the night I could hear the
+crackle of the buds as they cast off their winter coverings,
+hear the whisper of the grass, which the countryman
+declares is the sound of growing blades, hear the murmur
+of all animate things as they rose to welcome the Springtide.
+My own heart leapt up with a renewal of hope.
+I stood awhile outside Colonel Maitland's door, and
+breathed a prayer that it might be my fortune to protect
+the fair inmate of the house from all harm through
+life. I strolled slowly to my own door, but I did not
+enter. Moonbeams beget love-dreams when one is still
+in the twenties.</p>
+
+<p>Back again to the Colonel's house, back once more
+to my own. In all probability I should have continued<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>
+my solitary sentry-go and my reverie until daybreak,
+had not my thoughts been sharply recalled to earth.
+On reaching my own doorway for the fifth or sixth
+time I had just turned, when I saw a black shadow
+on the road opposite the Maitlands' house. One glance
+was enough; it was the Motor Pirate again, and I
+began to count. "One&mdash;two&mdash;," the car passed me,
+"three&mdash;four;" it had vanished round a turning of
+the road in the direction of St. Albans.</p>
+
+<p>Even what I had already experienced of the Pirate
+had not prepared me for such an exhibition as this.
+What Mannering had said about the delight of flying
+along an open road at a hundred miles an hour recurred
+to me. I had not deemed it possible. But I paced
+the distance between the Colonel's house and the bend
+where the strange car had passed out of sight. The
+distance was just about two hundred yards, and it had
+been covered as near as possible in four seconds. The
+car must have been travelling just about a hundred
+miles an hour.</p>
+
+<p>I went straight indoors to bed. I am not ashamed
+to confess that I was not able to continue my dreams
+in comfort, while pacing the road, by the consideration
+of what would have happened to me had the Motor
+Pirate come along just two seconds before I happened
+to turn and see him.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER V</h2>
+
+<h3>THE COLONEL DREAMS, AND I AWAKEN</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class="smcap">I slept</span> until late the next morning. I have always
+been accustomed to a clear eight hours' sleep, and, as I
+did not get between the sheets until about four in the
+morning, I naturally did not awaken until mid-day. So
+what with my tub and the necessity for shaving, my early
+morning call upon the Colonel did not come off. I
+suppose, as a matter of fact, I sat down to breakfast just
+about the time when the gastronomic warrior was
+thinking of luncheon. However, when I saw how
+amply my expectation of a change in the weather had
+been fulfilled, I did not regret my lengthy sleep. From
+a sodden grey sky sheets of water were steadily pouring.
+There was not the slightest chance of any break in the
+clouds. Consequently I felt assured of finding Miss
+Maitland at home if I made my call in the afternoon, and
+since her father oftentimes thought it expedient to take
+a little repose after luncheon in order to prepare himself
+for the fatigue of dining, it was possible that I might
+even be fortunate enough to secure a <i>t&ecirc;te-&agrave;-t&ecirc;te</i> with
+her.</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span>I came to my breakfast, therefore, with as good a spirit
+as appetite, neither being in the slightest degree affected
+by the memory of the easy way in which I had been
+plundered by the Motor Pirate. Of course I felt a
+certain chagrin. Still, I could contemplate the adventure
+with a considerable deal more equanimity than I had
+managed to display the night before, though I found
+that my curiosity concerning him had, if anything,
+increased. I turned with eagerness to the morning
+papers to see whether they could add to my knowledge
+concerning him.</p>
+
+<p>As every one is aware, all the papers on the morning
+of the first of April that year devoted columns to his
+exploits. If I remember aright, the country was at that
+time engaged upon two of our usual minor wars, Parliament
+was in the midst of an important debate upon the
+second reading of a measure to secure an extension of
+the franchise, and a divorce case of more than common
+interest was engaging the attention of the leading legal
+lights of the law courts. But all these things received
+but the scantiest notice. The war news was relegated to
+the inside pages, the Parliamentary intelligence cut down
+to the barest summary, the <i>cause c&eacute;l&egrave;bre</i> dismissed with
+such a paragraph as ordinarily serves to chronicle an
+unimportant police court case. The Motor Pirate had
+nearly a monopoly of the space at the editorial disposal.
+There was column after column about him. The
+Plymouth robbery was reported in as great detail as the
+Compton Chamberlain affair, while there were particulars<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>
+of two similar outrages committed at points between
+these two places.</p>
+
+<p>On running my eye over the reports I saw that they
+added nothing to what I already knew, and I wasted no
+time in reading the leaders on the subject. I was, however,
+extremely interested to find from one paper that
+Winter and I had not been the only victims of the
+scoundrel's rapacity on the previous evening, for a brief
+telegram reported a similar occurrence a few miles from
+Oxford on the London road. I at once sent my man
+to purchase any of the early editions of the evening
+papers which might have reached St. Albans, in the
+hope that they might contain further particulars of these
+operations.</p>
+
+<p>I had finished my breakfast, and was enjoying a
+cigarette in my library, when he returned. I took
+the papers from him, and the first glance at one of
+them made me gasp with amazement. The news
+which startled me was all in one line&mdash;"Five more
+cars held up by the Motor Pirate."</p>
+
+<p>I am not going into details concerning these. If
+you have a desire to refresh your memory all you have
+to do is to turn to any newspaper of the date I have
+named and you will be able to get them <i>ad nauseam</i>.
+But I will venture to give a list of the places where and
+the times at which the outrages took place, for I made
+a list of them in the hope that, by carefully studying it
+with the map, I might get some idea as to where he
+might next be expected to make his appearance.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>I found that at five minutes past nine he stopped
+a car some four miles from Oxford. Twenty minutes
+later he was robbing a lonely motorist midway between
+Thame and Aylesbury. Then for forty minutes he
+appeared to have been idle, his next two exploits taking
+place within five minutes of each other, just after ten,
+in the neighbourhood of Amersham. King's Langley
+was the scene of his next adventure, the time given
+being about a quarter of an hour before he had overtaken
+us. In addition to the particulars of these robberies
+there were a host of reports from people who had seen
+the Pirate car pass them on the road. But there was one
+notable omission from the latter list. Not from a single
+town was there any record of the Pirate having been
+seen passing through it.</p>
+
+<p>I got a map of the district, and, after studying the
+country carefully, I was fain to confess that one of two
+things was certain: either the Motor Pirate had the power
+to make his car invisible at will, or else he had a truly
+phenomenal knowledge of the bye-roads. How he had
+even managed to get to Oxford, after his exploits in the
+West of England, without arrest, puzzled me. The
+car was so unique in shape that it seemed bound to
+excite observation. It could not have been put up at
+any hotel, any more than it could have been run through
+the country by daylight, without exciting remark and
+its presence being chronicled. What, then, had he done
+with it? The more I pondered the question the more
+puzzled I became, and at the same time the more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>
+determined to seek a solution of the mystery. But how?
+I made a dozen plans, all of which, upon consideration,
+appeared so futile, that I gave up the game in despair,
+and decided to see if my brain would not become clearer
+after I had paid my promised visit to Colonel Maitland.</p>
+
+<p>I did not find Miss Maitland alone, as I expected, or
+I might probably have been tempted to confide my
+experience to her, and to have asked the assistance of
+her woman's wit in putting me on the track of a solution
+to the mystery. Mannering was with her. When I
+made my appearance in the drawing-room, and found
+him enjoying a <i>t&ecirc;te-&agrave;-t&ecirc;te</i>, I cursed myself for delaying
+my call and thus giving him such an opportunity. My
+temper was not improved either by the discovery that
+they were sufficiently engrossed in conversation to have
+been able very well to dispense with my presence. I
+did not feel called upon to leave Mannering a clear
+field, however, so I joined in the discussion, and tried
+my hardest to be pleasant.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, there was only one possible topic of
+conversation, the theme which was uttermost in every
+one's mind throughout the length and breadth of the
+land. It was a difficult subject for me to discuss, and
+in a measure it was a difficult subject for Mannering,
+inasmuch as it was hard to refrain from reference to
+the personal experience we had had with the Motor
+Pirate. It became increasingly difficult, when a few
+minutes after my arrival Colonel Maitland joined us.</p>
+
+<p>"It was lucky for him he did not meet us, hey,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span>
+Sutgrove?" said the Colonel. "You, Winter, and
+myself, would soon settle a Motor Pirate, wouldn't we?"</p>
+
+<p>I muttered something which would pass for an assent,
+while Mannering shot an amused smile in my direction.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder though we saw nothing of him," continued
+Maitland; "he must have been very near us
+last night."</p>
+
+<p>"He seems to have been everywhere," I answered.</p>
+
+<p>"He has the ubiquity of a De Wet," said Mannering.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope I shall have a chance of meeting him sometime,"
+I continued grimly.</p>
+
+<p>Colonel Maitland chuckled. "Heavens! What a
+fire-eater you are, Sutgrove. One might almost take you
+for a sub in a cavalry regiment."</p>
+
+<p>I made no answer, and Miss Maitland remarked&mdash;"I
+think that is very unkind of you. You spoke of the
+Motor Pirate as if you owed him a grudge. I think
+we all ought to be supremely thankful to him for having
+made the wettest day we have had this year pass quite
+pleasantly."</p>
+
+<p>Bear him a grudge? I should think I did, but at the
+same time, I had no intention of confessing the reason,
+so I said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Then we'll drink long life and prosperity to
+him the next time we have a bottle of that same
+port your father approved so highly last night." Then
+I turned to the Colonel, and made a clumsy attempt
+to turn the subject of conversation. "Is your verdict
+upon my restaurant equally favourable to-day, sir?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Colonel Maitland's eyes twinkled. "I have nothing
+to regret. As for the port with which we finished, it
+seems to me the sort of stuff dreams are made of. Do
+you know that the glass I drank&mdash;was it one glass or
+two?&mdash;gave me the most vivid dream I have enjoyed
+since my childhood?"</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed! Let's hear it, Colonel," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Do tell us," said his daughter, as she rose from
+her seat, and put her arms coaxingly round her father's
+neck. "Do tell us like a real, good, kind, old-fashioned
+parent."</p>
+
+<p>The Colonel passed his hand lovingly over his
+daughter's sunny hair.</p>
+
+<p>"Sutgrove and Mannering don't want to hear about
+an old fellow's silly dreams," he said. "Besides, it was
+all about the Motor Pirate, and I can see that Sutgrove
+for one is quite sick of the subject."</p>
+
+<p>I was, and I wasn't, but I speedily declared that
+I was not when I saw that his daughter was bent upon
+hearing the story. So he started upon a prosy description
+as to how the fresh air had sent him to sleep, not saying
+a word about the port, and I ceased to listen to him,
+preferring to devote the whole of my attention to his
+daughter, who had seated herself upon a footstool at
+his feet, and was looking up into his face with a pretty
+affectionate glance in her deep blue eyes, enough to
+set any one longing to be the recipient of similar regard.
+Her form, attitude, expression, all made so deep an
+impression upon me, that I have only to close my eyes<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>
+at any time to see her just as she was then&mdash;the little
+witch! She knew full well how to make the most
+of her attractions, and though she has often declared
+since to me that the pose was quite unpremeditated,
+I could never quite believe her.</p>
+
+<p>However that may be, I was so fascinated in watching
+her&mdash;there was one stray curl which lay like a
+strand of woven gold upon her brow. Confound it!
+It's all very well for the fellow who writes fiction for
+a living to write about people's emotions. He is cold
+himself. If he were like me, and wished to describe
+his own feelings, he might find himself in the same
+difficulty as myself, and give up the attempt.</p>
+
+<p>The Colonel's voice droned on. Suddenly I awoke
+to the consciousness that he was speaking of me. I think
+it was the fact of his daughter looking at me which
+recalled me to attention.</p>
+
+<p>"Sutgrove had just looked back to see if I was
+comfortable, when he saw another car on the road behind
+us. We had not long passed through Radlett. You
+know the straight stretch of road just past the new
+Dutch barn on the left&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>My attention did not wander any more, and you
+may imagine my astonishment at hearing the Colonel
+describe in minute detail everything which had befallen
+us upon the previous evening. He could tell a story
+when he liked, and on this occasion his description of
+the shamefaced manner in which Winter had scrambled
+out of his car, and had handed over his valuables to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span>
+Motor Pirate, was so ludicrous that I was compelled to
+laugh at the description. When my turn came to be
+described, Miss Maitland and Mannering were just as
+much amused, but I am afraid that my attempt to participate
+in their mirth was rather forced.</p>
+
+<p>When the story was done, Miss Maitland rose from
+her seat at her father's feet, and, putting a hand on each
+of his shoulders&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You dear, delightful old fibber!" she remarked.
+"I don't believe you dreamed that at all. You couldn't."
+Then she wheeled round on me. "Now tell me, Mr.
+Sutgrove, didn't that dream of father's really happen to
+you last night?"</p>
+
+<p>What course was open to me but confession? I
+admitted the truth of the story, and the Colonel was so
+choked with merriment, that I feared lest he should be
+stricken with apoplexy.</p>
+
+<p>"The cream of the joke," he explained, when he
+recovered his powers of speech, "was that neither Winter
+nor Sutgrove had the slightest idea that I was foxing.
+I intended to inform them directly we were clear of
+the Pirate; but when I heard them discussing the matter,
+and determining to keep silence out of tenderness for
+my reputation, I could not resist keeping up the joke."</p>
+
+<p>"I should think it was their own reputations they
+were thinking about," said his daughter. "To submit
+so tamely to one man is not a very heroic proceeding."</p>
+
+<p>I heard Mannering chuckle, and I felt mad. But
+I fancy it was not Mannering's amusement, but my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>
+own consciousness of the truth of the criticism that
+galled.</p>
+
+<p>Colonel Maitland came to my rescue. "I thought
+they were very sensible," he said. "Even a cripple with
+a gun is better than six sound Tommies unarmed."</p>
+
+<p>"Sensible&mdash;yes," she replied scornfully. "But there
+are times when one prefers a little less sense, and a little
+more&mdash;shall we say action. I am sure you would not
+have obeyed so tamely?" she continued, turning to
+Mannering.</p>
+
+<p>He smiled, and I felt as if it would give me exquisite
+pleasure to catch him by the throat, and twist the smile
+out of his dark, handsome face.</p>
+
+<p>"Really, Miss Maitland," he replied, "you flatter
+me. You should not be too hard on Sutgrove. I am
+sure that it was only the full comprehension of his own
+helplessness which prevented him making a fight of it.
+What could he have done?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, a man should always know what to do!" she
+answered petulantly. "Has any one ever tried to hold
+you up?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, yes," he answered. "Once when I was
+out in the west of the States, some of the regulation
+bands tried the game on a train in which I was travelling.
+But then, you see, the conductor in the railway-car in
+which I happened to be seated had a six-shooter. So
+had I. The other passengers got as near the floor as
+they possibly could when the shooting began. I was
+in pretty good practice in those days, don't you know,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span>
+so the other chaps didn't get much of a look in. We
+took the four they left behind them when they bolted
+on to the next station with us. Three of them were
+buried there, if I remember aright."</p>
+
+<p>"There," said Miss Maitland, with an unmistakable
+look of admiration in her eyes; "I knew you were
+different."</p>
+
+<p>"But then I was armed. If I had not been, I should
+have been on the floor with the other passengers."</p>
+
+<p>In reply she merely gave him one glance. Mannering
+returned it with one equally eloquent. I rose, and stalked
+to the window. To me Mannering's championship
+was an aggravation which I could not bear. Harder
+still was it for me to observe the understanding which
+obviously existed between him and Miss Maitland.
+Hitherto I had imagined that I had as good a chance
+of winning her love as he had. But at this moment
+I felt that my hopes had been shattered.</p>
+
+<p>I think if I had remained a moment longer in the
+room, I should have been unable to restrain an impulse
+to knock some of the self-sufficiency out of my rival.
+I left.</p>
+
+<p>Colonel Maitland followed me out, and I heard him
+ask me to dine with him on the following day to wipe
+off the score he owed me.</p>
+
+<p>Without thinking, I accepted. Then I went out
+into the rain.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+
+<h3>I AM ARRESTED</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>As</span> I went away from the Maitlands' house I looked
+neither to the right hand nor to the left. Where I went,
+whether I trudged along the high road or tramped across
+country, I have not to-day the slightest idea. I was so
+enveloped in my own misery, that I was absolutely blind
+to all external objects. I could think of nothing but my
+dead hopes. So onward I went, stumbling and splashing
+through the mud, cursing Mannering, cursing the Motor
+Pirate, above all cursing myself for my own pusillanimity.
+Why had I listened to Winter? Why should I have
+allowed myself to be persuaded to play the part of coward,
+merely that Winter's car should have been saved from
+injury?</div>
+
+<p>For a long while my thoughts were as aimless as
+my progress, but gradually out of the incoherence one
+idea crystallized. It was not an idea to be proud of.
+My bitterness of heart produced the natural result, that
+was all&mdash;a burning desire to be revenged upon somebody.
+I contemplated revenging myself upon everybody
+who had anything to do with my discomfiture, upon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>
+Mannering, upon Colonel Maitland, upon the Motor
+Pirate. Finally my choice settled upon the person of the
+Pirate as the most suitable object; for, next to myself, he
+was primarily responsible for my having made so contemptible
+a figure.</p>
+
+<p>Of course the decision was absurd. Decisions that
+are the outcome of any strong emotion usually are. But
+it fulfilled a useful purpose. It gave my mind something
+else to feed upon than contemplation of my own
+unhappiness. It brought me to myself.</p>
+
+<p>To-day I can laugh when I recall the childishness
+of my actions, the outcome of the unreasoned promptings
+of my puerile jealousy. For when I came to the
+conclusion to avenge my sufferings upon the Motor
+Pirate, I suddenly became aware that it was pitch dark;
+that I was in the middle of a field; that I was soaked to
+the skin; that the rain was still falling heavily; and
+that I had not the slightest idea where I was. However,
+I added one more to the acts of folly I committed that
+day: I solemnly held up my hands to the dripping
+heavens and registered my vow of revenge. Then I
+pushed on again, but with my physical faculties on the
+alert to discover where I was.</p>
+
+<p>I began, too, to feel the discomfort of my position,
+and became sensible of a sneaking wish to be before a
+comfortable fire. I crossed two or three fields, and
+eventually coming to a road I followed it, and, after
+paddling through the mud half a mile further, I struck
+a village, and in the village an inn.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When I opened the door and walked into the cheerful
+lamplight of the bar-parlour, the half-dozen occupants
+of the cosy little room stared at me with astonishment.
+Well they might. I caught a glimpse of my reflection
+in the glass behind the bottles&mdash;if you have ever seen a
+corpse fished up by the drags from a river bed, you will
+be able to form some idea of the appearance I presented&mdash;so
+that I did not resent their stare. In fact, I was
+not in a condition to be able to pay much attention to
+the curious glances of the villagers. The warmth of
+the room together with the sudden cessation of exertion
+were for the moment too much for me, and it was as
+much as I could do to stagger to the nearest chair.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately the landlord was a man with some
+modicum of common sense. I am quite sure that I
+should have been unceremoniously ejected from nine
+public houses out of ten. But mine host of the White
+Horse&mdash;I learned afterwards that he had been whip to
+a well-known hunt in the West country&mdash;was able to
+distinguish between fatigue and drunkenness, and he
+came at once to my assistance. I heard him speak to
+me, but I was totally unable to respond. For a while
+indeed I must have verged upon unconsciousness, for the
+next thing of which I became aware was of a glass at
+my lips containing something sweet and strong.</p>
+
+<p>I sipped. Then I drank. My consciousness returned.
+In a couple of minutes I could sit upright.
+The landlord was beaming at me with benevolent
+interest.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Take another sup, sir," he said. "There's nothing
+like maraschino and gin when one is a bit overwrought.
+I've known many a gentleman in my part of the
+country who would take nothing else, after a hard day
+to hounds, to brace him up for those long ten miles
+home."</p>
+
+<p>I took another sup, and a good one. Then my
+powers of speech returning, I asked where I was. I
+found I had not wandered nearly so far as I expected.
+I was barely six miles from my home&mdash;at King's
+Langley; but this fact was no criterion of the distance
+I must have traversed in my mad frenzy, for I saw by
+the clock that the hour was ten. It was about five when
+I left Colonel Maitland's house, so that I had been
+pressing onward for five hours in as wild a night as
+any on which I have ever been abroad.</p>
+
+<p>I leaned back in my chair with the object of resting
+a few minutes before starting homewards. But, whether
+owing to the spirit I had swallowed, or to the heavy
+exertion I had undergone, or merely because of my intense
+mental fatigue, I felt drowsiness overcoming me so
+rapidly that I perceived it would never do for me to give
+way to it. Pulling myself together I rose to my feet, at
+the same time thrusting my hand into my pocket for
+the money to pay for my drink. The mere act of
+rising, however, was almost too much for me. My
+body felt as stiff as if I had been beaten all over. Only
+to move was absolute physical pain. I looked at the
+landlord.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I'm afraid I am more knocked up than I thought.
+Can you manage a hot bath and a bed for me to-night?"
+I asked.</p>
+
+<p>He glanced at me curiously, and, after a moment's
+consideration, he replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I'll see what the missus'll say."</p>
+
+<p>Luckily "the missus" said "Yes," so ten minutes
+later I was sluicing hot water over my aching limbs with
+a stable sponge in the bath which, I suspect, did duty on
+ordinary occasions for the family washing. Whatever it
+was, it did excellently well for my purpose. Gradually
+a delicious feeling of relaxation stole over me. I tumbled
+between the sheets and was asleep even before my host
+entered my room to take away my soaked clothing to be
+dried.</p>
+
+<p>My sleep might have lasted one second. In point of
+fact I slept until nine o'clock the next morning, and
+should have continued to sleep if I had not felt a hand
+on my arm shaking me, and heard a voice bidding me
+arise. Fancying I was at home, and that my man was
+calling me, I said, "All right, Wilson," and turned over
+for another snooze.</p>
+
+<p>"Now then, get up out of that!" said the voice.
+"None of your shamming! We are not to be put off
+that way."</p>
+
+<p>It was not Wilson's voice. Wondering what was
+happening, I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes sleepily.</p>
+
+<p>"What the deuce&mdash;&mdash;!" I began. Then I stopped
+suddenly. A couple of constables in uniform stood at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span>
+the bedside, and I gathered that it was the voice of the
+sergeant which had so rudely disturbed my slumbers.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you want?" I demanded.</p>
+
+<p>"You know well enough," replied the sergeant.
+"You make haste and dress yourself and come along
+with us."</p>
+
+<p>I thought my senses had deserted me.</p>
+
+<p>"What in the name of good fortune for?" I
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"You're not going to kid us, my good feller," he
+answered. Adding facetiously, "If we puts a name to it
+and calls it piracy on the 'igh road, I wonder what you'll
+'ave to say to it, remembering, of course, that anything
+you do say will be taken down and used in evidence
+against you."</p>
+
+<p>Then all that had happened flashed across my mind;
+my strange appearance and arrival at the inn; my
+peculiar manner; my possession of plenty of money;
+the curious glances of the village folk; the fact that
+somewhere in the vicinity the Motor Pirate had last
+been seen. Under the circumstances, nothing could
+be more likely than that the bucolic intelligence should
+jump to the conclusion that I was the famous criminal.
+To me, however, the idea seemed so absurd that I fell
+into hearty laughter. My merriment seemed to annoy
+the sergeant, for he declared crossly that if I did not
+dress quickly, he would find himself under the necessity
+of taking me away as I was.</p>
+
+<p>I thought it expedient to temporize, and as a result<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>
+of a little diplomacy, in which one of the coins from my
+pocket found another resting-place, I obtained permission
+to breakfast before I left.</p>
+
+<p>I made a hearty meal, the landlord attending upon
+my wants. I was glad to see that he, at least, had no
+hand in thrusting upon me the indignity of being
+arrested. He explained as much, telling my captors they
+were making idiots of themselves. As he seemed trustworthy,
+I gave him Winter's address, with instructions
+to wire to him, telling him of my predicament, and
+asking him to come to my assistance.</p>
+
+<p>Necessarily I gave the instructions in the presence of
+the policemen, and directly I had done so I could see that
+their cocksureness was shaken. They became more polite
+in their attitude, and the sergeant took the trouble to explain
+that he was acting under instructions, and had no
+option but to insist upon my accompanying him to
+Watford.</p>
+
+<p>Into Watford I went accordingly. I am not going to
+dwell in any detail upon the incidents of the journey; I
+am naturally of a retiring disposition, and every circumstance
+attending my progress was in the nature of an outrage
+upon my diffidence. For instance, upon my departure
+from the inn, the whole of the population from King's
+Langley, so far as I could judge, had gathered about the
+door of the White Horse to give me a send-off. The
+crowd was in no sense a hostile one. The majority of its
+component parts, especially the more youthful units,
+seemed indeed to view me with admiration not unmixed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>
+with envy. Only one yokel expressed disbelief in my
+identity.</p>
+
+<p>"Ee ain't no pirut," he declared with unconcealed
+disdain, as he spat into the gutter. "Anybody can see he's
+only a toff."</p>
+
+<p>I scarcely knew whether to be pleased with his conclusion
+or angry that he should find my personal appearance
+so unimpressive; and before I could make up my
+mind on the subject, I was seated in the trap provided for
+us and driven away seated between the two constables.</p>
+
+<p>Our entry into Watford was still more in the nature
+of a triumph. Long before we reached the county police
+office I was wild enough, at being made such an exhibition
+of, to have given ten years of my life for the chance of
+punching the head of any one of the throng of gaping onlookers.
+Then, as a culminating blow to my pride, who
+should we meet at a point in the High Street where it
+was impossible to avoid recognition, but my rival Mannering
+in his trumpery old motor-car, accompanied by&mdash;above
+all persons in the world, the one I least desired to see&mdash;Miss
+Maitland.</p>
+
+<p>I ground my teeth with rage, and as I alighted and
+followed the sergeant into the police station, I wished that
+I were the Motor Pirate in reality.</p>
+
+<p>When I reached the presence of the officer in charge
+of the station I just managed to control my temper, though
+I fancy there must have been traces of my rage still visible
+in my voice as I demanded to know why a peaceable
+citizen should be subjected to such ignominy.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The inspector in reply merely asked me for my name
+and address.</p>
+
+<p>Before meeting Miss Maitland I had cherished the
+hope that my identity would not be disclosed, but now
+I had no further reason for desiring to conceal it, I gave
+both at once.</p>
+
+<p>The inspector quietly made a note of them, while
+another man in plain clothes, who was standing gazing
+out of the window, suddenly turned on me with the
+inquiry&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"How comes it, Mr. Sutgrove, that living at St.
+Albans you should choose to spend the night at a little inn
+at King's Langley?"</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose I am at liberty to sleep where I like?" I
+retorted.</p>
+
+<p>"Perfectly so," replied the stranger. "You will have
+no difficulty, I presume, in proving your identity?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not the slightest," I said. "In fact I have already
+wired to a friend of mine&mdash;Mr. Winter, of Hailscombe,
+St. Albans&mdash;to come here for the purpose."</p>
+
+<p>"I know Mr. Winter very well," said the inspector.</p>
+
+<p>The stranger looked at me keenly, and when his
+scrutiny was completed he fell to whistling a bar of
+Chopin's <i>Marche Fun&egrave;bre</i>. Then he turned to his colleague
+in uniform.</p>
+
+<p>"It's no go," he said. "This is not our man."
+Again he turned to me. "I am Inspector Forrest of
+Scotland Yard, detailed for special duty in connection with
+this Motor Pirate affair. Unfortunately I did not reach<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>
+Watford until after arrangements had been made to bring
+you here, or&mdash;&mdash; I hope you will not take it amiss if
+we detain you until Mr. Winter's arrival."</p>
+
+<p>This gave me the opening I had been wishing for, and
+I took it. I said a lot more than I can recall now, though
+I can remember a good deal. Most of it was to the effect
+that I would make somebody pay dearly for the annoyance
+to which I had been subjected.</p>
+
+<p>Inspector Forrest listened patiently to me until I had
+finished.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, come, Mr. Sutgrove!" he said then. "You
+must not bear any malice. Surely you must admit that
+appearances were not altogether in your favour," and he
+detailed to me the information which had led to my
+arrest. "You see," he said in conclusion, "that practically
+we had no option in the matter."</p>
+
+<p>I dissented from his view. He said a word to the
+inspector in uniform, who left us alone in the room.
+Then he came close to me and remarked in a confidential
+tone.</p>
+
+<p>"The fact is, our friend, who has just left us, has
+been too precipitate. You can make things exceedingly
+unpleasant for him if you like; but frankly, is it worth
+while? Think it over a little, bearing in mind that if we
+are to get hold of the Motor Pirate, we must take the
+chance of capturing the wrong man, since there is no
+description of him obtainable. You will not be the only
+one, I'll swear."</p>
+
+<p>Since I had relieved my mind I felt better. Besides<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>
+I was rather attracted by the personality of the man who
+was speaking to me. He did not at all fulfil my idea of
+a detective. He was a tall, slight, stiffly built man,
+with a pleasant open face and an agreeable manner. I
+saw, too, that I had only my own folly to blame for the
+predicament in which I now found myself.</p>
+
+<p>In another ten minutes he was smoking one of my
+cigars and we were chatting confidentially. Before
+twenty had elapsed, I had confided to him not only Winter's
+and my own experience with the Motor Pirate, but
+also the chain of events which had led to my spending the
+night at the inn. He was exceedingly sympathetic and
+quite grave throughout, though he appeared more interested
+in the encounter with the Pirate than in the
+account of my mental tortures. However, when I told
+him of my vow, he brightened up and asked me if I was
+still determined to keep it.</p>
+
+<p>I had just assured him that I would willingly spend
+the rest of my life in the quest, when the other inspector
+entered the room and with him Winter. The latter came
+straight across to me and held out his hand, and never in
+my life was I so glad to see his honest face and beaming
+smile.</p>
+
+<p>"What have you been up to now, Sutgrove?" he
+remarked. "Not emulating the deeds of the Motor
+Pirate?"</p>
+
+<p>"The police have somehow arrived at the conclusion
+that I am that distinguished person himself," I replied
+ruefully.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He roared with laughter. It was infectious. There
+was no help for it. The two inspectors joined in the
+merriment, and the last of my anger was borne away on
+the flood.</p>
+
+<p>There was of course no question of my further detention.
+In a few minutes I was seated beside Winter in his
+car, and we were making the mud fly as we dashed
+towards St. Albans.</p>
+
+<p>Inspector Forrest accompanied us. I had promised to
+find him some lunch if he would do so, and to drive him
+back afterwards, and he was glad of the opportunity of
+obtaining from us such particulars as we could furnish
+him with concerning the person of whom he was in
+search.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+
+<h3>I MAKE FRIENDS WITH INSPECTOR FORREST, C.I.D.</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'>"<span class='smcap'>The</span> telegraph," said Inspector Forrest, sententiously
+"is even more speedy than the Motor Pirate."</div>
+
+<p>"Unless you want to send a message from Regent
+Street to the City," I remarked; "in which case one
+would save time by employing a sloth as messenger."</p>
+
+<p>The inspector waved aside the objection as frivolous.
+He occupied an easy chair opposite me; he was smoking
+one of my best cigars with every sign of active enjoyment;
+he sipped his glass of claret&mdash;he rarely touched
+anything stronger, he informed me&mdash;with the air of a
+connoisseur.</p>
+
+<p>"We shall beat him with the telegraph," said he.
+"Clearly he has one retreat where he can put up his car
+in safety. Probably he has more than one. It is not
+impossible for him to have several. There might even
+be a number of Motor Pirates, members of the same
+gang, but selecting different parts of the country upon
+which to prey. The telegraph will soon settle these
+points for us. When next he makes his appearance we
+shall be able to keep watch upon him, to note, if not the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span>
+exact spot, at least in what part of the country he makes
+his appearance. Even if it should be found impossible
+to arrest him in his progress, he is bound to leave some
+traces behind him which will enable us to get upon
+his track."</p>
+
+<p>"He does not seem to have left many behind him
+at present," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"No," said the inspector thoughtfully, as he rose and
+examined the map spread out upon the table. "Yet
+there are certainly grounds for believing that he has gone
+to earth somewhere in this neighbourhood. The Hertfordshire
+police may have been nearer the mark than you
+thought when they arrested you."</p>
+
+<p>"You don't mean to say that you still suspect me?"
+I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"Not for one instant," he answered promptly.
+"The meaning I meant to convey was that, quite unknown
+to you, the Motor Pirate may very well be your
+near neighbour. I suppose there is no one residing
+near whom you would consider a likely object of
+suspicion?"</p>
+
+<p>There flashed across my mind the strange similarity
+between Mannering's voice and the Motor Pirate's.
+But the notion was so absurd I was ashamed to mention
+it. I assured the inspector I knew of no one.</p>
+
+<p>"At all events, my belief is strong enough to keep
+me in this district until I hear something further," he
+declared, as he finished the contents of his glass and
+glanced at his watch.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Just then I caught sight of Mannering coming up
+the path through the garden towards my front door.</p>
+
+<p>"You had better stay a little longer," I said to the
+inspector. "Here is another man coming who may be
+able to give you some more details of the Pirate. He
+has seen him, and as he has been a longer resident here
+than myself, he may be able to tell you more about the
+people round than I can."</p>
+
+<p>"A motorist?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, named Mannering," I replied. "He is the
+man I told you about, whom I consider to be my rival,
+you know."</p>
+
+<p>The inspector's eyes twinkled. "I shouldn't let him
+drive me into any more adventures like last night's,
+Mr. Sutgrove," he advised. "If you were ten years older&mdash;my
+age, you know&mdash;you wouldn't need the warning,
+A bout of rheumatic fever would be small consolation
+for the loss of the lady."</p>
+
+<p>I could not reply, for at that moment Mannering
+entered.</p>
+
+<p>"Glad to see you home again, Sutgrove," he said
+heartily. "I'm not the only one either. Miss Maitland
+asked me to call, for after seeing you in such bad
+company this morning&mdash;&mdash; Hullo! I beg your pardon,
+I thought you were alone." He stopped suddenly on
+catching sight of Inspector Forrest.</p>
+
+<p>I introduced my guest and Mannering acknowledged
+the introduction easily.</p>
+
+<p>"Inspector Forrest will assure you that I have only<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span>
+been unfortunate enough to have been the object of our
+local constabulary's misplaced zeal. They took me for
+our mutual friend the Motor Pirate."</p>
+
+<p>"Did they though? What an almighty spoof!"
+said Mannering. "First time I ever heard of a man
+being run in for robbing himself on the high-road.
+Beats Gilbert!"</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Sutgrove did not see the point of the joke at
+first," said the inspector. I saw that as he spoke he was
+taking note of Mannering in much the same way as he
+had taken stock of me at the police office.</p>
+
+<p>Mannering appeared to be quite unconscious of his
+regard, for he replied&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Don't suppose I should have relished such a mistake
+myself. Anyway," he continued, turning to me, "you
+have the consolation of knowing that you are not the
+only victim of police enterprise. I see from the papers
+quite half a dozen motor pirates have been run in.
+They may have the real one amongst them; but as his
+car has so far escaped capture, I doubt it."</p>
+
+<p>"So do I," I remarked. "And for the additional
+reason that I have a sort of presentiment that when his
+capture is brought about, I am going to have a hand in it."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you say to that, Inspector?" he answered.
+"Are you going to leave the job to amateurs?"</p>
+
+<p>"I never said 'no' to the offer of assistance in
+running down a criminal," was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>"I have sworn," I remarked obstinately, "that I
+will not rest until he is safe under lock and key."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You had better be prepared," answered Mannering.
+"I should judge him to be a bit of a fighter."</p>
+
+<p>"Next time I meet him, I'll take all risks to come
+to close quarters," I continued.</p>
+
+<p>"You haven't a car to do a hundred miles an hour,
+have you?" he said in a bantering voice.</p>
+
+<p>"My plan is a simple one. I merely propose to go
+out for night rides until he finds me," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"I had some thoughts of amusing myself in the
+same way," he answered. "But, judging from your
+experience this morning, the only thing likely to happen
+is being arrested on suspicion."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll take my chance of that," I said. "But before
+discussing the matter, perhaps you could tell Inspector
+Forrest whether there's any spot in this neighbourhood
+likely to serve as a hiding-place for the Pirate's car?"</p>
+
+<p>A smile lit up Mannering's face. "There's the old
+coach-house at the bottom of the paddock next to my
+cottage. It has a door opening on to the main road.
+There would be room, too, in my stables, if I had not
+fitted them up as workshops for my tyre experiments."</p>
+
+<p>"Stop rotting," I said, "the inspector really means it."</p>
+
+<p>He became grave instantly. "Sorry I can't suggest
+a likely spot," he said, and then for a few minutes he
+answered the questions the detective put to him as to
+what he had seen of the Pirate.</p>
+
+<p>He could give little information of any value, and
+when Inspector Forrest had elicited all that he could, he
+thanked Mannering and rose to depart. I accompanied<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>
+him to the garden gate. He appeared a little loth to leave
+me. Twice he turned away and returned to make some
+objectless remark to me. The third time he blurted out&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"About that suggestion of yours&mdash;taking night rides
+on the chance of being held up&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes?" I said and waited.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish I had a good fast car at my disposal," he <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'continue'">continued</ins>
+earnestly; "but the Yard would never run to it."</p>
+
+<p>I felt a pleasant thrill run through me. It would be
+good to have his companionship and assistance in working
+out my self-imposed vow.</p>
+
+<p>"If you can make use of it, I will see that the best car
+money can buy is placed at your disposal," I replied eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>He took my hand and shook it warmly. "I'll see
+what my chief says," he replied. "When can I see
+you again?"</p>
+
+<p>"I shall be leaving here at eight and returning well&mdash;between
+ten and eleven."</p>
+
+<p>"Expect me about midnight," he said, and without
+another word or backward glance he stepped out in the
+direction of St. Albans.</p>
+
+<p>I returned to Mannering, who did not, however,
+favour me with a very lengthy visit. Possibly he found
+my manner rather cool, but the fact was, that try as
+I would to curb my feelings, I could not but resent
+something of an air of proprietorship which I thought
+appeared in his tone when referring to Miss Maitland.</p>
+
+<p>When he had departed, I got out all the catalogues
+of motor-cars I could lay my hands upon, and studied<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>
+them until it was time to dress for dinner. Several
+times I thought of breaking the appointment, for I knew
+I should have to give some explanation of my arrest,
+and how to do so without appearing an egregious ass
+I did not know. Finally I determined, if the opportunity
+were afforded me, to tell the exact truth, at least to the
+only person whose opinion I cared about.</p>
+
+<p>I was glad afterwards that I had not sent my excuses,
+for I was lucky enough to find Miss Maitland alone
+in the drawing-room when I arrived. It seemed, too,
+as if she had determined to make amends for the mental
+torture she had unwittingly caused me the previous
+evening. So it happened that when she questioned me
+as to how I managed to get into such a predicament,
+I told her as clearly as I could of the state of my feelings.
+It was a blundering, halting statement I made, of that
+I am certain, and before I had completed it Colonel
+Maitland's entry closed my mouth. But I think she
+understood, for there was a little flush on her cheek
+when we went into dinner which had not been there
+when I greeted her, and a pretty air of seriousness in
+the glances she bestowed upon me, which I had never
+noticed before.</p>
+
+<p>As far as the Colonel was concerned, he did not
+worry me for any explanations. He was bent on
+enlarging my knowledge of gastronomy, and having a
+new cook, he was much too deeply interested in the
+<i>menu</i> to spare any thoughts for my erratic movements.
+I am afraid, though, his teaching was wasted on me; for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span>
+while I managed to reply to his conversation, I had not
+the slightest idea what I was eating. My principal
+longing was to get the meal over in order that I might
+finish the conversation which had opened so auspiciously.
+The opportunity was not afforded me on that occasion,
+however, but the evening did not pass without my
+obtaining a glimmering of hope.</p>
+
+<p>When Miss Maitland rose I asked her, in a voice
+which was low enough not to reach her father's ear,
+whether she would answer me one question.</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?" she said, and her face flushed a little
+as she came to the door.</p>
+
+<p>"Is there any one else?" I asked, my hand on the knob.</p>
+
+<p>"What right have you to ask?" she answered.</p>
+
+<p>"No right, I only ask it of your mercy," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>She hesitated, then with flushed cheeks and a soft
+whispered "No one," she escaped through the door.</p>
+
+<p>Over the port I took my new-found courage in both
+hands, and asked the Colonel's consent to my suit. I
+gained it. He even expressed the hope that I should
+succeed, but he warned me at the same time that I must
+not depend upon him for any assistance. He declared
+himself to be clay in the hands of his daughter.</p>
+
+<p>"Evie always had her own way from the cradle,"
+he declared, "and always will have her own way. If
+I were to say that I thought you would make her a good
+husband, I'm not sure whether she would not consider
+it a sufficient excuse to accept Mannering straight away.
+Personally I should much prefer you, but there's no<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>
+counting on a woman's tastes, either in men or wines.
+And Evie is a perfect woman, God bless her!"</p>
+
+<p>I drained my glass to the toast and made an excuse
+to get away to the drawing-room. But I did not see
+her alone again that evening. Winter and his wife had
+walked over. Mannering did not put in an appearance,
+and his absence was something to be thankful for; and when
+I held her hand in mine as I bade her good night, I said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You have told me there is no one else. Is there
+any hope for me?"</p>
+
+<p>She made no pretence of misunderstanding my meaning.
+She looked at me saucily, her lips parted lightly,
+her eyes brimming with laughter.</p>
+
+<p>"Come and ask me when&mdash;when you have caught
+the Motor Pirate," she said, and with that answer I was
+fain to be content.</p>
+
+<p>Thus it happened that I found myself fully committed
+to the work which was at that time engaging the
+attention of the whole of the police throughout the land.
+I welcomed the task. Luck might be on my side,
+especially if my new friend the detective inspector's
+assistance proved to be available.</p>
+
+<p>And as regards assurance on this point, I had not long
+to wait before my mind was at ease. I found him
+awaiting me at my garden gate when I returned home.
+I invited him in so eagerly that he smiled.</p>
+
+<p>"There's no need to ask if you are still as keen on
+this job as you were this afternoon," he said, as he
+entered my snuggery.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Keener than ever," I asseverated.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I hope between us we may be successful in
+running our man to ground."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you heard anything further?" I inquired,
+anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing of the slightest value. A number of
+people have been through our hands, but of the Pirate&mdash;not
+a sign."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps we shall get a clue in the morning," I
+hazarded.</p>
+
+<p>"At present," he declared, "there's not a shred of
+a clue to work upon. Of course at any moment
+information may come to hand. He may endeavour
+to dispose of some of his plunder, or he may reappear, but
+until then&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"What do you suggest?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall stay and thoroughly explore this district
+until I hear something further," he answered.</p>
+
+<p>"I am thinking of going into town in the morning,
+to see if a more powerful car than the one I possess at
+present is to be obtained," I told him later. "I am
+hoping to get one capable of doing fifty or even sixty
+miles an hour at a pinch, so as to be prepared for
+emergencies. Meanwhile, if you like to make this house
+your headquarters, I shall be delighted to put you up."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you really mean that, Mr. Sutgrove?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I do," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>He hesitated a moment, then he accepted my invitation.
+Luck was on my side after all.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+
+<h3>MURDER</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>I learned</span> to know Inspector Forrest very well during
+the next fortnight, better perhaps, since during that time
+the Motor Pirate gave absolutely no sign of existence.
+It seemed as if, contented with the sensation he had
+created and the plunder he had secured, he had retired
+into the obscurity from which he originally emerged.</div>
+
+<p>For two reasons I was not sorry for this interval.
+In the first place, I found I could not get immediately
+the type of car I wanted. Manufacturers and agents
+were willing enough to book orders, but none of them
+had in stock the high-speed automobile such as I required.
+Only after a long day's hunt did I discover an
+agent who thought that he could obtain for me a 60-h.p.
+Merc&eacute;d&egrave;s, and then it would have to be sent from
+Paris. At my suggestion, he telephoned through an
+order that the car should be despatched to him at once;
+but two or three days elapsed before its arrival in
+London, and then there were certain alterations which
+I required to be made which took a week to complete.
+I was glad, therefore, that my enemy did not make a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span>
+reappearance until I was provided for him. When the
+new Merc&eacute;d&egrave;s was delivered to me I was delighted
+with it, especially when I found on my return from
+the trial run the engines worked as smoothly as when
+I started.</p>
+
+<p>The other reason why I did not regret the Pirate's
+quiescence was because of the opportunity afforded me
+of cementing the friendship which had grown up between
+myself and the detective. It became a very
+real and warm friendship during those long idle days.
+He upset all my preconceived notions of the police, at
+least as regards the detective portion of the force, he
+was such an all-round man. He had not allowed his
+undoubted powers of observation to be entirely concentrated
+upon the seamy side of his profession. Judging
+from his conversation, I gathered that he knew quite
+as much about modern French literature as he did
+about French criminals, and of the latter his knowledge
+was both extensive and interesting. I remember on
+one occasion that he gave me a really acute criticism
+of the Verlain school, with special relation to the effects
+of decadent literature on national life. But that is
+only one example of his scope. Wherever he had been
+and whatever he had done, had apparently awakened
+in him the desire to see all round the case he was
+investigating, and being possessed of a well-trained
+memory, his mind was a storehouse of curious knowledge.</p>
+
+<p>Let me give one instance. One evening when we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span>
+were driving slowly along a bye-road in the vicinity
+of Uxbridge, in accordance with our preconceived plan&mdash;the
+Merc&eacute;d&egrave;s had not then arrived, and our progress
+was additionally slow as the roads were exceedingly
+heavy, as rain had been falling daily ever since the
+night I had been arrested&mdash;suddenly my companion
+said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Do you know anything of Persian poetry, Mr.
+Sutgrove?"</p>
+
+<p>As it happened, owing to the fact that a Sutgrove
+had once represented his country at the Persian court,
+I had a slight knowledge of the subject, and I said so.</p>
+
+<p>"I am never out of doors on a spring evening," he
+continued, "without wishing I had the time to acquire
+a knowledge of it."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"It's this way," he replied. "On one of my jobs&mdash;a
+show job, attendance on a distinguished visitor,
+don't you know&mdash;I was thrown a great deal into the
+company of a Persian gentleman, and we did our best
+to learn something of each other's languages. He taught
+me out of Hafiz, and I picked up just enough to make
+me wish for more. Listen to this."</p>
+
+<p>He recited to me one of the shorter poems from the
+Divan.</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't that musical?" he continued. "It seems
+to me to have the real poetry of the spring evening
+in it."</p>
+
+<p>I agreed with him, and we were silent for a while.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span>
+Later he asked me diffidently not to mention to any one
+his penchant for Persian poetry.</p>
+
+<p>"Even at the Yard," he explained, "I doubt whether
+they would put it down to my credit."</p>
+
+<p>I gave him the assurance he asked for, and from that
+time forth I came to look upon him as a personal friend.
+I confided wholly to him the hopes I entertained in
+regard to my love affair; and he assured me that if he
+had anything to do with it, I should also have a hand in
+the arrest of the Pirate.</p>
+
+<p>All our time was not spent, however, in pleasant
+excursions about the country. Forrest was by no means
+idle; he had been busy perfecting his scheme for utilizing
+the telegraph in notifying the Pirate's reappearance
+when it should be made. Then he had in addition
+thoroughly and minutely explored the whole of the
+country round, to see if any trace of the strange visitor
+were obtainable. His endeavours were quite fruitless,
+but he still held to his belief that he could not be far
+away; and the next time the Pirate did make his appearance
+he was confirmed in his opinion.</p>
+
+<p>The weather had been fine for three days in succession,
+there had been a drying breeze, and the roads from
+sloppy quagmires became in such perfect condition that
+I was looking forward to a really good spin. But
+Forrest had other views for the evening of the third
+day.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think," he remarked, as he sipped his coffee
+after our early dinner, "we can afford to spend the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>
+night ranging the highways. Business first and pleasure
+afterwards."</p>
+
+<p>"I thought you were of opinion that our friend
+will be tempted to make his reappearance to-night?" I
+remarked.</p>
+
+<p>"I am," he answered; "and therefore the best thing,
+we can do is to wait until we hear in which direction
+he makes his reappearance. If we wait in St. Albans
+at the end of the telegraph wire, we shall be much more
+likely to meet him than running about at random."</p>
+
+<p>There was so much good sense in the suggestion that
+I resigned myself to the inevitable waste of time, and
+I had my reward. About eleven a message came over
+the wire: "Motor Pirate seen near Towcester going
+in the direction of Daventry."</p>
+
+<p>"How far is Towcester?" asked Forrest, the moment
+he heard the message.</p>
+
+<p>"Roughly, I should say forty miles," I answered.</p>
+
+<p>"We ought to manage it within the hour, then," he
+remarked. "Come along."</p>
+
+<p>Without another word we seated ourselves in the
+car, and with a continuous toot-toot of the horn we
+rolled out of the town. Directly we were clear of the
+houses, I jammed on the highest speed. I cannot say
+that I felt quite comfortable, for though I knew the road,
+the night was very dark, the light we threw ahead was
+so bright as to dazzle my eyes, and hitherto I had no
+experience of driving a 60-h.p. motor at top speed
+through the darkness. My companion's <i>sang-<ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'freid'">froid</ins></i> soon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span>
+reassured me, however, and as soon as we were fairly
+going, the sting of the night air as it whipped my cheeks
+brought a sense of exhilaration which would have sufficed
+to banish my fears had there been time to have entertained
+any. But there was not. If you have ever
+driven a speedy automobile at top speed through a dark
+night, you will readily understand that there is little
+opportunity for the brain to cultivate imaginary perils.
+If you do not believe me, try it for yourself and see.</p>
+
+<p>In about sixteen minutes we were at Dunstable.
+Passing through the town slowly, Forrest got news that
+the police were watching all the roads, but that nothing
+had been seen there of the Pirate. Another quarter of
+an hour brought us to Fenny Stratford. Here we wasted
+another minute or so in obtaining similar negative information.
+By this time I was feeling confidence in my car
+and in my powers to manage it. Once clear of the
+houses again, I let her rip for all she was worth; we
+simply flew along. With my right hand on the wheel,
+my feet on the two pedals, I sat as tense as a fiddle string,
+my one object to peer into the road ahead.</p>
+
+<p>We had covered ten of the fifteen miles between
+Stratford and Towcester, when I became aware of a
+deeper blotch on the blackness ahead. With one movement
+I pressed down the clutch and jammed on the
+breaks. I was just in time. The car pulled up in its
+own length, though it swerved to such an extent that
+I thought we should be overturned.</p>
+
+<p>There, standing still within the circle of our lights,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span>
+was another motor-car. It had no lamps burning, but
+it was shivering with the vibration of its engine running
+free.</p>
+
+<p>"The Pirate!" I shouted.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a bit of it," said Forrest, jumping down and
+approaching the stranger.</p>
+
+<p>I followed his example, and the first thing I observed
+about the car was that all the lights were out, and I
+wondered that any motorist in his senses should have
+courted the accident which so nearly occurred.</p>
+
+<p>There was one occupant of the car, and he was
+sitting bolt upright with one hand on a lever beside him.
+I shouted something at him angrily as I approached, but
+he made no response.</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo! Are you asleep, sir?" said Forrest, as he
+put one foot on the step and grasped the silent motorist
+by the arm.</p>
+
+<p>There was no reply. I saw Forrest leave his hold
+on the stranger, and, stepping back into the road, draw
+his hand across his brow.</p>
+
+<p>"My God!" he muttered</p>
+
+<p>"What is it?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest caught his breath sharply. "A piece more
+of the Motor Pirate's work, I fancy," he said slowly;
+"and this time, I think it spells&mdash;murder."</p>
+
+<p>For a minute I stood absolutely still. It was one of
+the most eerie moments of my life. Above and about
+us the black night, beside us the two cars coughing
+and grunting as if anxious to be moving, and that silent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>
+figure sitting up erect upon his seat, utterly unconscious
+of the two persons standing watching him with horror-stricken
+faces.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest's voice, clear, cool, incisive, brought me to
+myself.</p>
+
+<p>"One of your lamps here, Sutgrove, if you can
+manage it."</p>
+
+<p>I took a lamp from its socket, and held it while the
+detective made a brief inspection. It took him a very
+short time to assure him that his surmise was near the
+truth.</p>
+
+<p>It was murder.</p>
+
+<p>Right in the centre of the forehead of the silent
+figure was a small blue hole, so cleanly drilled that it
+scarcely marred the features of the dead man. One
+hand still grasped the lever, the other had dropped
+slightly. When the light fell upon it, I perceived the
+fingers to be tightly clasped about the butt of a revolver.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest lifted the hand and glanced at the weapon.
+"One cartridge discharged," he said. "Surely it cannot
+be a case of suicide?"</p>
+
+<p>Just at that moment I caught sight of a piece of
+paper pinned to the dead man's coat. I pointed it out to
+Forrest. He unfolded it, glanced at it, and handed it to
+me without a word.</p>
+
+<p>It was just a half sheet of ordinary paper used for
+<ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'typeing'">typing</ins>, and upon it was typed the following sentence&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"This is the fate awaiting those who venture to
+resist the Motor Pirate."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That would seem to settle the question as to whether
+this is a case of suicide or not," I said, handing back the
+paper to the inspector.</p>
+
+<p>"H'm! At all events the inquest will," he replied.
+"I'm afraid in any case this ends our pursuit for the
+night," he continued. "I think I must ask you to run
+on to the nearest town for assistance. Have you any idea
+of our whereabouts?"</p>
+
+<p>By calculating the time which had elapsed since
+leaving Stratford with the pace at which we had been
+travelling, I came to the conclusion we were not very
+far from Towcester, and I suggested I had better go
+there.</p>
+
+<p>"All right; cut along then. Revolver handy?"</p>
+
+<p>I replied in the affirmative as I mounted my car.</p>
+
+<p>"Wait one moment," he called as I was starting;
+"and bring your light on a bit."</p>
+
+<p>I did as I was directed. Forrest took one of the
+lamps and walked for five yards up the road, examining
+carefully every inch of the roadway. At last he paused.</p>
+
+<p>"Here is where the Pirate's motor stopped," he said;
+and, plumping down upon his knees, he examined the
+surface carefully. Then, taking a tape from his pocket,
+he made a series of measurements.</p>
+
+<p>I inquired what he was doing. He grunted in reply.
+When he had finished he remarked&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing much to be got out of that. Judging
+from my measurements, our friend might be driving a
+Daimler."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Another thought struck him, and, before starting, he
+asked me to lend him a hand in getting the other car to
+the side of the road, in case any one else came along and
+fell upon the fate we had so narrowly escaped. Then
+I was at liberty to proceed, and, getting once more into
+my own vehicle, I let the Merc&eacute;d&egrave;s drive ahead.</p>
+
+<p>But my nerve had gone. Every moment I fancied
+weird shapes in the blackness before me. Every moment
+I heard in my ears the strange humming of the Pirate.
+Yet I dared not look round, lest I should in that instant
+come upon him unawares in the shadows in front.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately I had no long distance to traverse.
+Soon friendly lights broke the darkness. Slackening
+pace, I found myself in the well-ordered streets of a little
+town. The second person I met was a policeman, and,
+hailing him, I bade him jump on the car and direct me
+to the police-station. Nothing loth, he obeyed.</p>
+
+<p>I have an idea that the story I told the sergeant in
+charge was more than a little incoherent, but he understood
+me sufficiently to become aware that his presence
+was required immediately at the scene of a crime, and
+he gave me to understand that he was ready to accompany
+me forthwith. Then I remembered Forrest asking
+me to see that the services of a medical man were obtained,
+in order that he might make an examination of
+the body before its removal, and I mentioned the matter
+to the sergeant. He at once gave instructions to the
+constable who had guided me to the station to knock up
+a doctor and follow us at once with him, so there was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span>
+very little delay before I was once more driving my car
+at full speed towards the scene of the tragedy.</p>
+
+<p>By this time my nerve had returned. One reason
+may have been that I had taken advantage of the slight
+delay, occasioned by the sergeant giving instructions to
+his subordinate, to brace myself with a stiff whisky-and-soda
+from the small supply I carried on the car for
+emergencies. Now, too, I had the companionship of
+another able-bodied man on the car with me. I felt that,
+even if the mysterious murderer were to make his appearance,
+I should have a better chance of tackling him.</p>
+
+<p>We were not long in reaching our destination. In
+fact a very few minutes elapsed before we came to the
+spot where the motor-car stood, with the rigid figure of
+its owner still in the position I had left him. I pulled
+up beside the derelict.</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo, Forrest!" I shouted.</p>
+
+<p>There was no answer. The detective had disappeared.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+
+<h3>EXPLAINS A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>I sprang</span> to the ground by the side of the death-car.
+It was standing by the side of the road, just as I had left
+it, its silent owner sitting rigidly erect, still grasping the
+lever, and looking fixedly into the darkness.</div>
+
+<p>"Forrest! Forrest!" I shouted again.</p>
+
+<p>All was silent as the grave.</p>
+
+<p>It was very strange. He had promised to await my
+return. I looked at my watch. Altogether half an
+hour had not elapsed since my departure. Yet many
+things might happen in half an hour with such a spirit
+of death abroad as I knew to be hovering around. I
+shivered.</p>
+
+<p>The police sergeant was as much bewildered at
+Forrest's disappearance as myself. On our way, I had
+explained more fully the circumstances under which we
+had discovered the crime which had been committed.
+He knew my companion by name and reputation, and
+he was quite at a loss to explain his absence.</p>
+
+<p>I scanned the road so far as it was revealed by our
+lights, half expecting yet dreading to see his prostrate<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span>
+form. But there was nothing visible. Each taking a
+lamp from my car, the sergeant and I set out to search
+the hedges and ditches on each side of the road. We
+did so conscientiously for a hundred yards up and down
+the road, and on each side, but found nothing.</p>
+
+<p>When we got back to the car, the sergeant said to me&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps Mr. Forrest has found a clue, and thought
+he would waste no time in following it up."</p>
+
+<p>The suggestion seemed feasible enough, but just at
+that moment my glance fell on something at my feet
+which put the idea to flight. Lying on the road was
+a large button. I picked it up. I saw at once that it
+had been torn violently away from the garment to which
+it had been attached, for a piece of the cloth had come
+away with it, I looked at it narrowly&mdash;the cloth was
+of the same material as the overcoat Forrest had been
+wearing.</p>
+
+<p>The button had been almost under the wheels of my
+car, so I backed the Merc&eacute;d&egrave;s a few yards, and looked
+about for further traces. In the space thus laid bare there
+lay a lamp smashed to pieces. I picked up the frame,
+and saw that it was one of the lamps taken from the
+other motor. Further search only revealed another
+button similarly attached to a shred of cloth like the
+first one I had found. That was all.</p>
+
+<p>The sergeant looked at me and I at him. One
+thought was in both our minds, and we gave utterance
+to it simultaneously.</p>
+
+<p>"The Motor Pirate has been back again."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You must have scared him away the first time,
+and on his return to complete the job he found the
+inspector here, and&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>The sergeant did not complete his sentence, but
+glanced apprehensively up and down the road.</p>
+
+<p>"If he has returned, I don't see what he can have
+done with Forrest," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Heaven knows!" the man replied, involuntarily
+lowering his voice. "I&mdash;I begin to believe that this
+Motor Pirate is&mdash;is the Devil."</p>
+
+<p>"Nonsense, man!" I said sharply.</p>
+
+<p>To tell the truth, my own nerves, in spite of the
+whisky, were in none too firm a condition; and I knew
+it would be fatal to allow myself to become infected by
+the very obvious funk which had seized upon my companion.
+I felt, however, I must be doing something
+unless I wanted to succumb.</p>
+
+<p>"Look here," I said, "you wait by the car a few
+minutes, while I go two or three hundred yards further
+up the road, to see if I can find any other traces."</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I would much rather you&mdash;you didn't leave
+me," stammered the sergeant. "It's bad enough for
+there to be only the two of us."</p>
+
+<p>"Come, pull yourself together," I replied roughly.
+"There's nothing to be afraid of."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think I can stand being left here alone,"
+repeated the sergeant.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well; you had better come along with me
+then," I replied.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He jumped into the car beside me with alacrity, and
+I started the motor, though not until I had arranged
+my revolver handily at my side. We went for a mile
+at our slowest pace in the direction of Stratford, and
+finding nothing, we returned, and covered the same
+distance in the direction of Towcester, with a similar
+result. Our progress was brought to a termination by
+our meeting with a trap containing the doctor, who
+was accompanied by a couple of constables. When we
+recognized who was approaching, the change that came
+over the demeanour of the sergeant was astonishing.
+All his courage came back to him. He talked to me
+quite easily as we returned to the scene of the outrage
+with the trap keeping close behind us; and when we
+pulled up, he took control of the proceedings as if he
+had never felt a moment's tremor in his life. He must
+have observed my astonishment, for he took me aside
+and said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I was a bit overcome just now, sir. You won't
+mention it before my men."</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly not," I answered. "I was only one
+degree better myself."</p>
+
+<p>"That's enough to make any one feel creepy," he
+said, jerking his thumb towards the silent figure.</p>
+
+<p>We did nothing but stand about and talk in subdued
+tones, until the doctor had completed his examination
+of the silent figure by the light of my lamps. It did
+not last long.</p>
+
+<p>"Death was instantaneous," he said, as he stepped<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span>
+down from the car. "The bullet appears to have passed
+straight along the longitudinal sinus, and, as near as I
+can tell, he must have been dead about an hour."</p>
+
+<p>"You would like to make a more extensive examination,
+I suppose, doctor?" said the sergeant.</p>
+
+<p>"If a suitable place were available," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>The sergeant mentioned an inn at a village not far
+distant, and, the doctor acquiescing, arrangements were
+at once made for conveying the body there, the
+sergeant and I setting out in advance to provide for
+its reception.</p>
+
+<p>I am not going into any further detail regarding the
+proceedings of that night. Indeed I can to-day scarcely
+recall them. I know that I waited at the inn for a
+long while after the melancholy <i>cort&egrave;ge</i> arrived, and that
+I felt curiously dazed amidst all the bustle caused by
+the arrival. I remember eventually driving the sergeant
+back to Towcester, and making to him a long statement,
+which he took down in writing.</p>
+
+<p>By the time I had completed this statement day had
+dawned. I shall never forget my impressions of that
+early morning as I rode home alone. The birds were
+twittering in the hedgerows, a soft white mist hung low
+down over the meadows, all nature was so serene and
+peaceful that it was difficult to imagine that the night
+which had passed had been so full of horror and mystery.
+I felt as one awakened from a dream. But on my way
+I passed the deserted motor-car. A constable was beside
+it, and I pulled up to speak to him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Seen nothing of Inspector Forrest, I suppose?" I
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>I gave him good morning and got on. I made
+similar inquiries at Fenny Stratford, and again at Dunstable,
+still without result. I comforted myself with the
+thought that at St. Albans I should certainly hear news
+of him. But no. I found the police wild with excitement,
+but entirely without any information as to what
+had become of the missing detective. I found, however,
+that they did not share my forebodings as to anything
+serious having happened to him. Their view was that
+he had discovered some clue, and was hard upon the
+track of the murderer. I had to give them a complete
+history of the events of the night. But I got away at
+last, and reached home as tired as I had ever been in
+my life.</p>
+
+<p>I took a bath as hot as I could bear it, and went
+straight to bed. I was dead beat, and I fell asleep
+instantly.</p>
+
+<p>I awoke some time in the afternoon, and when I
+had got the sleep out of my eyes, and the events of the
+previous night came back to me, I felt inclined to curse
+myself for having thought of resting. I felt certain that
+if it had been myself who was missing, Forrest would
+not have slept until he had discovered something concerning
+my fate. I made a hasty meal while dressing,
+and ordered my car to be brought round. Directly it
+appeared I hurried off to St. Albans.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Nothing had been seen or heard there of Forrest,
+and once more I set out upon the road I had traversed
+the previous night. Again I rode as far as Towcester.
+I had a chat with the sergeant of police, and found that,
+though search parties had scoured the country round for
+miles, no intelligence had been obtained. I made
+arrangements to appear at the inquest on the following
+day, and returned to St. Albans. Still no news.</p>
+
+<p>I got home again about seven, sick at heart. I had
+counted so much upon Forrest's assistance in the fulfilment
+of my vow; but that was only a secondary consideration
+now. I had grown to like him so much, that
+the idea that he had met with any mischance knocked
+me over completely. I went into my study and threw
+myself moodily into a chair. My man brought me in
+some whisky, and hovered about until I told him
+to go.</p>
+
+<p>"You were going to dine at Mr. Winter's to-night,
+sir, with Mr. Forrest," he reminded me.</p>
+
+<p>The engagement had completely passed from my
+memory.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall be unable to go, Wilson," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"They haven't found Mr. Forrest, then, sir?" said
+the man respectfully. He was simply brimming over
+with curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>"No. I'm afraid we shall never see him alive again,"
+I groaned.</p>
+
+<p>"Dear me! Not so bad as that, I hope, sir," he
+responded sympathetically, as he still lingered.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Not half so bad as that, Wilson," remarked a cheery
+voice just outside the door.</p>
+
+<p>My man started, and I jumped to my feet with a
+shout of welcome.</p>
+
+<p>"Forrest! Forrest!" I cried. "Come along in, man."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, if I may?" replied Forrest's voice.</p>
+
+<p>"If you may!" I answered. "Why&mdash;what
+the&mdash;&mdash;!"</p>
+
+<p>My astonishment at the appearance he presented as
+he entered the room choked my further utterance.</p>
+
+<p>The man who entered was a veritable scarecrow.
+A man with a torn coat and rent trowsers, and a battered
+hat which barely held together upon his head. He was
+covered from head to foot with mud. His face was dirty,
+unshaven, disreputable.</p>
+
+<p>"Forrest? Is it indeed you?" I could not but ask,
+when my speech returned to me.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't ask you to recognize me until I have had
+a bath and a shave," he replied. "But when I have
+sacrificed to Hygeia, I expect to be presentable enough
+to dine with Mr. Winter to-night. I've been wondering
+all day whether I should manage to get here in time.
+Meanwhile, the least spot of whisky&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>I could not express my delight at his return, and
+unthinkingly I poured out nearly a tumbler of the neat
+spirit, and felt almost hurt when he returned all but one
+finger to the decanter.</p>
+
+<p>"If you give me a dose like that, I shall certainly
+be unable to accompany you," he said.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>I could curb my curiosity no longer. I burst out
+with a string of questions.</p>
+
+<p>"Where have you been? What has happened to
+you? Why did you disappear? How&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>He stopped me. "So that's why you gave me all
+that whisky. You wanted to make me talk, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>I laughingly disassociated myself from any such intention,
+and, putting the curb on my curiosity, I turned
+him over to Wilson to be valeted out of the semblance
+to a tramp.</p>
+
+<p>The process took some time, and when he came
+downstairs in irreproachable evening clothes, there was
+no time for him to give me the history of his adventures
+unless we were to miss our dinner.</p>
+
+<p>"And that," declared Forrest, "I absolutely refuse to
+do; for, with the exception of sixpenny worth of rum and a
+crust of bread and cheese, nothing has passed my lips since
+dinner last night."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you will be glad to hear that the Winters are
+punctual people," I remarked as we at once set out for my
+neighbour's house.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose," he said, as we reached our destination, "I
+may count upon you not referring to the plight in which
+I returned to your place? I should not care for it to get
+abroad that the Pirate had got the better of me on the
+first occasion of our meeting."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you have seen him?" I cried eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Seen him!" Forrest ejaculated in reply. "Seen
+him! After dinner you shall have a full, true and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span>
+particular account of all that's happened. Until then&mdash;well,
+assume you know everything but are not at liberty
+to divulge anything."</p>
+
+<p>I was as much at home in Winter's house as in my
+own, so I did not trouble to ring and Forrest followed me
+in. I had forgotten that his appearance was likely to
+create as great a sensation there as it had caused me. I
+entered the drawing-room first, Forrest being a little behind.
+Mrs. Winter, a fluffy-haired little woman with
+blue baby eyes, baby lips, and a most engaging little baby
+dimple, was the centre of the party gathered there. The
+other women were Miss Maitland and Mrs. Winter's
+twin sister, who reproduced the hair, lips, eyes and dimple
+with such exactness that it was always a puzzle to me how
+Winter had managed to make up his mind between them.
+About them were gathered Colonel Maitland, Mannering,
+Winter himself, and another man whom he had brought
+down with him from town that day. The subject of
+conversation, I learned afterwards, had been entirely devoted
+to Forrest's disappearance, and when they caught
+sight of him the effect was electrical. The ladies all
+jumped to their feet, the twin sisters screamed in unison,
+the men stood stock still. Mannering appeared to be the
+most astonished, for he turned pale and his lips became
+livid. Before any one could say a word, however, the
+door opened again and the butler announced dinner in an
+impassive voice, which sent everybody into convulsions of
+laughter.</p>
+
+<p>We filed into dinner a particularly merry party. Mrs.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span>
+Winter had arranged for me to take in Miss Maitland, and
+the fact that Mannering obviously resented the arrangement
+added a great deal to my good humour. The fact
+of Forrest being the lion of the evening did not disturb
+me at all. Indeed I was glad some one else had to parry
+the numberless questions put to him respecting his disappearance.</p>
+
+<p>He fenced them remarkably well, though of course,
+when cornered, he could always fall back upon the excuse
+of his mouth being closed by the official pledge of secrecy.</p>
+
+<p>Needless to say, only one topic was mooted, and I
+should not have referred to it had not the man whom
+Winter had brought from town said something which, I
+found afterwards, had some bearing on future events.
+This person was a diamond merchant in his business hours,
+and after the ladies had left us, he expressed the opinion
+that it was a good thing the Motor Pirate confined his
+attentions to fellow motorists.</p>
+
+<p>"If, for instance," he remarked, "he were to take it
+into his head to hold up the Brighton Parcels Mail to-morrow
+night, he would make one of the best-known
+firms in Hatton Garden feel very sick."</p>
+
+<p>"How's that?" asked Mannering, carelessly. He had
+quite recovered from the temporary shock which Forrest's
+unexpected appearance had occasioned him.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I heard they are sending off a particularly
+valuable collection of stones by registered parcel post to-morrow,"
+he answered.</p>
+
+<p>"Seems a silly thing to do," commented Winter.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't know about that," was the reply. "Their
+theory is that the chances of robbery are infinitely less
+than by any other method of forwarding. They have
+followed the practice for years, and hitherto have never
+made a loss. You see, no one knows anything about it
+except the principal, who takes the packet to the post
+office. He registers it at St. Martin's, and the packet is
+immediately placed amongst a number of parcels of all
+sorts, shapes and sizes; and the chance of a casual thief
+selecting that particular parcel, even if he had the chance,
+are at least a hundred to one, while it is well known that
+the postal employee who steals always lets the registered
+letter severely alone."</p>
+
+<p>The subject was not pursued further, and soon after
+we joined the ladies. The party broke up early, and I
+was not sorry, for I could see Forrest was tired and I
+wanted to get his story from him before he turned in.
+But when we were back in my snuggery, I found that he
+considered it necessary to report himself at St. Albans. I
+was on the telephone, so I suggested its use, and he jumped
+at the idea. After some little difficulty we managed to
+get a message through to the police-station. Then settling
+down into an easy chair with a great sigh of content, he
+reeled out an account of his adventures.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER X</h2>
+
+<h3>DESCRIBING A RIDE WITH THE PIRATE</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'>"<span class="smcap">When</span> you left me," Forrest began, "I thought I
+would pass the time until your return in making a still
+more detailed inspection of the ground than we had
+already made. I found I had no lights. In order to get
+over the difficulty, I went to the car in which the dead
+man was seated and examined the lamps. They were in
+good working order, and I could see that their extinction
+had not been due to any mischance. Why they should
+have been put out and the machinery of the car left
+running puzzled me. I could only conclude that the
+Pirate, after shooting his victim, had approached the car
+to plunder him, but had been scared away by the sound
+of our approach. He must have turned out the lights
+and have just had time to draw the car across the road to
+make a trap for us, before making his own escape. This
+impression of mine was confirmed later. I took one of
+the lamps from its socket, lit it, and looked again at the
+dead body. I am almost certain he had not been
+disturbed since the fated bullet struck him. His coat
+was closely buttoned. His rug was wrapped tightly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span>
+round him. There were papers in his coat pocket, and
+I could feel through the coat that his watch and chain
+were still upon him. When thinking that the Pirate
+could not be far off, I regretted I had not accompanied
+you; but remembering you were well armed, I reckoned
+that if you did meet the gentleman, you were quite
+capable of giving a good account of yourself&mdash;and of
+him."</div>
+
+<p>You who happen to have read my account of the
+state of my mind, as faithfully described in these pages,
+will be able to judge how far my friend's confidence in
+me was justified. For myself, I doubt not that had he
+met me, the Pirate would have been able to add a second
+victim to that night's list with little difficulty. This by
+the way.</p>
+
+<p>"I did not make a very close examination," continued
+Forrest, "since there would be plenty of time for that
+when the doctor arrived. Besides, I wished him to see
+the body in the position we found it. So I turned my
+attention to the road again, going over the surface inch
+by inch in the most methodical manner. You never
+know, you see, whether some trifling object may not be
+dropped by the criminal which will provide a clue. I
+was so engaged when I became aware of a curious
+humming sound in the air. I stood upright and peered
+into the darkness. But my eyes had become dazzled by
+looking at the white road in the brilliant light of the
+acetylene lamp, and I might as well have expected to be
+able to see through a brick wall. The most sensible<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span>
+course to have pursued would have been to extinguish
+the lamp; but, instead of doing so, I stood like a fool
+in the middle of the road and waited until the Pirate&mdash;it
+was he without the slightest doubt&mdash;swooped down
+upon me, and if I had not at the last moment leaped
+aside I should have been bowled over. As it was, I just
+escaped being knocked down. The car pulled up with
+a jerk, and there, within reach, was the person whose
+capture would have&mdash;well, you can guess what it would
+have meant to me, if I could have managed to get him
+single-handed. But for the moment I was so astounded
+at the audacity of the rascal I could do nothing. I was
+not long in making up my mind to have a shot at
+capturing him, however. I dropped the lamp to the
+ground, and clipping my hand into my pocket I grasped
+my revolver. I knew I had to deal with a desperate
+character, but I was scarcely prepared to find him as
+physically powerful as he proved to be. I stepped up
+close to the car and with my left hand made a grab at
+him. It was a fruitless attempt. I found my wrist held
+in a grip of steel. I raised my right with the revolver.
+I was just a moment late in pulling the trigger, for he
+knocked up my hand and the bullet went wide. Before
+I had another chance, he twisted the weapon out of my
+grasp with a wrench that numbed my arm to the
+shoulder. How he managed to see in the dark was a
+mystery to me. He must have eyes like a cat&mdash;that man."</p>
+
+<p>Forrest paused to light another cigarette, and after
+a couple of puffs he resumed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span>&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"But the most startling thing was to come. Holding
+me tightly he leaned over towards me and said, 'Not
+this time, Inspector Forrest. You may think you have
+the Motor Pirate, but I can assure you that you were
+never more mistaken in your life.' Astonishment is not
+the name for my feelings at hearing him address me by
+my name. I had caught a glimpse of him before I
+dropped the lamp, but he was so swathed in his leather
+coat and disguised by his mask, that I should never be
+able to identify him. But I seemed to recognize something
+familiar in the intonation of his voice, yet even
+that was so muffled that I cannot be certain I have ever
+heard it before. However, I did not allow my astonishment
+to prevent me taking action. I threw myself suddenly
+backwards, hoping the weight of my body would
+upset his balance and drag him from his car to the ground,
+where we should have been on more equal terms. The
+jerk moved him about as much as if he had been built
+into his car. 'No, you don't, Inspector,' he said, with an
+infernal chuckle; and, so saying, he leaned over and,
+catching me by the coat, lifted me off my feet and
+swung me up on to the car before him. I'm not a light
+weight, as you can guess&mdash;I turn the scale at something
+nearer twelve stone than eleven&mdash;but he handled me as if
+I were a baby. I struggled of course, but my right arm
+was powerless, and he could master me with ease."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose it was during the struggle that you lost
+the two buttons from your overcoat which you left
+behind you?" I asked.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Most likely," he replied, "though I knew nothing
+of them. Really his strength seemed diabolic. There
+was something else about him which to my mind scarcely
+seemed natural. At all my struggles he continued to
+laugh, but there was no merriment in his laughter, it
+was merely an even guttural cachinnation, the laugh of
+a fiend at the aimless struggles of a lost soul. It seemed
+to give him immense pleasure to see me wriggling on the
+smooth curved metal plate which formed the front of his
+car. I grew tired at last and lay still, hoping for a
+chance to better my position, for I came to the conclusion
+that in a mere trial of strength he was immeasurably my
+superior.</p>
+
+<p>"When he saw my resistance had ceased, he spoke
+again. 'I feel inclined to take you for a ride with me,
+Inspector,' he said. 'I can assure you that you will find
+the experience a thrilling one. It is given to few men
+to travel with the Motor Pirate. The pace alone should
+prove exhilarating, to say nothing of the companionship
+and&mdash;what awaits you at the termination of the entertainment.'
+He chuckled again as he concluded, and I
+felt a cold thrill in the region of my spine.</p>
+
+<p>"I made no reply. What would have been the
+use? But I do wish my right arm had been of some
+use, for I think in my anger I might have stood some
+chance of turning the tables on him. I quietly tried
+to rub the feeling back into it, but he did not afford me
+a chance of doing so for long. He produced a length of
+rope from somewhere or other, and, before I gathered<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>
+what he was doing, he had twisted it round me and
+bound my arms tightly to my sides. I was absolutely
+powerless, and I gnashed my teeth with rage at the
+helpless state in which I found myself. There was I,
+a detective inspector with a reputation at the Yard second
+to none, trussed like a fowl, and lying on the slippery
+surface of the Pirate car I had come out to capture."</p>
+
+<p>"Not exactly a pleasant position," I remarked, as
+Forrest paused to moisten his throat with the whisky-and-soda
+at his elbow.</p>
+
+<p>"No; but the worst was yet to come. He had no
+sooner secured my arms than he drew another piece of
+cord through the band, and fastened it somewhere or
+other. 'Now, if ever you pray, Inspector,' he remarked,
+with some more of his beastly merriment, 'pray that
+this rope doesn't break; for if it should happen to do
+so at the pace we shall be travelling, you will go to hell
+even sooner than I intend you to do.'</p>
+
+<p>"With that he set his car in motion, and, judging
+by the way the wind stung me, the pace was something
+terrific. At first I attempted to pay some attention to
+the direction we took. But I soon gave up the idea. My
+position on the car was not one from which I could observe
+anything with any degree of comfort. With my arms
+bound, I sprawled out upon the smooth, curved bonnet
+of the confounded car, only held on by a cord which
+I expected to break and send me flying into the next
+world every time we touched a stone, or crossed a rut.
+My heart was in my mouth for the next hour or so,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>
+but afterwards I think I grew careless or callous. He
+had pulled the cord round my arms pretty tightly; that
+numbed me all over, and the exposure to the air did
+the rest. I fell into a dreamy condition. I only know
+that never for a moment were we still. There was
+always the drone of the wheels in my ears, and whenever
+I made a struggle and opened my eyes, all I could see
+was the blacker streak in the blackness caused by the
+hedges flying past. Heaven only knows how far and
+where we went. It seemed an eternity until it ended.
+But by then I was very near unconsciousness. I have
+a sort of impression the car did stop. I fancy that I
+saw the Pirate's mask bent closely over me while he
+examined me, that I heard him say, 'I don't think,
+Mr. Inspector, your attentions will trouble me much
+more.' I do remember distinctly being lifted in his
+powerful hands. I felt him swing me once, twice, thrice;
+then I felt myself flying in the air, and the next moment
+my senses came back to me with a rush, for I plumped
+into several feet of water."</p>
+
+<p>"Well?" I ejaculated, as Forrest paused to light
+another cigarette. I was so interested that I grudged
+him a moment's delay before completing the story.</p>
+
+<p>"The curious thing to my mind is that he did not
+knock me on the head at first," said Forrest. "I can
+only explain it by the conclusion that our friend the
+Motor Pirate is a madman. But, if so, I undoubtedly
+owe my life to the means he took to finish it. The
+sudden immersion brought me to myself much more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span>
+rapidly than any other process could have done. In
+detaching me from the car he must have loosened the
+knot of the rope binding my arms; possibly the water
+made it slip further before it became saturated. I felt
+the rope give, and got one arm free by the time I came
+to the surface. I floundered into shallow water, and
+paused. By this time there was just a glimmer of light
+on the eastern horizon from the dawn, and I could see
+the bank was only a yard or two distant. Somehow
+or another I managed to scramble out, bringing half the
+bed of the river, or pond, whichever it was I had been
+pitched into, with me. When I was on firm ground
+I collapsed. I did not remain long on the ground,
+though. I knew very well that if I wanted to escape
+a severe illness, the only thing to do was to keep moving
+until my circulation was restored. So I got going. It
+was hard work at first. My limbs were so cramped
+and stiff that I was compelled to stop and groan after
+crawling every six paces. But the stiffness wore off
+gradually. I went ahead until I struck a village, and
+found out in what part of the country I was."</p>
+
+<p>"Why didn't you go to the police-station?" I
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Wasn't going to make myself a laughing-stock for
+a lot of country constables," he answered. "No; if
+I had got my man, I should not have minded what sort
+of figure I cut, but to turn up such a scarecrow after
+failing to get my man&mdash;not much. I had learned from
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>the post-office window where I was. I had been
+dropped near Shefford, a village a few miles the other
+side of Hitchin on the North Road, and I thought if
+I walked back here I should avoid all likelihood of getting
+a chill. So I started. I found I had a shilling in my
+pocket. I had more money about me than that when
+I started out, but whether our friend helped himself to
+the balance, or whether it fell from my pockets during
+the ride, I haven't the slightest idea. But the shilling
+was sufficient to provide for my requirements. The
+first public-house I found open I went in, and had six-penny-worth
+of hot rum. My word! There's nothing
+like hot rum for putting new life into one. After I
+had drunk it I reckoned I should get here about noon;
+but I had not taken the somniferous effects of that
+sixpenny-worth of rum into the calculation. Before I
+had covered half a dozen miles, I found myself so sleepy
+that I could not keep my eyes open. I dropped off
+once or twice as I walked, so at last I made for a convenient
+haystack, rolled myself up in the loose litter at
+the base, and let myself go.</p>
+
+<p>"That's how it happened I was so late in my
+arrival," he remarked; "and now, Motor Pirate or
+no Motor Pirate, I am going to finish that snooze."</p>
+
+<p>He gave a prodigious yawn, and held out his hand.
+"Good night!" I said. "The story of my adventures
+will very well keep until to-morrow."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+
+<h3>IN WHICH THE PIRATE HOLDS UP THE BRIGHTON MAIL</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>On</span> joining Forrest at breakfast the following morning,
+I found he had mapped out a programme for the day
+which promised to keep us pretty busily occupied.</div>
+
+<p>"First," he said, "I must get into St. Albans, and
+see whether there is any fresh information to hand. If
+possible, I should like to run over to Shefford, for I want
+to look at the place where I had my ducking, and recover
+the piece of cord with which that almighty scoundrel
+secured me. Then there's the inquest at Towcester at
+twelve, and sometime to-day I must put in an appearance
+at head-quarters to hand in my report. Perhaps I had
+better train from Towcester for that. It will be making
+too great demands on your time."</p>
+
+<p>"Nonsense!" I replied; "I can run you up to town
+very nearly as quickly as you could manage the journey
+by rail."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope you won't have to return alone," he remarked.
+"I am hoping to be able to inflict myself upon
+you for a few more days; but it is on the cards I may be
+taken off the job since I have met with so little success."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I hope not," I answered.</p>
+
+<p>"I should be sorry, too," he said. "I am more
+convinced than ever that our friend is living within a
+twenty-mile radius of this house."</p>
+
+<p>"What grounds have you for thinking so?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"The very slightest at present," he declared frankly;
+"and until I have seen the police reports from other
+parts of the country, I will not commit myself definitely
+to the opinion."</p>
+
+<p>I could not get anything more out of him then, but
+after he had made a note of all the information to be
+obtained at St. Albans&mdash;we were on the road by nine-thirty&mdash;he
+became more communicative. The information
+he obtained did not amount to much. On the previous
+evening, the Motor Pirate had not made his appearance
+anywhere; while on the evening before, the only outrage
+of which he had been guilty was the murder which we
+had discovered. On that night, however, his car had
+been reported as having been seen on various roads in
+the midlands, one appearance having been recorded as
+far north as Peterborough.</p>
+
+<p>"That confirms my opinion," Forrest declared.
+"The Peterborough report gives the time of his
+appearance as about 2.50. The sun rises at five, and it
+is beginning to be light an hour earlier. It must have
+been about four when he dropped me into the water at
+Shefford. Hitherto he has not been seen by daylight at
+all. Clearly he must have delayed getting rid of me
+until he thought it was dangerous to carry me about any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span>
+longer. He may even have been close to his own home,
+though he would probably select a spot twenty or
+thirty miles away at least."</p>
+
+<p>"It seems likely," I agreed.</p>
+
+<p>"Certain of it," said Forrest. "Now we will get
+along to Shefford."</p>
+
+<p>We had a very pleasant run, and a mile from the
+village, Forrest stopped me where a deep pool fringed
+with rushes skirted the road.</p>
+
+<p>"This is the spot," he cried.</p>
+
+<p>He left me in the car and scrambled through the
+hedge into an adjoining field. He came running back
+with a dilapidated overcoat sodden with water in one hand,
+and a piece of rope in the other.</p>
+
+<p>"Thought I could not be mistaken," he cried.</p>
+
+<p>When he was again in the car he examined the rope
+carefully.</p>
+
+<p>"Just an ordinary piece of half-inch cord," he remarked.
+"It's not of much value as a clue, but as a
+piece of evidence&mdash;I have known a man's life hang upon
+a slighter thread before now." He chuckled grimly at
+his own pleasantry.</p>
+
+<p>"Where next?" I inquired.</p>
+
+<p>"Towcester," he replied; and I wheeled the car
+round, and we were soon making the dust fly again.</p>
+
+<p>We were not detained very long at the inquest.
+Forrest had a few words with the coroner, so that after
+formal evidence of identification had been given, and I
+had made my statement as to the finding of the body,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>
+the inquiry was adjourned. Thus plenty of time was
+left at our disposal, and we did not hurry on our way to
+town, even breaking our journey on the way for lunch.</p>
+
+<p>The weather remained delightfully fine. Clean
+roads, blue sky, soft winds, combined to make ideal
+weather for motoring. We reached town about four,
+and went straight to Scotland Yard. Forrest went in
+while I waited for him. Then he returned for me, and,
+taking me up in the lift, he piloted me into the presence
+of the commissioner, whom I found to be an exceedingly
+courteous gentleman. He expressed himself indebted to
+me for the assistance I had rendered the department. I
+did not see that my assistance had been of much practical
+value, and I said so; but I added that I was very keen
+on the Motor Pirate's capture, and I should be glad to
+render any service in my power which would tend to
+such an end.</p>
+
+<p>"Anything you can do to assist Inspector Forrest will
+be greatly appreciated," he declared. "Of course, it is
+not our usual plan to make use of outside assistance, but
+we are not so bound up in red tape as to refuse such aid
+as that you offer."</p>
+
+<p>We had ten minutes' further conversation, and then
+Forrest and I left together. The detective was in high
+glee. He had obtained <i>carte blanche</i> to do as he liked.
+His chief had expressed every confidence in him, while
+urging him to spare no effort to obtain the Pirate's
+arrest.</p>
+
+<p>"The fact is," he said, "the papers have been rubbing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span>
+it into us for allowing such audacious crimes to be committed
+right under our noses, and the chief is wild to
+get the chap. Half of the detective force are already
+engaged on the job. I fancy I should get him myself
+singlehanded sooner or later if he were a sane man; but,
+as it is, the cunning of a madman upsets every calculation."</p>
+
+<p>"You still hold to the theory that he is mad?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Cannot explain his treatment of me in any other
+way," he replied promptly.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, what's the next move?" I asked, when we
+had returned to our car. "I suppose we may as well go
+for a prowl to-night, on the off-chance of finding him."</p>
+
+<p>"We might try a new district," answered Forrest,
+"You may have noticed that he breaks fresh ground
+every time he reappears."</p>
+
+<p>"Where shall it be then?"</p>
+
+<p>Forrest answered my question with another. "Supposing
+yourself to be in his place, and the desire to
+attract notoriety a stronger motive than mere plunder.
+What should you do?"</p>
+
+<p>There flashed into my memory what Winter's guest
+had said about the Brighton Parcels Mail, and I said
+laughingly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I fancy I should hold up the Brighton Mail."</p>
+
+<p>"As likely a feat as any for him to attempt," replied
+Forrest, thoughtfully.</p>
+
+<p>I glanced up at the clock in the tower of St. Stephens;
+the hands pointed to a quarter before five.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well," I said, "we may as well run down to
+Brighton by daylight and get acquainted with the road,
+since I have only driven over it once before. We can
+dine at the Metropole comfortably, spend a couple of
+hours on the front after dinner, and have plenty of time
+to meet the mail on the road afterwards."</p>
+
+<p>"A most excellent suggestion," agreed the inspector,
+and his eyes twinkled at the thought of the programme
+I had mapped out.</p>
+
+<p>We started forthwith. Reaching Brighton before
+sunset, I refilled my tanks with petrol before putting the
+car up at the Metropole and reserving a table for
+dinner. We had a wash, walked to the Hove end of
+the esplanade, and came back to our dinner with appetites
+equal to anything. We sat over our coffee a long while,
+Forrest making the time fly by spinning yarns about his
+experiences. Then we smoked a cigar on the pier, and
+so whiled away the time until eleven. If we had started
+then we should possibly have reached town before the
+mail had started, but as we were both tired of dawdling
+about, I proposed that we should extend our tour.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest was quite agreeable. "Really we are out
+on a fool's errand," he remarked. "We are just as
+likely to meet him on one road as another. Yet I have
+a presentiment that we shall hear something further about
+him to-night. If we do meet him, remember one thing.
+One of us must get in the first shot, and it must not
+miss."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't wait for me to shoot, then," I replied.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>We got our car, and after a glance at the map, I told
+my companion where I proposed to go: a run along the
+coast to Worthing, there to strike inland for Horsham,
+from Horsham to make for the Brighton road about
+Crawley, roughly about a forty-mile run in all, and I
+reckoned that if we kept to the legal speed limit we
+should just about meet the mail.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest made no objection to my suggestion, so we
+started at our slowest pace. I had very little to do, and
+the ride was one of the most enjoyable I have ever
+experienced. The salt breath of the sea was in our faces,
+and the roar of it in our ears. I was quite sorry when
+on reaching Worthing it became necessary to leave
+the coast. Inland the roads were absolutely deserted.
+We did not meet a single person between Worthing and
+Horsham, and for the first time I realized how easily the
+Motor Pirate's movements could evade notice. At
+Horsham we looked in at the police-station, and Forrest
+made a formal inquiry as to whether anything had been
+heard of our quarry in the neighbourhood; but, as we
+expected, without result. We remained there a little
+time to stretch our legs and to drink a cup of tea, which
+the officer in charge prepared for us, and on leaving we
+proceeded at the same steady pace, arriving in Crawley
+something after four. There we found that the mail
+had passed through a quarter of an hour before our
+arrival, and I questioned whether it would be worth our
+while to remain any longer on the road.</p>
+
+<p>"We may as well make a night of it," said Forrest,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span>
+in reply to my remark on the subject, so I turned the
+car in the direction of Brighton again. We bowled
+along at about fifteen miles an hour, at which rate I
+reckoned on catching the mail within half an hour. But
+we were destined to overtake it in a considerably shorter
+time, for just after passing the third milestone after
+leaving the village, our path was blocked by the huge
+van standing in the middle of the road and all across it.</p>
+
+<p>I pulled up at once. Apparently the vehicle was not
+much damaged, but the door was broken open, while
+the parcels with which it had been laden were scattered
+all over the roadway. One horse lay on the roadway
+perfectly still, the others had disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>The moment we stopped Forrest leaped from the
+car; I followed his example. The first object which
+met our eyes was the form of a man. He lay perfectly
+still, and I thought he was dead, but my companion had
+sharper eyes. Taking a knife from his pocket, he hacked
+at cords which bound the man hand and foot.</p>
+
+<p>"More work of the Motor Pirate," remarked Forrest
+grimly, as I came to his assistance.</p>
+
+<p>The man was not dead, but he had been so roughly
+gagged that had we arrived ten minutes later he probably
+would have been beyond human help. In the condition
+he was, it took us ten minutes working vigorously to
+restore his respiration; and after that it took the whole
+of the contents of my pocket flask to restore him sufficiently
+to enable him to give us an account of the mishap
+which had befallen him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then we learned that the man was the driver of the
+mail, and that Forrest's surmise that we had happened
+once more upon the handiwork of the Motor Pirate was
+correct. He had, it appeared, been driving quietly along,
+when his attention had been arrested by the curious
+high-toned hum which presaged the Pirate's approach.
+He was wondering what the curious noise could be,
+when he suddenly realized that a long low car was beside
+him. He did not anticipate any harm either to himself
+or to his charge, for, though he fancied that the stranger
+was the noted criminal, he shared the impression, pretty
+common until then, that the Pirate confined his attentions
+to motorists. The stranger did not even call upon
+him to pull up. He ran beside the coach, then slightly
+increasing his speed, he drew level with the wheelers of
+the team. There was the sound of a pistol shot, the
+off wheeler fell dead in his tracks, bringing down the
+other horses in his fall, and swinging the vehicle right
+across the road. The driver only escaped being pitched
+from his seat by the strap which held him to it.</p>
+
+<p>"Then," continued the man, "he ups with 'is pistol
+an' tells me to come dahn, an' dahn I toddles pretty
+quick. 'Sorry ter inconwenience yer, my good feller,'
+ee says. 'Don't menshing it,' I says, as perlite as you'd
+be with a pistol a pointing at yer 'ed. 'I want the keys
+er this 'ere waggin,' ee says. 'Sorry they don't trust
+'em ter us drivers,' I answers. 'Don't matter worth
+a cent,' ee says. 'I've another w'y er openin' thet
+strong box. Put yer 'ands be'ind yer an' turn rahnd,'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span>
+ee says. I done it, an' ee trusses me up like a bloomin'
+chicken, an' sticks my own angkincher dahn me froat.
+With thet ee walks along ter the door and blows the
+bloomin' locks orf with 'is pistol. That did it. Ee
+looks inside, an' the w'y ee cleared them parcels aht was
+a sight&mdash;well, yer can see fer yerself wort it's like. The
+other 'orses were thet mad they kicks theirselves free.
+Ee goes froo the parcels cool as a cowcumber until ee
+routs aht the registered parcels. Ee puts them in 'is car.
+'Tar, tar!' ee says, wiving 'is 'and, an' orf ee goes jest
+abaht five minutes afore you gents comed along."</p>
+
+<p>When Forrest realized how near we had been to
+coming to close quarters with our quarry, he went aside,
+and for the first time since I had made his acquaintance, I
+heard him swear. It was a successful effort. He returned
+to my side the next moment.</p>
+
+<p>"The telegraph is our only chance," he said. "Drive
+like hell back to Crawley."</p>
+
+<p>I did. There we set the wires throbbing, and begun
+to scour the countryside for any traces of the Pirate.
+We did not give up our quest until eleven o'clock in the
+morning. I think we inquired at every house and cottage
+within a ten-mile radius of the scene of the outrage, but
+without finding a single person who had seen or heard
+of the Motor Pirate.</p>
+
+<p>Once more he had appeared and disappeared without
+leaving the faintest clue to his identity.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+
+<h3>HOW WE EXCHANGE SHOTS WITH THE PIRATE</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class="smcap">After</span> the sudden flurry which the reappearance of the
+Motor Pirate caused, and quite as much in the country
+at large as in my own particular circle, we settled down
+once again to a condition of comparative quietude. Of
+course there were plenty of facts to keep the public
+interest alive and to fill the papers. The adjourned
+inquest on the victim found near Towcester supplied
+columns of copy, while the robbery of the Brighton Mail
+afforded unlimited scope for the descriptive reporter as
+well as for the special crime investigator, who at this
+time made his permanent appearance on the staff of
+nearly every paper of any importance in the British
+Isles. My life at home was made a burden to me by
+these gentlemen. I bear them no malice for their
+persevering attempts to interview me, but they were an
+unmitigated nuisance, since I had no wish to air my
+experiences in the newspapers at this stage of affairs.
+It was with the utmost difficulty I escaped the attention
+of the gentlemen of the Fourth Estate, for they even
+waited on my doorstep for the chance of button-holing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span>
+me when I went out in the morning; and pursued me
+so assiduously, that I dared not look a stranger in the
+face, lest my glance should be translated into a column
+of glowing prose.</div>
+
+<p>I have said that the Pirate left no clue to his identity
+upon his latest appearance, and, indeed, at the time, such
+was the opinion both of Forrest and myself. But in the
+light of after events we learned that there was a clue,
+had we been keen-witted enough to have discovered it.
+In the course of our inquiries around Crawley, we
+certainly did not succeed in finding any one who had
+observed the mysterious car which every one had learned
+to associate with the Pirate, but we had been told
+casually at Caterham&mdash;we had not returned by the
+direct road between London and Brighton&mdash;that we
+were not the only motorists abroad on that night, since
+another man had passed through the town early the
+same morning. When we learned, however, that he
+had been driving a car of the conventional shape with
+a tonneau body, we paid no further attention to the
+information, concluding that he was a sportsman, anxious
+like ourselves for a brush with the Pirate. Our blindness
+was to cost us dear before we had done.</p>
+
+<p>There was another supposition which I could not
+get out of my mind in connection with the latest feat,
+and a couple of days afterwards I mentioned it to Forrest
+as we waited, according to our invariable custom, at
+St. Albans for news of the Pirate's reappearance.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you think it particularly strange," I remarked,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span>
+"that in holding up the Brighton Mail, our friend at
+once searched for the registered parcels, and directly he
+laid his hands upon them at once made off?"</p>
+
+<p>"A perfectly natural thing for him to do," replied
+the detective. "He would guess that, if there were any
+valuables, they would almost certainly have been registered,
+and he could scarcely hope to go over the whole contents
+of the van."</p>
+
+<p>"Admitted," I replied. "Still, does it not strike you
+as curious that he should have selected the night when
+a valuable parcel of diamonds was there?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well?" asked Forrest, his attention thoroughly
+arrested.</p>
+
+<p>"It almost seems as if he was possessed of the same
+information as we were," I ventured.</p>
+
+<p>"According to your argument," he answered, "the
+pirate should be either yourself or myself, Colonel Maitland,
+Mr. Mannering, Mr. Winter, or his friend."</p>
+
+<p>"There remains Mannering and the diamond
+merchant," I said thoughtfully, "and I know the latter
+has never driven a motor-car in his life. Besides, he is
+scarcely likely to have robbed himself in such an extraordinary
+fashion." We had seen from the papers that
+he had, in fact, been referring to his own firm when he
+had described to us the advantages of the parcel post as
+a means of transmitting valuables. "He may have other
+friends beside Winter to whom he has mentioned the
+matter."</p>
+
+<p>"There's Mr. Mannering still to be accounted for,"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>
+remarked Forrest. "No harm can be done by inquiring
+if he was away from home that evening. What sort
+of establishment does he keep?"</p>
+
+<p>"Merely a couple of maids," I answered.</p>
+
+<p>"In that case there should be no trouble in ascertaining
+whether he was out or not," he replied. "I'll see
+about it in the morning."</p>
+
+<p>He made the inquiry accordingly, but as he confessed
+to me afterwards, without expecting anything to come of
+it. His expectations seemed to be justified in the result.
+The maids declared that Mannering had gone to his
+sitting-room after dinner, and had been there with his
+slippers on when they retired for the night. They had
+locked up the house as usual, and the doors had been
+fast when they came down the next morning.</p>
+
+<p>This investigation, perfunctory as it was, decided us
+against any idea of Mannering's complicity, and I fell
+back upon the theory that the diamond merchant must
+have communicated his methods to some one else. We
+sought him out in the city, and he assured us that he
+had never before referred to the subject. He did not
+object to supplying us with the names of his acquaintances
+who owned cars, and either Forrest or myself
+made inquiries concerning every one of them. All were
+to no purpose. When we had finished, we were no
+nearer discovering anything concerning the Pirate than
+we were when we had begun.</p>
+
+<p>Then occurred an incident which should have opened
+our eyes, if anything possibly could have done so, to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span>
+personality of the Pirate. But again we were absolutely
+blind.</p>
+
+<p>It was the second week of May, and since, in spite
+of continued fine weather, our unknown terror remained
+in the seclusion of his hiding-place, wherever it might
+be, I had persuaded Forrest to come with me for a run
+one afternoon as far as Cambridge, proposing to return
+after sunset.</p>
+
+<p>The roads were beginning to be a little dusty, but
+altogether we had a very pleasant journey without any
+incident of note. We left the university town about
+nine, reckoning upon getting home comfortably before
+midnight. There was a bright slice of moon shining,
+and we did the dozen miles before reaching Royston at
+a decent pace. We went slowly over the hilly road
+out of Royston and had passed over the worst of it, and
+I had just put on a higher speed, when I fancied I heard
+the distant hum which once heard could never be
+mistaken for anything else. Forrest heard it at the
+same time as myself.</p>
+
+<p>"Pull up at the side of the road," he cried. "The
+car must not be damaged."</p>
+
+<p>I obeyed, running the bonnet into the hedge and
+leaving the back of the car extended over the footpath.
+Meanwhile, Forrest had drawn his revolver from his
+pocket, and the moment I brought the car to a standstill
+I followed his example.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't stand on ceremony," advised my companion;
+"shoot on sight!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The words were scarcely out of his mouth when our
+enemy made his appearance, coming from the direction
+of Buntingford. Whether he had any intention of
+stopping and robbing us, I have no means of telling, but
+I think not, for he was travelling at his most rapid pace,
+and gave no signs of slackening as he approached. Once
+more I was astonished at the wonderful steadiness of his
+machine. He passed us in a flash, the car running as
+evenly as if it were upon rails. In fact I paid so much
+attention to this, that I was too late to fire with any
+prospect of hitting him. Forrest was more alert. As
+the Pirate swooped by, the detective's Colt spoke twice.
+So far as we could see, the shots took no effect, for he
+did not move an inch.</p>
+
+<p>"No luck," muttered my companion, as the hum
+of the Pirate's car died away in the distance.</p>
+
+<p>I held up a warning finger. "Hush!" I said.</p>
+
+<p>My ears had told me truly&mdash;our enemy was once
+more approaching us. I leaned over the back of the car,
+this time determined that I would at least make an endeavour
+to stop his progress. The road was without a
+bend for a stretch of at least two hundred yards, and the
+moment he came into the straight he was clearly visible to
+us in the light of the moon. I did not wait. The moment
+I saw him distinctly, I lifted my revolver and pulled the
+trigger as rapidly as I was able. Before I had emptied
+three chambers he was level. I was just in the act of
+firing a third time, when a flash of fire spurted from
+the running car and my pistol dropped from my hand.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span>
+Something had struck me violently on the arm. I felt
+no pain for the moment, only curiously numbed and
+cold. I wondered why my companion should continue
+to fire at the rapidly disappearing form of the Pirate, who
+appeared to me to be swerving from side to side of the
+road in the most ridiculous fashion. In another moment
+he was out of sight. I felt extremely sick, and, with
+something between a groan and a sigh, I sank back into
+my seat.</p>
+
+<p>"I fancy one of us must have got him," said Forrest,
+in an excited tone. "Let us get on."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope you are right," I answered. "For he has
+certainly managed to wing me."</p>
+
+<p>The shock had passed off, and, with the return of
+sensation, my arm felt as if a red-hot iron had been run
+through it, while there was a similar sort of feeling about
+my chest.</p>
+
+<p>"Really," said Forrest, as he looked closely into my
+face. He must have seen that I was not joking, for he
+jumped out of the car and came back with one of the
+lamps in his hand. "Where is it?" he asked, with
+some anxiety.</p>
+
+<p>"Merely the arm, I fancy," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>He took a knife from his pocket, and, without a
+moment's hesitation, ripped up the sleeve of the overcoat
+and under-coat which I was wearing. The shirtsleeve
+was already soaked with blood, and his face was
+curiously anxious as he cut away the linen and felt the
+bone from wrist to shoulder. Then his face cleared.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Only through the muscle," he remarked. "A
+fortnight will see the wound completely healed."</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile he was tearing his handkerchief into
+strips, and, with this improvised bandage, he bound up
+the wound.</p>
+
+<p>"Sure that is all?" he asked, when he had tightened
+it to his satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>"I've got much the same sort of feeling here," I
+replied, tapping my chest gingerly.</p>
+
+<p>His face grew grave again, and before doing anything
+more he fished my flask out of my pocket, and insisted
+upon my taking a liberal draught of the contents. Not
+until then would he examine me.</p>
+
+<p>"Your bleeding powers would do credit to a
+bullock," he commented, as he cut away my shirt:
+"but beyond loss of blood, I don't think there's much
+harm done."</p>
+
+<p>His first impression was correct. A cursory examination
+was quite sufficient to convince him that I was
+not much hurt.</p>
+
+<p>"Just a nasty furrow," he remarked. "Pretty painful,
+I suppose. The bullet glanced off, turned by that
+leather coat of yours, I presume. Lucky for you; as it
+is, you will be all right in the fortnight."</p>
+
+<p>I felt relieved by his tone, and assured him, when
+he had patched me up temporarily with strips torn from
+my shirt-sleeves and my own handkerchief, that I felt
+very little of the injury.</p>
+
+<p>"Now take my seat," he said, as he buttoned my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>
+coat round me. "I think I have had enough experience
+of motoring to ensure my taking you in safety to the
+nearest surgeon. It's infernally bad luck, though," he
+continued. "I would swear one of us must have hit
+our friend, and if we were only in a position to follow
+him up, we should be pretty certain to effect a
+capture."</p>
+
+<p>My mind had been considerably relieved to find that
+I was not seriously injured, and the dose of whisky I had
+taken had pulled me together.</p>
+
+<p>"You've bound me up pretty tightly?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"You are right enough until we find a doctor," he
+answered.</p>
+
+<p>"In that case," I said, "if there's any chance of our
+catching our man to-night, I'm not going to chuck it away.
+Put the light back and let us get on."</p>
+
+<p>My mind was made up on the subject. One reason
+was that physical pain always makes me feel mad, and I
+would have given a great deal to get even with the Pirate
+for that reason alone. Besides, call it vanity or what you
+will, I wasn't going to let any one say I had allowed a
+scratch to bowl me over. So the moment Forrest had
+replaced the light, I resumed my seat in the car, asserting
+that I was fully capable of driving.</p>
+
+<p>The detective attempted to dissuade me from the
+attempt, but I was bent upon having my own way. He
+did not argue the question at any length, for as soon as he
+was in the car I backed into the middle of the road and
+jammed on our highest speed.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>In three minutes we were at Buntingford, and there
+we nearly ran into a group of people who were gathered
+in the middle of the road. They were discussing, as it
+happened, the appearance of the Pirate, who had passed
+through the town twenty minutes previously. Here
+Forrest made another futile attempt to persuade me to see
+a surgeon immediately, but I would not listen to him.
+We swept onward. I could scarcely see, but I sent the
+Merc&eacute;d&egrave;s along recklessly, stopping for nothing until we
+reached Ware. I would never have driven in the manner
+I did in calmer moments. Forrest told me afterwards
+that his journey on the Pirate's car was nothing to it, for
+the car rocked so from side to side of the road that he was
+never certain whether I was not steering for the hedges;
+while at every bend his heart was in his mouth when he
+realized that the wheels were never on the ground together.</p>
+
+<p>On the outskirts of Ware we learned that the Pirate
+had been seen approaching the town, but that, instead of
+passing through the narrow streets, he had doubled back
+in the direction of Stevenage. He had kept his twenty
+minutes' start and I was for following him. Forrest was
+of another opinion.</p>
+
+<p>"According to his usual custom, he is obviously avoiding
+the towns," he argued; "and if, as I still suspect, his
+hiding-place is in the vicinity of St. Albans, we shall stand
+some chance of cutting him off if we take the most direct
+route. He cannot be badly hurt, or we should have
+picked him up before this, and under any other circumstance
+we are not likely to overtake him."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>I saw the force of his reasoning and we flew on. We
+heard nothing of him neither in Hertford nor in Hatfield.</p>
+
+<p>"Our only chance is at St. Albans," remarked my
+companion, and once more I put my car to top speed.</p>
+
+<p>We were just about half way between the two towns
+when we saw the lights of a motor ahead. I sounded the
+horn, or rather Forrest did, but the vehicle made no
+attempt to get out of the way. We caught up to the
+stranger hand over fist, and not until we were nearly
+touching did I slacken speed.</p>
+
+<p>As I did so the occupant of the car shouted out,
+"That you, Sutgrove? Never more pleased to meet
+with a friend in my life."</p>
+
+<p>It was Mannering.</p>
+
+<p>"Seen anything of the Pirate?" shouted Forrest, by
+way of reply.</p>
+
+<p>"Merely had the pleasure of exchanging shots with
+him ten minutes ago," was the astounding answer.
+"Unfortunately he appears to have got the better of the
+exchange, for he has managed to put a bullet in my
+shoulder."</p>
+
+<p>"We have had a similar experience, and Mr. Sutgrove
+is the victim," answered Forrest. "So I am afraid I cannot
+offer much assistance."</p>
+
+<p>"I think I can get to St. Albans all right," he replied.
+"It's only the left, and I managed to get a handkerchief
+round it."</p>
+
+<p>"If you will let us pass," I said, "I will run on to St
+Albans and see that assistance is sent to you."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I didn't notice I was taking all the road," he
+remarked, as he drew aside.</p>
+
+<p>Once more we drove ahead at our speed limit, and five
+minutes later we stopped before the police office. There
+we found every one in blissful ignorance of the fact that
+the Pirate was abroad. Nor did any one else see him
+that night. Again he had mysteriously vanished under
+circumstances which convinced the detective more firmly
+than ever that his retreat was somewhere in the vicinity
+of my home.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+
+<h3>OF THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>I suppose</span> I must have lost more blood than I had
+reckoned upon, or else the excitement of the pursuit
+had been sufficient to keep me going; but whichever it
+was, no sooner had we pulled up than I collapsed. I
+was never nearer fainting in my life. In fact I had to
+take another stiff dose of whisky, and even then I was
+only too glad to relinquish the steering-wheel to Forrest,
+and let him drive me the rest of the way home. He
+never left me until I was safely in bed, and the surgeon
+he had summoned had stitched me up.</div>
+
+<p>Fortunately my wounds proved, as Forrest had foretold,
+more painful than dangerous. The bullet had
+carried with it some shreds of cloth; and the removal
+of these from my arm was the only really painful bit
+of work the surgeon had to perform. However, the
+medical man insisted upon my remaining in bed, and
+I obeyed his orders for a couple of days; but on the
+third I felt so well that I rebelled against any further confinement,
+and though still considerably sore, I managed
+to get out and about.</p>
+
+<p>I found I was a little bit shaky, yet I managed to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span>
+get as far as Colonel Mainland's house, and there I found
+my adventure had been a blessing in disguise, for I could
+see from the manner in which she greeted me, that my
+last encounter with the Pirate had wiped from Miss
+Maitland's memory all remembrance of the previous
+occasion. There was only one thing to mar my enjoyment
+of the situation thus created. Mannering had unfortunately
+been successful in making himself a candidate
+for similar solicitude. His injury, however, was even
+more trivial than mine, the bullet having merely scored
+his shoulder. I wished devoutly it had missed him
+altogether, or been a few inches higher and more to
+the right; for in such case I should have had Miss
+Maitland's undivided sympathies and attention, whereas I
+had perforce to share them with my rival. I knew I had
+done nothing heroic; but if Mannering had not been hit
+I might at least have posed as half a hero, instead of which
+I had to be content with being a quarter of one.</p>
+
+<p>However, I made the most of what glory I had
+earned, and I am bound to confess that I traded upon
+my sore arm in the most shameless fashion.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately the Motor Pirate at this time entered
+upon a long period of quiescence, so that I was free to
+make the most of my opportunity, and to devote the
+whole of my time to Miss Maitland's society. The
+detective was firmly of the opinion that this prolonged rest
+was due to one of our shots having found its billet, and
+declared that we should hear nothing more of him until
+he had repaired damages. The inaction, however, soon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>
+became very wearisome to him; and when a fortnight had
+elapsed without a single appearance having been chronicled,
+he became quite morose. By that time he had searched
+over the whole district, but not a trace of any other injured
+person could he discover; and he was as much at a
+loss for a clue to the identity of the Pirate as he had been
+when he first entered upon the job of running him to earth.</p>
+
+<p>The Press by this time had nothing but jeers for the
+police and for the detective force generally. Meantime
+the most extraordinary steps were taken to secure the
+Pirate's arrest when he should renew his career. The
+Automobile Club had officially lent their assistance to
+the police, and night by night the principal roads of the
+county were patrolled by the members of the club, thirsting
+for the opportunity of distinguishing themselves by
+the capture of the marauder. The Pirate must have
+been vastly amused in his retirement as he read of the
+sensation he had created. I rather think that the man
+in the street looked upon the whole matter as the great
+sporting event of the century, and his sympathies were
+undoubtedly with the man who could so easily snap his
+fingers at the army of police, amateur and professional,
+who were engaged in the task of seeking him. In fact,
+if he had not committed the murder at Towcester, I am
+convinced that the public would have elevated him to the
+position of a great popular hero. Even as it was,
+he had no lack of apologists; and an eminent ballad-monger
+celebrated his exploits in some verses, which
+were immensely applauded when recited by long-haired<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>
+enthusiasts at smoking concerts and similar gatherings.
+All this was gall to Forrest; and at last one day, three
+weeks after our encounter with the Pirate, he told me
+he could stand it no longer.</p>
+
+<p>"I must try another line of country," he remarked.</p>
+
+<p>"What line do you propose?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"The only thing I can think of," he replied, "is
+to make inquiries in Amsterdam, to see if the diamonds
+which were taken from the mail, have been offered for
+sale. I am quite certain they have not been put upon
+the market this side of the water."</p>
+
+<p>I was very loth to let him go alone; but he would
+not hear of my accompanying him.</p>
+
+<p>"What! run away now, and let your friend
+Mannering have a clear field? I wouldn't if I were
+you," he remarked. "Besides, I can manage this sort
+of work better by myself."</p>
+
+<p>His final argument was conclusive, and he went
+away promising to look me up immediately he returned,
+and expressing the hope that nothing more would be
+heard of the Pirate until his return.</p>
+
+<p>On the very same day it happened that Mannering
+also took his departure from St. Stephens. I had
+mentioned in his hearing that Forrest had been called
+away, and he had then informed us&mdash;Miss Maitland and
+myself&mdash;that he had some business in Paris in connection
+with the patent tyre with which he was still experimenting,
+which would entail his absence for two or three days.</p>
+
+<p>I sincerely trusted that his business would require a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span>
+much longer period to transact; and as he was leaving
+by an early train the next morning, I took particular
+care he should obtain no opportunity for a private leave-taking
+with Miss Maitland.</p>
+
+<p>It was not a sporting thing to do, perhaps, but I was
+so much in earnest about my love-making, that I had no
+scruples about spoiling as many of my rival's chances as I
+could. However, as it happened, I found somewhat to
+my surprise that my tactics were not unwelcome to Miss
+Maitland. She confessed as much to me the next day.
+She&mdash;&mdash; But perhaps it will be better for me to give in
+some detail the conversation we had upon this occasion,
+since it had a considerable bearing upon after events.</p>
+
+<p>The morning after Mannering had departed was as
+brilliant a one as June ever bestowed upon mortal. Now
+that my rival was out of the way, I thought I might
+dispense with the sling which I had worn hitherto, and
+directly after breakfast I strolled across to the Maitlands',
+with the intention of persuading Miss Maitland to come
+for a ride on the Merc&eacute;d&egrave;s. I found her on the point of
+starting for a stroll, with the object of giving her favourite
+Irish setter a run, and I was easily persuaded to abandon
+my projected ride and accompany her instead. We <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'choose'">chose</ins>
+the footpath between St. Stephen's church and the village
+of Park Street, and, stepping out briskly, we soon reached
+our destination; and as my companion would not hear
+of turning back, we continued our walk to Bricket
+Wood. There I insisted upon resting.</p>
+
+<p>I had never seen her in higher spirits than she was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span>
+that morning. She bubbled over with gaiety. So much
+so that I could not help commenting upon the fact.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," she replied frankly, in answer to my remarks
+on the subject, "I do feel gay this morning. I feel as if
+a load had been removed from my shoulders."</p>
+
+<p>"Surely you can have no troubles," I remarked, half-banteringly.</p>
+
+<p>A shadow alighted for a moment upon her face and
+was gone again.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing which ought to be a trouble. Nothing
+tangible and yet&mdash;&mdash; Oh, Mr. Sutgrove, do you&mdash;have
+you ever experienced a presentiment of something
+dreadful happening? No; that is not exactly what I mean.
+I don't know how to explain myself without&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Then she paused, and I discreetly kept silence. Presently
+she resumed.</p>
+
+<p>"Men are so stupid, or I would tell you all about it.
+You would never understand."</p>
+
+<p>I saw my opening and made use of it. "We men
+may be stupid both individually and collectively," I said.
+"But I can answer for one man being sympathetic to
+anything you like to say to him."</p>
+
+<p>She laughed. "I am so afraid you will think me silly."</p>
+
+<p>"Miss Maitland&mdash;Evie&mdash;&mdash;" I began.</p>
+
+<p>"Hush!" She stopped me with an adorable smile.
+"You know you haven't caught the Motor Pirate, yet."</p>
+
+<p>I summoned up the most injured expression permitted
+by my contentment with my surroundings and
+fell silent again.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Poor boy!" she said mockingly. "It is unkind of
+me to remind you of your vow, when you have already
+done your best to fulfil it."</p>
+
+<p>"Not quite my best, yet," I muttered sullenly.</p>
+
+<p>"Anyhow I think you have done quite enough to
+warrant my taking you into my confidence."</p>
+
+<p>She said this quite seriously, and glancing up at her, I
+saw she was looking into a glade of the wood with a preoccupied
+expression on her pretty face, which showed me
+that it was in reality no petty trouble which worried her.</p>
+
+<p>"This scene is so delightfully restful. I love the
+cool green lights and the cool grey shadows of the
+woodlands in early summer," she remarked absently.</p>
+
+<p>I had no eyes for aught but the face of the speaker,
+though I was indirectly conscious that there was a good
+deal of beauty in the wood. To me it seemed an
+appropriate background, that was all.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I said. "But about this presentiment of
+yours&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"It is hardly a presentiment; in fact, I don't know
+what to call it," she replied. Then she turned and faced
+me. "Now listen. There's an acquaintance of mine,
+whom I know very well and used to like a great deal.
+Yes, I think I am right in saying used to like. Well,
+for some undefined reason, my liking has change to something
+very like fear."</p>
+
+<p>"For what reason?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"None," she replied. "Absolutely there is no reason
+whatever."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"A case of Dr. Fell," I said. "Well, avoid your
+Dr. Fell."</p>
+
+<p>"That is exactly what I am unable to do," she
+answered, and I could see she was speaking truly.
+"This fear has grown up in some degree, I think, from
+a subtle sort of consciousness that the person in question
+has it in his power to exert a curious influence over me.
+I seem to be drawn against my will into an attitude
+towards him which is not only against my judgment,
+but also against my inclination."</p>
+
+<p>"Him?" I asked. "Him? Is it Mannering?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, what made you think of him? Does he
+affect you in the same way?" she said eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Far from it," I replied. My first feeling was one
+of delight at discovering that my rival was more feared
+than loved. But as I thought over the matter, my
+astonishment grew. I had looked upon Mannering as
+a rival, and as a favoured rival, but I was not prepared
+to hear that Evie Maitland was afraid of him, or of
+any other man for the matter of that, and I said so.</p>
+
+<p>"A month ago, I should have laughed at the idea
+myself," she replied, "but to-day&mdash;&mdash;" She shuddered
+slightly. "Now you know why I feel so gay this morning.
+The fact is, when on awakening this morning
+I realized that I should be absolutely free from his
+presence for two whole days, I hardly knew how to
+contain myself for joy."</p>
+
+<p>"Surely you must have some grounds for fearing
+him, something in his manner&mdash;&mdash;"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"No. Yet I have thought&mdash;but it is nothing. When
+we have been alone together he has sat once or twice
+staring at me. I try to speak to him, but he sits and
+stares and stares, with his eyes so bright and all the
+time so sombre&mdash;so penetrating that I feel that he sees
+quite through me. Just like one does in those unpleasant
+dreams where one's clothes have somehow disappeared.
+To-day, and now, it seems very silly, yet I
+am certain I shall feel exactly the same the next time I
+meet him. Then when he sees how confused I am he
+gives a sort of a laugh, an unpleasant kind of a chuckle
+without any merriment in it."</p>
+
+<p>"He's a d&mdash;&mdash;d cad!" I cried hotly.</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I don't know," she answered. "I don't seem
+to mind at the time. It is just as if I were in a dream,
+for I am so fascinated in watching him that I have
+no thoughts left for myself. It is when he has gone
+that the thought seems unpleasant. Then I always
+think I will never see him again, but the next time he
+calls I feel bound to do so. There, now I have confided
+in you, don't tell me I am a weak hysterical girl or
+I really don't know what will happen to me."</p>
+
+<p>She laid one of her little hands on my arm and
+looked imploringly into my eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"I know you are neither weak nor hysterical," I
+replied.</p>
+
+<p>"You will help me, won't you?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p>I took both hands in mine and looked straight into
+her eyes.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"The only way I see of helping you," I said
+deliberately, "is for you to give me the right to
+do so."</p>
+
+<p>She did not take her hands from my grasp.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>"Do you know, Jim," she said an hour later, when
+we came out of the wood into the meadow, "that I told
+you not to speak to me until you had captured the Motor
+Pirate."</p>
+
+<p>"You could not answer for me, darling," I replied.
+"But I should not have done so if I&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Had not found the temptation to do so irresistible,"
+she said, taking the words out of my mouth with so
+bewitching an air, that again I found an irresistible
+temptation confronting me.</p>
+
+<p>We did not revert again to the curious influence
+which Evie had declared Mannering exercised. She
+would not allow of it. She wanted to think that he
+had gone completely out of her life, and that no more
+shadows were ever to fall across her path. And I was
+too happy myself to wish to refer to anything which
+should bring an unpleasant memory to her mind.</p>
+
+<p>I shall never forget our walk home. The silver
+thread of the Ver, the old monastery gate-house and the
+ruins of Sopwell Priory in the foreground, the churches
+of St. Stephens and St Michaels on either hand, and in
+the centre of the picture the Abbey of St. Albans brooding
+over all. We decided to be married in the abbey.
+I trod on air.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+
+<h3>A CLOUD APPEARS ON LOVE'S HORIZON</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class="smcap">Mannering</span> remained absent for a week, and during
+that time I learned from Evie a good deal about the
+curious dread which he had inspired in her mind. Had
+inspired, I say, for she assured me it had passed away,
+and that she felt quite safe now she was promised
+to be my wife. Our betrothal had been announced the
+day after the never-to-be-forgotten walk to Bricket wood,
+and I had hastened to make it known as widely as I
+could, for I could think of no likelier method of ensuring
+her against any further annoyance on the part of
+Mannering. When he saw that he had lost, I could
+not think that he would do otherwise than retire gracefully
+from the scene. If, however, he failed to take
+his failure kindly, I should not have the slightest hesitation
+about sending him about his business. I should have
+been tempted to do so without further delay, if there
+had in reality been anything in Mannering's conduct to
+which open exception could have been taken. Evie recognized
+there was nothing of the sort as strongly as
+myself, and she was even averse to do as I suggested,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>
+and ask her father to hint to him that he should, for a
+while at least, cease his visits to the house.</div>
+
+<p>"You see," she remarked, "if he had made himself
+offensive in any other way, I should have welcomed the
+opportunity of speaking to papa about it. But he has
+not. His attitude has been outwardly perfectly courteous,
+and papa would only laugh at me if I were to tell him
+what I have told you. He would not believe me if I
+told him I was afraid of Mr. Mannering."</p>
+
+<p>"Besides, you are now no longer afraid?" I said.</p>
+
+<p>"No; I am no longer afraid of him. I am quite
+sure of that," she repeated.</p>
+
+<p>The manner in which she made the assertion ought
+to have warned me that she was not quite so certain
+on the point as she was willing to believe, but no such
+thought crossed my mind at the time.</p>
+
+<p>"Anyhow," I continued, "if when you see Mannering
+again, you feel any recurrence of your dread, it will
+be easy for me to pick a quarrel with him, and so compel
+him to absent himself from the house. You see, he will
+be unable to come here without meeting me."</p>
+
+<p>Evie pouted a dissent. "You must not do that," she
+remarked. "A quarrel with him would make both of
+us look ridiculous. Everybody would conclude that you
+were jealous; and I&mdash;I should not like to imagine any
+one thinking that I gave you cause."</p>
+
+<p>"My own darling!" I cried.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>When once more we resumed our conversation, I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span>
+bethought me of another plan, and I suggested to Evie that
+she could always find a retreat at my home in Norfolk,
+if she wanted to get away from Mannering's presence.
+My aunt, I knew, would be delighted to entertain her.
+She agreed at once to adopt this course if the occasion
+should arise. Thus I thought I had provided against
+every contingency for the short period which was to
+elapse before our wedding-day.</p>
+
+<p>When Mannering did return, however, it seemed
+as if we had been making preparations to meet a contingency
+which was never likely to arise. He learned
+of Evie's engagement from the Colonel, the morning after
+his return to St. Albans. He took the news very well.
+Much more coolly than I should have done had I been
+the disappointed one. In fact, a few minutes after he had
+been made acquainted with Evie's engagement, he came
+to us where we were in the garden, and congratulated
+us forthwith.</p>
+
+<p>"You are a lucky fellow, Sutgrove," he said. "I
+had cherished a faint hope that your luck might be mine,
+and now the only consolation I have is that the best man
+always wins."</p>
+
+<p>Spoken in a different tone than that which he
+employed, his words would have made a very pretty
+compliment, but from his lips the words seemed to
+be very like a sarcasm. However, I could pardon
+the expression of a little bitterness under the circumstances,
+so I made no reply; and, turning to Evie,
+he continued<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I trust your new tie will not put an end to the
+old friendships, Miss Maitland?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why should it?" she asked.</p>
+
+<p>"They often do," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Not if the old friendships are the real thing," I
+interjected.</p>
+
+<p>"No; not if they are the real thing," he repeated
+slowly. "I hope you will find mine to be the real
+thing."</p>
+
+<p>A faint smile fluttered across his face as he spoke,
+and was gone in an instant. Neither Evie nor myself
+knew what to reply, and an awkward pause ensued. He
+seemed to feel the awkwardness of it just as much as
+either of us, and he changed the subject with an inquiry
+as to whether anything further had been heard or seen
+of the Motor Pirate during his own absence in Paris.</p>
+
+<p>"I have been far too busy to even look at the papers,"
+he explained, "and he might have been captured for all
+I know."</p>
+
+<p>"No such luck," I replied. "This time he seems
+to have disappeared for good."</p>
+
+<p>"I see I shall have to take up your job, and devote
+my energies to the task of his capture," he said laughingly.
+And, turning to Evie, he said, "I presume you
+will not allow Sutgrove to take any risks of that sort now,
+Miss Maitland?"</p>
+
+<p>Again there was something sarcastic in his tone, and
+I could see by the flush in Evie's cheek that the question
+had angered her. She answered almost hotly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span>&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I am quite sure if any one can capture the Pirate,
+Jim can."</p>
+
+<p>"I have no intention of giving up the pursuit just
+at present," I added quietly, with a glance of thanks to
+my dear one for her ready championship.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think I should trouble myself about any
+Motor Pirate if I were in your position," he replied.
+"I fancy if I were engaged to be married to the best
+girl in the world, the first thing I should do would be
+to eliminate every risk from my life, instead of looking
+about for fresh ones. Besides, it seems scarcely fair on
+the girl, does it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Surely that depends on what the girl thinks, doesn't
+it?" asked Evie. "A good many girls haven't much
+admiration for the man who would act as you suggest."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, well!" returned Mannering. "I see now
+where Sutgrove has succeeded. The prize always goes
+to the adventurous."</p>
+
+<p>Again there was a subtle provocation in his tone&mdash;something
+very like a sneer. An angry retort was on
+the tip of my tongue, but a glance from Evie checked
+it, and soon after he left us together.</p>
+
+<p>"You must not be angry with him," she said, as
+soon as we were alone. "He does not know you as
+I do; and besides I think he&mdash;he must be disappointed."</p>
+
+<p>"There's not the slightest doubt about that," I
+answered emphatically. "He is badly hit, and he takes
+it pretty well considering. I know I shouldn't have
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>taken my gruel so coolly. In fact, that is just what
+I don't like about him. One never knows what is going
+on behind that handsome mask of his."</p>
+
+<p>"Handsome," she said. "Do you call him handsome?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. I should say he was one of the handsomest
+men of my acquaintance. How could you ever bestow
+a single glance or thought upon me when&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Evie placed her hand upon my lips. "You dear,
+foolish old boy," she said. "There is only one face in
+the whole wide world which I think is really handsome,
+and I have thought so from the first time I caught sight
+of it."</p>
+
+<p>There was another interlude in our conversation&mdash;they
+were pretty frequent in those days&mdash;and the subject
+dropped for a time. It recurred frequently, however,
+and gradually I perceived that whatever subject we discussed,
+sooner or later, Mannering's name was bound to
+crop up. At first I rather encouraged Evie to talk about
+him; but, after a while, I discovered that I was ministering
+to the feeling which I thought had been destroyed.
+I could not help but notice that, soon after Mannering's
+return, Evie's high spirits became subdued&mdash;her gaiety
+less spontaneous. Yet when I asked her whether Mannering's
+presence produced any effect upon her, she
+assured me to the contrary.</p>
+
+<p>Nor did I see how Mannering could possibly exert
+any influence over her. I took particular care that he
+should never have a <i>t&ecirc;te-&agrave;-t&ecirc;te</i> with her. Sometimes she
+would not even see him for a couple of days at a time,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>
+and when she did, it would be merely for a few minutes,
+and nearly always in the presence of Colonel Maitland
+as well as myself.</p>
+
+<p>It appeared to me, indeed, as if Mannering even took
+pains to avoid seeing much of her; and, though I watched
+him closely, his bearing was always studiously correct.
+He was the same <i>insouciant</i> person who had impressed
+me so favourably upon my first introduction to him.
+But whether it was owing to the distrust which Evie's
+fear of him had impressed upon me, or because I could
+really see things which had before been hidden from
+my sight, I certainly did observe about him certain singularities
+which I had never before remarked. I saw, for
+instance, that, in speaking of his face as a handsome
+mask, I had been nearer the truth than I had known.
+On more than one occasion, while his lips were parted
+in a genial smile, I observed in his eyes an expression
+strangely at variance therewith. It was the expression
+of a cat when it crouches to spring upon a mouse. I
+have seen that look bent upon my betrothed. I have
+caught it directed at myself. There was a restlessness,
+too, which gave the lie to his nonchalant manner. I
+could see that he forced himself to remain still. His
+fingers were always busy with something or other.</p>
+
+<p>These were trifles, and equally trivial seemed the
+sarcasms which he directed at me now and again.
+These I attributed to the ebullitions of temper, natural
+enough in a defeated suitor. In my heart I pitied
+him, for I fancied I knew what a struggle it must have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>
+cost him to stand aside and watch a successful rival's
+happiness.</p>
+
+<p>As the days passed, a certain constraint appeared to
+have arisen between Evie and myself. I told myself that
+the idea was foolish, and yet I knew that it was not
+so. Mind, I had not the slightest doubt as to the
+strength of Evie's love for me. She expressed it clearly,
+yet there was something drawing us apart, and I began
+to be afraid.</p>
+
+<p>Towards the middle of June the tension became so
+great, that I could see the time had arrived when it would
+be necessary to do something; and, one night, I determined
+to mention the matter. Accordingly, after dinner,
+I persuaded Evie to come into the garden, with the intention
+to speak firmly in my mind. There, however,
+in the faint light of the summer night, with the sweet
+scent of the early roses filling the air, I forgot everything
+in the blissfulness of my lot. We had paced our favourite
+walk once in silence&mdash;my heart was too full of delight for
+speech&mdash;when, as we retraced our steps, to my surprise,
+Evie burst suddenly into passionate tears. Some minutes
+elapsed before I could calm her, and when I managed at
+last to do so, it needed all my powers of persuasion to
+get her to confide in me the cause of her outburst. At
+first she said it was nothing but the hysteria of happiness.
+Then she asked me, with a fierce clutch on my
+arm, if I should think her unmaidenly if she asked that
+our wedding-day should be hastened. We had fixed it
+for September, so I at once suggested July.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Her mood changed at once. She said she was not
+feeling well, and that I must not listen to her. But
+being now thoroughly alarmed at her obviously nervous
+condition, I questioned her until I elicited from her that
+all her old dread of Mannering had returned, and with
+double intensity, in that it was accompanied by a presentiment
+of disaster to myself.</p>
+
+<p>"Jim," she said, looking up into my face with eyes
+which glowed in the faint light like stars, "I shall not
+feel sure of you until I am with you always. I want to
+be near you to look after you. Every moment you are
+absent from my side, I am imagining all sorts of horrible
+things happening to you. And it is worse to bear,
+because, it seems to me, that I am the cause of
+it all."</p>
+
+<p>I strove to laugh away her fears, but, say what I
+would, I could not dispel the thought in her mind that
+some disaster threatened our love. Probing her mind
+for the foundation of her belief, I was not surprised to
+find that Mannering had something to do with it.</p>
+
+<p>I did my best to make her mind easy, while determining
+that I would at once take steps to secure change
+of air and scene for her at some spot where my late rival
+should not come. She became tolerably composed at last,
+and I took her back to the drawing-room, where I was
+glad to find Mrs. Winter, in whom I recognized a most
+useful sedative for over-excited nerves.</p>
+
+<p>We had a little music, and with that and the commonplaces
+of conversation, the evening passed until eleven<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span>
+had struck, and the Colonel's yawns warned me that the
+time had arrived for taking my departure.</p>
+
+<p>The Winters and myself had just risen to leave when
+we heard a hasty step on the gravel outside, and, turning,
+we saw a man's figure at one of the French windows
+opening on to the garden.</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo!" said the Colonel. "Who's that?"</p>
+
+<p>The new-comer stepped into the room, and, as the
+light fell upon his face, I recognized Forrest. He nodded
+to me and turned to the Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>"I trust you will excuse this unceremonious call of
+mine, Colonel Maitland," he said. "But I was desirous
+of seeing Mr. Sutgrove immediately, and I guessed I
+should find him here."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll excuse you, if you will come to the smoking-room
+and drink Mr. Sutgrove's health in a whisky-and-seltzer,"
+replied the Colonel, heartily.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think I can spare the time," said the
+detective, quietly.</p>
+
+<p>"Nonsense, man! You must drink the health of
+my future son-in-law!" he declared.</p>
+
+<p>"Most certainly," remarked Forrest. "I can find
+time for that, even though&mdash;&mdash;" He paused, and then
+said, with quiet incisiveness, "Even though the Motor
+Pirate is upon the road again!"</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+
+<h3>A CLUE AT LAST</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>Immediately</span> Forrest had made his dramatic announcement,
+I glanced at Evie, for in view of the apprehension
+she had exhibited earlier in the evening, I was just a
+little doubtful as to whether she would take kindly to
+the renewal of my attempts to catch the Pirate. To
+my satisfaction, she exhibited no signs of trepidation, if
+she did not appear altogether delighted that I was to
+have another opportunity of distinguishing myself. In
+fact as soon as the detective had followed Colonel
+Maitland from the room, she told me that she was
+glad.</div>
+
+<p>"I don't fear for you a scrap, Jim. At least not
+much," she said. "I know you won't do anything
+foolish, for my sake."</p>
+
+<p>I interrupted with, "Nor for my own."</p>
+
+<p>"And do you know," she continued, "I have a queer
+sort of impression that when the Pirate is captured, this
+horrible depression which has been hanging over me will
+disappear altogether."</p>
+
+<p>"Then captured he must be without delay," I said.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Though I don't see how Mannering will be affected
+thereby."</p>
+
+<p>"I am not so sure about that," said Evie.</p>
+
+<p>"You surely cannot think that Mannering is in any
+way connected with the Motor Pirate?" I inquired in
+surprise, for any such idea had long passed from my
+mind.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," she remarked dreamily; "I don't
+know. But I should not be surprised. I really could
+believe anything about him."</p>
+
+<p>I reminded her of the steps Forrest had taken to
+assure himself that there were no grounds for such a
+suspicion, but she was not convinced; so I forbore to
+continue the discussion, changing the conversation to
+the arrangements to be made for her proposed visit to
+Norfolk. It was decided that I should write at once
+to my aunt, and that she should be ready to start the
+moment I received a reply. We had settled all the
+preliminaries by the time the Colonel and Forrest
+returned, and I bade her good night, feeling quite easy
+in my mind.</p>
+
+<p>"I am delighted to be able to congratulate you," said
+Forrest, the moment we were outside.</p>
+
+<p>"I am the luckiest man in the world," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"You are," returned the detective, emphatically. "All
+the same, I should not have been sorry if Miss Maitland
+had stuck to her intention of refusing to listen to you
+until after the capture of the Pirate."</p>
+
+<p>"Why?" I demanded.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"For purely selfish reasons," he replied. "I take it
+you will not be so keen on the chase. Men in your
+position don't take risks."</p>
+
+<p>I held out my hand to him. "Put your fist in
+that," I said. "What I have promised, I stick to; and,
+to tell the truth, I was never keener on anything in
+my life."</p>
+
+<p>"That's good news for me," he answered, and I
+could tell from his tone that he meant it. Besides, he
+was not a man given to the paying of idle compliments.</p>
+
+<p>We were walking quietly towards my cottage as we
+talked, and the impulse came upon me to confide to him
+the presentiment which Evie had in regard to the capture
+of the Pirate relieving her from her burden of fear. That
+necessitated my explaining as well as I could the curious
+influence which Mannering exercised over her. Forrest
+listened attentively.</p>
+
+<p>"Curious," he muttered, when I had finished. "It
+is very curious that the fellow should have produced such
+an impression on Miss Maitland. By the way, he was
+not at the Colonel's to-night."</p>
+
+<p>"No," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder&mdash;&mdash;" he began. He never finished the
+sentence, nor did he speak again until he reached my
+door. There he paused, and said lightly, "I think I
+should like to discover whether the disappointed lover is
+at home to-night. Are you prepared for a little amateur
+burglary, Sutgrove?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ready for anything," I assured him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It seems a little absurd to suspect Mannering," he
+remarked meditatively. "Yet there are times when a
+woman's intuition is a better guide than a man's ratiocination."</p>
+
+<p>"You didn't get any clue in Amsterdam, then?" I
+asked tentatively, for I was curious to hear the results
+of his journey.</p>
+
+<p>"No, no. Nothing at all in Holland."</p>
+
+<p>"If Mannering were the Pirate, and had tried to
+dispose of his plunder there, you would in all probability
+have caught him; but he would scarcely have chosen to
+go abroad at the same time as yourself," I remarked.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest emitted a long, low whistle. "By Jove!"
+he said. "Then it was indeed he whom I saw in
+Vienna."</p>
+
+<p>"In Vienna?" I queried.</p>
+
+<p>"When did he leave England?" asked the detective,
+ignoring my question.</p>
+
+<p>"The very day you left," I replied promptly.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, this is getting interesting," he said. "Tonight
+we will most certainly let the Pirate do his worst
+on the roads. We will look for a clue to the mystery
+of his identity nearer home." He looked at his watch.
+"It's a little too early to pay our call, so if you don't
+mind, I will come in and we can discuss the matter at
+leisure."</p>
+
+<p>To say that Forrest's enigmatic utterances filled me
+with excitement, very inadequately expresses the state
+of my mind. He followed me indoors, and, while I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span>
+mixed a drink for each of us, he saw that the windows
+and doors were closed. Then seating himself in an
+easy chair, he selected a cigar and remarked&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Now we can talk."</p>
+
+<p>"I thought you only intended to go to Amsterdam,"
+I began.</p>
+
+<p>"That was my intention," he replied. "But before
+giving you the results of my inquiries&mdash;it won't take
+long, by the way&mdash;I should like to ask you one or two
+questions, if I may?"</p>
+
+<p>"Fire away," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Did you mention to any one where I had gone?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not to a soul. At least certainly not at the time,
+though I have probably mentioned the matter to Miss
+Maitland since."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, you young lovers!" he interjected.</p>
+
+<p>"She would not speak of the matter, I know. I
+gave out to every one else that you had been recalled
+to London."</p>
+
+<p>"Anyway, it would not have mattered if she had, as
+Mannering left on the same day as myself. Where did
+he say he was going?"</p>
+
+<p>"He said he was bound for Paris on business connected
+with some patents he was applying for. He told
+us he would be absent for two or three days; and as a
+matter of fact, he was away for ten."</p>
+
+<p>"That would about fit in," remarked the detective,
+after a moment's thought. "But of that you shall judge
+for yourself." He moistened his lips and pulled at his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span>
+cigar until it was well alight, and then he commenced
+his story.</p>
+
+<p>"I carried out my original intention, and the night
+after I left you I caught the 8.30 at Liverpool Street.
+The next morning I was in Amsterdam. I stayed there
+three days, until I was quite convinced that no such
+parcel of diamonds as had been stolen had been offered
+for sale to any of the Dutch dealers. I could not have
+failed to hear of it if any such attempt had been made.
+While there I had the good fortune to make the
+acquaintance of a Russian agent, whose work I fancy
+must have been largely political. Ivan Stroviloff his
+name was, and he had acquaintances in most European
+capitals. I discussed the matter with him. He thought
+that an attempt to dispose of the stones was much more
+likely to be made in Vienna or St. Petersburg than
+anywhere else except Paris. I was aware of our agents
+in Paris having been fully informed, and I knew it was
+not worth my while to go there; but beyond notifying
+the Austrian police, I doubted whether any steps had
+been taken in regard to Vienna, so I determined to
+proceed to the Austrian capital. Stroviloff proved a
+very decent fellow, rather an exception to the general
+run, for I don't take to those Russian agents as a rule;
+and as I was able to give him a few hints and some
+introductions over here&mdash;he was going on to London&mdash;he
+gave me in return letters to some of his colleagues in
+Vienna and Petersburg, thinking they would probably
+be of more use to me than application through the usual<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span>
+official channels. Well, I went on to Vienna. I won't
+weary you with a history of my fruitless inquiries, it
+would take far too much time. Anyhow, I did find
+eventually that a parcel of diamonds had been disposed
+of there, and, as Stroviloff had predicted, I obtained the
+information through one of the Russian agents and not
+through the Viennese police. I will say that I do not
+see how the latter could have helped me, for the purchaser
+was the representative of a Petersburg house who
+happened to be in Vienna for the purpose of attending
+the sale of the Princess Novikoff's jewels&mdash;you probably
+saw all about it in the papers."</p>
+
+<p>It was a remarkable sale, and the extraordinary prices
+realized are probably fresh in most people's memories.
+I told Forrest I had seen accounts of it, and he
+continued.</p>
+
+<p>"Unfortunately I did not get the information until
+after the representative in question had returned to
+Petersburg. There was nothing left for me to do but
+to follow him there if I wanted to satisfy myself as to
+whether the stones of which I had heard were really the
+ones stolen from the mail. It was rather like a wild
+goose chase, but I went. It was the day before I started
+that I saw the man who reminded me so forcibly of your
+friend Mannering. It was a very fleeting glimpse of a
+face which looked in at the door of a restaurant where
+I happened to be dining, and I should not like to swear
+that it was he whom I saw. At the time, I put my
+fancy down to one of those casual likenesses which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span>
+sometimes lead even keen observers to accost total
+strangers in the streets as acquaintances. The likeness
+was, however, undeniable, in spite of something strange
+about his appearance. However, I paid no attention to
+the incident, and the next morning I was on my way to
+Petersburg. There I found no difficulty in obtaining
+full particulars from the dealer. I have no doubt but
+that he has purchased the stones which were stolen from
+the Brighton mail. In size, weight, and quality they
+answered to the description perfectly. I learned from
+him that the man from whom he had bought the stones
+had been introduced to him by a well-known Viennese
+jeweller. The price asked, though not very greatly
+below market value, was low enough to tempt him to
+purchase. The man who offered them suggested that
+payment should be made, not to himself, but to his firm
+in Amsterdam. The transaction seemed in every way
+<i>bon&acirc; fide</i>, the explanation as to the low price being that
+the Amsterdam firm was rather pressed for cash, and so
+compelled to realize some of its stock, but was unable to
+do so in Amsterdam for fear of jeopardizing its credit.
+The man who sold the stones gave the name of Josef
+Hoffman, and the merchant produced his card which
+bore the name of Jacob Meyer and Meyer, and an
+address in the De Jordaan, Amsterdam. He was
+described to me as a tall, powerful, fresh-coloured, fair-haired
+German, of pleasant manners and address. The
+Petersburg merchant's representative had given him a
+draft on an Amsterdam bank and, on reaching the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span>
+Russian capital, after examining the stones, his employer
+had authorized the payment of the draft by telegraph.</p>
+
+<p>"As soon as I obtained these particulars, I started
+once more for the Dutch city without wasting much
+time. Needless to say, I was too late to catch my man.
+The office in the De Jordaan I found to be a room
+which had been taken for a week or two, and then
+vacated, by a person whom I easily identified as the
+fair-haired German. The draft had been exchanged
+for a draft on the banker's London agents by the same
+man. I came on to London immediately, but Hoffman,
+or whatever his name may be, was a week ahead of me.
+I traced him to the London bank where he had cashed
+his draft. He did it in the coolest manner imaginable.
+He left it one day saying that he required gold, and that
+if they would get the amount ready&mdash;it was over &pound;4000&mdash;he
+would call for it the next day. He actually allowed
+two days to elapse before doing so. Then he came in
+a cab with a handbag and took away the gold. That
+at present is as far as I have got. I only learned the
+last of these particulars this afternoon, and of course I
+went at once to the Yard to make my report and to
+arrange for the circulation of the description of the
+fair-haired German throughout the country. Then I
+came on to you."</p>
+
+<p>Forrest finished his drink and stood up. "Now you
+know as much about the case as I do," he remarked,
+"and I fancy it is about time for us to pay our proposed
+visit to our friend Mannering."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't see how you can connect him in any way
+with Hoffman," I said, as I rose from my seat.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest smiled. "I omitted to tell you one thing,"
+he observed. "I could not see the hair of the man in
+Vienna whose face seemed familiar to me. But one
+thing I did remark. The man with Mannering's face
+wore a fair moustache."</p>
+
+<p>"But Mannering's is dark," I argued. "It was dark
+when he went away and dark when he returned."</p>
+
+<p>Forrest held up his hand mockingly. "In these
+days of scientific progress nothing is easier than for the
+intelligent leopard to change his spots. Ask the brunette
+when fashion decrees that fair hair is to be worn, and
+ask again of the blonde how she manages when the
+exigencies demand raven tresses."</p>
+
+<p>That settled me. "There's only one thing more,"
+I said. "When did you hear that the Motor Pirate
+was at work again?"</p>
+
+<p>"At St. Albans. I called at the police office on my
+way here. He was seen about ten o'clock this side of
+Peterborough and going north."</p>
+
+<p>"It will be rather a sell if Mannering is at home," I
+remarked.</p>
+
+<p>"He will not be at home," replied Forrest with
+conviction.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+
+<h3>I COMMIT A BURGLARY</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>The</span> night was moonless, but there was that soft diffused
+light in the air invariable in June, except on the cloudiest
+of evenings. There was just enough of it to enable us to
+see our way as we strolled towards Mannering's house.
+When we reached it everything appeared still. All the
+windows were dark. I felt my heart beginning to beat
+faster than ordinarily as Forrest lifted the latch of the
+gate opening on to the strip of garden, which lay between
+the road and the house. We walked along the turf
+edging of the path in order that our feet might not crunch
+upon the gravel. Forrest was first. He went straight to
+the front door and tried it. It was fast.</div>
+
+<p>"We will try one of those French windows," he
+whispered after returning to my side.</p>
+
+<p>The house was a two-story cottage with a verandah
+opening on the south side facing a lawn. On to this
+verandah windows opened from both the dining and
+sitting-rooms, the servants' quarters being on the other
+side of the house.</p>
+
+<p>We went round the angle of the building and tried<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span>
+the first window. It was fastened. With cat-like tread
+Forrest glided on to the second. It was one of the two
+giving entrance to the sitting-room. A sibilant sound
+from the detective's lips took me to his side. Without
+hesitating a second, he threw back the casement and
+stepped into the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>"Come," he muttered, and I followed.</p>
+
+<p>Heavy curtains veiled the windows and past these the
+darkness was thick enough to be felt. Of a sudden there
+was a crack which made me start. It was only Forrest
+striking a match. With imperturbable confidence, he
+stepped towards a table and lit the lamp which stood
+thereon. I felt exceedingly uncomfortable, but Forrest
+obviously knew no such qualms, for he at once proceeded
+to examine every object in the room. So far as I could see,
+there was nothing at all unusual about the place. The
+room was in exactly the same condition as I had observed
+it hundreds of times before when I had dropped in for a
+smoke and a chat. On the table, beside the lamp, was a
+tantalus and a glass, and a half empty syphon. The glass
+had been used and the ash on the floor, beside an armchair,
+showed that a cigar had accompanied the drink. A pair
+of slippers lay on the hearth rug as if they had been carelessly
+kicked off. Forrest pointed to them.</p>
+
+<p>"Mannering is not at home," he said. "If he had gone
+to bed, these would not be here."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope he will not return while we are about," I
+muttered.</p>
+
+<p>"It would be a little awkward for him," said Forrest<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>,
+calmly. "I should be compelled to arrest him in self-defence,
+and I am not prepared to do so at present."</p>
+
+<p>He did not, however, hurry his movements in any way
+as he proceeded to deliberately search the room. Only
+once did he pause, and that was when he discovered a continental
+time-table of recent date. He brought the book
+to the light and turned over the pages carefully. A gleam
+of exultation crossed his face, as he pointed out to me a
+trace of tobacco ash between the pages which gave details
+of the train service between Vienna and Amsterdam.</p>
+
+<p>"We are on the right track," he observed.</p>
+
+<p>But that one slight piece of evidence was all that the
+most careful examination of the room revealed, although
+there was not a drawer nor a shelf which he did not overhaul.</p>
+
+<p>"We must try his bedroom," he remarked, when he
+had finished with the sitting-room.</p>
+
+<p>"What about the servants?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"If they are not asleep, they will merely imagine that
+it is their master going to bed," he replied, as taking a
+candlestick, which stood on an occasional table near the
+door, he passed out of the room. I followed him upstairs,
+with my heart in my mouth, and pointed out to him the
+door of the room which Mannering occupied. As Forrest
+turned the handle and entered, I was quite prepared to
+make a bolt for it. I should not have been a bit surprised
+to have discovered our suspect sleeping quietly within.
+But Forrest turned and beckoned me to enter. The room
+was empty, and this time I assisted the detective in his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span>
+search. Between us we subjected the bedroom and the
+adjoining dressing-room to the closest scrutiny, but without
+result. We could not, unfortunately, make an exhaustive
+examination, for there were one or two ancient
+presses which were locked, and the Chubb safe let into
+the wall by the bed head was likewise fastened.</p>
+
+<p>The detective shrugged his shoulders when we had
+done.</p>
+
+<p>"As we haven't a burglar's outfit, we shall have to
+wait until we have a search warrant," he muttered.</p>
+
+<p>With a disappointed air he led the way out of the
+room. On the landing he paused. His keen gaze had rested
+for a moment on a travelling bag which stood under a
+table. There were the remains of a number of labels
+upon it and he scanned them carefully. There was no
+sufficient of any one of them left for identification.</p>
+
+<p>"He's a clever devil," he whispered.</p>
+
+<p>Then he opened the bag and again his countenance
+lightened. Inside was an empty bottle bearing the label
+of a London chemist, with the additional superscription&mdash;"Peroxide
+of Hydrogen."</p>
+
+<p>"The fair hair is accounted for," commented Forrest.
+"And as for the dye which would restore his locks to their
+natural colour, I presume he has it under lock and key."</p>
+
+<p>He slipped the bottle into his pocket and returned
+downstairs, I following at his heels.</p>
+
+<p>"There's not enough at present against him to warrant
+his arrest," he said, when we were again in the
+sitting-room.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Then why not have a look round his workshops," I
+suggested.</p>
+
+<p>"His what?" queried Forrest, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Haven't I ever mentioned them to you? Haven't
+you ever heard that Mannering spends all his spare time in
+experimental motor construction?" I asked in surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"I think I have heard it mentioned, but until this
+moment I have always thought it was chaff," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Good heavens!" I ejaculated.</p>
+
+<p>"I should have been inside that shop a couple of
+months ago," he continued, "if I had thought&mdash;&mdash; Whereabouts
+is the shop?"</p>
+
+<p>"Just at the back of the house and abutting on the
+side of the road," I explained. "The old coach-house and
+stables." Then as the thought occurred to me, I continued,
+"Why I heard him tell you of his work himself."</p>
+
+<p>"That's precisely the reason why I paid no attention
+to it," said my companion. "Can you take me to the
+place?"</p>
+
+<p>I led the way through the French window, Forrest
+putting out the light before he followed me, and carefully
+closing the casement behind him as he stepped on to the
+verandah. A clock, somewhere in St. Albans, struck the
+half after two as we crossed the lawn in the direction of
+the workshop.</p>
+
+<p>"We have only a short time at our disposal,"
+whispered Forrest. "The darkness is lifting, and our
+friend will soon be returning."</p>
+
+<p>We passed through a side door, which we found<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>
+unlocked, into what had once been the stable-yard. But
+we could get no further. The two doors which gave
+admission to the building were firmly fastened, and there
+was no available window by which we might gain
+entrance. We retraced our steps, and, passing out of
+the door, approached the stables from the road. By this
+time the dawn had made such progress that we knew
+our chances of getting inside before Mannering's return
+were dwindling rapidly. We found no more likelihood
+of obtaining admission from this side than the other.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot arrest a man on the evidence of a few
+grains of tobacco dust, and an empty phial," declared
+Forrest, savagely, as he shook the tightly locked door.
+"Listen!" I said.</p>
+
+<p>Borne on the wind came the throb of a motor. So
+still was the air that when the sound first reached our
+ears it must have been a mile away. The sound drew
+nearer and nearer, and while it was still a quarter of a
+mile distant, I recognized the familiar noise of Mannering's
+car, a sound as dissimilar to the hum of the
+Pirate car as it was possible to conceive.</p>
+
+<p>"Forrest," I cried, turning to my companion, "we
+must be mad to think that Mannering could play the
+part of the Motor Pirate on that old car of his."</p>
+
+<p>There was something so irresistibly ludicrous in the
+idea, that we both indulged in a hearty fit of laughter,
+and with one accord we turned and walked down the road.</p>
+
+<p>"He may keep his fast car elsewhere," remarked the
+detective, when his mirth had subsided.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It would be difficult to bring the guilt home to him
+if we failed to discover the car," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>A few seconds later we met the man whom we had
+so lately suspected. I felt a tinge of shame at the thought
+that, a few minutes previously, I had been sneaking into
+his house in the hope that I should find evidence to convict
+him of a crime. By this time dawn was sufficiently
+advanced to allow of recognition, and as he came level
+with us Mannering pulled up.</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo, Sutgrove!" he shouted. "You're about
+betimes. Been on the same job as myself?"</p>
+
+<p>"What's that, Mr. Mannering?" asked Forrest</p>
+
+<p>"Looking for an opportunity to pay back this little
+debt," was the light answer, as the speaker tapped his
+shoulder gently.</p>
+
+<p>"Any luck?" said Forrest, dryly.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a scrap," was the ready reply. "You see I'm
+a bit handicapped with this old car, for unless the fellow
+happens to take the same road as myself, there's precious
+little chance of my picking him up. Still, if you do not
+soon succeed in catching him, I think I shall have a good
+try myself."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose by that you know who he is," I remarked,
+more in order to see what he would say than in the hope
+of eliciting anything.</p>
+
+<p>"Not the slightest idea on the subject," he responded
+promptly. "I am merely hoping that in a few days I
+shall be in possession of a new motor from which even
+the Pirate will be unable to escape."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>I made a gesture of surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"Fact," he continued. "My experiments have
+proved successful at last. In a week I shall have delivered
+to me the new motor I have designed, and then the Pirate
+had better look out. Good night."</p>
+
+<p>Waving an adieu, he set his car in motion, and jogged
+along until he reached the door of his coach-house. We
+watched him dismount, unlock the door, and disappear
+inside.</p>
+
+<p>"It beats me," remarked Forrest.</p>
+
+<p>"Surely you do not still harbour any suspicion concerning
+him?" I inquired in amazement.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest made no reply. His head was bent, his
+brow knitted deeply, his hands clasped behind him as we
+turned and walked back to my place. He did not speak
+until we stopped on my doorstep.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish he had not seen us," my companion then
+remarked. "He will be bound to tumble to the conclusion
+that we suspect him, and will be on his guard."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you do still suspect him," I cried again.</p>
+
+<p>"If I had one scrap of direct evidence," replied the
+detective, emphatically, "I would have him under arrest
+within half an hour. Only one little scrap," he almost
+groaned. "But, as it is, my reputation would not survive
+if I made a mistake."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, you don't imagine that he would go so far as
+to shoot himself just to avert suspicion," I asked, still
+incredulous.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span></p><p>Forrest drew himself up smartly. "Good Lord!
+What a fool I am! What&mdash;a&mdash;blind&mdash;dunderheaded&mdash;jackass!"
+he cried.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter now?" I inquired smiling, for
+the detective was groping in his pockets. "Have you
+lost anything?"</p>
+
+<p>From his waistcoat pocket he produced a small leaden
+bullet, and he held it outstretched in the palm of his
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Here have I been wasting weeks on the continent,
+while with this I might have settled the matter once and
+for all."</p>
+
+<p>"How?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I needed but to compare this with the bullet the
+surgeon extracted from Mannering's shoulder. This is
+the one which killed the poor fellow near Towcester. If
+Mannering's bullet is identical with this, I should have
+nothing more to say; but," he continued meaningly, "both
+your revolver and mine are of a different calibre to the
+weapon which fired this. If the bullet which hit
+Mannering should prove to fit either of our weapons,
+there would be no need to seek for further evidence. I
+must see that surgeon at once."</p>
+
+<p>He started off rapidly down the garden path. I
+hurried after him and laid my hand on his arm.</p>
+
+<p>"Steady, old man," I remarked. "You can hardly
+knock up a hardworked medical man at 3.30 a.m. just
+to ask him a question."</p>
+
+<p>Forrest stopped and gave a short laugh. "Upon my
+word, I had entirely forgotten what the time was. No,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span>
+you are quite right. There is no need for such excessive
+hurry. Mannering is safe enough for the present."</p>
+
+<p>"At least, for the next eighteen hours," I observed,
+after glancing at my watch. "Meanwhile, your room
+has been kept ready for you."</p>
+
+<p>"A little sleep will not come amiss," he answered,
+yawning; "though it seems almost a pity to go to bed on
+such a morning."</p>
+
+<p>He was right. By this time dawn was breaking with
+a splendour I have never seen equalled before nor since.
+From east to west the sky was stained and flecked with
+crimson and gold, and our faces glowed ruddily in the
+reflected light. We both fell to silence, as with our
+faces to the east we watched the uprising of the sun;
+and, until the sky paled as the sun made its appearance
+above the line of the horizon, we did not stir.</p>
+
+<p>Then Forrest drew a deep breath. "There's been
+the beauty of destruction in the sunrise," he remarked.
+"We shall have a storm before nightfall."</p>
+
+<p>He followed me indoors, and, leaving him at the door
+of his room, I went to my own. I got into my pyjamas,
+but I did not feel inclined to sleep for the sunbeams
+were glancing in at my window, and all about were the
+sound and movement of the awakening earth-creatures.
+I wheeled an easy chair to the window, and wrapping a
+blanket about me, took a novel I had been reading and
+strove to fix my attention on the pages. I could not do
+so. Whether it was the reflex action of the brain from
+the excitement of the evening or not, but the fact was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span>
+I felt unaccountably depressed. I fought against the
+feeling as best I could. But I could not get out of my
+head the idea that some great danger was threatening,
+not myself, but the one dearest to me in the world.
+From my window I could see her home, and I drew the
+chair into a position where my eyes might rest upon the
+roof which sheltered her. There was some consolation
+in this, and I watched until I eventually fell into an
+uneasy slumber, from which I awakened unrefreshed and
+ill at ease.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+
+<h3>STORM</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>My</span> tub pulled me together to some extent, but I still
+felt restless when I went downstairs. Forrest had
+already gone out, leaving word that he expected to be
+back to breakfast at the usual hour. I went into the
+garden, but the sun was shining in a cloudless sky and
+there was not a breath of air stirring. It was insufferably
+hot and I was glad to return into the shade of the
+house.</div>
+
+<p>The detective came in panting, a little later, with
+disappointment plainly written in his face.</p>
+
+<p>"The surgeon out?" I inquired.</p>
+
+<p>"No," he answered. "But he was not much use
+though. Mannering kept the bullet. He wanted to
+retain it, so he said, as a memento of his adventure."</p>
+
+<p>"Perfectly natural," I commented.</p>
+
+<p>"Perfectly," returned Forrest. "The unfortunate
+result is, that his doing so prevents me from dismissing
+the possibility of his being the Pirate from my mind.
+And I ought to be doing something. Last night the
+rascal seems to have been everywhere. Apparently he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>
+was actuated with a desire to destroy everything which
+stood in his path. One would judge him to have become
+absolutely reckless. Instead of avoiding the towns, he
+courted observation by passing through them. This
+morning at the police office, I heard particulars of at
+least half a dozen cases of unoffending people being
+ruthlessly ridden down, and Heaven only knows how
+many more there may be of which the details are not
+yet to hand. The sheer devilry of his progress is simply
+amazing. What it comes to is this, Sutgrove. If I
+can't get hold of him within the next week I may as
+well resign the force at once. If I don't resign I shall
+be dismissed, and quite deservedly."</p>
+
+<p>I tried to say something consolatory, but he would
+not hear me; and it was not until after he had made
+a savage attack upon the eggs and rashers and had
+swallowed three cups of tea, that his usual equanimity
+returned.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the next move?" I asked, when breakfast
+was done.</p>
+
+<p>"I am going to town to see if I can identify the
+purchaser of this bottle," he replied, holding up the phial
+he had taken from the bag in Mannering's house the
+night before; "and to inquire whether anything more
+has been heard of the fair-haired German."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I can be of no assistance to you, to-day?" I
+said.</p>
+
+<p>"None whatever beyond remaining here and keeping
+an eye upon our friend. I shall ask for another man<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>
+to-day to assist in shadowing him, but until his arrival
+I should be glad for some one to keep me acquainted
+with his movements. If, as I presume you will, you go
+over to Colonel Maitland's, you cannot help seeing
+whether he leaves his house."</p>
+
+<p>I promised to do as he wished, and shortly after he
+had gone, I took my hat and strolled over to the Colonel's
+place.</p>
+
+<p>Evie appeared to have quite recovered from her fears
+of the previous evening, and being busily engaged upon
+domestic duties, she sent me to join her father under the
+shade of a big tree on the lawn. There solaced by an
+iced lemon squash and the newspaper, I managed to
+pass the morning very comfortably. Mannering gave
+no sign of existence.</p>
+
+<p>I took myself home for lunch, remembering letters
+I had to write. I felt much easier in mind, and made
+a hearty meal in consequence. The result was that I
+fell asleep over my cigar afterwards.</p>
+
+<p>I awoke suddenly, wondering where I was. Then I
+thought I must have slept for hours, for a blackness only
+one degree less than that of night brooded over the
+earth. I took out my watch lazily, and was surprised to
+see that the hands only pointed to five. I sat still for
+a minute or two striving to collect my thoughts, for my
+head was heavy. I held my watch to my ear. It had
+not stopped. I jumped up and walked to the window,
+and I saw at once the reason why I had imagined that
+night had fallen. From east to west and from north to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>
+south a dense pall of cloud hung over the earth. Not
+a leaf moved, and except for the shrill chirp of a grasshopper,
+not a sound broke the uncanny stillness.</p>
+
+<p>"By Jove!" I muttered, "we are going to have it
+hot."</p>
+
+<p>There came upon me an intense desire to be near
+Evie during the progress of the storm which threatened
+every moment to break. I did not wait to analyse the
+feeling, but catching up my hat I bolted straight out of
+the window. I had only a couple of hundred yards to
+traverse, but when I reached the Colonel's house, so hot
+and heavy was the air, that I was soaked from head to
+foot in perspiration. I paused at the gate to wipe my
+brow with my handkerchief, and at the moment the
+storm broke. I heard the crackle of the lightning as it
+slid from the sky, and the thunder clap followed so
+swiftly that for a moment I felt deafened. I waited no
+longer, but raced across the lawn and into the open
+French window of the drawing-room. The apartment
+was unoccupied, so I passed through into the hall. That
+was vacant too, and I continued my search through the
+morning-room to the Colonel's sanctum. There I saw
+the genial warrior standing at the window, and watching
+the play of the lightning with every appearance of interest.</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo, Colonel!" I said. "Where's Evie?"</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't she in the drawing-room? She was there
+twenty minutes ago," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>"She is not there now, I have just come through," I
+explained.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Then I fancy she will be in all probability in her
+bedroom with her head under the sheets," he said,
+chuckling.</p>
+
+<p>"At all events I will send one of the maids to see,"
+I said.</p>
+
+<p>I rang the bell, and after giving a message to the maid
+who answered the summons, I joined the Colonel at the
+window. He appeared to be very pleased with the progress
+the storm was making.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank goodness this will clear the air," he explained,
+as a reason for his satisfaction. "It was so hot
+that I could take no lunch but a mayonnaise, iced
+strawberries, and a glass of hock. Don't you think the
+air is cooler already? I begin to feel quite an appetite
+for dinner. My only fear is that, if the thunder has not
+turned everything sour, it will have frightened my cook
+out of her senses, and there will be nothing to appease
+my appetite."</p>
+
+<p>The window at which we were standing faced
+towards Mannering's house. There was a stretch of
+lawn outside and, beyond, a thicket of shrubs and small
+trees between the grounds of the two residences. I was
+glancing in the direction of these, when I thought I saw
+something white moving in the shrubbery. I was about
+to say something to the Colonel when a crash of thunder
+drowned the utterance. At the next flash of lightning,
+I perceived that my eyes had not deceived me, and in an
+instant I jumped to the conclusion that it was Evie who
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span>was out there in the storm. Without a moment's
+hesitation I vaulted through the window and raced across
+the lawn. The Colonel must have thought me mad.</p>
+
+<p>It was something of a shock for me to find that I
+was right in my conjecture. There, huddled up under
+the spreading branches of a cedar, stood my darling, her
+eyes wide open, her cheeks blanched with terror.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Evie, dear heart! What is the matter?" I
+cried.</p>
+
+<p>At the sound of my voice she started, and, with a
+little cry of delight, she threw herself into my arms.</p>
+
+<p>"I knew you would come&mdash;I knew you would
+come!" she sobbed hysterically.</p>
+
+<p>The cedar under which she was standing was close
+to the hedge, and I fancied, as she spoke, that I saw a
+figure move away from the other side of the hedge. I
+could not verify my suspicion, for Evie needed all my
+attention. She had fainted. Catching her up, I bore
+her across the lawn to the house.</p>
+
+<p>It was some time before she came to herself, and
+then, at her own request, I left her with her maid and
+returned to the Colonel. Needless to say I was very
+much worried in my mind. Why Evie should have been
+sheltering in the shrubbery from the storm, with the
+house so near, seemed unexplainable, and I awaited with
+anxiety the time when I could learn the reason from her
+own lips. The presence of the figure&mdash;the figure of a
+man&mdash;on the opposite side of the hedge, was also inexplicable.
+I should have guessed it to be Mannering, but
+I would have staked my life upon Evie's truthfulness<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span>
+when she had told me how much she had learned to
+detest him. Besides, her delight was obvious when I
+arrived on the scene.</p>
+
+<p>Not until the evening, however, did I get a chance
+of speaking to Evie again. The Colonel and I dined
+alone, Evie sending word to say that the storm had left
+her with a headache, and that she would join us later. I
+was so silent during the meal that my host grew quite
+merry at my expense.</p>
+
+<p>"Wait till you are married, my boy," he remarked.
+"There will come times when you will be grateful for
+these feminine headaches."</p>
+
+<p>I hate cheap witticisms of this sort, but I could hardly
+resent them from the Colonel as I could have done had
+they fallen from any one else's lips; but I fancy he saw at
+last that they were distasteful to me, for after a while he
+forebore to comment upon my dour looks.</p>
+
+<p>About ten Evie came downstairs. By this time the
+storm had passed away entirely, and the air was deliciously
+fresh and cool after the rain. It was a strangely subdued
+girl who came nervously to me, and shrank away from
+me as I kissed her.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Jim, no! You mustn't do that," she said.</p>
+
+<p>Colonel Maitland had slipped away upon his daughter's
+entrance, and we were alone.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, darling, what ails you?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing&mdash;nothing. Oh! don't ask me," she almost
+wailed in reply.</p>
+
+<p>I put my arm about her waist, and drew her down<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>
+beside me to a seat on a big Chesterfield drawn before
+one of the windows. She resisted faintly at first, but
+presently I heard her give a sigh of content, and felt her
+nestle towards me. Then I spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell me, dear, what possessed you to go out into
+the storm?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," she murmured&mdash;"I don't know.
+I&mdash;I felt that I must. I didn't think it was going to
+break so soon, and then the first flash of lightning
+and the voice of the thunder! It was like judgment
+day."</p>
+
+<p>"It is all passed and over," I remarked, with a man's
+clumsy attempt at consolation.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish it were&mdash;I wish it were," she repeated, with
+an indrawn sigh.</p>
+
+<p>"It is all over hours ago," I said.</p>
+
+<p>She broke away from me passionately. "Oh! Jim,
+you don't know," she cried.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know what?" I inquired, as I attempted to
+draw her to me again.</p>
+
+<p>She pushed my hands away with a gesture of despair.
+Then with an effort she rose to her feet, and looking at
+me straight in the face, she said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Jim, this must not go on. It is more than I can
+bear."</p>
+
+<p>I rose to my feet too, my heart beating wildly. "I
+don't understand you," I answered, though I comprehended
+her meaning only too well. "What must not
+go on?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Our&mdash;our engagement," she faltered. She was
+white to the lips as she said the words.</p>
+
+<p>I staggered back under the blow, then leaning forward
+I sought to take her hand.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Jim, no!" she said. "It's no use; I can never
+be yours. It is impossible&mdash;quite impossible. My love
+would be fatal to you! I know it will! He said so."</p>
+
+<p>"He?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>She faltered. "Oh! I cannot help believing him.
+He tells me that I am to be his." She shuddered. "Jim,
+you must leave me, and never see me again. I cannot
+have your&mdash;your blood on my hands."</p>
+
+<p>She held out her slender white fingers, and I saw that
+the ring which I had placed there had been removed.
+Though my brain was awhirl, I tried my utmost to be
+calm. I think the effort was successful, and that my
+voice was fairly even when I said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Come, darling, a promise is a promise, and my own
+little girl is not going to break her promise because of the
+threats of a jealous rival."</p>
+
+<p>She shuddered from head to foot. "You don't know
+him as I know him," she murmured. "He would stick
+at nothing, Jim. I don't think he is a man; he must be
+a devil. He can do things no man ever thought of
+doing."</p>
+
+<p>"You exaggerate his capacities for evil," I said, as
+equably as I was able, for her agitation was so great that
+I feared for her reason. "What has Mannering been
+saying to you, for it was he whom I saw behind the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span>
+hedge when I brought you out of the storm, I
+suppose?"</p>
+
+<p>"You saw him?" she queried. "Then it is true.
+I have been hoping you would tell me I had been dreaming
+again."</p>
+
+<p>"I saw nothing very terrible about him," I remarked.</p>
+
+<p>"You don't know him," she said again.</p>
+
+<p>"He will have cause to know me before many hours
+have passed," I declared savagely.</p>
+
+<p>She clung to me in terror. "No, Jim. You must
+not go near him. You do not know the power he
+exercises. This afternoon I was sitting thinking of you
+when I became conscious that he was telling me to come
+to him. There was no reason why I should have thought
+so. He was not in sight, but I was bound to go."</p>
+
+<p>"And you found him waiting for you?" I asked
+quietly, though my brain was aflame, for I was determined
+to ascertain all that had passed between them.</p>
+
+<p>"He was waiting for me," she repeated&mdash;"waiting
+for me and the storm. That must have come at his
+bidding too. It was horrible waiting for him to speak&mdash;horrible!
+I tried to ask him what he wanted, but my
+tongue was tied. Not until after the first peal of thunder
+did he utter a word. Then he told me the time was
+nearly at hand when he should come for me." I clenched
+my fists involuntarily, but I did not interrupt my darling's
+story. "I begged of him to leave me free. He paid no
+heed. 'I am going away,' he said. 'For three days
+you will see nothing of me, though all England will be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span>
+talking of my deeds. On the third I shall return. Mind
+you are ready.'"</p>
+
+<p>"Did you not mention me?" I remarked weakly. I
+hardly knew what to say, for it seemed to me that either
+Evie must be the victim of some extraordinary hallucination,
+or else that Mannering was mad.</p>
+
+<p>"He mentioned you," she replied. "'Tell Sutgrove,'
+he said, 'that he has three days in which to capture the
+Motor Pirate and make sure of his bride. After that he
+will be too late. Tell him, too, that death waits on the
+fool who fails.'"</p>
+
+<p>"It's a sporting challenge," I muttered, for I had no
+doubt now in my mind that Mannering and the Pirate
+were identical.</p>
+
+<p>My words did not reach Evie's ear, for she continued,</p>
+
+<p>"Now you know why I have put away your ring.
+He is too strong for us. I must do as he bids me.
+I&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>I interrupted her sharply. "Have you everything
+packed to go away on your visit to Norfolk to-morrow?"
+I asked.</p>
+
+<p>The tone of my voice roused her. She looked at me
+wildly.</p>
+
+<p>"Why&mdash;why&mdash;&mdash;" she said. Then the expression
+faded out of her face. For the second time that day she
+had fainted.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>IN WHICH THE PIRATE APPEARS IN A FROLICSOME
+HUMOUR</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>The</span> fainting fit which terminated my conversation with
+Evie alarmed me tremendously, and as soon as I could
+summon assistance I sent for a doctor. She came round
+before the medical man arrived, but I did not revert to
+the topic which had agitated her. Indeed, she appeared
+listless and disinclined to say a word on any subject.
+Colonel Maitland was less worried than myself, but even
+he was anxious until after the doctor had seen her and
+assured him that his daughter was merely suffering from
+over excitement, and that a sedative and a good night's
+rest would probably restore her completely.</div>
+
+<p>I was not so sure that such would be the case, and
+when she had retired I thought it well to take the
+Colonel into his study and give him as full an account as
+I could of all that had led up to the fainting fit. He
+listened to my story with attention, and when I had
+done, though I could plainly see that he thought his
+daughter's fears were due to her own morbid fancy, yet
+he agreed with me that it would be well that she should
+have a change of scene at the earliest possible moment.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>After arriving at this decision I determined to at once
+seek out Mannering, and demand from him some explanation
+of his conduct, for I could not conceive that
+Evie's story was entirely the outcome of her imagination.
+It was a delicate subject to discuss, yet I did not hesitate.
+I was in no humour to mince matters. My anger,
+though I had kept it well under control hitherto, only
+needed the slightest fanning to bring it to a white heat,
+and I longed whole-heartedly that Mannering would
+afford me some excuse for giving physical expression to
+my feelings.</p>
+
+<p>I walked up to his front door, and knocked in a
+manner to denote with sufficient distinctiveness that the
+mood of the knocker was the imperative. I could see by
+the lights within that the inmates of the house had not
+retired to rest, but I had to repeat my summons before
+there was any response. Then I heard footsteps within,
+and the door opening an inch or two, a voice inquired
+who was there.</p>
+
+<p>"Is Mr. Mannering in?" I demanded.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Sutgrove, is it?" replied the voice, and upon
+my answering in the affirmative, the door was thrown
+open, and I saw the two maidservants standing in the
+hall.</p>
+
+<p>"I beg your pardon, sir," said the parlourmaid.
+"We didn't expect any one at this time of night."</p>
+
+<p>"That's all right," I answered. "Can I see Mr.
+Mannering?"</p>
+
+<p>"He's gone away for a day or two, sir," said the girl.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That's very sudden, isn't it?" I asked. "I saw him
+this afternoon."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir. He said nothing about it to us until after
+dinner. Then he packed his handbag and went away on
+his motor."</p>
+
+<p>"It's a confounded nuisance," I remarked. "I wanted
+to see him on important business. Did he say where he
+was going?"</p>
+
+<p>"He said Cromer, sir, but he did not leave any
+address.<ins title="Transcriber's Note: this closing quotation marked added">"</ins> Then, after a momentary hesitation, she added,
+"Is&mdash;is anything wrong?"</p>
+
+<p>I looked at her keenly. She dropped her eyes, and
+I could see there was something on her mind.</p>
+
+<p>"What makes you ask?" I enquired.</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I don't know," she replied, with obvious embarrassment.</p>
+
+<p>"There must be something or you would not have
+asked," I said encouragingly. "Come&mdash;out with it."</p>
+
+<p>She still hesitated, but the housemaid was bolder.
+"I'll tell the gentleman if you don't, Sarah," she declared.
+"It's like this, sir," she rattled out volubly: "the master,
+Mr. Mannering that is, has been so queer in his ways
+lately that Sarah and me 'as been quite scared. Not that
+he 'asn't been quite the gentleman. He always was that,
+wasn't he, Sarah? But he's been that restless and bound
+up in himself lately&mdash;walking up and down in his room
+and talking to himself. He always was one to shut
+himself up in that nasty old coach-house with his
+experiments and things, but he was quiet, and we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span>
+never took no account of it. But lately he's been
+different."</p>
+
+<p>"How?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, instead of going to bed like a Christian he's
+up all hours of the night. It ain't only that. He slips
+out as if he didn't want us to see him, and when we've
+known he hasn't been at home we've found he's taken
+the trouble to tumble the bed to make it appear as how
+he slept in it."</p>
+
+<p>"Pooh!" I remarked. "If that's all, my servants
+would probably say the same about me. You need not
+be alarmed about such trifles."</p>
+
+<p>"But it's not all," said Sarah, taking up the story.
+"The nights he goes out are just the nights the Pirate
+makes his appearance."</p>
+
+<p>"Those are just the nights I am away from home,"
+I said.</p>
+
+<p>"But you have the detective gentleman with you,"
+argued the girl, "and when you come back I warrant
+you do not bring diamond studs back with you that don't
+belong to you."</p>
+
+<p>"What!" I cried. "What!"</p>
+
+<p>"It's truth, sir," said the housemaid. "A week ago,
+just after he came back from Paris, I was sweeping the
+floor of his bedroom, when I sweeps up a diamond stud.
+Now, I knew he never had such a thing&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose you know exactly what jewellery he has?"
+I interrupted, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>"He always was a very careless gentleman until the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span>
+last month, before which he left his things lying about
+all over the place, but then he had a safe put in his
+bedroom, and he never so much as left the key lying
+about. However, I mentions the stud to Sarah, and we
+talks it over and puts two and two together, and Sarah
+thinks that if he doesn't ask what has become of it, it
+might be as well as if we told the detective gentleman
+about it."</p>
+
+<p>"Quite right," I remarked. "You might let me
+look at the stud, though."</p>
+
+<p>After a little pressing the girls fetched the trinket, and
+I perceived that it very closely resembled the stud Winter
+had worn on the night of our first encounter with the
+Pirate. I said nothing about this supposition to the
+maids, but bidding them to be careful not to mention
+the matter to any one until they had seen Forrest, whom
+I promised should call upon them, I left the house.</p>
+
+<p>Though disappointed in my original intention of
+forcing an explanation from Mannering, I was by no
+means ill pleased with the result of my visit to his house.
+My suspicions as to his identity with the Pirate had
+become considerably stronger, and once that identity was
+established I fancied I should have little difficulty in
+preventing any further annoyance at his hands.</p>
+
+<p>Yet when I came to think calmly upon the subject I
+could not fail to see how frail was the foundation upon
+which my suspicions were built up. The fancies of a
+girl, the suspicions of a couple of gossiping servants,
+and the discovery of a stud, which might or might not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span>
+prove to be the one which had been stolen from Winter.
+I longed for Forrest to return, for I felt utterly incapable
+of resting, and as he had not put in an appearance by
+midnight, I got out my car and went into St. Albans to
+meet him. At the police station there was no news of
+him to be obtained, but I did learn that the Pirate had
+been seen, his presence having been reported from the
+vicinity of Bedford.</p>
+
+<p>Knowing that it would be impossible for me to sleep
+until I had seen Forrest; knowing, too, how unlikely it
+was that he would now return to St. Albans before morning,
+I thought I might at least have one shot on my own
+account of bringing off the capture I so ardently desired.
+So, in case of an untoward accident happening, I scribbled
+a note to the detective, telling him briefly what I had
+heard from the servants, and my intentions; and making
+sure that my revolver was in working order, I bade my
+friends at the police-station good night, and departed.</p>
+
+<p>I knew it would be useless to take the direct road to
+Bedford if I wished to meet the Pirate, and, as he had
+been reported going east, I took the route through Hertford,
+trusting that I might be able to cut him off upon
+his return. I gleaned nothing concerning him at either
+Hertford or Ware, and was so doubtful of proceeding
+further in that direction that I left it to the arbitrament
+of a coin to determine whether I should go on by a road
+with which I was unacquainted to Cambridge through
+Bishop's Stortford, or take a route I knew through Royston.
+The choice fell upon the Stortford road, and later I was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span>
+glad I had taken it, for about a mile to the south of Stortford
+I discovered that I was upon the right track.</p>
+
+<p>I was bowling along at about fifteen miles an hour
+when I came upon two horses grazing at the road-side.
+They galloped off at my approach, and, a few seconds
+later, I came upon a specimen of the Pirate's handiwork,
+which at first sight was irresistibly ludicrous. A brougham
+was drawn up at the side of the road, and, bound to the
+wheels, were a coachman and a footman, clad in gorgeous
+liveries. The coachman was fat and florid, the footman
+a particularly fine specimen of flunkeydom, and their faces,
+as the light of my lamps fell upon them&mdash;they could not
+speak, for they were both gagged as well as bound&mdash;were
+so convulsed with terror, that I could see they did not
+look upon me as a friend. As I dismounted from my car
+to go to their assistance, I heard a dismal wail from the
+roof of the vehicle and, looking up, I perceived a portly
+old lady perched upon the uncomfortable eminence.</p>
+
+<p>I made an attempt to explain that my intentions were
+purely pacific, but as I could elicit nothing from the old
+lady but appeals to spare her life, I turned my attention
+to the two men, and speedily released them from their
+bonds. By the time they were loose they had realized
+that I was a friend; but it was some time before I
+managed to obtain from them an account of how they
+got into such a mess. Even when their powers of speech
+had returned they were unable to give a lucid account
+of the affair.</p>
+
+<p>Of course it was the work of the Pirate. They had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>
+been returning with their mistress&mdash;the old lady on the
+roof of the brougham&mdash;from some local coming-of-age
+festivities, when they had met the rascal. He had bound
+the servants, set the horses free, and, after robbing the
+old lady of all the jewellery she wore, he had compelled
+her to climb to the position where I discovered her,
+threatening to return and kill her if she moved from her
+position for an hour. It needed much persuasion before
+she ventured to descend from her perch; but with the
+assistance of the coachman, I managed to get her inside
+the brougham, and further assisting in securing the two
+horses, I left them.</p>
+
+<p>This incident delayed me for nearly half an hour, and
+it was a good deal past one before I again set out on my
+quest. The brougham had been stopped just near a bye-road,
+and as the footman had assured me that the Pirate
+had taken this path when he departed, I thought I would
+follow. I could see for myself that a motor-car had
+passed that way, for the thunderstorm of the previous day
+had left the roads heavy in places, and the marks of his
+tyres were plainly visible.</p>
+
+<p>I had followed the road for about a couple of miles
+further when I came once more upon some of the
+Pirate's victims. These, too, were returning from the
+same function at which the old lady had been a guest,
+when they fell into the clutches of the Pirate. In this
+case my assistance was not required, for the two young
+ladies of the party had recovered sufficiently from their
+fright to have already set at liberty their male companion<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span>
+and the coachman. They told me of their experiences,
+and after I had heard them, I thought that Forrest's idea
+that the Pirate was a madman more likely than I had
+done previously.</p>
+
+<p>When stopped by the Pirate, the husband of one of
+the ladies had shown fight until he had been felled by
+a blow from the butt end of a revolver. The coachman
+had discreetly made no resistance. Then, after securing
+the jewels the women wore, the Pirate had displayed a
+freakish humour quite new to his character. He had
+insisted upon the two women dancing for his amusement
+in the road, threatening to shoot the husband if they did
+not comply with his request. They assured me that he
+had sat chuckling with laughter, and urging them on
+with all sorts of wild threats, until they fell from exhaustion.
+They were splashed with mud from head to
+foot, and their dainty frocks presented a sorry sight. In
+addition they told me that they could barely stand, for
+their feet were cut to pieces, since, at the first steps of
+the weird dance, their slippers had stuck in the mud, and
+they were given no opportunity to stop and recover them.</p>
+
+<p>I did not wait to hear more than the barest outline
+of the story, for I learned that he had left them not more
+than ten minutes before my arrival on the scene, and
+with the heavy roads, I thought there was at least a
+chance of some lucky accident bringing me face to face
+with my quarry.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+
+<h3>A HOT SCENT</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class="smcap">I ran</span> on through the night, but I could not make any
+great progress. I was now involved in a maze of Essex
+bye-roads, totally unknown to me, and every few minutes
+I was compelled to dismount, and search for the tracks.
+I never lost them, however, until I came once more to
+a high-road. The curve of the tyre marks at the junction
+of the road gave me the direction I needed, and, letting
+my car go, in four or five minutes I found myself running
+into the electric-lighted streets of a town. The place
+was deserted, but eventually I found a policeman, and
+of him I inquired whether anything had been seen or
+heard of the Pirate. There was no need for me to
+describe the appearance of the pirate car. It was as
+well-known throughout the land, as the Lord Mayor's
+coach, but he had seen nothing of it, and was quite
+positive that it had not passed through the town. An
+ordinary car had passed about half an hour before my
+arrival, and though the constable's description of the car
+was not very lucid, it was sufficiently near the mark to
+make me think of Mannering.</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span>"I fancy the man you describe is a friend of mine,"
+I said. "Which direction did he take?"</p>
+
+<p>"He went straight along the Colchester road," was
+the astonishing reply.</p>
+
+<p>"The Colchester road?" I inquired. "What town
+is this, then?"</p>
+
+<p>"This is Chelmsford, sir," he answered, with a
+surprise equalling my own.</p>
+
+<p>I could see my unguarded question had awakened
+his suspicions of me, so I made haste to remark that
+I had not realized how quickly I had travelled, adding
+that I might have known there was no other town of
+the size thereabouts.</p>
+
+<p>"I am afraid," I added, "that if you had met me
+outside the borough you would have had a case for the
+Bench in the morning."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't take no heed of speed myself, sir, when the
+roads is clear," he remarked; "but when the traffic's
+thick, it's another matter."</p>
+
+<p>I thought his sound common sense deserved a reward.
+Anyway it got one, and with a cheerful good night,
+I set my car going at a pace which made me hope
+that any other constable I chanced to meet would
+prove as intelligent as he from whom I had just
+parted. It is about twenty-two miles from Chelmsford
+to Colchester, and, in spite of the greasy state of
+parts of the road, I managed the distance in thirty
+minutes.</p>
+
+<p>Every one of those minutes I expected to be able<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span>
+to overtake Mannering; but I saw nothing of him, and
+by the time I came to Colchester, I began to fancy that
+he must have given me the slip at some bye-road. From
+my inquiries at Colchester, I learned, however, that I
+was still on the right scent; but I was mightily puzzled
+to discover that though he was driving the old car which
+he had always declared was unable to compass more than
+twelve or fourteen miles an hour, he was still half an
+hour ahead of me.</p>
+
+<p>He was still going away from town, and I followed.
+There is no need for me to give in any detail particulars
+of my journey that night. Day was breaking when
+I came into Ipswich, and it was broad daylight when
+I passed through the long, untidy street of Wickham
+Market. Mannering still kept ahead, and I followed
+doggedly. I heard of him at Saxmundham, but when
+I inquired at Blythburgh, I found I had missed him, and
+I had to hark back to Yoxford before I got on his track
+again. He had taken the side route to Halesworth,
+through which he had passed in the direction of Beccles.
+By this time he was an hour ahead of me, and, as he
+had left Beccles by the Yarmouth road, I went ahead
+as fast as I dared. It was not quite my highest speed,
+for by this time I was both tired and hungry, and the
+strain of travelling over unknown roads at a high speed
+at night made my head swim. I knew that unless I
+could soon get food and rest I should soon be fit for
+nothing. So immediately I reached Yarmouth, I went
+to a hotel, ordered breakfast, indulged in a hot bath while<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span>
+it was preparing, and went to sleep in my chair directly
+I had eaten the meal.</p>
+
+<p>The waiter awakened me about ten. I went down
+to the beach and indulged in a swim, and, returning
+to the hotel, amazed the waiter by ordering and doing
+justice to a second breakfast before taking my departure.</p>
+
+<p>On leaving the hotel, my first consideration was to
+get my tank refilled, and, that done, I sent off a couple
+of wires, one to Evie and the other addressed to Forrest,
+at my own place, telling each of them to communicate
+with me at Sutgrove Hall if anything happened, for it
+was my intention to call at my home if I could possibly
+manage to do so.</p>
+
+<p>My next business was to search for traces of Mannering
+in Yarmouth, but it was some time before I ascertained
+that the man I imagined to be he, had left by the coast
+road through Caister. It was a tedious job to track him
+through the Norfolk lanes, for he had turned and doubled
+as if anxious to throw a pursuer off the scent, and it was
+one o'clock before I eventually struck the high-road
+between Norwich and Cromer. There I finally lost
+him, owing chiefly to the fact that the day was fine, and
+a large number of motor-cars were on the road in consequence.</p>
+
+<p>By this time I was beginning to think my impulsive
+action to be more than a little foolish, but in order that
+my journey should not be altogether wasted, I determined
+to run on to Cromer, lunch there, and afterwards proceed
+to Sheringham, near which delightful village my home<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>
+was situated, and seize the opportunity to make arrangements
+with my aunt for Evie's visit.</p>
+
+<p>In pursuance of this plan, in half an hour's time,
+I walked into the dining-room of the Royal Hotel at
+Cromer. You may judge of my surprise when I saw
+Mannering seated at a table at one of the windows. He
+observed my entrance, and, rising, greeted me heartily.</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo, Sutgrove!" he said. "This is indeed a
+welcome surprise. I had not the slightest idea you were
+in this part of the country."</p>
+
+<p>"If you had, I presume you would not have chosen
+it for the scene of your exploits," I replied.</p>
+
+<p>The expression of astonishment which spread over
+his features at my rejoinder was so perfect that I felt
+all my suspicions begin to crumble away.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't follow you," he remarked.</p>
+
+<p>His manner was either the result of one of the best
+pieces of acting I had ever seen in my life, or due to
+absolute unconsciousness of my meaning. It made me
+remember that though there were undoubtedly suspicious
+circumstances connecting him with the Motor Pirate,
+yet so far there was not one iota of direct evidence. I
+thought it best to temporize.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," I remarked; "I was only referring to your
+attempts to cut the records with your old car."</p>
+
+<p>He smiled calmly before replying. "You may be
+nearer the truth than you think. I've had a new motor
+fixed in the car&mdash;an idea of my own, and I find she
+travels at quite a decent pace. That's why I left home<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span>
+last night. After the rain I thought the roads would
+certainly be clear enough to give me the opportunity of
+making a fair test. The engine is a model of the one
+I have designed for the new car which I mentioned&mdash;last
+night was it? No; the night before."</p>
+
+<p>I was fairly staggered at his assurance. His demeanour
+was entirely without the suggestion of his being in any
+way aware that he was an object of suspicion.</p>
+
+<p>"Were you not afraid of meeting the Pirate? I
+heard he was abroad last night," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Afraid!" he remarked witheringly. "Afraid!
+All I am afraid of is, that some of your Scotland Yard
+friends will be beforehand with me in his capture, and
+that is an adventure which has a particular appeal to me,
+since he left his mark upon me here." He tapped his
+shoulder significantly. "I have promised myself to
+repay this injury with interest."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I suppose we are as likely to meet him here
+as anywhere," I ventured to remark.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope so," he answered. "But I am not stopping
+here for long. I've taken a bed for the night,
+because I feel confoundedly tired after last night's
+run. But what brings you down here? Are you
+motoring?"</p>
+
+<p>"In the first place I wanted a word with you," I
+replied.</p>
+
+<p>"With me?" The amazement in his voice was
+obvious.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," I said; "that is my principal object."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But how did you discover my address? I left no
+word with any one."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll tell you later," I said.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we have plenty of time to talk," he replied.
+"If there's any little difficulty in which I can be of any
+assistance, I need hardly assure you I am at your service.
+But hadn't you better have lunch first?" He lowered
+the tone of his voice. "Unless you wish the waiters to
+become acquainted with your affairs, I should think what
+you have to say could be much better said outside.
+Neither pier nor esplanade are much frequented at this
+time of the year."</p>
+
+<p>The suggestion was so natural and reasonable that,
+after a moment's consideration, I decided to accept it.</p>
+
+<p>All through the meal he chatted as easily as if
+there was not the slightest possibility of anything happening
+to interrupt the friendship which had always
+ostensibly existed between us. The longer we talked,
+the more puzzled I became. His manners were so
+natural, so fearless, that it was quite impossible for me
+to believe that I was sitting at lunch with the Motor
+Pirate. He was very curious to know how I had learned
+of his intention to come to Cromer, and I was induced
+to tell him of my experiences on the previous night. I
+watched his face keenly while I narrated the stories of
+the Pirate's victims. He listened quite gravely, not
+even the ghost of a smile crossing his face when I told
+him of the ludicrous pictures presented by the old lady
+and her two servants.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is no laughing matter," he observed. "The
+rascal was bad enough when he confined his attentions
+to men; but now he has taken to bestowing them upon
+women, he deserves no mercy, and when I am able to
+get upon his track, he will get none."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you are really hoping to join in the hunt?"
+I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," he said. "I'll let you into my secret. At
+my place at St. Stephens, I had a car which only wanted
+one minor detail to make it complete. I have known
+for months, that if I could supply that detail, I should
+be in possession of a car which would outpace even the
+Pirate's. For months I've racked my brains over it. A
+week ago an idea occurred to me. I worked it out. I
+tried it for the first time last night. It has proved to
+be a success. The day after to-morrow I shall join in
+the pursuit of the Motor Pirate, so if your Scotland Yard
+friend does not make haste, he will be too late."</p>
+
+<p>"What power do you propose to use?" I asked.
+"Petrol?"</p>
+
+<p>He laughed before replying. "A month ago I
+would have told nobody; but to-day there is no need of
+secrecy; my drawings are all ready for deposit at the
+Patent Office, so there is no chance of any one forestalling
+me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, what is it?" I said.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't want you to tell anybody else just yet," he
+said; and as I nodded my acquiescence, he continued,
+"My new motor is on an entirely novel principle. It<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>
+is a turbine engine, worked by the expansion of liquid
+hydrogen."</p>
+
+<p>"What?" I gasped. The idea was so novel that I
+could not grasp it. He lifted his hand, checking the
+questions which started to my lips.</p>
+
+<p>"No. No questions, if you please: because, if you
+ask any, I shall not answer them. Meanwhile, you
+have not yet told me how you learned of my presence
+here?"</p>
+
+<p>I related how, in the course of my inquiries at
+Chelmsford, I had ascertained that a person so like
+himself had passed through the town, that I had determined
+to attempt to overtake him, little thinking the
+chase would prove so stern.</p>
+
+<p>He chaffingly congratulated me on my tracking
+powers, and expressed regret that I had not made my
+appearance earlier, so that we might have arranged a
+race; and by the time we had finished lunch, I was as
+completely convinced as I had ever been of anything in
+my life, that he had no connection whatsoever with the
+Pirate. Still, I was none the less determined to tackle
+him upon the subject of the influence which Evie declared
+he exerted over her, so when the meal was over,
+we left the hotel together and, seeing from the front
+that the pier was practically deserted, I led the way to
+the far end, determined to have a complete explanation.</p>
+
+<p>He was silent during our walk. So was I, for I was
+deliberating how best to introduce the subject. As it
+happened, he made the task easy for me, as after finding<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span>
+a comfortable seat and lighting a cigarette, he turned to
+me with&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Now, old fellow, what is it you have on your
+mind? Out with it!"</p>
+
+<p>I told him&mdash;told him fully and frankly everything
+that Evie had mentioned to me concerning him, and I
+finished by warning him that I was determined to
+exercise the right she had given me to protect her. He
+listened to me attentively and, one might have thought,
+even sympathetically. When I had concluded, he sat
+silent awhile; then, looking me full in the eyes, he
+remarked&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose, Sutgrove, if I tell you that this story of
+the influence I am supposed to exercise over Miss Maitland
+is absolute news to me, you will not believe
+me?"</p>
+
+<p>I was staggered, and my astonishment must have
+been visible in my face, for he continued&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You may be surprised, but not half so much as I
+have been, by what you have told me. Really, the
+whole story sounds the maddest farrago of nonsense I
+have ever heard."</p>
+
+<p>I was about to make an angry retort, but he checked
+me with a gesture&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I do not mean any offence," he said; "for I can
+quite understand what your feelings on the subject must
+be. I, no more than yourself, would tolerate any unwarrantable
+interference such as you describe. It is just
+as well that you should have mentioned the matter to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span>
+me, however, for you will know so much better how
+to proceed."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean?" I gasped.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, what else than that you will not waste any
+time before obtaining medical advice for Miss Maitland,"
+he replied.</p>
+
+<p>I felt a grey horror creeping over me&mdash;a horror that
+tied my tongue, to think that Evie&mdash;my Evie&mdash;might
+prove to be&mdash;mad. Again, he must have divined my
+thoughts, for he said reassuringly&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You must not take too serious a view of the case.
+Miss Maitland is of a highly nervous temperament, and,
+I should imagine, rather prone to hysteria." Then,
+rising, he clapped me on the shoulder, "Take a cheerful
+view, Sutgrove. I'll bet you ten to one that her doctor
+will inform you that marriage will provide a complete
+cure."</p>
+
+<p>His tone was so hearty, so friendly, that I instinctively
+grasped his hand, and he returned my grip.</p>
+
+<p>The subject was not resumed; and, as we walked
+back to the hotel, I was completely convinced that I had
+been an unutterable cad ever to allow a single doubt concerning
+him to enter my mind, much less to harbour
+there.</p>
+
+<p>I left him at the hotel door and went in search of
+my car to continue my journey to Sutgrove Hall. He
+was still standing where I parted from him when I swept
+past, and he waved his hand to me, a smile upon his face.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XX</h2>
+
+<h3>RELATES HOW THE PIRATE HOLDS UP AN AUGUST
+PERSONAGE</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>I reached</span> my destination about five, and found, as I
+hoped, a telegram awaiting my arrival. It read&mdash;</div>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Ever so much better. Do not worry about me.
+Cannot spare you for long though. Lots of love.&mdash;E."</p></div>
+
+<p>With my mind very much relieved, I was able to
+devote my attention to my aunt, who was full of
+questions as to the reason for my unexpected arrival and
+equally eager for a full account of my doings during the
+past six months, during which time, she assured me, I
+had grossly neglected my duties, especially by my failure
+to keep her adequately posted regarding my engagement.</p>
+
+<p>I was anxious, after reading Evie's wire, to start forthwith
+for St. Albans; my aunt was equally anxious that
+I should remain the night at Sutgrove, and while we
+were arguing the point, a second telegram arrived, which
+settled the matter. I tore open the envelope and read&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"Meet the 8.49 at Cromer with motor. Do not fail.
+Most important.&mdash;<span class="smcap">Forrest.</span>"</p></div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The message had been handed in at Liverpool Street
+at 4.50, and I wondered what could have happened to
+necessitate Forrest's presence in Norfolk. There was
+little use speculating, however, and I settled down to
+satiate, if it were possible, my aunt's curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>She was duly impressed by such of my adventures as
+I thought fit to relate, but she was not neglectful of
+what she considered her duties as hostess and, in spite
+of the fact that I had eaten a hearty lunch about two, I
+was able shortly after seven to do adequate justice to the
+early dinner which she provided for me. I left home
+soon after eight, and, in consequence of my impatience,
+had to wait ten minutes on the Cromer platform for the
+arrival of the train.</p>
+
+<p>As the engine drew into the station, I saw Forrest's
+head thrust out of the window of one of the carriages,
+and, before the train had come to a standstill, he had
+leaped from the door and was at my side. He was for
+him unusually excited, and, without reply to my greeting,
+save with a silent hand grip, he said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Seen anything of Mannering?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, yes," I replied directly. "I lunched with
+him, to-day. He's stopping at the Royal."</p>
+
+<p>"That's a bit of luck," replied the detective.
+"Come along;" and he pushed on in advance of me
+through the barrier.</p>
+
+<p>"What has happened?" I asked, as I caught him up
+in the station yard.</p>
+
+<p>"I hold a warrant for his arrest, and I am desirous of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span>
+executing it at the earliest possible moment, that's all,"
+he replied.</p>
+
+<p>I could hardly believe my ears. "What in the world
+for?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"What should it be for?" said Forrest, with a touch
+of sarcasm in the tone of his voice.</p>
+
+<p>"He cannot be the Motor Pirate. It is impossible.
+He could not have deceived me so completely," I
+exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>"I would stake everything I hope for in the future,
+as well as everything I possess at the present moment,
+that he is though," returned the detective with conviction.
+"But we must not waste time. Take me to the hotel."</p>
+
+<p>Without stopping to argue the point, I jumped on my
+car, Forrest took the seat beside me, and we proceeded to
+the Royal.</p>
+
+<p>"Leave the car and come with me, I may want your
+assistance," he said, as we pulled up at the entrance to
+the hotel.</p>
+
+<p>He sprang out the moment I stopped and ran briskly
+up the steps. A porter was in the hall, and to him
+Forrest turned.</p>
+
+<p>"I want to see a Mr. Mannering, who is stopping here,
+at once, and I do not wish to be announced," he said.</p>
+
+<p>The man walked across to the office and made an
+inquiry of the clerk, then returning, announced that
+Mannering had left an hour previously.</p>
+
+<p>"Left?" said Forrest, and his jaw fell. He stepped
+across to the office himself, only to learn that though<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span>
+Mannering had booked a room for the night, he had
+after dinner called for his bill, paid it, and left on his
+motor, without giving any reason for his alteration of
+plans.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest stalked out of the hotel, his brow heavy with
+thought. I followed him. He stepped on to the car,
+and, taking my seat, I asked him tersely&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Where to?"</p>
+
+<p>"St. Albans," he replied with brevity equal to my
+own, and without further question we were off.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't mind taking a few risks," he said presently.
+"The sooner we can get there the better I shall be
+pleased."</p>
+
+<p>Then, leaning back in his seat, he asked me to tell
+him how I happened to learn of Mannering's presence in
+Cromer, and what he had said to convince me that he
+was in no way connected with the Pirate. So while we
+were still running at a moderate pace, I gave him a brief
+history of my adventures of the previous night. Before
+I had concluded, however, the road ahead seemed clear,
+and, pulling my mask over my face, I jammed on my
+highest speed and conversation became impossible.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest pulled his cap down over his eyes and, turning
+his coat-collar about his ears, settled himself apparently
+to slumber. Within half an hour the lights of Norwich
+sparkled in front of us, and it became necessary to slacken
+speed. Forrest immediately resumed the conversation at
+the point where we had broken off, and questioned me
+closely with regard to what Mannering had said to me.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span>
+Once and again I endeavoured to ascertain what had
+induced him to take out the warrant; but he would not
+satisfy my curiosity, declaring that it was of more
+importance that he should know all that I could tell him
+first. There seemed little likelihood of my learning
+anything, for we soon left Norwich behind us, and were
+running at full speed on the road to Thetford and Newmarket,
+slackening speed only slightly as we swept
+through the villages and trusting to the continuous toot-toot
+of the horn to clear our path. Our progress was
+uninterrupted until we had reached and left the little
+town of Attleborough five or six miles behind us, when
+Forrest was afforded an opportunity, much to his chagrin,
+of giving me the reasons for his haste.</p>
+
+<p>Incidentally, I may remark, that the occurrence which
+afforded this opportunity came very near depriving me of
+the chance of hearing anything from anybody, or him
+from ever opening his lips again, for while we swept
+along at our top speed there was a sudden hissing sound,
+a sudden succession of jars, and the car swerved violently,
+nearly overturning. I jammed on both my breaks, and
+by good fortune the car did not overturn. I guessed
+what had happened, and there was no need for me to get
+a light to make sure&mdash;my sense of touch informed me
+that the off back tyre was as flat as a pancake.</p>
+
+<p>I hoped that the injury was only slight, but my hopes
+faded the moment I examined the injury. The tyre had
+picked up a curved and pointed piece of iron, and had
+been irreparably damaged. No patching was of any use.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span>
+There was nothing for it but to replace the tyre with
+a new one. Fortunately, I was prepared with a spare
+outer cover as well as inner tubes, and, with a muttered
+curse, I threw off my coat and set about the job. Then
+when that was done, and it took me a good hour to
+complete the task, I discovered, on restarting the car, that
+a further misfortune had befallen us. Either owing to
+the jumping of the car when the tyre went, or more
+likely because of the sudden application, the footbreak
+had seized, and the transmission was so far injured that
+I could not get the car along above seven or eight miles
+an hour. I did my best to put the damage right. I lay
+on my back in the middle of the road, and used all the
+language approved by the most fluent members of the
+Automobile Club for use on such occasions, but entirely
+without result. Exactly where we were I did not know,
+and, after I had relieved my feelings, I thought it best to
+jog along until we came to some town where it would
+be possible to get skilled assistance.</p>
+
+<p>And it was while we were progressing in this humdrum
+fashion that Forrest confided to me the reasons for
+his anxiety.</p>
+
+<p>"In the first place," he said, "your theory as to the
+stud found by Mannering's servants proved to be correct.
+It was Winter's. I arrived at St. Albans the first thing
+this morning, and, after getting your note, went straight
+away and interviewed the girls. They handed me the
+trinket. I took it to Winter, and he identified it. He
+will swear to it anywhere. By the time I had done this,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span>
+your wire for me had arrived, and your man, having seen
+me go into Winter's house, brought it on. I took the
+next train to town and went straight to the Yard,
+thankful that at last I was able to report something
+definite. Besides, I wanted to take a warrant without
+any one being aware of it, and I knew I could manage
+that better in London than in the country. Well, I
+called at the Yard, ran across to Bow Street and got my
+warrant, and returned to the Yard in order to instruct
+a couple of our men who had been placed at my disposal.
+While I was there particulars came to hand of a feat
+which throws all the other doings of the Pirate into the
+shade. You mentioned, I think, that Mannering, when
+he told Miss Maitland that he was going away, said that
+all England would be talking of him."</p>
+
+<p>"She said so," I replied doubtfully; "but she was so
+excited&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"She was probably correct in her recollection of what
+passed," he said. "If further proof were wanted to
+connect your friend with the Motor Pirate, those words
+would be sufficient. If what I know leaks out, the Pirate
+will fill the popular mind more to-morrow than he has
+done in the past even. Yesterday morning, within six
+miles of Sandringham, he held up"&mdash;he hesitated&mdash;"I
+must mention no names&mdash;he held up, let me say, an
+August Personage&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"The King?" I cried.</p>
+
+<p>"An August Personage," remarked Forrest, severely,
+"in broad daylight."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Let me hear all about it?" I asked eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know that I can tell you everything, for
+so far I only know the particulars wired to the Yard.
+But the story is complete enough to enable me to do what
+I have hitherto failed in, and that is, complete the
+necessary identification of our friend Mannering. And
+curiously enough, it is owing to the keen powers of
+observation possessed by the&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"The August Personage," I reminded him, a trifle
+maliciously as he hesitated.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest laughed. "Quite right, you score that time,"
+he remarked, before resuming his tale. "Owing to the
+August Personage's keen powers of observation, I am able
+to lay my finger on the one point which has puzzled me,
+namely, the manner by which Mannering has managed
+to escape suspicion. It is a simple trick. So simple, in
+fact, that I cannot conceive how I managed to overlook
+such a possibility for so long. However, you shall hear
+the facts as they were told to me, and judge for yourself
+with what transparent means we have been hoodwinked
+by the rascal. The August Personage, who, as you are
+probably aware, has been staying at Sandringham for
+some days past, has been in the habit of taking a ride on
+one of his cars whenever the roads were in good condition,
+accompanied only by his chauffeur. This morning
+he started for the customary run shortly after eleven, with
+the intention of taking a circular trip through Hunstanton,
+Burnham, Docking and Bircham, and returning for
+luncheon. The intention was not fulfilled since, before<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span>
+reaching Hunstanton, the Pirate made his appearance,
+and approaching as usual from behind, overtook the
+August motor. The August driver did not at first take
+any notice of the approaching car, but, merely imagining
+that the driver had recognized him, and felt some
+delicacy at passing, he signalled with his hand for the
+stranger to go ahead. What was his surprise to hear the
+stranger in a loud voice bid him stop his car. He turned
+to look at the audacious person who had dared take such
+unwarrantable liberty, and at once observed with whom
+he had to deal. The Pirate had in his hand a revolver,
+which was levelled at the August head. The August face
+flushed with anger, and turning away, he contemptuously
+took no notice of the summons. The Pirate thereupon
+fired two shots, aimed, fortunately, neither at the August
+Personage nor at the chauffeur, but at the tyres of the
+back wheels. The aim was good, the tyres ran down at
+once, and the August Personage found progress on the
+rims to be so uncomfortable that he thought it desirable
+to stop. The stranger ranged alongside, and the chauffeur,
+rising from his seat, was about to throw himself at the
+throat of the assailant, when his August master laid a
+hand upon his arm.</p>
+
+<p>"'No, no,' he said, 'I can easily get another car,
+but I do not know that I could replace my chauffeur.'</p>
+
+<p>"Thereupon the Pirate observed, 'I think, sir, there is
+so much wisdom in your remark that, in spite of my
+necessities, I almost feel inclined to forego my usual toll
+in your case.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"The August Personage, whose coolness had never
+for a moment deserted him, replied imperturbably&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"'Having robbed me of a morning's enjoyment, it
+seems to me there is nothing of any particular value left
+for you to take.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Then, sir,' replied the rascal, 'you will be doubtless
+glad to purchase my immediate disappearance with
+the contents of the August pockets?'</p>
+
+<p>"August was not the word he used, but it was one
+which showed that he was acquainted with the personality
+of his victim.</p>
+
+<p>"The August Personage shrugged his shoulders, and,
+searching his pockets, could produce nothing but a
+cigarette case and a button. To show his <i>sang-froid</i>, I
+need only remark that when he produced the latter
+article he laughed heartily and said to the chauffeur&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"'I hope, P&mdash;&mdash;, you have something to add to the
+contents of my pockets, or I fear this too eager gentleman
+will destroy our front tyres as well as the back.'</p>
+
+<p>"The chauffeur had some loose gold, a silver matchbox,
+and a watch, and when these were produced, speaking
+with the same nonchalance he had retained throughout,
+the August Personage remarked&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"'I fear you have drawn a blank this time, Mr.
+Pirate; for, upon my word, that is the best I can do for you.'</p>
+
+<p>"The Pirate took the articles. Then he raised his hat.
+'I take,' he said, 'the August word as readily as I take
+these souvenirs of this memorable meeting,' and with
+these words, he pulled a lever and was speedily out of sight."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"By Jove!" I muttered. "The fellow's audacity is
+almost past belief. But you said something of observations
+made by the August victim?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Forrest. "The chauffeur was much too
+agitated to notice anything, but his master was not. He
+observed four things. First, that the Pirate was a man
+of about six feet in height."</p>
+
+<p>"Mannering is five feet eleven and a quarter in his
+socks," I remarked.</p>
+
+<p>"Secondly, that his hair was black. Thirdly, that the
+nails of the right hand, with which he took his plunder,
+were bitten to the quick."</p>
+
+<p>"The identification becomes nearly perfect," I
+interrupted.</p>
+
+<p>"Fourthly, that the car was originally a two-seated
+car, with a tonneau body, but that the seat had been set
+back, and the bonnet was enclosed by metal plates shaped
+into the form of the bow of a canoe, and bolted together
+in a manner which gave the impression that they might
+easily be removed. Why," continued the detective, "I
+did not think of so obvious a solution of the Pirate's
+mysterious disappearances before I cannot imagine. It
+is the trick the black flag merchants have practised since
+the days of Captain Kidd."</p>
+
+<p>I was silent. I could only wonder at my own
+blindness. Then an excuse occurred to me.</p>
+
+<p>"After all," I remarked, "we only met him in the
+dark."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXI</h2>
+
+<h3>WE PLAN AN AMBUSH</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class="smcap">Forrest</span> had just concluded his story when the lights of
+Thetford gleamed in our eyes. The time was 12.30.
+The last train was gone. The inhabitants were all in
+bed, and there we were, stranded with a broken car, and
+no means of putting it right. Forrest would not despair,
+however, and after some difficulty we managed, with the
+assistance of the local police, to knock up a man who
+was locally reputed to know all about motors. He was
+a little surly at first, but the inducement I offered him to
+make an attempt to put the transmission right, was sufficient
+to dissipate his very natural disgust at being disturbed
+in his beauty sleep. Fortunately his local reputation had
+reasonable foundation. He was a very capable mechanician,
+and the way he set about the job gave me great hopes
+that the car would run as well as ever when he had
+done with it. And my expectations were gratified. In
+less than an hour he had completed the repairs. I paid
+him and asked him to remain up for ten minutes in case
+we had another breakdown, telling him that after that
+period had elapsed, he would be at liberty to return to his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span>
+bed. Whether he waited the ten minutes or not I do
+not know, for by that time we were halfway to Newmarket,
+flying through the darkness at a pace which two
+months previously I would not have dared venture upon
+in broad daylight. And right onward to St. Albans, we
+kept it up, reaching the ancient town just as the birds
+began to twitter in the hedges at the first grey light of
+early dawn. At St. Albans we stopped at the police-station.
+A man was waiting at the door.</div>
+
+<p>"Any news?" asked Forrest.</p>
+
+<p>The man shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"You know where to bring it?" asked my companion.</p>
+
+<p>The man nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us get on home," said Forrest to me.</p>
+
+<p>As I wheeled my vehicle into my yard I thought I
+should drop. The strain of that rush through the night,
+expecting every moment that something would give way,
+had been tremendous, and the moment the tension was
+relaxed I shook like an aspen leaf. When I tried to get
+in at my own door I found I could not fit the latch-key,
+and was obliged to hand it to the detective. He saw
+what was the matter with me, and the moment we were
+inside, he led the way to my study, thrust me down into
+a chair and mixed me a whisky-and-soda. I was never
+more grateful for a drink in my life. It pulled me
+together, and in less time than I had conceived possible,
+I felt as if I could have managed another seventy-five
+miles without a halt.</p>
+
+<p>The moment he saw my nerves were steady again,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span>
+Forrest proposed that we should get something to eat. I
+declared that I did not want anything.</p>
+
+<p>"When you haven't time for sleep, the next best
+thing is to feed well if you want to keep fit," he
+remarked. "Besides, I am as hungry as a hunter has a
+right to be."</p>
+
+<p>"That settles it," I laughed. "We shall have to
+forage for ourselves. The servants are all asleep."</p>
+
+<p>We found our way to the larder and made a hearty
+meal on a cold pie we found there; and directly we
+had finished, we set out forthwith in the direction of
+Mannering's home. As soon as we arrived opposite
+the house, Forrest paused and gave a low whistle. It was
+answered immediately by a man dressed as a labourer,
+who made his appearance from behind the hedge opposite
+the house.</p>
+
+<p>"Any one been here to-night, Laver?" asked Forrest.</p>
+
+<p>"No one," the man answered. "The servants
+turned in about ten after locking up. No signs of any
+one about the place since."</p>
+
+<p>"That's all right," grunted Forrest. "We shall be
+ready for him when he does come. Have you got the
+tools?"</p>
+
+<p>The man was proceeding to scramble through the
+hedge when Forrest checked him.</p>
+
+<p>"Better stay where you are," he advised. "Keep out
+of sight, and if I whistle, come at once."</p>
+
+<p>"All right, sir," replied the man, as he handed through
+a gap in the hedge a small chamois leather bag.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>I had no idea as to what steps Forrest proposed to
+adopt in order to effect the arrest, so I asked him, and he
+explained briefly his plan of campaign.</p>
+
+<p>"One can see," he remarked, "that Mannering feels
+so confident of the completeness of his disguise that he
+will have no hesitation about returning. I am reckoning,
+too, upon there being an element of truth in the story
+he has told you about the construction of his motor, in
+which case his own workshop would be the only place
+where he would be able to refill his tank. We shall be
+able to decide that point in a very few minutes. If we
+do find any plant for the production of liquid gases, we can
+count upon catching our man within a very few hours."</p>
+
+<p>"Unless he smells a rat, and makes for some convenient
+port and gets out of the country," I remarked.</p>
+
+<p>"That eventuality is provided against," remarked the
+detective. "His description is in the hands of the police
+at every port in the kingdom, and even if he changes the
+colour of his hair, I don't think he will manage to get
+away. What I propose is, that we shall remain concealed
+in his coach-house and await his return."</p>
+
+<p>"How are we going to get in?" I inquired.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest took a bunch of skeleton keys from the bag
+Laver had handed to him and dangled them before his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"There's not a burglar in the kingdom is better
+provided," he remarked, and set to work upon the lock
+forthwith.</p>
+
+<p>The lock was an ordinary one, and his efforts were
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span>speedily successful. The door swung open, and we
+entered eagerly a bare, stone-paved coach-house. Opposite
+the door by which we had entered from the road
+was a similar door, which gave upon the inner yard. On
+the left, a large sliding door had been fixed in place of the
+wall which had divided the coach-house from the stables.
+Relocking the door by which we had entered, Forrest
+led the way to the door on the left. It was unfastened,
+and as it swung back a cry of amazement sprang to
+my lips.</p>
+
+<p>"Hush&mdash;sh&mdash;sh!" said the detective warningly.</p>
+
+<p>But I could not have repressed the cry, for there before
+me stood a replica of the car I had seen on two occasions.
+There was only one point of difference at first apparent.
+The pirate car had been black. This one was built of
+aluminium and gleamed silvery white. But although the
+lines were very similar, I soon came to the conclusion that
+the car we saw before us was not the one which the
+Pirate had used when engaged upon his nefarious work.
+One glance at the tyres convinced me that they had
+never been upon the road, and I fancied that the wheels
+were smaller and the lines of the body finer altogether.
+I pointed these things out to Forrest, who, while agreeing
+that this particular car could not have been the one
+which had been responsible for holding up the "August
+Personage" on the previous day, would not commit
+himself further.</p>
+
+<p>We did not spend much time upon a close examination
+of the car, for the other contents of the building
+claimed our attention. We found ourselves in a long<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span>
+workshop. There were no windows in the walls, but
+the place was amply illuminated by a skylight which ran
+along nearly the whole length of the northern slope of
+the roof. On the right of the large door by which we
+had entered the inner shop was a small room, which had
+probably once served as a harness-room, for through this
+another door gave on to the yard, though this exit was
+evidently never used, for the door was fixed by screws.
+The contents were a couple of broken chairs, and some
+coats and rugs hung upon hooks upon the walls, together
+with a miscellaneous assortment of odds and ends upon a
+shelf. I gave merely a cursory glance at the contents of
+this apartment, for my attention had been attracted by a
+plant of machinery, which occupied the far end of the
+large room. As it happened, I had once had an opportunity
+of inspecting the laboratory of the Royal Institution, and
+I recognized at once that Mannering had set up an installation
+for the preparation of some one or other of the
+liquid gases. Without this experience, I doubt whether
+it would have been possible for me to guess even the
+purpose for which the plant had been devised. As it
+was, I had no hesitation in discovering the receiver into
+which the liquid gas was distilled; and when I let a little
+of the liquid with which it was filled run into a glass
+which I found handy, and saw the air fall in a shower of
+tiny snow-flakes as the stuff evaporated, I knew that
+Mannering had told me the exact truth when he had
+informed me that liquid hydrogen supplied the power for
+his new car.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Once satisfied on this point, I examined the other
+contents of the place. I do not think there is any need
+to particularize all that we discovered, even if my memory
+served me. Practically the workshop contained a sufficient
+engineering equipment to build such a car as stood in the
+centre, though I judged that there was no convenience
+for the forging of the parts of the motor.</p>
+
+<p>Still, as I pointed out to Forrest, there was nothing
+in all these discoveries to negative the truth of the story
+Mannering had told me about his being engaged in building
+a car which should serve to outpace the Pirate car,
+but he would not listen to any theorising on the subject.</p>
+
+<p>"He can tell that story to the jury," he said, as he
+significantly drew a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and
+clinked them together. Then he proceeded to investigate
+the contents of the harness-room, while I went back to
+the new car and began a careful examination of the
+engines. The whole mechanism was, however, so novel
+to me, that I could only surmise as to the method of its
+working. I did notice, however, that the driving and
+steering gear varied very little from that of my own car,
+so far as it was controlled by the levers and wheel, while
+the breaks seemed to be particularly powerful. There
+was only seating accommodation for two, and judging
+from the size of the tank which was fitted behind the
+seat, I judged that Mannering contemplated runs over
+distances which would make large demands upon his
+supply of liquid gas.</p>
+
+<p>At the moment I made this discovery, I heard Forrest<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span>
+call to me in an excited whisper, and going across to
+him, I found him contemplating with keen interest a
+dirty piece of rope.</p>
+
+<p>"Look here, Sutgrove," he said; "this is the piece of
+cord with which he trussed me up on the occasion when
+he dropped me into the pond. Compare it with this"&mdash;he
+kicked a coil which lay at his feet&mdash;"and tell me if
+they are not identical."</p>
+
+<p>I examined them both, and came to the conclusion
+that Forrest was correct in his supposition. Next, mounting
+one of the chairs, he proceeded to rummage amongst
+the rubbish piled on the shelf. A moment later he
+observed triumphantly, albeit in subdued tones, "Another
+piece of evidence," and descending from his perch, he
+handed me a box of cartridges. A glance at the label
+had apparently been enough, nevertheless, to make sure,
+he searched again in his pocket, and produced the bullet
+which had proved fatal to the poor victim at Towcester.
+He compared it with one of the cartridges, and gave a
+grunt of content. "I fancy we shall soon obtain sufficient
+evidence to hang him," he murmured. Then a
+shadow crossed his face. "What an infernal dunderhead
+I have been not to suspect him before," he said, and
+turning impatiently away, he replaced the box of cartridges
+on the shelf, before renewing his systematic examination
+of the rest of the contents of the room. The search
+revealed nothing further, and at length he desisted.</p>
+
+<p>All the while we were keenly on the alert to detect
+any sound which should tell us of the approach of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span>
+Mannering's car. But the minutes passed and grew into
+hours without a sign. It must have been about five in
+the morning when we had entered the coach-house, and
+when I saw by my watch that it was nearly ten, I began
+to think that in some way or another Mannering had got
+warning of the danger that threatened him. I suggested
+to Forrest that we might as well leave our hiding-place,
+but he would not hear of it.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't leave this building except in his company,
+unless I hear that he has been captured elsewhere," he
+declared obstinately. "At the same time, don't let me
+detain you."</p>
+
+<p>I wanted badly to see Evie, whom I thought might
+be getting anxious concerning me; but I hardly liked
+the idea of leaving Forrest to tackle Mannering alone
+if he should return. However, my first desire triumphed,
+so I persuaded Forrest to let me out of the door, promising
+to return within as short a time as I could manage.</p>
+
+<p>I hurried first to the Colonel's house, and had a
+brief interview with the dear girl, telling her what had
+happened and what was likely to happen in the near
+future. Next, I went to my own place, and had a basket
+packed with a plentiful luncheon, not forgetting to provide
+a couple of bottles of champagne, and thus provided
+I returned to the coach-house after an absence of less
+than an hour.</p>
+
+<p>When in response to my signal Forrest admitted me,
+his eyes twinkled with satisfaction as he saw my burden.</p>
+
+<p>"It is truly thoughtful of you," he remarked, as I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span>
+lifted the lid of the basket and revealed the contents.
+"I only hope our friend will not spoil our picnic by
+arriving in the middle of it."</p>
+
+<p>The better to avoid any such <i>contretemps</i>, we set about
+our meal immediately with very good appetites. When
+we had finished, I do not know how Forrest felt, but I
+was confoundedly drowsy. I tried all sorts of tricks to
+keep my eyes open, but the quiet of the place, the coolness,
+and the subdued light of the saddle-room, where
+Forrest thought it best for us to remain, were too much
+for my powers of resistance and I dropped off to sleep.</p>
+
+<p>I must have slumbered for a couple of hours, if not
+three, when I was suddenly awakened by a hand placed
+on my mouth, while a voice whispered in my ear&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Wake up, man&mdash;wake up! There's no time to
+lose."</p>
+
+<p>I came to myself with a start. Forrest had hold of
+me, and was shaking me violently. At the same moment
+I became aware of the throb of an approaching motor.</p>
+
+<p>Recognizing the sound, I turned to the detective.</p>
+
+<p>"That's Mannering," I whispered.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied my companion. "I could swear to
+the sound anywhere."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXII</h2>
+
+<h3>GONE AWAY</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'>"<span class='smcap'>Don't</span> stir an inch until I give the signal," whispered
+Forrest in my ear, as soon as he saw I was fully awake.
+He was perfectly calm, and he closed the door in order
+to conceal us from the sight of any one entering the
+workshop.</div>
+
+<p>The car pulled up outside. We heard the grate of
+the key in the lock, and the door creak on its hinges,
+as it swung open. There was a second grating noise,
+and I judged that the door of the inner yard had been
+opened by whoever had entered. There followed a few
+more pants from the motor, as it passed through the
+coach-house into the yard, and then everything was silent.
+The outer door shutting with a snap apprized us that the
+crucial moment was at hand, and my heart began to
+thump as I heard footsteps approaching. Forrest pointed
+to a vacant hook over my head, and I recognized why
+he had selected the harness-room for our hiding-place.
+The footsteps came slowly nearer, then stopped, and a
+long low laugh came from the lips of the unseen man.
+I thought we must have been discovered in our hiding-place
+and glanced at Forrest for instructions. He never<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span>
+moved a muscle. He stood poised like a greyhound
+about to be slipped from the leash.</p>
+
+<p>The footsteps approached again. The door knob
+rattled as a hand was laid upon it. The door flew open.
+Forrest darted forward.</p>
+
+<p>I caught one glimpse of Mannering's face, for it was
+indeed he, and I saw it become suddenly livid. It was
+not the pallor of fear. His eyes flashed. He had doffed
+his coat and was holding it in one hand, and quick as
+was Forrest's spring, he was equally swift to meet it.
+His other hand passed swift as lightning from the door
+handle, and catching the edge of the coat, spread the
+garment in front of him. Forrest, missing his grip,
+plunged heavily into the wide folds of the garment.
+Mannering's arms closed as a vice. The door swinging
+back had momentarily blocked my passage. I thrust it
+open, and had taken one step forward to Forrest's assistance,
+when Mannering with a herculean effort, swung
+the detective from his feet, and hurled him full at me.
+It was a magnificent effort, and I went down with a
+crash amongst the remains of the lunch with Forrest on
+the top of me. The whole incident had not lasted
+twenty seconds, and before either of us could regain our
+feet, the door was slammed and locked.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest was the first to regain his feet, and he rushed
+at the door furiously. We were trapped. The door
+was a strong one of oak, and I remembered that it
+fastened by a couple of bolts on the other side. The
+detective worried the door like a bear at the bars of his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span>
+cage, but he could not move it. He gnashed his teeth,
+and he was white with rage. From the other side we
+could hear the sound of heavy objects being moved, and
+we guessed that our enemy was piling the most massive
+articles his workshop contained against the door to make
+it more secure.</p>
+
+<p>"D&mdash;&mdash;n you, Sutgrove!" shouted the detective.
+"Don't stop to think, or we shall lose our man after
+all. Come, both together."</p>
+
+<p>I saw his intention, and I could understand and
+forgive his curse in the excitement of the moment.
+Together we hurled ourselves against the door. It did
+not move an inch, and a long low chuckle greeted the
+attempt from the other side. We tried madly again and
+again, but the barrier was immovable.</p>
+
+<p>Then I looked round for some tool which would
+enable me to break down the door itself. There were
+only the chairs available, and so I tore off the leg of one
+of them, and, bidding Forrest stand back, I swung the
+piece of wood round my head, and struck as hard as I
+could against one of the lower panels of the door. The
+improvised club flew into half a dozen fragments, but
+the panel had cracked. Forrest had provided himself
+meanwhile with a similar club, and directed his blows
+so effectively that the panel was driven out. I threw
+myself at the gap, trusting to be able to force my way
+through.</p>
+
+<p>What I saw filled me with rage. The wheels of the
+new car were moving, and right before my eyes the car<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span>
+disappeared into the outer coach-house. I made an unavailing
+attempt to struggle through the aperture, but the
+attempt was hopeless. It was too narrow to admit even
+my shoulders. Withdrawing, I told Forrest what I had
+seen.</p>
+
+<p>"I had entirely forgotten Laver," he remarked, and
+putting his whistle to his mouth, he blew it shrill and
+clear.</p>
+
+<p>Then together we renewed our attack upon the door.
+The sound of a shout from the outside followed by a
+pistol shot made us work like madmen, and within a
+minute, another panel gave, and we managed to get at
+the bolts and draw them. The articles piled against the
+door toppled in all directions, as we finally forced our
+way out.</p>
+
+<p>We were too late. The outer door was wide open,
+and just on the threshold, was Forrest's unfortunate
+subordinate lying on the ground, with blood trickling
+down his arm. He struggled into a sitting position as
+we came out, and pointed up the road in the direction
+of St. Albans.</p>
+
+<p>"Gone away, sir," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Hurt?" asked Forrest, pausing as he did so.</p>
+
+<p>"Not much; smashed shoulder, I fancy," remarked
+the sufferer philosophically.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll send assistance," said my companion as he
+rushed after me into the road, where I stood horror
+stricken at what met my gaze.</p>
+
+<p>Fifty yards distant, opposite the entrance gate of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span>
+Colonel Maitland's house, the new car was standing still.
+It was empty. The gate was open, and even as I
+watched, I saw Mannering come out of the gate, bearing
+in his arms the helpless figure of a girl. There was no
+need to guess who the victim might be. Even before I
+saw him appear, I knew intuitively why he had stopped.
+Had he not told Evie that on the third day he would return,
+bidding her be ready for him?</p>
+
+<p>I rushed forward towards the car, but before I had
+covered half the distance which separated me from it, he
+was aboard with his burden and I knew pursuit on foot to
+be hopeless.</p>
+
+<p>Yet, even as I saw him move away, there flashed
+across my brain one means by which I might possibly
+get on terms with my enemy. There was just one
+chance, and one chance only, of rescuing my darling from
+the Pirate, and that chance depended entirely upon the
+question as to whether the car upon which Mannering
+had returned was fitted with the same sort of motor as
+that on which he had departed.</p>
+
+<p>With the haste of a madman I returned to the coach-house
+I had just quitted. My hopes fell to zero. There
+was an unmistakable scent of petrol about the car. They
+rose again, however, upon a closer examination, for I saw
+at once that the motor was a turbine, though petrol was
+utilized in some way as a means of securing the necessary
+heat to secure the expansion of the gas for the starting of
+the engine, though I could see that once started, the expanded
+hydrogen was, as in the new car, ingeniously<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span>
+utilized to produce the necessary heat. I was glad then
+that I had spent as much time as I had upon examining the
+car upon which the Pirate had escaped, for I was enabled
+to see that, if only a supply of the liquid hydrogen were
+obtainable, I should be able to put my wild plan into execution.
+As it was, the tank was nearly empty, so putting
+my shoulder to the car, I shoved it into the workshop
+where, unless Mannering had let it run to waste, I knew
+I should find a supply of the hydrogen. Thank Heaven,
+Mannering had forgot to empty the receiver, and filling
+the tank and tightly screwing down the nuts of the covering,
+I wheeled the car into the open road. There I saw
+Forrest leaning against the wall of the coach-house, a
+figure of inexpressible dejection.</p>
+
+<p>"Come and lend a hand!" I shouted.</p>
+
+<p>The light that flashed into his face, as he realized what
+I would be at, was extraordinary. He sprang forward at
+once to my assistance. Now, in my attempts to get at
+the machinery of the car, I had discovered the plates with
+which Mannering had been wont to disguise its shape, and
+it occurred to me that they performed the further purpose
+of diminishing the wind resistance, so that if I wanted to
+get the full speed out of the car it would be necessary
+to fix them in their places. I immediately set to work to
+join up the various sections, leaving Forrest to bolt them
+together. We worked like niggers at the job, and it was
+nearly completed when a curious sound came down the
+breeze. I looked up, and to my surprise I saw the Pirate
+once more approaching.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Look!" I shouted to Forrest in my excitement,
+though there was no need to warn him.</p>
+
+<p>Nearer the Pirate came; still nearer. Every moment
+I expected to see him pull up and surrender. But it was
+a mad hope. He had not the slightest intention of so
+obliging us. As he approached, he suddenly increased
+his pace and flashed past us at full sixty miles an hour.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest fingered a revolver, but he dared not shoot for
+fear the bullet should find the slender form of Evie, who
+we saw was huddled close to his side. Mannering laughed
+as he passed us and waved his hand in derision.</p>
+
+<p>"There are a couple of masks in the coach-house," I
+said quietly to the detective.</p>
+
+<p>He darted into the doorway and returned a moment
+later with them, thrusting at the same time a bottle into
+his pocket. It took us no time to climb into the car and
+as, during his momentary absence, I had succeeded in
+starting the engine, we were in a position to move at
+once.</p>
+
+<p>For a hundred yards we travelled at the speed at which
+we were accustomed to see Mannering while using the car
+in the sight of men and in the light of day. Then with
+a word of warning to my companion, I pulled at the
+change-speed lever. The effect was marvellous. The
+car seemed to leap forward and the hedges suddenly transformed
+themselves into long green streaks.</p>
+
+<p>A cloud of dust on the road ahead gave the direction
+Mannering had taken, so I jammed down the lever to its
+limit and commenced the pursuit. At any other time<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span>
+the idea of chasing the Pirate on one of his own cars
+would have delighted me beyond measure, but my thoughts
+were too much occupied as to the fate which might await
+Evie if we failed to overtake her abductor to allow room
+for anything else.</p>
+
+<p>Exactly what speed we made I cannot tell, it must
+have been nearer eighty than sixty miles an hour, but the
+smoothness of the motion was wonderful, and I felt not
+the slightest tremor.</p>
+
+<p>Mannering had disappeared on the Watford road,
+and in a few minutes we swept through the north end
+of the town and, directed by a boy at the cross roads,
+made for Rickmansworth. Forrest took charge of the
+horn, and kept it braying continuously. We slackened
+speed through Rickmansworth, for the streets were full
+of vehicles, and there we learned that the white car was
+five minutes ahead. Once clear of the streets I let the
+car go again, and we tore away towards Uxbridge. On
+reaching the main Oxford road once more a dust cloud
+in the distance served as a guide, and informed us that
+Mannering had crossed the highway, and gone away in
+the direction of Slough. The going was rough for a
+while, but I did not slacken pace, though the road was
+narrow, and to have met a cart would have meant certain
+destruction. The road broadened after a time, and I
+fancied we were gaining, for the dust cloud seemed
+nearer. We skirted Slough to the east, the guiding
+cloud bearing towards Dachet. Darting through that
+little riverside town at a pace which set the police whistles<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span>
+blowing behind us, we came to the bridge across the
+Thames, and here we were informed that our quarry
+was barely a minute ahead, and running in the direction
+of Egham. A mile further on, at a straight piece of
+road, we first sighted the fugitives, and a cry of triumph
+escaped my lips. It was a little premature, however.
+Once again the silver car turned into a bye-road so
+winding that I was compelled, much against my will,
+to slacken speed. Then once more we came out upon
+a main road, to find our quarry not more than a hundred
+yards away as we swept out into the broad highway.</p>
+
+<p>And here, looking back, Mannering for the first time
+learned that we were on his track. At that moment,
+too, commenced a race which, I venture to think, will
+not soon be equalled in the history of the motor world.
+At all events, I trust it will never be my lot to take part
+in any similar trial of speed, at least, with such issues
+depending upon the result. Upon emerging from the
+bye-road we were a mile from Egham, and knowing
+the road, I asked Forrest to glance at his watch. The
+way was clear before us, and three minutes and a quarter
+later, we flashed through the railway arch at Sunningdale
+railway-station, four miles from the point where the
+timing commenced. But fast as we had travelled,
+Mannering travelled faster. When we reached Bagshot
+we learned he was half a minute ahead.</p>
+
+<p>We flew through the lovely pine country on the
+wings of the wind, through Hook, and so into Basingstoke.
+By this time we were covered from head to foot<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span>
+with white dust, looking more like working masons than
+anything else; but wherever we went, I knew Forrest
+had the power to make the way easy. If he had been
+anybody else but a detective from Scotland Yard, we
+should never have got through Basingstoke, for there the
+police, warned in some manner of our approach, had
+drawn a huge waggon across the road, thus completely
+barring our progress. It was soon drawn aside when
+Forrest produced his badge, and once more we flew
+westwards. So through Whitchurch and Andover.</p>
+
+<p>How we succeeded in escaping accidents I cannot
+explain. Providence seemed to watch over both pursuers
+and pursued. We were always on the verge of a collision
+with somebody or something. Cottages, carts, pedestrians,
+cyclists, seemed to be flying by in a never-ending procession.
+Yet we touched nothing.</p>
+
+<p>Once past Andover the road became clearer, for
+instead of turning towards Salisbury, as I expected, the
+Pirate chose the road through Amesbury and Stonehenge.
+We swept over Salisbury Plain at a magnificent pace,
+but we did not catch sight of the fugitives, though now
+and again a glimpse of a distant dust cloud raised my
+hopes momentarily. At Wincanton we learned we were
+three minutes behind, and setting my teeth, I determined
+I would not slacken speed again until we overtook the
+fugitives or reached Exeter. The road was admirable
+hereabouts, and we ran so steadily that, but for the
+hedges flying past, we might have been sitting in
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span>armchairs. After Ilminster the road became steeper,
+though it was yet too early in the year to be very
+rough.</p>
+
+<p>But how is it possible to describe a journey at the
+pace we were making? Our progress became dream-like
+to me. It was almost monotonous. One could observe
+so little, just an incident here and there to mark the
+stages in the journey. Thus I remember Honiton by
+the frightened scream of a cur which was swept off its
+feet by the rush of the air as we passed close at his tail.
+Then nothing of note until we reached Exeter.</p>
+
+<p>At the cathedral city we were told the white car was
+only a minute in advance. I began to wonder where
+the chase was going to end, for Mannering was still
+going westward without pause. Still we followed. Out
+on to the Launceston road; onward, ever onward until
+the bare hills of Dartmoor frowned upon us, and we had
+to slacken slightly for the long upward grind. Fortunately
+the hills were free from mist, and on reaching
+the summit of Whiddon Down we caught once more
+a glimpse of the white car before it disappeared in the
+distance. I was getting reckless, and I took the descent
+at a pace which blanched even Forrest's cheek. Then
+through a streak of white houses, which I fancied must
+be Okehampton. There was no need to inquire the
+way. At the pace both cars were travelling there was
+only one road which would serve either Mannering or
+myself. In fifteen minutes Launceston came into view.
+Then up again until from the top of Bodmin moor we
+caught fleeting glimpses of the sea on either side of us.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span>
+On still without pause, through Redruth and Camborne
+and Hayle. Finally a sight of them at last, as we opened
+up St. Michael's Bay as we came to Marazion. And
+here I thought the chase had come to an end. I was
+mistaken.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXIII</h2>
+
+<h3>SAVED</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class='smcap'>My</span> brain reeled as we rushed along the road into
+Penzance. My forehead seemed to be encircled with
+a band of steel. My mouth was so parched that my
+tongue rattled against my palate as I tried to speak to
+Forrest. My fingers were so cramped with the grip on
+the steering wheel, a grip which had never once been
+relaxed during our five hours' run, that I could not
+relinquish my hold. The road became dark, and involuntarily
+I cut off the supply of the gas to the motor
+and brought the car to a standstill.</div>
+
+<p>"Go on, man! Go on!" shouted Forrest in my ear.</p>
+
+<p>I could only gasp for answer. I felt suddenly sick.</p>
+
+<p>Then Forrest gave proof of his ready common sense.
+He thrust his hand into his pocket and produced the
+bottle of champagne which had been left over from our
+lunch, and which he had thoughtfully brought with him
+in view of some such eventuality as this. Tearing off
+the wire he cut the string. The cork flew out and the
+liquor creamed from the neck of the bottle. Pushing up
+my mask with one hand he held the bottle to my lips
+with the other.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>I spluttered. I choked. But I drank and I drank
+again. Never surely was champagne more grateful or
+more useful. My strength returned to me instantaneously.
+My brain cleared. My eyes saw. My hope returned.
+I drew a deep sigh of relief. Forrest handed me the
+bottle again.</p>
+
+<p>"After you," I said.</p>
+
+<p>He took a drink and then remarked authoritatively,
+"Finish the bottle."</p>
+
+<p>I obeyed and, draining it, tossed it into the hedge
+and once more set the car in motion. If our progress
+had been speedy before, when we were once through
+Penzance, it became absolutely reckless.</p>
+
+<p>My brain was dancing from the effect of the
+champagne, and a wild exhilaration throbbed in every
+artery. The pace was tremendous, and we had not left
+Penzance a couple of miles behind us before the fugitives
+came once more into view. Now for the first time I
+could see that we were holding our own in the race. It
+may have been that some bearing had become heated in
+the car Mannering was driving, for undoubtedly his new
+car was more speedy than the old, but it was clear that
+he could no longer leave us as he had been able to do in
+the earlier part of the chase. If only I could increase
+ever so slightly the speed of my car, I felt confident of
+overtaking him. I motioned to Forrest to bend towards
+me, and when his ear was level with my mouth, I asked
+him to throw everything which could be got rid of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span>overboard, in order to lighten the car. He took my
+meaning at once, and away went the cushions and
+rugs. The difference was slight, but still there was
+a perceptible difference. At the pace we were now
+travelling the car rocked from side to side of the road,
+and Forrest had to brace himself stiffly against the foot-board
+to prevent himself being thrown out. But we
+were gaining foot by foot on the fugitives. I felt a thrill
+of delight when, on reaching the brow of a hill, I saw the
+white car only two hundred yards ahead, and reckoned
+that in a <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'couples'">couple</ins> of minutes we should have overtaken
+them.</p>
+
+<p>But one thing I had overlooked. I became conscious
+that we should soon be at the end of our journey, for
+suddenly I saw the sea on the horizon. I knew now
+where we were, knew that the end was in sight. For
+Mannering there could be no return, and I shouted aloud
+with exultation when I realized it. We drew closer to
+him, so close that I fancied I could see his eyes glittering
+through the mica plate of his mask as he turned to look
+at us.</p>
+
+<p>A sudden horror gripped me by the throat. He
+surely must know as well as myself that he was near the
+spot where all roads ended; that we were barely a mile
+or two from Land's End. What if he intended to end
+his life and his journey together? And what if, not
+content with destroying himself, he were to carry with
+him to destruction the girl who rode beside him on his
+car?</p>
+
+<p>We reached within twenty yards of him, and then as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span>
+if in answer to my thought, I heard him emit a screech
+of laughter as his car suddenly shot away from us, and in
+half a minute placed him at least a quarter of a mile
+ahead. The bitterness of that moment, as my hope died
+within me, I can never forget. I only continued the
+pursuit mechanically.</p>
+
+<p>We thundered through Sennen without pause and
+so onward until we opened up the hotel and the stretch
+of green on the brow of the cliff. Then I could have
+shrieked with delight. The white car was standing still
+and Mannering had left his seat and was standing by the
+side. Ten seconds would have brought us to him. Five
+passed. He leaped again to his seat, and as he did so,
+the white robed figure sprang from the car to the turf.
+The Pirate gave a cry of baffled rage. But he had no
+time to waste in recovering his escaping victim, for we
+were within fifty yards of him. His car leaped forward
+and, leaving the road, tossed like a boat at sea over the
+uneven boulder-strewn turf. We were within five yards
+of him, and it was as much as we could manage to do to
+keep our seats.</p>
+
+<p>Just in time I realized the danger into which we
+were being unwittingly drawn, and reversing the gear, I
+put on both breaks. I was in time, but only just in
+time, for we were on a treacherous grassy slope and in
+spite of the breaks our car continued to glide forward
+under the impulse of the velocity it had attained.</p>
+
+<p>"Jump for your life!" shouted Forrest.</p>
+
+<p>I had wit enough to obey without hesitation.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>As I leaped, my eyes were fixed upon Mannering
+who at that moment had reached the very edge of the
+cliff. I saw him disappear, and then I rolled over on the
+turf. I was unhurt, and gathering myself together, I
+regained my feet just as the car which had carried us so
+well followed the maker over the cliff. A dozen paces
+took me to the spot. I shuddered as I glanced downwards
+and saw the fate I had escaped. Two or three
+hundred feet below the tide was boiling over the jagged
+rocks. I fancied I could discern a few fragments of the
+white car and that was all.</p>
+
+<p>Not ten seconds before I had seen Mannering wave
+his hand at us mockingly as he rode to his death, and
+I guessed that his intention had been to lure us on to
+a common destruction. Once again he had disappeared,
+but now I knew it was for all time.</p>
+
+<p>A strange calm came upon me. Straight in front of
+us the Longships lighthouse made a pillar of black marble
+against the huge red disc of the setting sun. In the far
+distance the Cassiterides floated cloud-like on the horizon.
+I gulped down a sob of thankfulness, for the memory
+came upon me that the one whom I loved had been
+saved by the merest chance from sharing the fate of the
+madman who had so unhesitatingly rushed upon his
+doom.</p>
+
+<p>I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Forrest.</p>
+
+<p>"Our work is done," he said, and with an impatient
+sigh, he took from his pocket the useless handcuffs and
+hurled them after the cars. "One thing we have to be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span>
+thankful for," he continued, "thank God, Miss Maitland
+is safe."</p>
+
+<p>For reply, I could only grasp his hands and wring
+them silently. As I did so, I became conscious that a
+number of excited people had gathered about us.</p>
+
+<p>"Where&mdash;where is she?" I gasped.</p>
+
+<p>Some one pointed to the hotel a hundred yards or so
+distant, and Forrest and I hurried towards it. I was a
+prey to the most horrible anxiety. I dreaded to contemplate
+what the result upon the mind of my darling
+might be. I had nearly reached the hotel door, when I
+saw a slight figure step across the threshold and shade her
+eyes with her hand. With a cry of delight I sprang
+forward.</p>
+
+<p>The next moment Evie was in my arms.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>That is the story of the Motor Pirate. There remain
+but a few things to say. And first of them, let
+me explain how it happened that Evie managed to fall
+into the Pirate's clutches.</p>
+
+<p>I told her later that it was owing to feminine curiosity.
+She, on the other hand, declares it was entirely owing to
+her anxiety on my account. Whichever was the reason,
+the moment she had heard Mannering's car approach,
+she had gone to the garden-gate, whence she was able
+to command a view of the coach-house door. She had
+seen the man Laver rush forward at the sound of the
+whistle. Then the pistol shot rang out, and the next
+moment Mannering had appeared on the new car. He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span>
+had seen her, and she had attempted to fly to the house,
+but he had overtaken her and carried her off. Once on
+the car he had proceeded a short distance on the St.
+Alban's road, and then stopped to speak to her, for the
+first and only time on that day.</p>
+
+<p>"I am going to take you for a ride with me, Miss
+Maitland," he had observed. "I merely wish to warn
+you before we start, that at the pace we shall travel, you
+will find any attempt to escape exceedingly dangerous."</p>
+
+<p>It was then from his manner and appearance she had
+realized that she was in the power of a madman.</p>
+
+<p>As regards the ride, she could tell me very little. The
+pace was so great that, being unprovided with a mask,
+she was obliged to crouch down on the seat and cover
+her face with a rug as a protection against the dust. It
+seemed an interminable time, she said, and the moment
+the car stopped she made an attempt to regain her
+liberty, without knowing how near she was to destruction
+at the time she made it.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately the strain had been much less than I
+expected, so far as Evie was concerned, and much more
+than I anticipated, was its effect upon myself. It was a
+long time before I completely recovered from the effects
+of those three adventurous days. And the worst of it
+was, that everything combined to prevent me obtaining
+the absolute quiet which I needed. After spending a
+night at the hotel I, of course, hastened to take train to
+London in order to restore Evie to her father. But when
+I arrived at my place at St. Albans, I found a veritable<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span>
+army of pressmen encamped on my doorstep. They
+would not give me a moment's peace. I was compelled
+to remain in bed, and upon sending a message over to
+Evie to inform her of my predicament, she informed me
+that she was similarly besieged.</p>
+
+<p>We exchanged a dozen notes. I rose when it was
+dark, and slipped out of my back door. I could only see
+one method of securing quiet. Even a hardened pressman
+has a dislike to intrude upon the privacy of a newly
+married couple, so the next morning Evie and Colonel
+Maitland joined me in town, and we were married by
+special license and, without returning to St. Albans, we
+started for my home in Norfolk.</p>
+
+<p>So much for myself.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest was for a long time inconsolable at the final
+escape of the Pirate from the hands of justice. So was
+his subordinate, Laver, whose sentiments on the subject
+are quite too lurid for publication.</p>
+
+<p>As for Mannering, no trace of his body was ever
+found, though I have since heard that certain portions of
+the cars have been fished up from the pools amongst the
+rocks at the base of the cliffs at low tide. At present,
+however, there has not been sufficient of the machinery
+recovered to enable any one to construct a similar motor.
+He had apparently made no drawings, or else had
+destroyed them when they had served his turn, so it
+would seem as if the secret of the singularly speedy motor
+he invented is destined to be lost to the world. Still, it
+may be that sufficient will be recovered to give some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span>
+skilled mechanician sufficient guidance to enable him to
+reproduce the lost pirate car. If not, well, I don't
+suppose it matters. Some one else will be sure to invent
+something similar. In fact, from the hints Mannering
+gave me, and owing to the opportunity I had of examining
+the car in his workshop, I think it is not unlikely that
+I shall shortly be applying for letters patent myself.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXIV</h2>
+
+<h3>REVELATIONS</h3>
+
+
+<div class='unindent'><span class="smcap">There</span> remains only one thing more. I feel that the story
+would be incomplete if I kept to myself certain particulars
+concerning Mannering, which have come to my knowledge
+since the day when he made his sensational flight into
+eternity from the brow of the cliff at Land's End. At
+the time, both my wife and myself wished never to hear
+again the name of the man whose actions had provided
+us with such terrible and nerve-shattering experiences,
+but afterwards, when we came to think over the matter,
+it occurred to both of us that in fact we knew very little
+about the man who had nearly wrecked our lives. To
+dwell upon that thought naturally awakened our curiosity
+concerning his past life, and, needless to say, when the
+opportunity occurred for gratifying our curiosity, we did
+not for a moment hesitate about accepting it. It is true
+that we had gathered from his conversation that he had
+travelled widely, but in what capacity, or with what
+object, we knew as little as we knew of his birthplace or
+parentage. We found, too, a difficulty in understanding
+the motives which had prompted Mannering's actions,
+and, though we often discussed the question, we could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span>
+never of ourselves have arrived at a satisfactory solution
+of the problem.</div>
+
+<p>On this latter point I must mention the conclusion
+arrived at by <i>The Speaker</i>. This sober-minded and extremely
+British review declared that his animating motive
+was "the strong rock of equity, or abstract justice," inasmuch
+as, by principally directing his attention to motorists,
+he was avenging <i>The Speaker's</i> quarrel with a class
+which this journal held in particular abhorrence. Naturally,
+both Evie and myself smiled at the thought that the
+Motor Pirate was a conservative gentleman, anxious only
+to restore to the highways of England something of their
+pristine calm. For myself, I inclined to the belief that he
+was a remarkable specimen of the megalomaniac, whose
+exploits were prompted much more by the desire for
+notoriety than by any altruistic motive, or even by any
+sordid consideration regarding the plunder which he
+secured. Certainly had he been a mere criminal, impelled
+by the desire for the easy acquisition of wealth, he could
+have pursued his career for a much longer period than he
+actually did. As for my wife, with a woman's natural
+tendency to read a romance into any and every development
+of human activity, she held fast to the opinion that the
+Pirate's extraordinary career was the outcome of an overmastering
+passion for herself. The probability is, that in
+his brain all these motives operated at different times.
+The natural love of plunder, inherent in the criminal
+mind, is as often as not accompanied by a morbid delight
+in awakening the wonder of the public by the performance<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span>
+of startling deeds and, in the same temperament, it is not
+unusual to discover the romantic nature developed to a
+considerable degree. But, from the data at our command,
+I fancy it would have been impossible even for the experienced
+psychologist to decide which, so to speak, was
+the master impulse.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps, however, the few facts concerning him, which
+came into our possession afterwards, tend to clear up these
+points to some degree. Certainly they left me with a
+clearer light upon his individuality.</p>
+
+<p>To these facts I am indebted to Inspector Forrest, who,
+some six months after our famous ride together in pursuit
+of the pirate, managed to find time to pay a flying
+visit to our Norfolk home, where we had continued to
+dwell in peaceful seclusion.</p>
+
+<p>It was at dinner, on the night of his arrival, that Forrest
+first hinted that he had picked up some details of
+Mannering's life-history, and of course nothing would
+content Evie but a promise that we should hear what he
+had discovered. So, directly the meal was finished, we
+adjourned for our coffee and cigars to my sanctum, where,
+in front of a comfortable fire, Forrest made no difficulty
+about satisfying our curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>"You see," he began, when his cigar was once well
+alight, "I was every bit as curious as Mrs. Sutgrove."</p>
+
+<p>"Or myself," I interrupted.</p>
+
+<p>"Or Mr. Sutgrove," said the detective, smiling, "for
+there is precious little difference between the sexes so far
+as curiosity is concerned, in spite of the generally accepted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span>
+opinion on the matter. But being curious, I naturally
+made the most minute search when I searched his place
+at St. Alban's. I didn't find much there, it is true, but
+I did secure a clue which ultimately led me to some lodgings
+which he had occupied some three or four years
+previously, and there, by the merest good luck, I discovered
+that when he had departed he had left behind him
+a worn-out travelling-bag, and in that bag was a bundle
+of papers which supplied me with sufficient information
+to reconstruct his history to some extent, though I should
+not like to swear to the absolute accuracy of every detail
+of his biography as I see it."</p>
+
+<p>"Was there nothing at all found at St. Alban's then?"
+asked Evie.</p>
+
+<p>"I fancy you must have seen in the papers a pretty full
+account of all that the police discovered there?" said the
+detective.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied Evie. "We read a lot of stories, but
+they varied to such an extent that we really did not know
+what to believe."</p>
+
+<p>Forrest smiled. "Now I come to think of it, the reporters
+did give their imaginations free reins, but you
+can take it from me that, with the exception of the plunder
+he amassed after his return from that Continental trip,
+and the apparatus for the production of the liquid hydrogen,
+there was very little in his house of interest to me
+or you. There was his bank-book, and some correspondence
+with a learned professor at the Royal Institution.
+I followed up both clues. At the R. I. I discovered nothing.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span>
+Mannering had merely posed as a wealthy amateur
+in chemistry, and of course he met with every assistance
+when he had asked for help in following up his researches
+into the behaviour of liquid gases. At his bank also, very
+little was known about him. When he had come to St.
+Alban's he had opened an account by a payment into it
+of six or seven thousand pounds in Bank of England notes.
+He had drawn steadily upon the account until it was
+nearly exhausted, and, in point of fact, there was only a
+few pounds to his credit from the time when he commenced
+his career on the road, until a week or two after
+his return from Amsterdam, when he paid in two thousand
+pounds in gold, and a fortnight later swelled his balance
+with a similar amount."</p>
+
+<p>"That was the proceeds of the Brighton mail robbery,"
+I remarked.</p>
+
+<p>Forrest nodded. "That was his only really big coup.
+As for his other plunder, he probably disposed of the
+proceeds of all his early cruises on the Continent, at the
+same time that he sold the diamonds. That which he
+obtained afterwards was found intact in the safe in his
+bedroom. Heavens! What an opportunity I missed by
+not taking out a search-warrant for his house. When we
+paid our midnight visit, there must have been ample evidence
+behind the steel door to have convicted him."</p>
+
+<p>The detective was silent for awhile, and bit savagely
+at his cigar.</p>
+
+<p>"He was not a wealthy man, then," I remarked.</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied Forrest. "There was no trace of his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span>
+owning any property anywhere, and his expenditure on
+the gas plant and on his motors&mdash;we found that the
+various parts had been made to specification at a variety
+of works in England and abroad&mdash;had eaten heavily into
+his capital, so that at the time of the commencement of his
+career he must have been very nearly penniless. Whether
+he built the motor with the idea of utilizing it for the
+purpose he ultimately put it to, of course I cannot say,
+but I have a shrewd suspicion that he really did design
+it for the purpose, since from what I have learned of
+him the predatory instinct must have been pretty strongly
+developed in him."</p>
+
+<p>The detective paused for a minute, and, flicking the ash
+off his cigar, gazed meditatively into the fire.</p>
+
+<p>"You shall judge for yourselves," he continued. "Unfortunately,
+I cannot begin right at the beginning, for I
+do not know where he was born, nor who his parents
+were. I can only guess at these facts from the knowledge
+that, as a boy, he was at school in the south of England,
+and that then his name was Ram Krishna Roy."</p>
+
+<p>"What?" I asked, in amazement. "A Hindu?"</p>
+
+<p>"An Eurasian, I should fancy," replied Forrest. "He
+had been sent to school in England by one of those petty
+Indian princes, who still exercise sovereignty under
+British suzerainty."</p>
+
+<p>"How did you discover that?" asked Evie.</p>
+
+<p>"It was like this, Mrs. Sutgrove," replied Forrest.
+"Amongst the papers I spoke about as being in the old
+portmanteau, were a number of letters written in characters<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span>
+I could not understand. I could see they were
+oriental, and that was as much as I could make of them,
+so I took them to a noted oriental scholar who translated
+them for me. The language was Urdu, and the writer
+was a munshi, who was obviously communicating with
+an old pupil. There were so many references to scenes
+with which the person to whom the letters were addressed,
+as well as the writer, was familiar, that it was quite clear
+that the former must have been brought up amidst purely
+native surroundings. There were one or two more obscure
+allusions which led me to conclude that the boy's
+mother must have been a white woman, and from what we
+saw of him there can be no doubt but that he was white
+on one side."</p>
+
+<p>"Nobody would have taken him to be aught but an
+Englishman," murmured Evie.</p>
+
+<p>"No," said Forrest. "I was intensely surprised when
+I discovered these proofs of his identity and at first I
+thought they could not apply to him, but before I come
+to the connecting link, let me mention one curious thing
+in the letters, which may do something to explain the
+curious influence which Mannering exerted over Mrs.
+Sutgrove."</p>
+
+<p>"He hypnotized me, I am sure," declared Evie,
+decidedly.</p>
+
+<p>"Very possibly," replied the detective. "In nearly
+every letter was to be found an admonition to the effect&mdash;I
+cannot give you a verbatim translation&mdash;that the
+writer hoped his old pupil would not forget that to him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span>
+was entrusted the secret power of Siva, which would, by
+practice, enable him to mould all men to his will."</p>
+
+<p>"If he had possessed that," I interrupted, "there would
+have been no necessity for him to have practised piracy
+on the high-road."</p>
+
+<p>"True," said Forrest. "But it is quite possible that
+Mrs. Sutgrove's conjecture is correct, and that even at
+that early age Mannering had learnt something about
+hypnotism from his native instructor, for I am very certain
+that of these semi-occult sciences, the East has much
+more precise knowledge than is realized by the Western
+world."</p>
+
+<p>"Very likely," said my wife, shuddering slightly at the
+remembrance. "He certainly had a most singular power
+over me."</p>
+
+<p>"He probably increased his knowledge when he returned
+to his native land, which, I gathered, must have
+taken place when he was about seventeen. Then there
+is a break for nearly ten years in his history."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't quite see how you connect Ram Krishna Roy
+with Mannering," I interpolated.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm coming to that," replied Forrest. "With these
+letters was another in its original envelope addressed in
+the same hand to Julian Mannering at San Francisco.
+It was the most interesting letter of the lot. It was full
+of reproaches addressed to the dear pupil, who had cut
+himself off from the asceticism of the East, and devoted
+himself to the gross materialism of Western civilization.
+It concluded by the expression of an intention to once more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span>
+attempt to persuade him to return by a personal appeal.
+On the back of the letter was a note in Mannering's handwriting.
+'Old Chatterji kept his promise. I had quite
+a long conversation with him in the ballroom last night.
+Everybody thought I was drunk or mad to be talking
+Hindustani, apparently to empty air. However, that's the
+last of him. I've done with the East.'".</p>
+
+<p>"You make him more a man of mystery than ever," I
+exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't help it," said Forrest. "Perhaps his old tutor
+really did appear to him. Perhaps Mannering was mad.
+Who knows? Both are dead. However, he seems to
+have carried out his intention of not returning to India.
+Ram Krishna Roy disappeared from that time forth, and
+Julian Mannering took his place. He seems to have been
+doing nothing at San Francisco at the time, but a little
+later he appears to have accepted an appointment as
+engineer to a mine in Arizona. He left the berth suddenly
+a few months later, owing to some trouble about
+the wife of one of the miners. The miner was shot, and
+his comrades were so incensed that Mannering had to
+depart hot-foot. Then for awhile I can only guess at his
+occupation from some newspaper cuttings which he had
+preserved. These point to his identification with the
+leader of a gang of desperadoes whose most notable
+exploit was the successful holding up of a train which had
+a considerable quantity of specie on board."</p>
+
+<p>"I remember him describing the affair," said Evie,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span>
+"though he represented himself as on the side of the
+attacked."</p>
+
+<p>"The only assistance he gave to the plundered was to
+assist them to a better land by the aid of his gun. He
+escaped, though, and made his way to Australia, and
+once again he resumed the practice of his profession,&mdash;mining
+engineering. For three or four years he was engaged
+at a newly-opened mine in the northern territory
+of West Australia. But instinct was too strong for him.
+He must really have had a strong dash of the blood of
+some of those Indian hill-tribe freebooters in his veins,
+for he never seems to have been able to resist the prospect
+of plunder, and the likelihood of having to fight for it
+seems to have been an additional inducement. Thus, at
+the mine, under his charge, it was the custom to send,
+periodically, the gold extracted, under a strong escort,
+to the nearest town, some forty miles distant. For a long
+time these consignments were delivered with perfect
+safety. Then, after a particularly rich vein had been
+struck, it became necessary to forward a very large consignment
+of bullion. Contrary to the usual practice, only
+two men were sent in charge of it. Their dead bodies
+were afterwards discovered, and the gold was never recovered.
+No one seems to have had the least suspicion
+that the gentlemanly engineer at the mine was likely to
+have had something to do with the business, and when,
+shortly afterward, he resigned his post and took a passage
+to Europe, he received the highest possible testimonials
+from his manager and directors. I have no doubt, myself,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span>
+that he was the prime mover in the robbery, for his salary
+was a small one, and directly afterwards he spent six
+months in Paris, where his expenditure would have been
+lavish for a millionaire."</p>
+
+<p>"That was where my father met him," remarked Evie.
+"I remember him expressing surprise at the simplicity
+of Mannering's life at St. Alban's in view of the luxury
+with which he had been surrounded when they had met
+previously."</p>
+
+<p>"Just so," said the detective. "But his Paris career
+ended as it had commenced. He disappeared suddenly,
+without a word of farewell to any of his acquaintance,
+and had it not been for one bit of evidence, I should have
+had not the slightest idea as to what he had been doing
+with himself in the interval between that time and his
+arrival at St. Alban's. You may remember that a scientific
+expedition was despatched by the Dutch government about
+six years ago to make some investigations in the interior
+of New Guinea?"</p>
+
+<p>I shook my head.</p>
+
+<p>"It started six months after Mannering disappeared
+from Paris, and from the time it left Batavia <i>en route</i>
+for New Guinea not a word has ever been heard of it."</p>
+
+<p>"You cannot mean to infer that Mannering had anything
+to do with that?" I asked, incredulously.</p>
+
+<p>"I infer nothing," replied Forrest. "But I do know
+that a pocketbook, which had belonged to a chemist
+attached to the exploring party, was one of the documents
+I found in his bag. The book contained a number of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span>
+notes upon the liquefaction of gases, and these may
+very likely have first interested Mannering in the subject.
+As I have since discovered from a search of the registers
+at Lloyds that there were quite a number of ships lost
+about the same time in those seas, I cannot help thinking
+that our friend had served an apprenticeship under
+the black flag at sea before taking to land piracy."</p>
+
+<p>"At that rate he must have been the greatest criminal
+on earth," I declared.</p>
+
+<p>"He was certainly the biggest I ever came across,"
+replied Forrest, "and my only regret is that I was unable
+to secure him in order that he might have judicially
+paid the penalty for his crimes."</p>
+
+<p>"It was a pity," I said, "though I fancy if we had
+trapped him he would have found some means of cheating
+the gallows and making a melodramatic exit from the
+world."</p>
+
+<p>"It is more than likely," said Forrest. "He was not
+the ordinary type of criminal. I was speaking to a big
+mental specialist the other day, and&mdash;but I had better
+complete the story of his career first. Where did we
+leave him?"</p>
+
+<p>"New Guinea," I prompted.</p>
+
+<p>"The only other reason I have for suspecting him of
+being engaged in deeds of violence in that quarter of the
+globe is that he returned to England <i>via</i> Singapore, with
+a considerable quantity of bullion in his possession. The
+rest of his history you know."</p>
+
+<p>"He seems to have had a stirring existence, anyhow,"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span>
+I commented. "And one hardly sees any reason for
+it save natural sin."</p>
+
+<p>"The alienist I was talking to the other day described
+him as a moral pervert. He said he was a type of
+insanity usually associated with physical incapacity or
+a low order of intelligence, but when, as in Mannering's
+case, both physique and intelligence were above the
+average, the moral pervert is a greater danger to the
+community than an army of ordinary criminals. If ever
+I said a prayer it would be when a madman of that type
+was removed from the world."</p>
+
+<p>"Amen," said both Evie and I, heartily.</p>
+
+
+<h3>THE END.</h3>
+
+<hr style='width: 65%;' />
+<div class='tnote'><h3>Transcriber's Notes:</h3>
+<p>Text uses both St. Alban's and St. Albans.</p>
+
+<p>The remaining corrections made are indicated by dotted lines under the corrections. Scroll the mouse over the word and the original text will <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'apprear'">appear</ins>.</p></div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Motor Pirate, by George Sidney Paternoster
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Motor Pirate, by George Sidney Paternoster
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Motor Pirate
+
+Author: George Sidney Paternoster
+
+Release Date: September 19, 2008 [EBook #26657]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MOTOR PIRATE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Emmy and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: HE HAD INSISTED UPON THE TWO WOMEN DANCING FOR HIS
+AMUSEMENT]
+
+
+
+
+THE
+
+MOTOR PIRATE
+
+By
+
+G. Sidney Paternoster
+
+
+With a Frontispiece by Charles R. Sykes
+
+
+          New York * * * * *
+          A. Wessels Company
+          * * * * * *  MCMVI
+
+
+
+
+            _Copyright, 1904_
+          BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
+             (INCORPORATED)
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+          _All rights reserved_
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+  CHAPTER                                                      PAGE
+      I. MAINLY ABOUT MYSELF                                      1
+     II. THE COMPTON CHAMBERLAIN OUTRAGE                          9
+    III. WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE                               21
+     IV. CONCERNING MY RIVAL                                     36
+      V. THE COLONEL DREAMS AND I AWAKEN                         48
+     VI. I AM ARRESTED                                           59
+    VII. I MAKE FRIENDS WITH INSPECTOR FORREST, C.I.D            71
+   VIII. MURDER                                                  81
+     IX. EXPLAINS A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE                     92
+      X. DESCRIBING A RIDE WITH THE PIRATE                      104
+     XI. IN WHICH THE PIRATE HOLDS UP THE BRIGHTON MAIL         113
+    XII. HOW WE EXCHANGE SHOTS WITH THE PIRATE                  123
+   XIII. OF THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED                     135
+    XIV. A CLOUD APPEARS ON LOVE'S HORIZON                      145
+     XV. A CLUE AT LAST                                         155
+    XVI. I COMMIT A BURGLARY                                    165
+   XVII. STORM                                                  176
+  XVIII. IN WHICH THE PIRATE APPEARS IN A FROLICSOME HUMOUR     187
+    XIX. A HOT SCENT                                            196
+     XX. RELATES HOW THE PIRATE HOLDS UP AN AUGUST PERSONAGE    207
+    XXI. WE PLAN AN AMBUSH                                      218
+   XXII. GONE AWAY                                              228
+  XXIII. SAVED                                                  240
+   XXIV. REVELATIONS                                            249
+
+
+
+
+THE MOTOR PIRATE
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+MAINLY ABOUT MYSELF
+
+
+OF course every one has heard of the Motor Pirate. No one indeed could
+help doing so unless he or she, as the case may be, happened to be in
+some part of the world where newspapers never penetrate; since for
+months his doings were the theme of every gossip in the country, and his
+exploits have filled columns of every newspaper from the moment of his
+first appearance until the day when the reign of terror he had
+inaugurated upon the roads ended as suddenly and as sensationally as it
+had begun. Who the owner of the pirate car was? Whence he came? Whither
+he went? These are questions which have exercised minds innumerable; but
+though there have been nearly as many theories propounded as there were
+brains at work propounding them, so far no informed account of the man
+or his methods has been made public.
+
+Nearly twelve months have now elapsed since he was last heard of, and
+already a number of myths have grown up about his mysterious
+personality. For instance, it is not true, as I saw asserted in a
+sensational evening paper the other day, that the Motor Pirate was in
+the habit of abducting every young and attractive woman who happened to
+be travelling in any of the cars he held up. On only one occasion did he
+abduct a lady, and in that case there were special circumstances with
+which the public have never been made acquainted. His deeds were quite
+black enough without further blackening with printer's ink, and it would
+be a pity if the real Motor Pirate were lost sight of in mythical haze
+such as has gathered about the name of his great prototype, Dick Turpin.
+
+It has occurred to me, therefore, to tell the story of his doings--it
+would be impossible for any mortal man to give an absolutely detailed
+account of his life and actions--but I know more than the majority of
+people about the personality of the man. Of one thing my readers may be
+assured: I personally can vouch for the accuracy of every fact which I
+chronicle. You see I am not a professional historian.
+
+How it happened that I am in a position to give hitherto unknown
+particulars about the Motor Pirate will appear in the course of my
+narrative. Sufficient for the moment let it be for me to say that it was
+purely by chance that the opportunity was thrown in my way; though, as
+it happened, it was not entirely without my own volition that I became
+involved in the network of events which finally resulted in the tragedy
+which closed his career. By that tragedy the world lost a brilliant
+thinker and inventor, though unfortunately these great talents were
+accompanied by an abnormal condition of mind, which led the owner to
+utilise his invention in criminal pursuits.
+
+It may probably seem strange that, being in possession of facts as to
+the identity of this mysterious person, I did not lay them before the
+police, who, at any time during the three months of his criminal career,
+would have given their ears to lay him by the heels. You may even think
+it is their duty to take proceedings against me as an accomplice. Well,
+I am quite prepared to answer any question which the police, or any one
+else for that matter, desires to put to me. James Sutgrove, of Sutgrove
+Hall, Norfolk, is not likely to change his address. When my poor old
+governor died he left me sufficient excuse, in the shape of real estate,
+for remaining in the country of my birth; though, if the necessity had
+arisen, I should not have hesitated about going abroad. At twenty-five,
+my age within a few weeks, a man has usually sufficient energy to enable
+him to carve out a career for himself in a new country, and I do not
+think I am very different to my fellows in that respect. But the fact
+is, I have nothing to fear from the police. My criminality was less than
+theirs. An ordinary citizen may be forgiven if he is blind to the
+meaning of things which occur under his nose, but the police are
+expected to be possessed of somewhat sharper vision. The utmost that can
+be urged against me is, that if my eyes had been keener than those of
+Scotland Yard, reinforced by the trained vision of some hundreds of
+intelligent chief constables throughout the country, I might have been
+able to lay my hands upon the Motor Pirate before--but I must not
+anticipate my story.
+
+One word of apology, however, before I begin. In order to make my
+narrative fully intelligible I shall have to refer to matters which may
+seem of a purely personal nature. I will make these as brief as
+possible, but it was entirely through such that I was brought into
+closer touch with the Motor Pirate than, perhaps with one exception, any
+other person in the world. If therefore I seem to be devoting too much
+attention to what appears to be merely personal interest, I trust I may
+be excused. To begin, then, at the beginning.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+On the evening of March 31, 19--, I had arranged to dine in town with a
+couple of friends, both of them neighbours of mine. I am not going to
+mention the name of the restaurant. It was not one of the fashionable
+ones, or probably neither the cuisine nor the wines would have been so
+good as they were, though both would unquestionably have been more
+expensive. I prefer, therefore, to keep the name to myself. It was in
+the neighbourhood of Soho, however, and the reason I had invited my
+friends was in order to disabuse their minds of the idea that everything
+in that neighbourhood was of necessity cheap and nasty. I had
+determined that their palates should be charmed by the dinner they were
+to eat, so, in addition to sending a note to the proprietor, I thought
+it as well to arrive at the restaurant a quarter of an hour before the
+appointed time, in order to make assurance doubly sure that everything
+was as I desired it. Had my guests been casual acquaintances, I must
+confess that I should never have taken this trouble. But they were not.
+One of them was the renowned Colonel Maitland. I never heard anything
+about his war service, but I do know that as a gastronomist his
+reputation is European. The cool way he will condemn an _entree_,
+presented to him by an obsequious waiter, merely after casting a single
+glance upon it, speaks volumes for his critical insight; and as for
+wines--well, he can tell the vineyard and the vintage of a claret by the
+scent alone. I verily believe that were he to be served with a corked
+wine, the result would be instant dissolution between his gastronomic
+soul and body. Naturally I had to make some preparations, in order that
+such delicate susceptibilities should not be offended. In addition, I
+had a special reason for seeking to please him. Colonel Maitland had a
+daughter.
+
+I have only to mention the name of my other guest to reveal his identity
+to every one with any knowledge of the motoring world. It was Fred
+Winter, _the_ Fred Winter, leading light of the Automobile Club, holder
+of more road records than I can count, in fact the most enthusiastic
+motorist in the country. It was in consequence of this, indeed, that he
+came to be my guest. There were few questions in regard to motoring
+upon which Winter was not competent to give an opinion, and being myself
+a victim to the prevailing motor-mania, I was deeply indebted to him for
+many valuable tips. By this time I had passed my novitiate, and was
+still driving a neat little 91/2-h.p. Clement in order to fit myself
+for a more powerful and speedy car.
+
+I arrived then at the restaurant about a quarter to eight, and having
+had a brief but satisfactory interview with the proprietor, I made my
+way to the table I had reserved in my favourite corner of the
+dining-room. Finding I had ten minutes to spare, to kill time I ordered
+a vermouth and the evening papers. The _Globe_ was the first upon the
+pile the waiter brought to me, and following the example of most sane
+men, I skipped the parliamentary intelligence and turned to the "By the
+Way" column. I remember distinctly there was only one amusing paragraph
+therein, and I was about to throw the paper aside, with the customary
+lament as to the decadence of British humour, when my attention was
+arrested by a paragraph at the bottom of the next column. The heading
+was "Strange Highway Robbery." This was the paragraph:--
+
+"Our Plymouth correspondent reports a novel highway robbery on the road
+between Tavistock and Plymouth. Two gentlemen who had been for a run on
+their motor to Tavistock, left the latter town about eight o'clock last
+night. Their journey was uneventful until they reached Roborough, where
+they were suddenly overtaken by a motor-car occupied by a man, who
+presented a pistol at their heads, and ordered them to stop. Thinking
+that the stranger merely intended to scare them, and that the summons
+was only an ill-advised piece of pleasantry, they paid no attention to
+the demand; whereupon the driver of the strange car, with a
+well-directed shot, so damaged the machinery of their vehicle that they
+were compelled to obey. Their attacker then demanded all the money and
+articles of value they had in their possession under threat of
+completely wrecking their car, and after securing his booty the
+highwayman decamped. In consequence of the damage to their motor, it was
+not until late at night that they reached Plymouth, and were enabled to
+give particulars of the occurrence to the police. From their description
+of the stranger's vehicle, identification should not be difficult. It is
+a long, low, boat-shaped car of remarkable speed, and from the little
+noise it creates is probably driven by an electric motor. As to the
+personal appearance of the driver, the gentlemen who were robbed could
+form no opinion, for he wore the usual leather coat affected by
+tourists, and his head was completely enveloped in a hood."
+
+On reading this paragraph, my first impulse was to lay aside the paper
+and indulge in a hearty laugh. My impression was that some wag had been
+hoaxing either the Plymouth correspondent or the London editor of the
+_Globe_. However, my curiosity was sufficiently aroused to lead me to
+take up another paper, to see if the _Globe_ was the only paper which
+reported the occurrence.
+
+The next paper on my pile was the _Star_, and the moment I unfolded the
+pink sheet, I perceived that this liveliest of evening journals was not
+going to be left behind by the _Globe_ in providing the public with
+particulars of the latest sensation. Under the heading of "A Motor
+Pirate," with descriptive headlines extending across a couple of
+columns, and as attractively alliterative as the cunning pen of a smart
+sub-editor could make them, was the account of a similar incident. At
+first I thought it must be the same occurrence, but a brief perusal
+showed me that this impression was a wrong one. But I will give the
+_Star_ account in full, and I do so the more readily, not only because
+it contains the first detailed account of the man whose extraordinary
+audacity was shortly to raise the interest of the public to fever pitch,
+but also because it tells the story with a force and colour of which my
+unpractised pen is incapable. Apologising therefore to the editor for
+the liberty I have taken, I reprint the _Star_ account verbatim. I
+think, however, the story deserves a new chapter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE COMPTON CHAMBERLAIN OUTRAGE
+
+
+                       "A MOTOR PIRATE
+             "TAKES TOLL OF TRAVELLERS IN THE WEST.
+
+          "A VEILED STRANGER ON A MYSTERIOUS MOTOR FLIES
+                 "THE BLACK FLAG NEAR SALISBURY.
+
+"ON receipt of the following extraordinary story from the Central News
+Agency this morning, the _Star_ at once sent a representative to make
+inquiries on the spot. His inquiries reveal the existence of a new
+terror to all who travel by road. Following are the facts communicated
+to us by the agency:--
+
+"'A daring highway robbery was committed near Salisbury late last night.
+The victims were two gentlemen who had been touring in the west country
+by motor. They had intended to reach Salisbury early yesterday evening,
+but were delayed by a puncture. When about eight miles from Salisbury
+they were attacked by the occupant of another car, who wrecked their
+vehicle, and, after robbing them of all their valuables, decamped,
+leaving them badly injured by the wayside. There they were discovered
+some time afterwards and removed to the nearest inn at Compton
+Chamberlain, where they remain under medical attendance.--_Central
+News._'
+
+"The _Star_ special correspondent wires:--
+
+                                         "Compton Chamberlain, 12.30.
+
+"There is no doubt but that the Motor Pirate has a real existence. On
+arriving at Salisbury I at once proceeded to make inquiries as to what
+was known of the outrage, but Salisbury generally was sceptical on the
+subject. I found, however, that the affair had been reported at the
+county police office; and I at once drove on here, and am now in a
+position to assert that this quiet Wiltshire village has been the scene
+of the most astounding robbery of modern times. It is safe to prophecy
+that in a few more months Dick Turpin will be forgotten. He has a rival
+in the field whose exploits will soon relegate him into comparative
+obscurity.
+
+"The first visible evidence of the outrage was afforded me about a
+quarter of a mile from Compton. The road dips here slightly, and at the
+end of the incline a motor-car was drawn to the side of the road, or
+rather the remains of what had once been a smart Daimler of some 7 or 8
+h.p. A stonebreaker was at work on an adjacent pile of flints, and when
+I alighted to examine the wreck, he nailed me with, 'Hoy, mister! Ye'd
+better leave thick thur car alone. The p'lice be comin' to tek un up
+zhortly.'
+
+"I gathered from him that he had been told to keep an eye upon the car,
+but beyond having heard that the owners had met with an accident, he
+knew nothing. There was no doubt about the accident. The car was so
+broken up that it looked as if it had been in collision with an armoured
+train.
+
+                                       "Compton Chamberlain, 2.45 p.m.
+
+"I have just succeeded in interviewing the owner of the motor-car, a Mr.
+James Bradshaw, of 379, Maida Vale. His companion was Mr. Gainsborough
+Roberts, of 200, Clapham Common. Mr. Roberts is suffering from severe
+concussion, and has not regained consciousness; but fortunately Mr.
+Bradshaw's injuries, though painful, are not dangerous, and he has been
+good enough to give me a full account of his unique adventure. It seems
+the two gentlemen had been touring in the west country for ten days, and
+were on their way home. They stopped the previous night at Exeter,
+leaving about ten in the morning with the intention of reaching
+Salisbury about five or six yesterday evening. They lunched at
+Ilminster, and afterwards had traversed another twenty-five miles of
+their journey when one of their tyres unfortunately punctured. This was
+shortly after they had passed through Wincanton. When the tyre was
+mended, something went wrong with the electric ignition, and altogether
+the repairs proved such a tedious job that they could not make a fresh
+start until close upon lighting-up time.
+
+"The delay had not troubled them, for the weather was beautifully fine.
+As, however, they were very hungry, they determined to stop at
+Shaftesbury for dinner before finishing the day's run they had mapped
+out. There is a particularly long hill into Shaftesbury, and they did
+not reach that town until 8.30. At the hotel they met another party of
+motorists, and, agreeing to dine together, it was not until after ten
+that they found themselves once more on their way, with twenty miles of
+a hilly road to cover. The lateness of the hour did not trouble them
+much. They had wired to Salisbury for rooms; the night was fine and
+clear; a bright moon was shining; the roads were clear of traffic, and
+their motor was guaranteed to do its thirty-five miles an hour. They
+thought that it would be a good opportunity to find out what Mr.
+Bradshaw's car was really capable of doing on a hilly track.
+
+"Mr. Bradshaw declares that he had never enjoyed a run more than he did
+on this occasion. A brisk wind was blowing behind them, they found there
+was more downhill than up, the road was absolutely clear, and they were
+able to take the declines at a pace which took the sting out of the
+ascents."
+
+"So for twenty minutes they ran at full speed, and after slowing to pass
+through a village, they had just put on full speed again when Mr.
+Bradshaw's attention was arrested by a curious humming sound which
+appeared to arise from something behind. He was, of course, unable to
+glance back, as all his faculties were engaged in driving the car; but
+Mr. Roberts, whose attention was attracted at the same moment, informed
+him that another motor-car was coming up behind. Then, to quote Mr.
+Bradshaw's own words, 'Thinking the other chap was on for a race, I did
+everything I knew to get every ounce out of my motor. But,' he
+continued, 'though I'll swear we were running nearer forty than
+thirty-five, the other fellow swooped up and passed us as if we were
+standing still.'
+
+"For the moment he thought that the stranger was one of those American
+speed motors specially built for racing on the track, but only for a
+moment. The strange car slackening speed, allowed them to come
+alongside. What followed may be best described in Mr. Bradshaw's own
+words.
+
+"'There was only one occupant of the strange car, and, seeing him
+slacken speed, I naturally thought he wished to speak to us. So, as he
+came level, I shouted to him, my exact words being, if I remember
+aright, "Hallo, sir! You've got a flyer there." I fancied I heard a
+chuckle from beneath his mask (he wore a hood covering the head fitted
+with a mica plate in front) and he replied, "Yes; I fancy my car is fast
+enough to overtake anything that is to be found on the road." There was
+something in his tone that struck me as peculiar, but I merely
+attributed it to the motorist's pride in his car. As however he said
+nothing further, but continued to keep alongside, in a manner that
+looked as if he were inclined to gloat over the owner of a less speedy
+machine, I asked with some little irritation, "Is there anything I can
+do for you, because if not----" He did not allow me to finish my query.
+"Yes, sir," he replied promptly, "there is something I am going to ask
+you to do for me," and he gave another of his infernal chuckles.
+
+"'"Well, what is it?" I demanded, with a little warmth.
+
+"'"I must request you to hand over all your money and valuables to me,"
+he replied.
+
+"'I could not believe my ears. I was so astonished that I gave the wheel
+a turn that nearly landed us in the ditch. Will you believe it? Even in
+that swerve the strange car followed mine, and when I had got her
+straight in the road, I heard him chuckle again. His manner angered me
+beyond bearing.
+
+"'"What the deuce do you mean?" I shouted.
+
+"'"There's no need for you to lose your temper," he answered coolly. "I
+must, however, trouble you to stop that car at once."
+
+"'As he spoke he raised his hand, and I saw the barrel of a revolver
+glisten in the moonlight. There seemed to be only one way out of the
+predicament, for I thought I had to deal with a madman, and I took it. I
+pretended to be so alarmed that I fell over the steering wheel, and made
+my car swerve again. But this time we swerved towards, instead of away
+from, the stranger. I doubt whether there was light enough for him to
+have read my intention in my face, but it was obvious that he
+anticipated my move, for his car shot forward with such wonderful speed
+that the fate I intended to force upon him befell myself. I saw his car
+disappearing ahead, and the next moment I was just conscious of a shock
+that sent me flying into oblivion.
+
+"'Exactly how long I remained unconscious I do not know, but when I came
+to my senses I found myself lying on the grass at the roadside, having
+fortunately been thrown on the soft turf. Roberts was lying unconscious
+on the road; the car was smashed to bits; our pockets had been turned
+inside out, and our money, watches, and every article of value we had
+about us, taken. Needless to say, the stranger had disappeared.'
+
+"Mr. Bradshaw was not in a state to be of much assistance to his more
+badly injured friend, and he was at a complete loss as to what course to
+pursue, when a trap coming from Salisbury fortunately made its
+appearance on the scene. Assistance was procured, and the two injured
+gentlemen were conveyed to Compton, and medical attention quickly
+provided. Though much shaken, and badly bruised, Mr. Bradshaw has
+sustained comparatively little injury. Mr. Roberts, however, is
+dangerously ill, and his relatives have been telegraphed for.
+
+"As regards the appearance of his assailant, Mr. Bradshaw can give few
+particulars, save that he was clad in a large leather motoring coat, and
+his face completely hidden by a mask. The car can, on the contrary, be
+easily identified. It is boat-shaped, running to a sharp, cutting edge
+both in front and behind. The body is not raised more than eighteen
+inches from the ground. The wheels are either within the body, or so
+sheathed that they are completely hidden. It has apparently seating
+accommodation for two persons, the seat being placed immediately in the
+centre of the car. Mr. Bradshaw is quite convinced that petrol is not
+the motive force used for its propulsion, and as he cannot imagine that
+an electric motor of any kind was employed; the rapidity of motion, the
+perfection of the steering, the absence of noise and vibration, are so
+remarkable that he is utterly at a loss as to what build of car was
+driven by the stranger."
+
+I had just finished reading this extraordinary story when I felt a tap
+on the shoulder, and, looking up, saw Colonel Maitland standing before
+me.
+
+"'Pon my word, Sutgrove," he remarked, "I have never before seen any one
+so completely enthralled in a newspaper in my life. I've been standing
+watching you for nearly a minute."
+
+I sprang to my feet, and held out my hand.
+
+"What's the latest from Mr. Justice Jeune's division? When you come to
+my years of discretion you will be more interested in the _menu_."
+
+I laughed. "It was not the inanities of the divorce court, Colonel," I
+remarked; "but the most astonishing----"
+
+He checked me with uplifted hand. "Being a rational being," he said, "I
+prefer my stories with my cigar. One should come to dinner with a calm
+mind."
+
+At this moment Winter entered the room, and, giving a signal to the
+waiter, the _hors d'oeuvre_ were placed before us as he seated himself
+at the table.
+
+When he had greeted me I had observed that Colonel Maitland's face had
+worn a slightly resigned expression that reminded me of a picture I had
+seen somewhere of Christian martyrs being led to the stake. He took a
+mouthful of caviar and the cloud lifted. After the soup the dominant
+note of self-sacrifice had vanished entirely. With the fish his features
+attained repose. When we reached the _entree_ his face had the radiance
+of a translated saint's. Then, with my mind at rest as to the effect of
+my little dinner upon my chief guest, I found time to devote a little
+attention to Winter. Yet, bearing in mind the Colonel's objection to
+anything but light generalities during the serious business of dinner, I
+forbore to introduce the topic I was burning to discuss with him. Not
+until the coffee was upon the table, and Colonel Maitland had expressed
+his contentment with the dinner, did I venture to refer to it. Then,
+while our senior was dallying with an early strawberry, Winter gave me a
+lead.
+
+"By the way, Sutgrove," he said, "what's this I saw on the evening paper
+bills about a motor pirate?"
+
+I told him. His interest was awakened to such an extent that he forgot
+to taste the glass of port which stood before him, and which I had
+ordered out of compliment to the Colonel's ideas of what was desirable.
+
+When my story was concluded Winter was silent. Colonel Maitland,
+however, hazarded the remark that the whole narrative was "a concoction
+of some of those newspaper fellows. I have been at the War Office," he
+said, "so I ought to know of what they are capable."
+
+"I can scarcely imagine that any newspaper would dare hoax its readers
+to such an extent," remarked Winter.
+
+"They are capable of anything--anything," replied the Colonel,
+vigorously. "I have known them on more than one occasion to attack even
+my department."
+
+"That of course is scandalous," I replied warmly; "but here the
+conditions are different. They are referring to people who are able to
+reply if the facts are not as stated. In your case your mouth, of
+course, was closed."
+
+"Umph!" growled the Colonel.
+
+"At the same time," said Winter, "it may very well have happened that
+consciously or unconsciously the papers have been made the victims of a
+practical joke. To-morrow is the first of April, remember. Or even apart
+from the joke theory, the event happened after dinner, and Mr. Bradshaw
+may have found it necessary to be prepared with an explanation of his
+accident."
+
+"But the robbery?" I objected.
+
+"A passing tramp may have thought the opportunity too good to be
+neglected."
+
+"At all events," I persisted, "it is curious that two similar accidents
+should have occurred the same night in the same part of the country."
+
+"Certainly the coincidence is remarkable," answered Winter. "But do not
+forget that the two occurrences took place at least a hundred and
+thirty miles apart within less than three hours of one another. I will
+swear that no motor yet built would cover those roads inside three
+hours. I know them. No, Sutgrove. The moral seems to me to be that it is
+unwise for a motorman to look upon the wine when it is red, if he wants
+to get anywhere afterwards."
+
+The Colonel stretched his hand across the table and removed the glass
+which stood on the table before Winter.
+
+"My young friend," he observed, "you have, I believe, undertaken to
+bring me safely home to-night?"
+
+"You need not fear," replied Winter, laughing, "it's only the liquors
+supplied at country inns which drive motor-cars into ditches."
+
+The Colonel replaced the glass with a smile and refilled his own from
+the cradled bottle at his elbow.
+
+"I am merely a passenger, but you drive," he remarked. "I think,
+Sutgrove, under the circumstances, I will be responsible for the
+remainder of this bottle. It is endowed with certain qualities which
+particularly recommend themselves to me. It would be a sad thing if an
+accident were to befall us on our journey. In times of stress such as
+these one never knows when the War Office may not require the services
+of a capable man."
+
+Though the Colonel spoke in jest, in the event his words indicated with
+a fair amount of accuracy the destination of the port, for while we
+continued to discuss every point in the story, he sipped and sipped and
+nodded his head beatifically. I did not replenish my glass, but when we
+rose the bottle was empty.
+
+"Well, Colonel, what do you say to a music hall?" I asked.
+
+"My boy," he replied, as he patted me on the back, "I sleep far more
+comfortably in my bed."
+
+I realized where the contents of the bottle had gone by the
+sententiousness of my friend's phrasing, the slight turgidity, so to
+speak, of his articulation.
+
+"My dear boy," he continued, "I have never known you until this moment.
+You are greater than Columbus. Any one might discover a new continent,
+but in these days it needs exceptional qualities of enterprise and
+endurance to discover a fresh restaurant. I am content. Let us go home."
+
+We donned our overcoats and came into the open air. Winter's motor was
+waiting at the door in charge of a man from the _garage_ where he had
+left it. We stepped in.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE
+
+
+WE were soon out of the narrow Soho street, and I observed that the time
+was just half-past ten as Winter steered us carefully through Piccadilly
+Circus. Colonel Maitland occupied a seat behind while I sat beside
+Winter.
+
+The car my friend drove was a magnificent 22-horse Daimler, built to his
+own specification and capable of doing considerably more than any car I
+had hitherto been privileged to ride upon. Of course while passing
+through the streets there was little chance of exhibiting its
+capabilities. Yet even there, the way the car glided in and out of the
+traffic, delicately responsive to the slightest touch of the steering
+wheel, was sufficient evidence of its quality to set the most nervous
+passenger at ease. As it was as yet too early for the after theatre
+traffic to fill the streets and compel us to stop every few minutes, we
+followed the main road up Oxford Street as far as the Marble Arch. There
+we turned to the right. Once clear of the narrow part of the Edgeware
+Road, Winter put on his second speed and a very few minutes seemed to
+have passed before we were bumping over a rough bit of roadway by
+Cricklewood.
+
+"There's not much of this," said Winter, cheerily over his shoulder to
+the Colonel.
+
+Our gastronomic friend merely grunted for reply, and I should have
+thought him to be asleep had not the red glow of his cigar assured me
+that he was still awake.
+
+Winter jammed on his third speed and the hedges began to fly past us. We
+were in the country now and were able to appreciate the fineness of the
+night. Indeed it was a perfect night. The air was sharp but without
+sting. The moon shone with a clear brilliance which betokened rain in
+the near future. The road was clean and dry, and there was no dust in
+the air except the thin cloud which floated behind us. We passed the
+Welsh Harp without a check, and not until we reached Edgeware did Winter
+revert to his second speed. We ran through the little town with only
+momentary slackening of pace, and so we sped onwards until we opened the
+stretch of road leading to Brockley Hill. Here Winter, seeing the road
+clear ahead, jammed on his highest speed and the wheels droned like a
+hive of bees as we darted towards the incline. We were half way up the
+hill before Winter found it necessary to transform his speed into power,
+and we finished the ascent with ease. Then once more the order was third
+speed, and we whirled away through Elstree and passed through Radlett a
+bare half hour from the time we started.
+
+Just at this time I looked back to see how Colonel Maitland fared. His
+cigar no longer glowed, though it was still tightly held between his
+teeth. His head was bent forward, and the regular and gentle murmur
+which came from his nose proclaimed that he slept. I had just mentioned
+the fact to Winter, and had turned again to assure myself that he was
+comfortably wrapped in his rug, when I thought I saw on the road behind
+me another car.
+
+"Hullo!" I said to Winter. "There's another chap coming on behind us.
+Without lights, too!"
+
+A slight bend in the road shut out the view, however, and made me doubt
+whether or no my eyes had been deceiving me.
+
+"Pooh!" replied Winter. "We've passed nothing on the road, and at the
+pace we've been travelling there's not another car owned in this
+district we should not have left miles behind us, even if it had started
+at the same time as ourselves. You must have mistaken some of the
+shadows from the trees. How much of that port did you drink?"
+
+I laughed, but as we had now reached a straight stretch of road I looked
+back again.
+
+"I'm right," I said. "There is another car, and by jove! It's coming up
+hand over fist."
+
+"What?" shouted Winter. "What?"
+
+He clearly did not appreciate the idea of being overtaken by any one,
+for he whipped on his highest speed and jammed down the accelerator. The
+change was enormous. Our powerful car, relieved from all restraint,
+simply leaped through the air. Winter gave a pleased laugh as he
+steadied her with the wheel.
+
+"If the stranger can catch us now I shall believe it's the Motor Pirate
+himself," he remarked in a pleased tone, that showed how proud he was of
+his own car.
+
+Our progress was so exhilarating that I wanted to shout defiance to the
+stranger; yet I was so fascinated with the pace we were travelling, that
+I could not take my eyes from the road which uncoiled before us.
+
+Suddenly a humming sound forced itself upon my ear. For a moment I
+thought it was due to the whirr of our own wheels. Then it struck me
+that the note was a higher one. I half turned. The other car was within
+a yard or two of us. In another second it was level and, running without
+any visible vibration, indeed, without any noise save the snore of the
+wheels as they raced round, the stranger slackened speed and ran by our
+side.
+
+Winter cast a hasty glance at the strange car, and I saw him bite his
+lip with annoyance at finding his Daimler so outpaced.
+
+One glance at the stranger was enough to tell me with whom we had to
+deal. In the brilliant moonlight, the boat-shaped car with its sharp
+prow, the almost invisible wheels, the masked occupant, assured me that
+the evening papers had not been the victims of a hoax.
+
+"It's the Motor Pirate himself," I said to Winter, and my voice was
+hoarse with excitement.
+
+"Motor Pirate be d----d!" replied Winter. What more he would have said I
+do not know, for at this moment the stranger turning his mask towards us
+called out in the most urbane manner--
+
+"I must trouble you gentlemen to stop that car."
+
+Winter at the best of times is of rather a peppery disposition, and
+whenever any one requires him to pull up, his temper invariably gets the
+better of his manners. His reply was an unnecessarily verbose, and
+needlessly forcible negative.
+
+I heard the stranger chuckle. "I really must trouble you to obey my
+wishes," he replied, with ironic courtesy. "Otherwise I shall be
+compelled to do some damage to that car of yours, a proceeding I always
+try to avoid if possible."
+
+"Do what you please," was in effect Winter's luridly adjectived answer.
+
+"If you do not pull up within thirty seconds your fate will be upon your
+own heads," said the stranger, shortly, as he laid his hand upon a
+lever.
+
+His car leapt away from ours, and though we were running nearly sixty
+miles an hour, we might have been standing still, he dropped us so
+rapidly. In fifteen seconds he had vanished in a cloud of dust ahead.
+
+"I'm going to stop," said Winter, abruptly. He suited the action to the
+word, and none too soon.
+
+Again we heard the curious drone of the strange car as it swooped down
+upon us, coming to a sudden halt a yard distant, with really beautiful
+precision.
+
+"What do you want?" shouted Winter, in his gruffest tones.
+
+"I'm glad to find you have had the wisdom to do as I desired you," said
+the Motor Pirate; for it was indeed he with whom we were now face to
+face. "It would have deeply grieved me to wreck so good a car as that
+you have there. A Daimler, I believe?"
+
+"Oh, d----n your compliments! What is it you want?" growled Winter.
+
+"Merely any articles of jewellery and any money you may happen to have
+about you," remarked the stranger, pleasantly.
+
+I saw the moonlight glitter on the barrel of a revolver as he spoke, and
+he now lifted the weapon and pointed it towards us.
+
+"I do not wish to proceed to extremities, and, as I gather from your
+speech that I am dealing with gentlemen"--really Winter's language had
+fully warranted the sarcasm--"if you will give me your word of honour
+that you will hand over to me all articles of value in your possession,
+I will leave your car untouched. If, on the contrary, you decline to
+oblige me, I shall be under the disagreeable necessity of ruining that
+very handsome car you are driving. I do not like to hurry you, but I am
+afraid I must ask you to come to a speedy decision on the matter, for
+these roads in the vicinity of London are not quite so secluded as one
+of my profession could wish."
+
+He delivered this speech with an air of mock politeness, which made
+Winter writhe. He did not, however, reply. I think he was too angry.
+
+"Come, gentlemen! Make up your minds. Your money or your--car!"
+
+He made a slight pause before he said the word "car," and his fingers
+played with the revolver in a manner that sent a cold shiver down my
+spine.
+
+"It's his turn now," I whispered to Winter. "It may be ours presently."
+
+"Come, come, gentlemen!" said the stranger again; "do you give me your
+words?"
+
+"D----n you! I suppose we must," jerked out Winter, almost inarticulate
+with rage.
+
+"Each of you will dismount in turn and lay the contents of your pockets
+before me here." He indicated a level shelf, which formed apparently
+part of the casing of one of the wheels. "I must insist upon seeing the
+linings of your pockets; and I need hardly warn you that it will be
+extremely undesirable for you to make any movement liable to
+misconstruction. This toy"--he lifted his pistol--"has a very delicate
+touch. Now, gentlemen. One at a time, please, and do not wait to discuss
+the question of precedence. I am quite willing to overlook any little
+informality."
+
+I listened closely to his speech, but the voice was so muffled by the
+mask he wore, that I felt I should be unable to recognize it again. Only
+one point I was assured upon--that the Pirate was an educated man.
+
+Meanwhile what were we to do? All sorts of wild plans were darting
+through my brain, and I knew that Winter's mind must be equally active.
+But out of the medley no coherent scheme took shape. Winter dismounted,
+and, throwing off his overcoat, advanced into the brilliant circle of
+light cast by our lamps, and proceeded to empty his pockets. He laid his
+note-case, his watch and chain, and sovereign-purse upon the car in
+front of the highwayman, and, in obedience to a further command, added
+the diamond which shone upon his little finger, and another which
+adorned his shirt-front, to the pile. Then he resumed his place in the
+car, and I passed through a similar humiliating ordeal. All the while
+the stranger kept up a flow of apologies for the inconvenience which his
+necessities compelled him to occasion us. I kept silence, though I must
+confess the effort was a considerable strain upon my temper. Still, a
+pistol with a business man at the butt end of it, is of considerable
+assistance in preventing the exhibition of annoyance.
+
+"If the other gentleman will make haste, I shall be the sooner able to
+relieve you of my unwelcome society," the Pirate remarked, as I returned
+to our car after handing over all the valuables in my possession.
+
+In the excitement, I had, until this moment, entirely forgotten the
+presence of Colonel Maitland; and now, looking closely at him, I
+discovered that he was still in happy ignorance of the _contretemps_
+which had befallen us. Swathed in rugs, he was propped up on the seat
+behind us slumbering peacefully. A smile was upon his rosy face, and
+ever and again he smacked his lips. He must have been dreaming of a
+finer vintage than ever terrestrial vineyard produced.
+
+"What the deuce can we do?" I asked Winter.
+
+"Hullo, Colonel!" shouted my friend.
+
+"What's the matter?" inquired the Pirate. "Does your friend refuse to
+acknowledge the compact?"
+
+"I'm afraid he can hardly be said to be a party to it," I replied. "He
+has dined, and now he sleeps."
+
+"Well, you will awaken him less roughly than I shall," was the retort.
+
+"Any one who knows Colonel Maitland is aware that he is exceedingly
+annoyed if awakened from his after-dinner nap," I urged.
+
+"Colonel Maitland? Colonel Maitland the gourmet?"
+
+"You know him?" said Winter.
+
+The Pirate laughed pleasantly. "I have met him on one occasion, and, as
+some slight return for a very excellent dinner which he ordered, and for
+which--doubtless by an oversight--he left me to pay, I will not trouble
+you to awaken him on this occasion. I wish you good evening, gentlemen."
+
+As he finished speaking he backed his car for a few yards. His hand
+moved to a lever. The car turned. He waved the hand which was
+disengaged, and in a moment he was gone, attaining at once a speed,
+which, until then I had thought it impossible for a motor-car ever to
+achieve.
+
+Both Winter and I sat stock still, gazing after the fast disappearing
+car. We could not watch it for long; as in fifteen seconds it was out of
+sight, and even the dust-cloud it had raised in its progress had
+cleared.
+
+Then Winter turned to me and muttered a few expletives gently in my ear.
+I followed his example and we both felt better, at least I think so;
+for, without rhyme or reason, Winter burst into a fit of laughter, and I
+followed his example, though I cannot explain now, any more than I could
+have done then, why I laughed.
+
+When we had done laughing, Winter turned to me and said--
+
+"Sutgrove, old fellow, would you mind punching me? I'm not quite sure
+whether it is the Colonel who is asleep or myself. I feel as if I have
+just awakened from dreaming of the story those newspapers printed."
+
+"It's not much of a dream," I remarked. "I little thought that we were
+to have the good fortune of so early an introduction to the Motor
+Pirate, however. The Colonel will be quite cross to think that his
+bottle of port prevented the renewal of an old acquaintance."
+
+Then Winter laughed again. I think he saw the amusing side of our
+adventure more clearly than I did, for I said sharply--
+
+"Hadn't we better be getting on to St. Albans, and giving information to
+the police?"
+
+"H--m--m!" he answered meditatively. "I think perhaps we had better
+not."
+
+"Not?" I replied in surprise.
+
+"In the first place it is after dinner," he said.
+
+"What of that? We dined wisely."
+
+"One of us knows nothing about it." Winter jerked his thumb in the
+direction of the slumbering warrior. "We could hardly explain the reason
+why the Colonel slept so soundly through the adventure. The explanation
+could hardly please him, would it?"
+
+I muttered an assent.
+
+"Besides," continued Winter, "for three of us to admit that we tamely
+allowed ourselves to be held up by one man, and forced to hand over to
+him all our valuables, well it--er--it hardly seems heroic, does it?
+That wouldn't create a very favourable impression upon Miss Maitland
+either."
+
+I was compelled to agree with him.
+
+"I think perhaps we had best keep the matter to ourselves. I have no
+desire to provide another sensation for the evening papers to-morrow."
+
+"At any rate I'm not going to sit down quietly under my loss if you
+are," I responded irritably.
+
+"That's another matter altogether," replied Winter, as he set our car in
+motion once more. "I did not say that I was going to grin and bear it
+either."
+
+"What do you propose?" I cried eagerly.
+
+"That is a question we will discuss over a whisky and soda, when we have
+deposited the Colonel safely at home;" and he refused to say anything
+further.
+
+Our car was once more put at full speed, and in five minutes we reached
+the cross-roads on the outskirts of St. Albans, where the road to
+Watford makes a junction with that on which we had come from town. Here
+Winter pulled up, and, much to my surprise, dismounted and made a
+careful examination of the road by the light of our lamps.
+
+"I just want to see in which direction the fellow went," he answered, in
+reply to my inquiry as to the meaning of his action.
+
+He was still engaged on the task when we heard in the distance the
+regular beat of a petrol motor approaching us on the Watford road.
+
+"If it's another pirate, he won't get much plunder," I remarked.
+
+"That's no pirate," replied Winter, as a couple of lights came into
+view. "Cannot you recognize the rattle of Mannering's old car? I should
+know it anywhere. He will be able to tell us if any one has passed him
+on the road."
+
+As soon as the new-comer came within range of his voice, Winter hailed
+him.
+
+"That you, Mannering?"
+
+"Hullo, Winter! Got a puncture? Can I be of any assistance?"
+
+Was it indeed Mannering's voice, or were my ears deceiving me? The
+intonation was remarkably like that of the stranger, who so short a time
+previously had bade us stand and deliver, that I sprang to my feet with
+an exclamation of astonishment. My eyes at once convinced me that my
+ears had played me false. There was no mistaking Mannering's lumbering
+old car for the graceful shape of the Motor Pirate's vehicle. I resumed
+my seat, taking my nerves seriously to task for generating the
+suspicion, if suspicion it could be called, which had flashed across my
+mind. If anything further had been needed to dispel it, the reply
+vouchsafed to Winter's query as to whether he had met any one on the
+road would have done so.
+
+"Met any one?" said Mannering; "I should think I have. Met the most
+wonderful motor I've ever seen, about a couple of miles back. 'Pon my
+soul, I'm not sure even now whether it was not a big night bird, for it
+just swooped by me with about as much noise as a humming-top might make.
+It must have been travelling eighty miles an hour at least. Reckless
+sort of devil the driver must be too. He hadn't a single light. I
+suppose his lamps must have been put out by the rapidity with which he
+was travelling. Never had such a scare in my life. I'd like to meet the
+Johnny. I'd welcome an opportunity of telling him what I thought of his
+conduct."
+
+"So should I," replied Winter, grimly; "and I fancy Sutgrove would not
+be averse to a meeting with him."
+
+"Why, what has he been doing?" asked Mannering.
+
+"It's too long a story to tell you now," said Winter, as he climbed back
+into his seat; "but if you will come up to my place as soon as you have
+put your car to bed, I'll tell you all about it."
+
+"Right!" sang out Mannering, as we once more set out upon our homeward
+way. We had not much further to go. In two minutes we had pulled up at
+Colonel Maitland's door.
+
+I leaned back and shouted, "Here we are, Colonel," in the slumbering
+warrior's ear.
+
+"Eh! What--what?" he replied, as he awakened with a start. "When are we
+going to start?"
+
+"Start? Why we've brought you safely home to your own threshold," said
+Winter.
+
+"'Pon my soul! I remember now," he answered. "I just shut my eyes to
+keep the dust out of 'em, and---- You will come in for a peg, of
+course," he continued, as he emerged from the rugs in which he had been
+enveloped.
+
+I glanced at the windows. There was only a light in the Colonel's study.
+If there had been another in the drawing-room, I should have accepted
+forthwith. As it was, I merely said that I could not think of disturbing
+Miss Maitland.
+
+"Pooh!" said the Colonel, with the usual callous disregard of the mere
+father for his children's beauty sleep.
+
+But he did not press the invitation. Indeed it was with difficulty he
+succeeded in repressing a yawn.
+
+"I'll call to-morrow, and get a considered opinion upon my Soho house of
+entertainment," I remarked, as the Colonel opened his door, and paused
+at the entrance to bid us a final good night.
+
+"Glad to see you," he replied, as he grasped my hand and shook it
+warmly. "But of one thing you may rest assured. So long as that bin of
+port holds out, your house of entertainment may count upon me as a
+regular customer whenever I dine in town."
+
+"Opium isn't in it," commented Winter in a low voice, as he set the car
+in motion and wheeled out of the drive. "How he could have slept so
+soundly through it all absolutely beats me."
+
+I did not reply. My attention was concentrated upon one of the upper
+windows, at which I thought I had seen a form I knew very well make a
+brief appearance. But we left the window and house behind us. Winter's
+place was only about a hundred yards further up the road.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+CONCERNING MY RIVAL
+
+
+"NOW, Jim, dip your beak into that, and let me see if it will not
+restore to your classic features their customary repose."
+
+So saying, Winter handed me a stately tumbler, and the mixture was so
+much to my liking that I felt an involuntary relaxation of my facial
+muscles immediately I obeyed the command. I stretched myself at length
+in the easy chair which I had drawn up before the fire, and felt able to
+forgive even the Motor Pirate. We were alone in the apartment which
+Winter called his study, but since the only books he read therein were
+motor-catalogues, and the lounges with which the snuggery was furnished
+were much more conducive to repose than to mental exertion, I refused to
+acknowledge its claim to the title. That, by the way. The fire was
+burning brightly. Winter's red, rugged, honest face was beaming with
+almost equal radiance. Who could help feeling happy?
+
+Then Mannering was announced, and Mannering was a man I had learned to
+passively dislike. Why, I scarcely knew. I was aware of nothing against
+him. Indeed, when six months previously, on my first coming to St.
+Albans, I had been introduced to him, I had been rather favourably
+impressed. He was a tall dark man of thirty-five, with more than the
+average endowment of good looks. He could tell a good story, had shot
+big game in most parts of the world, was well-read, intelligent,
+possessed unexceptionable manners, and yet---- Well, Winter had none of
+his various qualifications, but I would at any time far rather have had
+one friend like Winter than a hundred like the other man.
+
+I had first made his acquaintance at Colonel Maitland's house, where I
+had found him on an apparently intimate footing. Perhaps it was this
+very intimacy which formed the basis for my dislike, for--there is no
+need to mince matters--at this time I was jealous, horribly and
+unreasonably jealous, of every male person who entered the Colonel's
+house. And here, perhaps, it will be better for me to explain how it
+happened that I came to be living in a cottage on the outskirts of St.
+Albans in preference to my own house in Norfolk.
+
+The change in my residence had been entirely due to a tennis party at
+Cromer. There I met Evie Maitland. She was---- No, every one can fill in
+the blank from their own experience for themselves; and if they cannot,
+I pity them.
+
+Fortunately I had an aunt present. She was the most amiable of aunts,
+and quite devoted towards her most dutiful nephew. With her assistance,
+I managed not only to improve my acquaintance with Miss Maitland, but
+also to effect an introduction to her father. I had only known them a
+week, however, before the Colonel took his daughter back to St. Albans.
+I allowed an interval of a fortnight to elapse, and then I followed. Of
+course I had to be prepared with some excuse, and here luck favoured me.
+Looking through the directory I discovered that Winter, whom I knew
+slightly as having been up at Camford about the same time as myself, was
+also a resident in the delightful St. Alban's suburb of St. Stephens
+where the Maitlands resided. I sought out Winter. I confided my story to
+him. The upshot of it all was that I took a cottage close to his house,
+and not far from the Colonel's, ostensibly that under Winter's tuition I
+might develop into a first-class motorist.
+
+Somehow I found that I made a great deal more progress with my motoring
+than with my love-making. Surely a more bewitching, tantalizing,
+provoking little beauty than Evie Maitland never tore a man's heart to
+fragments. If she was kind to me one day, she would be still kinder to
+Mannering the next. But that is neither here nor there. Anyhow, I
+heartily wished him out of the way, for there was no doubt whatever that
+Randolph Mannering was a much more attractive person than my
+insignificant self. His mere advantage in age counted for something; but
+I could have forgiven him that, had he not made use of the years to see
+so much and do so much, that he could not help appearing in the light of
+a hero to a girl who was just at the worshipping age. And he knew so
+well how to get the fullest value out of his experiences. He never
+paraded them, I must admit that much in his favour. He was far too
+clever. An anecdote here and there to illustrate some point in the
+conversation, a modest account of some thrilling adventure, in which he
+hardly ever mentioned the part he had personally played, produced a much
+greater effect than if he had gone about trumpeting the deeds he had
+done and the dangers he had survived.
+
+He had, too, the advantage of a much longer acquaintance with the
+Maitlands than myself. I learned from the Colonel that Mannering had
+been living in a house whose garden adjoined his own for a year before
+my arrival on the scene. His life, until the Colonel had recognized him
+as an acquaintance he had made at the house of a friend some years
+before, had been that of a recluse, the object of his retirement being
+to perfect some mechanical invention upon which he was engaged. He had
+soon developed into a friend of the family, and I had found him firmly
+installed as such when I made my appearance at St. Albans.
+
+Naturally then I was none too pleased that Winter had proposed to take
+him into our confidence, but I made no absolute objection.
+
+I sat smoking quietly while Winter told the story of our adventure. He
+listened most attentively.
+
+"It's a most extraordinary story," he remarked, when the narrative was
+concluded. "You are quite sure neither of you touched any of that
+port?"
+
+Winter turned one of his pockets inside out with an expressive gesture.
+
+"Wine may rob a man of his wits," he replied, "but it does not relieve
+him of fifty pounds in notes, six in gold, a watch and chain worth
+fifty, and a diamond which has been valued at a hundred."
+
+"The numbers of the notes should enable you to trace the thief," said
+Mannering, thoughtfully.
+
+Winter laughed. "The fact is, I am such a careless beggar. I always
+carry notes about with me, replenishing my case when necessary; and
+really I have nothing to tell me whether those notes I had in my
+possession were the last batch I had from the bank, or odd ones left
+over from previous consignments. They may have been in my case for
+months."
+
+"Both Winter and I could identify our watches," I hazarded.
+
+"Of course," replied Mannering, "if your Motor Pirate is fool enough to
+attempt to pawn them you may get the chance; but if he sells them to a
+receiver, they'll go straight into the melting pot."
+
+Winter lit a cigarette and Mannering turned to me. "What was the extent
+of your loss?"
+
+"Ten in gold, thirty in notes, and say thirty for my watch. My loss is
+comparatively light."
+
+"You know the numbers of your notes, I suppose?" he inquired, as he lit
+a cigarette in turn.
+
+"Yes," I replied, "I'm not quite so casual as Winter."
+
+"There's some clue for the police to work upon, then."
+
+"It might prove to be so, only Winter thinks we show up so badly in the
+whole affair that he won't hear of my giving information."
+
+"The fact is," said Winter, "Maitland slept soundly through the whole
+affair, and it wouldn't be sporting to give him away."
+
+"I see----" began Mannering.
+
+Winter deftly changed the subject. "What puzzles me," he said, "is the
+kind of motor the fellow employed to propel his car. I know of nothing
+at present on the market anything like so effective. I've seen 'em all."
+
+"Your loss doesn't seem to trouble you much, anyhow," commented
+Mannering.
+
+"I would willingly give a hundred times as much for a duplicate of that
+motor. I should be pretty sure to get my money back once I put it on the
+market."
+
+"If there's all that value in it, why should the owner go in for highway
+robbery?" I asked.
+
+"That's just what I fail to understand," said Winter. "From what I could
+see of it, our friend the Motor Pirate is possessed of an ideal car,
+graceful in shape, making no noise, running with a minimum of vibration
+and a maximum of speed. Why, there's a fortune in it."
+
+"Of course it is quite impossible that the motive power can be
+electricity?" remarked Mannering, gazing into the fire as if he could
+see a solution of the mystery therein.
+
+"Quite out of the question. Any one who has the slightest knowledge of
+motoring would know it to be impossible, even if the Pirate had devised
+a storage battery which would knock Edison's latest invention into a
+cocked hat. But supposing he had achieved the feat, remember that,
+according to the newspaper reports, he was at Plymouth yesterday at
+dusk, near Salisbury at eleven the same evening, and holding us up on
+the confines of St. Albans to night. He would be bound to get his
+batteries recharged somewhere and, with a car of such remarkable shape,
+how is he to do so without exciting remark? No; electricity is quite out
+or the question. I should be glad to think that the car was an electric
+one. His capture would only be a matter of a few hours."
+
+An indefinable expression, which might have been a smile, flitted across
+Mannering's face.
+
+"I hope, for all our sakes, his motor is an electric one," he said. "At
+all events it should not be difficult to track a car of so singular a
+shape. If it were built on the same lines as yours or mine, for
+instance, the owner might go anywhere without attracting attention."
+
+"Anyhow," I broke in, "until he is captured I'm going for a run every
+night with something that will shoot within easy reach. The next time I
+have the fortune to meet with him I hope I shall be in a position to get
+a bit of my own back."
+
+Again a smile appeared on Mannering's face as he exclaimed, "I almost
+feel inclined to follow your example. I have nearly forgotten how to
+use a pistol since I have resided in this law-ridden land."
+
+"Surely you won't expose your experimental car to the chance of being
+rammed by the Motor Pirate," remarked Winter, chaffingly.
+
+Mannering's car was a stock joke with us. It was a particularly
+cumbersome vehicle, with heaven only knows what type of body. It might
+have been capable of twenty miles an hour on the flat, but that would be
+the extreme limit of its powers. "You fellows," he had explained to us
+one day, "have taken to motoring for the fun of flying along the
+high-roads at an illegal speed. I have taken to it for a more
+utilitarian purpose. I have my own ideas about the motor of the future,
+and I am working them out down here. My old caravan is heavy, perhaps,
+but I want a heavy car. It's most useful for testing tyres, and that is
+one of the special points engaging my attention. Besides, in this car I
+am not tempted to get into trouble with the police. Twelve miles an hour
+is quite fast enough for all my purposes."
+
+Both Winter and myself had frequently asked him how he was progressing
+with his work, but as he had never returned us any but the vaguest of
+answers, nor ever invited us into the workshop which had once formed the
+stables of the house where he resided, we had thought that his story of
+being engaged in mechanical invention merely an excuse for getting rid
+of unpleasant visitors. I think we were both surprised when he answered
+Winter's chaff quite warmly.
+
+"I should not at all mind exposing my car to any risk if I could get the
+opportunity to examine the Motor Pirate's car. If the truth must be
+told, from what I have seen of his car, and what you have told me, I am
+rather inclined to think that whoever designed it has forestalled me in
+an idea which I had thought quite my own. I have long been working to
+produce a car which would run at least a hundred miles an hour without
+noise or perceptible vibration."
+
+"Couldn't you get it completed in a week?" interrupted Winter. "We might
+have a most exciting chase after our friend."
+
+Mannering shook his head. "I've been absolutely floored on one detail,
+and if that fellow has solved the problem----" Shrugging his shoulders,
+he rose and held out his hand to Winter. I followed his example.
+
+"I had no idea that you had anything so important on the stocks,"
+remarked Winter, as he accompanied us to the door.
+
+"Nor would you have done so until you saw the perfect machine on the
+road, if it had not been for my chagrin at seeing that car to-night. Of
+course I can count upon you both to say nothing of the matter."
+
+"On condition that you do not refer to our adventure again," said I,
+laughing.
+
+"Agreed," responded Mannering, as he smiled again.
+
+We both said good night to Winter, and in spite of our host's efforts to
+persuade us to stay for another peg, I followed Mannering out,
+declaring that I should never be able to face Mrs. Winter again if I
+kept him up any longer.
+
+I found Mannering standing at the gate, and I paused beside him to
+glance at the sky, across which one or two fleecy clouds were hurrying
+from the west. The moon, brilliant as earlier in the evening, now hung
+low down over the horizon. The breeze had freshened, and we could hear
+it whispering amongst the trees.
+
+"We shall not be long without rain. If the Pirate is still abroad he
+will leave tracks," said Mannering.
+
+The beauty of the night held so much of appeal to me that I felt annoyed
+at the current of my thoughts being turned back to the topic.
+
+I answered shortly. My companion took no notice of my petulance.
+
+"You have always thought I cared nothing for speed," he remarked, "but
+you were mistaken. I thought I would keep my desires in the background
+until I had succeeded in perfecting a car which I knew it would be
+impossible to outpace. I could not enter into competition with longer
+purses than my own, and if I had bought the fastest car in the market
+somebody else would have bought one faster. But to-night---- By Jove!
+How I envy that Motor Pirate. Imagine what the possession of that car
+means on a night like this, with the roads clear from John-o'-Groat's to
+Land's End. Fancy flying onwards at a speed none have ever attempted.
+Can you not see the road unwinding before you like a reel of white
+ribbon, hear the sweet musical drone of the wheels in your ears----" He
+stopped abruptly.
+
+He must have observed my natural amazement at the intensity of feeling
+which his speech displayed, for he observed in a lighter tone--
+
+"Not being Motor Pirates, however, the next best thing is, I suppose, to
+go to bed and dream that we are." He turned on his heel and strode away
+in one direction, while I went in the direction of my own home. But I
+was in no hurry to get there. The night was too delightful.
+
+In the few hours which had elapsed since we had sat down to dine, a
+change had come over the face of the land. I could feel the presence of
+Spring in the air, and all the youth in me awoke. The creatures of the
+earth felt it too. In the silence of the night I could hear the crackle
+of the buds as they cast off their winter coverings, hear the whisper of
+the grass, which the countryman declares is the sound of growing blades,
+hear the murmur of all animate things as they rose to welcome the
+Springtide. My own heart leapt up with a renewal of hope. I stood awhile
+outside Colonel Maitland's door, and breathed a prayer that it might be
+my fortune to protect the fair inmate of the house from all harm through
+life. I strolled slowly to my own door, but I did not enter. Moonbeams
+beget love-dreams when one is still in the twenties.
+
+Back again to the Colonel's house, back once more to my own. In all
+probability I should have continued my solitary sentry-go and my
+reverie until daybreak, had not my thoughts been sharply recalled to
+earth. On reaching my own doorway for the fifth or sixth time I had just
+turned, when I saw a black shadow on the road opposite the Maitlands'
+house. One glance was enough; it was the Motor Pirate again, and I began
+to count. "One--two--," the car passed me, "three--four;" it had
+vanished round a turning of the road in the direction of St. Albans.
+
+Even what I had already experienced of the Pirate had not prepared me
+for such an exhibition as this. What Mannering had said about the
+delight of flying along an open road at a hundred miles an hour recurred
+to me. I had not deemed it possible. But I paced the distance between
+the Colonel's house and the bend where the strange car had passed out of
+sight. The distance was just about two hundred yards, and it had been
+covered as near as possible in four seconds. The car must have been
+travelling just about a hundred miles an hour.
+
+I went straight indoors to bed. I am not ashamed to confess that I was
+not able to continue my dreams in comfort, while pacing the road, by the
+consideration of what would have happened to me had the Motor Pirate
+come along just two seconds before I happened to turn and see him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE COLONEL DREAMS, AND I AWAKEN
+
+
+I SLEPT until late the next morning. I have always been accustomed to a
+clear eight hours' sleep, and, as I did not get between the sheets until
+about four in the morning, I naturally did not awaken until mid-day. So
+what with my tub and the necessity for shaving, my early morning call
+upon the Colonel did not come off. I suppose, as a matter of fact, I sat
+down to breakfast just about the time when the gastronomic warrior was
+thinking of luncheon. However, when I saw how amply my expectation of a
+change in the weather had been fulfilled, I did not regret my lengthy
+sleep. From a sodden grey sky sheets of water were steadily pouring.
+There was not the slightest chance of any break in the clouds.
+Consequently I felt assured of finding Miss Maitland at home if I made
+my call in the afternoon, and since her father oftentimes thought it
+expedient to take a little repose after luncheon in order to prepare
+himself for the fatigue of dining, it was possible that I might even be
+fortunate enough to secure a _tete-a-tete_ with her.
+
+I came to my breakfast, therefore, with as good a spirit as appetite,
+neither being in the slightest degree affected by the memory of the easy
+way in which I had been plundered by the Motor Pirate. Of course I felt
+a certain chagrin. Still, I could contemplate the adventure with a
+considerable deal more equanimity than I had managed to display the
+night before, though I found that my curiosity concerning him had, if
+anything, increased. I turned with eagerness to the morning papers to
+see whether they could add to my knowledge concerning him.
+
+As every one is aware, all the papers on the morning of the first of
+April that year devoted columns to his exploits. If I remember aright,
+the country was at that time engaged upon two of our usual minor wars,
+Parliament was in the midst of an important debate upon the second
+reading of a measure to secure an extension of the franchise, and a
+divorce case of more than common interest was engaging the attention of
+the leading legal lights of the law courts. But all these things
+received but the scantiest notice. The war news was relegated to the
+inside pages, the Parliamentary intelligence cut down to the barest
+summary, the _cause celebre_ dismissed with such a paragraph as
+ordinarily serves to chronicle an unimportant police court case. The
+Motor Pirate had nearly a monopoly of the space at the editorial
+disposal. There was column after column about him. The Plymouth robbery
+was reported in as great detail as the Compton Chamberlain affair, while
+there were particulars of two similar outrages committed at points
+between these two places.
+
+On running my eye over the reports I saw that they added nothing to what
+I already knew, and I wasted no time in reading the leaders on the
+subject. I was, however, extremely interested to find from one paper
+that Winter and I had not been the only victims of the scoundrel's
+rapacity on the previous evening, for a brief telegram reported a
+similar occurrence a few miles from Oxford on the London road. I at once
+sent my man to purchase any of the early editions of the evening papers
+which might have reached St. Albans, in the hope that they might contain
+further particulars of these operations.
+
+I had finished my breakfast, and was enjoying a cigarette in my library,
+when he returned. I took the papers from him, and the first glance at
+one of them made me gasp with amazement. The news which startled me was
+all in one line--"Five more cars held up by the Motor Pirate."
+
+I am not going into details concerning these. If you have a desire to
+refresh your memory all you have to do is to turn to any newspaper of
+the date I have named and you will be able to get them _ad nauseam_. But
+I will venture to give a list of the places where and the times at which
+the outrages took place, for I made a list of them in the hope that, by
+carefully studying it with the map, I might get some idea as to where he
+might next be expected to make his appearance.
+
+I found that at five minutes past nine he stopped a car some four miles
+from Oxford. Twenty minutes later he was robbing a lonely motorist
+midway between Thame and Aylesbury. Then for forty minutes he appeared
+to have been idle, his next two exploits taking place within five
+minutes of each other, just after ten, in the neighbourhood of Amersham.
+King's Langley was the scene of his next adventure, the time given being
+about a quarter of an hour before he had overtaken us. In addition to
+the particulars of these robberies there were a host of reports from
+people who had seen the Pirate car pass them on the road. But there was
+one notable omission from the latter list. Not from a single town was
+there any record of the Pirate having been seen passing through it.
+
+I got a map of the district, and, after studying the country carefully,
+I was fain to confess that one of two things was certain: either the
+Motor Pirate had the power to make his car invisible at will, or else he
+had a truly phenomenal knowledge of the bye-roads. How he had even
+managed to get to Oxford, after his exploits in the West of England,
+without arrest, puzzled me. The car was so unique in shape that it
+seemed bound to excite observation. It could not have been put up at any
+hotel, any more than it could have been run through the country by
+daylight, without exciting remark and its presence being chronicled.
+What, then, had he done with it? The more I pondered the question the
+more puzzled I became, and at the same time the more determined to seek
+a solution of the mystery. But how? I made a dozen plans, all of which,
+upon consideration, appeared so futile, that I gave up the game in
+despair, and decided to see if my brain would not become clearer after I
+had paid my promised visit to Colonel Maitland.
+
+I did not find Miss Maitland alone, as I expected, or I might probably
+have been tempted to confide my experience to her, and to have asked the
+assistance of her woman's wit in putting me on the track of a solution
+to the mystery. Mannering was with her. When I made my appearance in the
+drawing-room, and found him enjoying a _tete-a-tete_, I cursed myself
+for delaying my call and thus giving him such an opportunity. My temper
+was not improved either by the discovery that they were sufficiently
+engrossed in conversation to have been able very well to dispense with
+my presence. I did not feel called upon to leave Mannering a clear
+field, however, so I joined in the discussion, and tried my hardest to
+be pleasant.
+
+Of course, there was only one possible topic of conversation, the theme
+which was uttermost in every one's mind throughout the length and
+breadth of the land. It was a difficult subject for me to discuss, and
+in a measure it was a difficult subject for Mannering, inasmuch as it
+was hard to refrain from reference to the personal experience we had had
+with the Motor Pirate. It became increasingly difficult, when a few
+minutes after my arrival Colonel Maitland joined us.
+
+"It was lucky for him he did not meet us, hey, Sutgrove?" said the
+Colonel. "You, Winter, and myself, would soon settle a Motor Pirate,
+wouldn't we?"
+
+I muttered something which would pass for an assent, while Mannering
+shot an amused smile in my direction.
+
+"I wonder though we saw nothing of him," continued Maitland; "he must
+have been very near us last night."
+
+"He seems to have been everywhere," I answered.
+
+"He has the ubiquity of a De Wet," said Mannering.
+
+"I hope I shall have a chance of meeting him sometime," I continued
+grimly.
+
+Colonel Maitland chuckled. "Heavens! What a fire-eater you are,
+Sutgrove. One might almost take you for a sub in a cavalry regiment."
+
+I made no answer, and Miss Maitland remarked--"I think that is very
+unkind of you. You spoke of the Motor Pirate as if you owed him a
+grudge. I think we all ought to be supremely thankful to him for having
+made the wettest day we have had this year pass quite pleasantly."
+
+Bear him a grudge? I should think I did, but at the same time, I had no
+intention of confessing the reason, so I said--
+
+"Then we'll drink long life and prosperity to him the next time we have
+a bottle of that same port your father approved so highly last night."
+Then I turned to the Colonel, and made a clumsy attempt to turn the
+subject of conversation. "Is your verdict upon my restaurant equally
+favourable to-day, sir?"
+
+Colonel Maitland's eyes twinkled. "I have nothing to regret. As for the
+port with which we finished, it seems to me the sort of stuff dreams are
+made of. Do you know that the glass I drank--was it one glass or
+two?--gave me the most vivid dream I have enjoyed since my childhood?"
+
+"Indeed! Let's hear it, Colonel," I replied.
+
+"Do tell us," said his daughter, as she rose from her seat, and put her
+arms coaxingly round her father's neck. "Do tell us like a real, good,
+kind, old-fashioned parent."
+
+The Colonel passed his hand lovingly over his daughter's sunny hair.
+
+"Sutgrove and Mannering don't want to hear about an old fellow's silly
+dreams," he said. "Besides, it was all about the Motor Pirate, and I can
+see that Sutgrove for one is quite sick of the subject."
+
+I was, and I wasn't, but I speedily declared that I was not when I saw
+that his daughter was bent upon hearing the story. So he started upon a
+prosy description as to how the fresh air had sent him to sleep, not
+saying a word about the port, and I ceased to listen to him, preferring
+to devote the whole of my attention to his daughter, who had seated
+herself upon a footstool at his feet, and was looking up into his face
+with a pretty affectionate glance in her deep blue eyes, enough to set
+any one longing to be the recipient of similar regard. Her form,
+attitude, expression, all made so deep an impression upon me, that I
+have only to close my eyes at any time to see her just as she was
+then--the little witch! She knew full well how to make the most of her
+attractions, and though she has often declared since to me that the pose
+was quite unpremeditated, I could never quite believe her.
+
+However that may be, I was so fascinated in watching her--there was one
+stray curl which lay like a strand of woven gold upon her brow. Confound
+it! It's all very well for the fellow who writes fiction for a living to
+write about people's emotions. He is cold himself. If he were like me,
+and wished to describe his own feelings, he might find himself in the
+same difficulty as myself, and give up the attempt.
+
+The Colonel's voice droned on. Suddenly I awoke to the consciousness
+that he was speaking of me. I think it was the fact of his daughter
+looking at me which recalled me to attention.
+
+"Sutgrove had just looked back to see if I was comfortable, when he saw
+another car on the road behind us. We had not long passed through
+Radlett. You know the straight stretch of road just past the new Dutch
+barn on the left----"
+
+My attention did not wander any more, and you may imagine my
+astonishment at hearing the Colonel describe in minute detail everything
+which had befallen us upon the previous evening. He could tell a story
+when he liked, and on this occasion his description of the shamefaced
+manner in which Winter had scrambled out of his car, and had handed over
+his valuables to the Motor Pirate, was so ludicrous that I was
+compelled to laugh at the description. When my turn came to be
+described, Miss Maitland and Mannering were just as much amused, but I
+am afraid that my attempt to participate in their mirth was rather
+forced.
+
+When the story was done, Miss Maitland rose from her seat at her
+father's feet, and, putting a hand on each of his shoulders--
+
+"You dear, delightful old fibber!" she remarked. "I don't believe you
+dreamed that at all. You couldn't." Then she wheeled round on me. "Now
+tell me, Mr. Sutgrove, didn't that dream of father's really happen to
+you last night?"
+
+What course was open to me but confession? I admitted the truth of the
+story, and the Colonel was so choked with merriment, that I feared lest
+he should be stricken with apoplexy.
+
+"The cream of the joke," he explained, when he recovered his powers of
+speech, "was that neither Winter nor Sutgrove had the slightest idea
+that I was foxing. I intended to inform them directly we were clear of
+the Pirate; but when I heard them discussing the matter, and determining
+to keep silence out of tenderness for my reputation, I could not resist
+keeping up the joke."
+
+"I should think it was their own reputations they were thinking about,"
+said his daughter. "To submit so tamely to one man is not a very heroic
+proceeding."
+
+I heard Mannering chuckle, and I felt mad. But I fancy it was not
+Mannering's amusement, but my own consciousness of the truth of the
+criticism that galled.
+
+Colonel Maitland came to my rescue. "I thought they were very sensible,"
+he said. "Even a cripple with a gun is better than six sound Tommies
+unarmed."
+
+"Sensible--yes," she replied scornfully. "But there are times when one
+prefers a little less sense, and a little more--shall we say action. I
+am sure you would not have obeyed so tamely?" she continued, turning to
+Mannering.
+
+He smiled, and I felt as if it would give me exquisite pleasure to catch
+him by the throat, and twist the smile out of his dark, handsome face.
+
+"Really, Miss Maitland," he replied, "you flatter me. You should not be
+too hard on Sutgrove. I am sure that it was only the full comprehension
+of his own helplessness which prevented him making a fight of it. What
+could he have done?"
+
+"Oh, a man should always know what to do!" she answered petulantly. "Has
+any one ever tried to hold you up?"
+
+"Well, yes," he answered. "Once when I was out in the west of the
+States, some of the regulation bands tried the game on a train in which
+I was travelling. But then, you see, the conductor in the railway-car in
+which I happened to be seated had a six-shooter. So had I. The other
+passengers got as near the floor as they possibly could when the
+shooting began. I was in pretty good practice in those days, don't you
+know, so the other chaps didn't get much of a look in. We took the four
+they left behind them when they bolted on to the next station with us.
+Three of them were buried there, if I remember aright."
+
+"There," said Miss Maitland, with an unmistakable look of admiration in
+her eyes; "I knew you were different."
+
+"But then I was armed. If I had not been, I should have been on the
+floor with the other passengers."
+
+In reply she merely gave him one glance. Mannering returned it with one
+equally eloquent. I rose, and stalked to the window. To me Mannering's
+championship was an aggravation which I could not bear. Harder still was
+it for me to observe the understanding which obviously existed between
+him and Miss Maitland. Hitherto I had imagined that I had as good a
+chance of winning her love as he had. But at this moment I felt that my
+hopes had been shattered.
+
+I think if I had remained a moment longer in the room, I should have
+been unable to restrain an impulse to knock some of the self-sufficiency
+out of my rival. I left.
+
+Colonel Maitland followed me out, and I heard him ask me to dine with
+him on the following day to wipe off the score he owed me.
+
+Without thinking, I accepted. Then I went out into the rain.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+I AM ARRESTED
+
+
+AS I went away from the Maitlands' house I looked neither to the right
+hand nor to the left. Where I went, whether I trudged along the high
+road or tramped across country, I have not to-day the slightest idea. I
+was so enveloped in my own misery, that I was absolutely blind to all
+external objects. I could think of nothing but my dead hopes. So onward
+I went, stumbling and splashing through the mud, cursing Mannering,
+cursing the Motor Pirate, above all cursing myself for my own
+pusillanimity. Why had I listened to Winter? Why should I have allowed
+myself to be persuaded to play the part of coward, merely that Winter's
+car should have been saved from injury?
+
+For a long while my thoughts were as aimless as my progress, but
+gradually out of the incoherence one idea crystallized. It was not an
+idea to be proud of. My bitterness of heart produced the natural result,
+that was all--a burning desire to be revenged upon somebody. I
+contemplated revenging myself upon everybody who had anything to do with
+my discomfiture, upon Mannering, upon Colonel Maitland, upon the Motor
+Pirate. Finally my choice settled upon the person of the Pirate as the
+most suitable object; for, next to myself, he was primarily responsible
+for my having made so contemptible a figure.
+
+Of course the decision was absurd. Decisions that are the outcome of any
+strong emotion usually are. But it fulfilled a useful purpose. It gave
+my mind something else to feed upon than contemplation of my own
+unhappiness. It brought me to myself.
+
+To-day I can laugh when I recall the childishness of my actions, the
+outcome of the unreasoned promptings of my puerile jealousy. For when I
+came to the conclusion to avenge my sufferings upon the Motor Pirate, I
+suddenly became aware that it was pitch dark; that I was in the middle
+of a field; that I was soaked to the skin; that the rain was still
+falling heavily; and that I had not the slightest idea where I was.
+However, I added one more to the acts of folly I committed that day: I
+solemnly held up my hands to the dripping heavens and registered my vow
+of revenge. Then I pushed on again, but with my physical faculties on
+the alert to discover where I was.
+
+I began, too, to feel the discomfort of my position, and became sensible
+of a sneaking wish to be before a comfortable fire. I crossed two or
+three fields, and eventually coming to a road I followed it, and, after
+paddling through the mud half a mile further, I struck a village, and in
+the village an inn.
+
+When I opened the door and walked into the cheerful lamplight of the
+bar-parlour, the half-dozen occupants of the cosy little room stared at
+me with astonishment. Well they might. I caught a glimpse of my
+reflection in the glass behind the bottles--if you have ever seen a
+corpse fished up by the drags from a river bed, you will be able to form
+some idea of the appearance I presented--so that I did not resent their
+stare. In fact, I was not in a condition to be able to pay much
+attention to the curious glances of the villagers. The warmth of the
+room together with the sudden cessation of exertion were for the moment
+too much for me, and it was as much as I could do to stagger to the
+nearest chair.
+
+Fortunately the landlord was a man with some modicum of common sense. I
+am quite sure that I should have been unceremoniously ejected from nine
+public houses out of ten. But mine host of the White Horse--I learned
+afterwards that he had been whip to a well-known hunt in the West
+country--was able to distinguish between fatigue and drunkenness, and he
+came at once to my assistance. I heard him speak to me, but I was
+totally unable to respond. For a while indeed I must have verged upon
+unconsciousness, for the next thing of which I became aware was of a
+glass at my lips containing something sweet and strong.
+
+I sipped. Then I drank. My consciousness returned. In a couple of
+minutes I could sit upright. The landlord was beaming at me with
+benevolent interest.
+
+"Take another sup, sir," he said. "There's nothing like maraschino and
+gin when one is a bit overwrought. I've known many a gentleman in my
+part of the country who would take nothing else, after a hard day to
+hounds, to brace him up for those long ten miles home."
+
+I took another sup, and a good one. Then my powers of speech returning,
+I asked where I was. I found I had not wandered nearly so far as I
+expected. I was barely six miles from my home--at King's Langley; but
+this fact was no criterion of the distance I must have traversed in my
+mad frenzy, for I saw by the clock that the hour was ten. It was about
+five when I left Colonel Maitland's house, so that I had been pressing
+onward for five hours in as wild a night as any on which I have ever
+been abroad.
+
+I leaned back in my chair with the object of resting a few minutes
+before starting homewards. But, whether owing to the spirit I had
+swallowed, or to the heavy exertion I had undergone, or merely because
+of my intense mental fatigue, I felt drowsiness overcoming me so rapidly
+that I perceived it would never do for me to give way to it. Pulling
+myself together I rose to my feet, at the same time thrusting my hand
+into my pocket for the money to pay for my drink. The mere act of
+rising, however, was almost too much for me. My body felt as stiff as if
+I had been beaten all over. Only to move was absolute physical pain. I
+looked at the landlord.
+
+"I'm afraid I am more knocked up than I thought. Can you manage a hot
+bath and a bed for me to-night?" I asked.
+
+He glanced at me curiously, and, after a moment's consideration, he
+replied--
+
+"I'll see what the missus'll say."
+
+Luckily "the missus" said "Yes," so ten minutes later I was sluicing hot
+water over my aching limbs with a stable sponge in the bath which, I
+suspect, did duty on ordinary occasions for the family washing. Whatever
+it was, it did excellently well for my purpose. Gradually a delicious
+feeling of relaxation stole over me. I tumbled between the sheets and
+was asleep even before my host entered my room to take away my soaked
+clothing to be dried.
+
+My sleep might have lasted one second. In point of fact I slept until
+nine o'clock the next morning, and should have continued to sleep if I
+had not felt a hand on my arm shaking me, and heard a voice bidding me
+arise. Fancying I was at home, and that my man was calling me, I said,
+"All right, Wilson," and turned over for another snooze.
+
+"Now then, get up out of that!" said the voice. "None of your shamming!
+We are not to be put off that way."
+
+It was not Wilson's voice. Wondering what was happening, I sat up in bed
+and rubbed my eyes sleepily.
+
+"What the deuce----!" I began. Then I stopped suddenly. A couple of
+constables in uniform stood at the bedside, and I gathered that it was
+the voice of the sergeant which had so rudely disturbed my slumbers.
+
+"What do you want?" I demanded.
+
+"You know well enough," replied the sergeant. "You make haste and dress
+yourself and come along with us."
+
+I thought my senses had deserted me.
+
+"What in the name of good fortune for?" I asked.
+
+"You're not going to kid us, my good feller," he answered. Adding
+facetiously, "If we puts a name to it and calls it piracy on the 'igh
+road, I wonder what you'll 'ave to say to it, remembering, of course,
+that anything you do say will be taken down and used in evidence against
+you."
+
+Then all that had happened flashed across my mind; my strange appearance
+and arrival at the inn; my peculiar manner; my possession of plenty of
+money; the curious glances of the village folk; the fact that somewhere
+in the vicinity the Motor Pirate had last been seen. Under the
+circumstances, nothing could be more likely than that the bucolic
+intelligence should jump to the conclusion that I was the famous
+criminal. To me, however, the idea seemed so absurd that I fell into
+hearty laughter. My merriment seemed to annoy the sergeant, for he
+declared crossly that if I did not dress quickly, he would find himself
+under the necessity of taking me away as I was.
+
+I thought it expedient to temporize, and as a result of a little
+diplomacy, in which one of the coins from my pocket found another
+resting-place, I obtained permission to breakfast before I left.
+
+I made a hearty meal, the landlord attending upon my wants. I was glad
+to see that he, at least, had no hand in thrusting upon me the indignity
+of being arrested. He explained as much, telling my captors they were
+making idiots of themselves. As he seemed trustworthy, I gave him
+Winter's address, with instructions to wire to him, telling him of my
+predicament, and asking him to come to my assistance.
+
+Necessarily I gave the instructions in the presence of the policemen,
+and directly I had done so I could see that their cocksureness was
+shaken. They became more polite in their attitude, and the sergeant took
+the trouble to explain that he was acting under instructions, and had no
+option but to insist upon my accompanying him to Watford.
+
+Into Watford I went accordingly. I am not going to dwell in any detail
+upon the incidents of the journey; I am naturally of a retiring
+disposition, and every circumstance attending my progress was in the
+nature of an outrage upon my diffidence. For instance, upon my departure
+from the inn, the whole of the population from King's Langley, so far as
+I could judge, had gathered about the door of the White Horse to give me
+a send-off. The crowd was in no sense a hostile one. The majority of its
+component parts, especially the more youthful units, seemed indeed to
+view me with admiration not unmixed with envy. Only one yokel expressed
+disbelief in my identity.
+
+"Ee ain't no pirut," he declared with unconcealed disdain, as he spat
+into the gutter. "Anybody can see he's only a toff."
+
+I scarcely knew whether to be pleased with his conclusion or angry that
+he should find my personal appearance so unimpressive; and before I
+could make up my mind on the subject, I was seated in the trap provided
+for us and driven away seated between the two constables.
+
+Our entry into Watford was still more in the nature of a triumph. Long
+before we reached the county police office I was wild enough, at being
+made such an exhibition of, to have given ten years of my life for the
+chance of punching the head of any one of the throng of gaping
+onlookers. Then, as a culminating blow to my pride, who should we meet
+at a point in the High Street where it was impossible to avoid
+recognition, but my rival Mannering in his trumpery old motor-car,
+accompanied by--above all persons in the world, the one I least desired
+to see--Miss Maitland.
+
+I ground my teeth with rage, and as I alighted and followed the sergeant
+into the police station, I wished that I were the Motor Pirate in
+reality.
+
+When I reached the presence of the officer in charge of the station I
+just managed to control my temper, though I fancy there must have been
+traces of my rage still visible in my voice as I demanded to know why a
+peaceable citizen should be subjected to such ignominy.
+
+The inspector in reply merely asked me for my name and address.
+
+Before meeting Miss Maitland I had cherished the hope that my identity
+would not be disclosed, but now I had no further reason for desiring to
+conceal it, I gave both at once.
+
+The inspector quietly made a note of them, while another man in plain
+clothes, who was standing gazing out of the window, suddenly turned on
+me with the inquiry--
+
+"How comes it, Mr. Sutgrove, that living at St. Albans you should choose
+to spend the night at a little inn at King's Langley?"
+
+"I suppose I am at liberty to sleep where I like?" I retorted.
+
+"Perfectly so," replied the stranger. "You will have no difficulty, I
+presume, in proving your identity?"
+
+"Not the slightest," I said. "In fact I have already wired to a friend
+of mine--Mr. Winter, of Hailscombe, St. Albans--to come here for the
+purpose."
+
+"I know Mr. Winter very well," said the inspector.
+
+The stranger looked at me keenly, and when his scrutiny was completed he
+fell to whistling a bar of Chopin's _Marche Funebre_. Then he turned to
+his colleague in uniform.
+
+"It's no go," he said. "This is not our man." Again he turned to me. "I
+am Inspector Forrest of Scotland Yard, detailed for special duty in
+connection with this Motor Pirate affair. Unfortunately I did not reach
+Watford until after arrangements had been made to bring you here, or----
+I hope you will not take it amiss if we detain you until Mr. Winter's
+arrival."
+
+This gave me the opening I had been wishing for, and I took it. I said a
+lot more than I can recall now, though I can remember a good deal. Most
+of it was to the effect that I would make somebody pay dearly for the
+annoyance to which I had been subjected.
+
+Inspector Forrest listened patiently to me until I had finished.
+
+"Come, come, Mr. Sutgrove!" he said then. "You must not bear any malice.
+Surely you must admit that appearances were not altogether in your
+favour," and he detailed to me the information which had led to my
+arrest. "You see," he said in conclusion, "that practically we had no
+option in the matter."
+
+I dissented from his view. He said a word to the inspector in uniform,
+who left us alone in the room. Then he came close to me and remarked in
+a confidential tone.
+
+"The fact is, our friend, who has just left us, has been too
+precipitate. You can make things exceedingly unpleasant for him if you
+like; but frankly, is it worth while? Think it over a little, bearing in
+mind that if we are to get hold of the Motor Pirate, we must take the
+chance of capturing the wrong man, since there is no description of him
+obtainable. You will not be the only one, I'll swear."
+
+Since I had relieved my mind I felt better. Besides I was rather
+attracted by the personality of the man who was speaking to me. He did
+not at all fulfil my idea of a detective. He was a tall, slight, stiffly
+built man, with a pleasant open face and an agreeable manner. I saw,
+too, that I had only my own folly to blame for the predicament in which
+I now found myself.
+
+In another ten minutes he was smoking one of my cigars and we were
+chatting confidentially. Before twenty had elapsed, I had confided to
+him not only Winter's and my own experience with the Motor Pirate, but
+also the chain of events which had led to my spending the night at the
+inn. He was exceedingly sympathetic and quite grave throughout, though
+he appeared more interested in the encounter with the Pirate than in the
+account of my mental tortures. However, when I told him of my vow, he
+brightened up and asked me if I was still determined to keep it.
+
+I had just assured him that I would willingly spend the rest of my life
+in the quest, when the other inspector entered the room and with him
+Winter. The latter came straight across to me and held out his hand, and
+never in my life was I so glad to see his honest face and beaming smile.
+
+"What have you been up to now, Sutgrove?" he remarked. "Not emulating
+the deeds of the Motor Pirate?"
+
+"The police have somehow arrived at the conclusion that I am that
+distinguished person himself," I replied ruefully.
+
+He roared with laughter. It was infectious. There was no help for it.
+The two inspectors joined in the merriment, and the last of my anger was
+borne away on the flood.
+
+There was of course no question of my further detention. In a few
+minutes I was seated beside Winter in his car, and we were making the
+mud fly as we dashed towards St. Albans.
+
+Inspector Forrest accompanied us. I had promised to find him some lunch
+if he would do so, and to drive him back afterwards, and he was glad of
+the opportunity of obtaining from us such particulars as we could
+furnish him with concerning the person of whom he was in search.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+I MAKE FRIENDS WITH INSPECTOR FORREST, C.I.D.
+
+
+"THE telegraph," said Inspector Forrest, sententiously "is even more
+speedy than the Motor Pirate."
+
+"Unless you want to send a message from Regent Street to the City," I
+remarked; "in which case one would save time by employing a sloth as
+messenger."
+
+The inspector waved aside the objection as frivolous. He occupied an
+easy chair opposite me; he was smoking one of my best cigars with every
+sign of active enjoyment; he sipped his glass of claret--he rarely
+touched anything stronger, he informed me--with the air of a
+connoisseur.
+
+"We shall beat him with the telegraph," said he. "Clearly he has one
+retreat where he can put up his car in safety. Probably he has more than
+one. It is not impossible for him to have several. There might even be a
+number of Motor Pirates, members of the same gang, but selecting
+different parts of the country upon which to prey. The telegraph will
+soon settle these points for us. When next he makes his appearance we
+shall be able to keep watch upon him, to note, if not the exact spot,
+at least in what part of the country he makes his appearance. Even if it
+should be found impossible to arrest him in his progress, he is bound to
+leave some traces behind him which will enable us to get upon his
+track."
+
+"He does not seem to have left many behind him at present," I replied.
+
+"No," said the inspector thoughtfully, as he rose and examined the map
+spread out upon the table. "Yet there are certainly grounds for
+believing that he has gone to earth somewhere in this neighbourhood. The
+Hertfordshire police may have been nearer the mark than you thought when
+they arrested you."
+
+"You don't mean to say that you still suspect me?" I cried.
+
+"Not for one instant," he answered promptly. "The meaning I meant to
+convey was that, quite unknown to you, the Motor Pirate may very well be
+your near neighbour. I suppose there is no one residing near whom you
+would consider a likely object of suspicion?"
+
+There flashed across my mind the strange similarity between Mannering's
+voice and the Motor Pirate's. But the notion was so absurd I was ashamed
+to mention it. I assured the inspector I knew of no one.
+
+"At all events, my belief is strong enough to keep me in this district
+until I hear something further," he declared, as he finished the
+contents of his glass and glanced at his watch.
+
+Just then I caught sight of Mannering coming up the path through the
+garden towards my front door.
+
+"You had better stay a little longer," I said to the inspector. "Here is
+another man coming who may be able to give you some more details of the
+Pirate. He has seen him, and as he has been a longer resident here than
+myself, he may be able to tell you more about the people round than I
+can."
+
+"A motorist?" he asked.
+
+"Yes, named Mannering," I replied. "He is the man I told you about, whom
+I consider to be my rival, you know."
+
+The inspector's eyes twinkled. "I shouldn't let him drive me into any
+more adventures like last night's, Mr. Sutgrove," he advised. "If you
+were ten years older--my age, you know--you wouldn't need the warning, A
+bout of rheumatic fever would be small consolation for the loss of the
+lady."
+
+I could not reply, for at that moment Mannering entered.
+
+"Glad to see you home again, Sutgrove," he said heartily. "I'm not the
+only one either. Miss Maitland asked me to call, for after seeing you in
+such bad company this morning---- Hullo! I beg your pardon, I thought
+you were alone." He stopped suddenly on catching sight of Inspector
+Forrest.
+
+I introduced my guest and Mannering acknowledged the introduction
+easily.
+
+"Inspector Forrest will assure you that I have only been unfortunate
+enough to have been the object of our local constabulary's misplaced
+zeal. They took me for our mutual friend the Motor Pirate."
+
+"Did they though? What an almighty spoof!" said Mannering. "First time I
+ever heard of a man being run in for robbing himself on the high-road.
+Beats Gilbert!"
+
+"Mr. Sutgrove did not see the point of the joke at first," said the
+inspector. I saw that as he spoke he was taking note of Mannering in
+much the same way as he had taken stock of me at the police office.
+
+Mannering appeared to be quite unconscious of his regard, for he
+replied--
+
+"Don't suppose I should have relished such a mistake myself. Anyway," he
+continued, turning to me, "you have the consolation of knowing that you
+are not the only victim of police enterprise. I see from the papers
+quite half a dozen motor pirates have been run in. They may have the
+real one amongst them; but as his car has so far escaped capture, I
+doubt it."
+
+"So do I," I remarked. "And for the additional reason that I have a sort
+of presentiment that when his capture is brought about, I am going to
+have a hand in it."
+
+"What do you say to that, Inspector?" he answered. "Are you going to
+leave the job to amateurs?"
+
+"I never said 'no' to the offer of assistance in running down a
+criminal," was the reply.
+
+"I have sworn," I remarked obstinately, "that I will not rest until he
+is safe under lock and key."
+
+"You had better be prepared," answered Mannering. "I should judge him to
+be a bit of a fighter."
+
+"Next time I meet him, I'll take all risks to come to close quarters," I
+continued.
+
+"You haven't a car to do a hundred miles an hour, have you?" he said in
+a bantering voice.
+
+"My plan is a simple one. I merely propose to go out for night rides
+until he finds me," I said.
+
+"I had some thoughts of amusing myself in the same way," he answered.
+"But, judging from your experience this morning, the only thing likely
+to happen is being arrested on suspicion."
+
+"I'll take my chance of that," I said. "But before discussing the
+matter, perhaps you could tell Inspector Forrest whether there's any
+spot in this neighbourhood likely to serve as a hiding-place for the
+Pirate's car?"
+
+A smile lit up Mannering's face. "There's the old coach-house at the
+bottom of the paddock next to my cottage. It has a door opening on to
+the main road. There would be room, too, in my stables, if I had not
+fitted them up as workshops for my tyre experiments."
+
+"Stop rotting," I said, "the inspector really means it."
+
+He became grave instantly. "Sorry I can't suggest a likely spot," he
+said, and then for a few minutes he answered the questions the detective
+put to him as to what he had seen of the Pirate.
+
+He could give little information of any value, and when Inspector
+Forrest had elicited all that he could, he thanked Mannering and rose to
+depart. I accompanied him to the garden gate. He appeared a little loth
+to leave me. Twice he turned away and returned to make some objectless
+remark to me. The third time he blurted out--
+
+"About that suggestion of yours--taking night rides on the chance of
+being held up----"
+
+"Yes?" I said and waited.
+
+"I wish I had a good fast car at my disposal," he continued earnestly;
+"but the Yard would never run to it."
+
+I felt a pleasant thrill run through me. It would be good to have his
+companionship and assistance in working out my self-imposed vow.
+
+"If you can make use of it, I will see that the best car money can buy
+is placed at your disposal," I replied eagerly.
+
+He took my hand and shook it warmly. "I'll see what my chief says," he
+replied. "When can I see you again?"
+
+"I shall be leaving here at eight and returning well--between ten and
+eleven."
+
+"Expect me about midnight," he said, and without another word or
+backward glance he stepped out in the direction of St. Albans.
+
+I returned to Mannering, who did not, however, favour me with a very
+lengthy visit. Possibly he found my manner rather cool, but the fact
+was, that try as I would to curb my feelings, I could not but resent
+something of an air of proprietorship which I thought appeared in his
+tone when referring to Miss Maitland.
+
+When he had departed, I got out all the catalogues of motor-cars I could
+lay my hands upon, and studied them until it was time to dress for
+dinner. Several times I thought of breaking the appointment, for I knew
+I should have to give some explanation of my arrest, and how to do so
+without appearing an egregious ass I did not know. Finally I determined,
+if the opportunity were afforded me, to tell the exact truth, at least
+to the only person whose opinion I cared about.
+
+I was glad afterwards that I had not sent my excuses, for I was lucky
+enough to find Miss Maitland alone in the drawing-room when I arrived.
+It seemed, too, as if she had determined to make amends for the mental
+torture she had unwittingly caused me the previous evening. So it
+happened that when she questioned me as to how I managed to get into
+such a predicament, I told her as clearly as I could of the state of my
+feelings. It was a blundering, halting statement I made, of that I am
+certain, and before I had completed it Colonel Maitland's entry closed
+my mouth. But I think she understood, for there was a little flush on
+her cheek when we went into dinner which had not been there when I
+greeted her, and a pretty air of seriousness in the glances she bestowed
+upon me, which I had never noticed before.
+
+As far as the Colonel was concerned, he did not worry me for any
+explanations. He was bent on enlarging my knowledge of gastronomy, and
+having a new cook, he was much too deeply interested in the _menu_ to
+spare any thoughts for my erratic movements. I am afraid, though, his
+teaching was wasted on me; for while I managed to reply to his
+conversation, I had not the slightest idea what I was eating. My
+principal longing was to get the meal over in order that I might finish
+the conversation which had opened so auspiciously. The opportunity was
+not afforded me on that occasion, however, but the evening did not pass
+without my obtaining a glimmering of hope.
+
+When Miss Maitland rose I asked her, in a voice which was low enough not
+to reach her father's ear, whether she would answer me one question.
+
+"What is it?" she said, and her face flushed a little as she came to the
+door.
+
+"Is there any one else?" I asked, my hand on the knob.
+
+"What right have you to ask?" she answered.
+
+"No right, I only ask it of your mercy," I replied.
+
+She hesitated, then with flushed cheeks and a soft whispered "No one,"
+she escaped through the door.
+
+Over the port I took my new-found courage in both hands, and asked the
+Colonel's consent to my suit. I gained it. He even expressed the hope
+that I should succeed, but he warned me at the same time that I must not
+depend upon him for any assistance. He declared himself to be clay in
+the hands of his daughter.
+
+"Evie always had her own way from the cradle," he declared, "and always
+will have her own way. If I were to say that I thought you would make
+her a good husband, I'm not sure whether she would not consider it a
+sufficient excuse to accept Mannering straight away. Personally I should
+much prefer you, but there's no counting on a woman's tastes, either in
+men or wines. And Evie is a perfect woman, God bless her!"
+
+I drained my glass to the toast and made an excuse to get away to the
+drawing-room. But I did not see her alone again that evening. Winter and
+his wife had walked over. Mannering did not put in an appearance, and
+his absence was something to be thankful for; and when I held her hand
+in mine as I bade her good night, I said--
+
+"You have told me there is no one else. Is there any hope for me?"
+
+She made no pretence of misunderstanding my meaning. She looked at me
+saucily, her lips parted lightly, her eyes brimming with laughter.
+
+"Come and ask me when--when you have caught the Motor Pirate," she said,
+and with that answer I was fain to be content.
+
+Thus it happened that I found myself fully committed to the work which
+was at that time engaging the attention of the whole of the police
+throughout the land. I welcomed the task. Luck might be on my side,
+especially if my new friend the detective inspector's assistance proved
+to be available.
+
+And as regards assurance on this point, I had not long to wait before my
+mind was at ease. I found him awaiting me at my garden gate when I
+returned home. I invited him in so eagerly that he smiled.
+
+"There's no need to ask if you are still as keen on this job as you were
+this afternoon," he said, as he entered my snuggery.
+
+"Keener than ever," I asseverated.
+
+"Then I hope between us we may be successful in running our man to
+ground."
+
+"Have you heard anything further?" I inquired, anxiously.
+
+"Nothing of the slightest value. A number of people have been through
+our hands, but of the Pirate--not a sign."
+
+"Perhaps we shall get a clue in the morning," I hazarded.
+
+"At present," he declared, "there's not a shred of a clue to work upon.
+Of course at any moment information may come to hand. He may endeavour
+to dispose of some of his plunder, or he may reappear, but until
+then----"
+
+"What do you suggest?" I asked.
+
+"I shall stay and thoroughly explore this district until I hear
+something further," he answered.
+
+"I am thinking of going into town in the morning, to see if a more
+powerful car than the one I possess at present is to be obtained," I
+told him later. "I am hoping to get one capable of doing fifty or even
+sixty miles an hour at a pinch, so as to be prepared for emergencies.
+Meanwhile, if you like to make this house your headquarters, I shall be
+delighted to put you up."
+
+"Do you really mean that, Mr. Sutgrove?" he asked.
+
+"Of course I do," I replied.
+
+He hesitated a moment, then he accepted my invitation. Luck was on my
+side after all.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+MURDER
+
+
+I LEARNED to know Inspector Forrest very well during the next fortnight,
+better perhaps, since during that time the Motor Pirate gave absolutely
+no sign of existence. It seemed as if, contented with the sensation he
+had created and the plunder he had secured, he had retired into the
+obscurity from which he originally emerged.
+
+For two reasons I was not sorry for this interval. In the first place, I
+found I could not get immediately the type of car I wanted.
+Manufacturers and agents were willing enough to book orders, but none of
+them had in stock the high-speed automobile such as I required. Only
+after a long day's hunt did I discover an agent who thought that he
+could obtain for me a 60-h.p. Mercedes, and then it would have to be
+sent from Paris. At my suggestion, he telephoned through an order that
+the car should be despatched to him at once; but two or three days
+elapsed before its arrival in London, and then there were certain
+alterations which I required to be made which took a week to complete. I
+was glad, therefore, that my enemy did not make a reappearance until I
+was provided for him. When the new Mercedes was delivered to me I was
+delighted with it, especially when I found on my return from the trial
+run the engines worked as smoothly as when I started.
+
+The other reason why I did not regret the Pirate's quiescence was
+because of the opportunity afforded me of cementing the friendship which
+had grown up between myself and the detective. It became a very real and
+warm friendship during those long idle days. He upset all my
+preconceived notions of the police, at least as regards the detective
+portion of the force, he was such an all-round man. He had not allowed
+his undoubted powers of observation to be entirely concentrated upon the
+seamy side of his profession. Judging from his conversation, I gathered
+that he knew quite as much about modern French literature as he did
+about French criminals, and of the latter his knowledge was both
+extensive and interesting. I remember on one occasion that he gave me a
+really acute criticism of the Verlain school, with special relation to
+the effects of decadent literature on national life. But that is only
+one example of his scope. Wherever he had been and whatever he had done,
+had apparently awakened in him the desire to see all round the case he
+was investigating, and being possessed of a well-trained memory, his
+mind was a storehouse of curious knowledge.
+
+Let me give one instance. One evening when we were driving slowly along
+a bye-road in the vicinity of Uxbridge, in accordance with our
+preconceived plan--the Mercedes had not then arrived, and our progress
+was additionally slow as the roads were exceedingly heavy, as rain had
+been falling daily ever since the night I had been arrested--suddenly my
+companion said--
+
+"Do you know anything of Persian poetry, Mr. Sutgrove?"
+
+As it happened, owing to the fact that a Sutgrove had once represented
+his country at the Persian court, I had a slight knowledge of the
+subject, and I said so.
+
+"I am never out of doors on a spring evening," he continued, "without
+wishing I had the time to acquire a knowledge of it."
+
+"Why?" I asked.
+
+"It's this way," he replied. "On one of my jobs--a show job, attendance
+on a distinguished visitor, don't you know--I was thrown a great deal
+into the company of a Persian gentleman, and we did our best to learn
+something of each other's languages. He taught me out of Hafiz, and I
+picked up just enough to make me wish for more. Listen to this."
+
+He recited to me one of the shorter poems from the Divan.
+
+"Isn't that musical?" he continued. "It seems to me to have the real
+poetry of the spring evening in it."
+
+I agreed with him, and we were silent for a while. Later he asked me
+diffidently not to mention to any one his penchant for Persian poetry.
+
+"Even at the Yard," he explained, "I doubt whether they would put it
+down to my credit."
+
+I gave him the assurance he asked for, and from that time forth I came
+to look upon him as a personal friend. I confided wholly to him the
+hopes I entertained in regard to my love affair; and he assured me that
+if he had anything to do with it, I should also have a hand in the
+arrest of the Pirate.
+
+All our time was not spent, however, in pleasant excursions about the
+country. Forrest was by no means idle; he had been busy perfecting his
+scheme for utilizing the telegraph in notifying the Pirate's
+reappearance when it should be made. Then he had in addition thoroughly
+and minutely explored the whole of the country round, to see if any
+trace of the strange visitor were obtainable. His endeavours were quite
+fruitless, but he still held to his belief that he could not be far
+away; and the next time the Pirate did make his appearance he was
+confirmed in his opinion.
+
+The weather had been fine for three days in succession, there had been a
+drying breeze, and the roads from sloppy quagmires became in such
+perfect condition that I was looking forward to a really good spin. But
+Forrest had other views for the evening of the third day.
+
+"I don't think," he remarked, as he sipped his coffee after our early
+dinner, "we can afford to spend the night ranging the highways.
+Business first and pleasure afterwards."
+
+"I thought you were of opinion that our friend will be tempted to make
+his reappearance to-night?" I remarked.
+
+"I am," he answered; "and therefore the best thing, we can do is to wait
+until we hear in which direction he makes his reappearance. If we wait
+in St. Albans at the end of the telegraph wire, we shall be much more
+likely to meet him than running about at random."
+
+There was so much good sense in the suggestion that I resigned myself to
+the inevitable waste of time, and I had my reward. About eleven a
+message came over the wire: "Motor Pirate seen near Towcester going in
+the direction of Daventry."
+
+"How far is Towcester?" asked Forrest, the moment he heard the message.
+
+"Roughly, I should say forty miles," I answered.
+
+"We ought to manage it within the hour, then," he remarked. "Come
+along."
+
+Without another word we seated ourselves in the car, and with a
+continuous toot-toot of the horn we rolled out of the town. Directly we
+were clear of the houses, I jammed on the highest speed. I cannot say
+that I felt quite comfortable, for though I knew the road, the night was
+very dark, the light we threw ahead was so bright as to dazzle my eyes,
+and hitherto I had no experience of driving a 60-h.p. motor at top speed
+through the darkness. My companion's _sang-froid_ soon reassured me,
+however, and as soon as we were fairly going, the sting of the night air
+as it whipped my cheeks brought a sense of exhilaration which would have
+sufficed to banish my fears had there been time to have entertained any.
+But there was not. If you have ever driven a speedy automobile at top
+speed through a dark night, you will readily understand that there is
+little opportunity for the brain to cultivate imaginary perils. If you
+do not believe me, try it for yourself and see.
+
+In about sixteen minutes we were at Dunstable. Passing through the town
+slowly, Forrest got news that the police were watching all the roads,
+but that nothing had been seen there of the Pirate. Another quarter of
+an hour brought us to Fenny Stratford. Here we wasted another minute or
+so in obtaining similar negative information. By this time I was feeling
+confidence in my car and in my powers to manage it. Once clear of the
+houses again, I let her rip for all she was worth; we simply flew along.
+With my right hand on the wheel, my feet on the two pedals, I sat as
+tense as a fiddle string, my one object to peer into the road ahead.
+
+We had covered ten of the fifteen miles between Stratford and Towcester,
+when I became aware of a deeper blotch on the blackness ahead. With one
+movement I pressed down the clutch and jammed on the breaks. I was just
+in time. The car pulled up in its own length, though it swerved to such
+an extent that I thought we should be overturned.
+
+There, standing still within the circle of our lights, was another
+motor-car. It had no lamps burning, but it was shivering with the
+vibration of its engine running free.
+
+"The Pirate!" I shouted.
+
+"Not a bit of it," said Forrest, jumping down and approaching the
+stranger.
+
+I followed his example, and the first thing I observed about the car was
+that all the lights were out, and I wondered that any motorist in his
+senses should have courted the accident which so nearly occurred.
+
+There was one occupant of the car, and he was sitting bolt upright with
+one hand on a lever beside him. I shouted something at him angrily as I
+approached, but he made no response.
+
+"Hullo! Are you asleep, sir?" said Forrest, as he put one foot on the
+step and grasped the silent motorist by the arm.
+
+There was no reply. I saw Forrest leave his hold on the stranger, and,
+stepping back into the road, draw his hand across his brow.
+
+"My God!" he muttered
+
+"What is it?" I asked.
+
+Forrest caught his breath sharply. "A piece more of the Motor Pirate's
+work, I fancy," he said slowly; "and this time, I think it
+spells--murder."
+
+For a minute I stood absolutely still. It was one of the most eerie
+moments of my life. Above and about us the black night, beside us the
+two cars coughing and grunting as if anxious to be moving, and that
+silent figure sitting up erect upon his seat, utterly unconscious of
+the two persons standing watching him with horror-stricken faces.
+
+Forrest's voice, clear, cool, incisive, brought me to myself.
+
+"One of your lamps here, Sutgrove, if you can manage it."
+
+I took a lamp from its socket, and held it while the detective made a
+brief inspection. It took him a very short time to assure him that his
+surmise was near the truth.
+
+It was murder.
+
+Right in the centre of the forehead of the silent figure was a small
+blue hole, so cleanly drilled that it scarcely marred the features of
+the dead man. One hand still grasped the lever, the other had dropped
+slightly. When the light fell upon it, I perceived the fingers to be
+tightly clasped about the butt of a revolver.
+
+Forrest lifted the hand and glanced at the weapon. "One cartridge
+discharged," he said. "Surely it cannot be a case of suicide?"
+
+Just at that moment I caught sight of a piece of paper pinned to the
+dead man's coat. I pointed it out to Forrest. He unfolded it, glanced at
+it, and handed it to me without a word.
+
+It was just a half sheet of ordinary paper used for typing, and upon it
+was typed the following sentence--
+
+"This is the fate awaiting those who venture to resist the Motor
+Pirate."
+
+"That would seem to settle the question as to whether this is a case of
+suicide or not," I said, handing back the paper to the inspector.
+
+"H'm! At all events the inquest will," he replied. "I'm afraid in any
+case this ends our pursuit for the night," he continued. "I think I must
+ask you to run on to the nearest town for assistance. Have you any idea
+of our whereabouts?"
+
+By calculating the time which had elapsed since leaving Stratford with
+the pace at which we had been travelling, I came to the conclusion we
+were not very far from Towcester, and I suggested I had better go there.
+
+"All right; cut along then. Revolver handy?"
+
+I replied in the affirmative as I mounted my car.
+
+"Wait one moment," he called as I was starting; "and bring your light on
+a bit."
+
+I did as I was directed. Forrest took one of the lamps and walked for
+five yards up the road, examining carefully every inch of the roadway.
+At last he paused.
+
+"Here is where the Pirate's motor stopped," he said; and, plumping down
+upon his knees, he examined the surface carefully. Then, taking a tape
+from his pocket, he made a series of measurements.
+
+I inquired what he was doing. He grunted in reply. When he had finished
+he remarked--
+
+"Nothing much to be got out of that. Judging from my measurements, our
+friend might be driving a Daimler."
+
+Another thought struck him, and, before starting, he asked me to lend
+him a hand in getting the other car to the side of the road, in case any
+one else came along and fell upon the fate we had so narrowly escaped.
+Then I was at liberty to proceed, and, getting once more into my own
+vehicle, I let the Mercedes drive ahead.
+
+But my nerve had gone. Every moment I fancied weird shapes in the
+blackness before me. Every moment I heard in my ears the strange humming
+of the Pirate. Yet I dared not look round, lest I should in that instant
+come upon him unawares in the shadows in front.
+
+Fortunately I had no long distance to traverse. Soon friendly lights
+broke the darkness. Slackening pace, I found myself in the well-ordered
+streets of a little town. The second person I met was a policeman, and,
+hailing him, I bade him jump on the car and direct me to the
+police-station. Nothing loth, he obeyed.
+
+I have an idea that the story I told the sergeant in charge was more
+than a little incoherent, but he understood me sufficiently to become
+aware that his presence was required immediately at the scene of a
+crime, and he gave me to understand that he was ready to accompany me
+forthwith. Then I remembered Forrest asking me to see that the services
+of a medical man were obtained, in order that he might make an
+examination of the body before its removal, and I mentioned the matter
+to the sergeant. He at once gave instructions to the constable who had
+guided me to the station to knock up a doctor and follow us at once with
+him, so there was very little delay before I was once more driving my
+car at full speed towards the scene of the tragedy.
+
+By this time my nerve had returned. One reason may have been that I had
+taken advantage of the slight delay, occasioned by the sergeant giving
+instructions to his subordinate, to brace myself with a stiff
+whisky-and-soda from the small supply I carried on the car for
+emergencies. Now, too, I had the companionship of another able-bodied
+man on the car with me. I felt that, even if the mysterious murderer
+were to make his appearance, I should have a better chance of tackling
+him.
+
+We were not long in reaching our destination. In fact a very few minutes
+elapsed before we came to the spot where the motor-car stood, with the
+rigid figure of its owner still in the position I had left him. I pulled
+up beside the derelict.
+
+"Hallo, Forrest!" I shouted.
+
+There was no answer. The detective had disappeared.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+EXPLAINS A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE
+
+
+I SPRANG to the ground by the side of the death-car. It was standing by
+the side of the road, just as I had left it, its silent owner sitting
+rigidly erect, still grasping the lever, and looking fixedly into the
+darkness.
+
+"Forrest! Forrest!" I shouted again.
+
+All was silent as the grave.
+
+It was very strange. He had promised to await my return. I looked at my
+watch. Altogether half an hour had not elapsed since my departure. Yet
+many things might happen in half an hour with such a spirit of death
+abroad as I knew to be hovering around. I shivered.
+
+The police sergeant was as much bewildered at Forrest's disappearance as
+myself. On our way, I had explained more fully the circumstances under
+which we had discovered the crime which had been committed. He knew my
+companion by name and reputation, and he was quite at a loss to explain
+his absence.
+
+I scanned the road so far as it was revealed by our lights, half
+expecting yet dreading to see his prostrate form. But there was nothing
+visible. Each taking a lamp from my car, the sergeant and I set out to
+search the hedges and ditches on each side of the road. We did so
+conscientiously for a hundred yards up and down the road, and on each
+side, but found nothing.
+
+When we got back to the car, the sergeant said to me--
+
+"Perhaps Mr. Forrest has found a clue, and thought he would waste no
+time in following it up."
+
+The suggestion seemed feasible enough, but just at that moment my glance
+fell on something at my feet which put the idea to flight. Lying on the
+road was a large button. I picked it up. I saw at once that it had been
+torn violently away from the garment to which it had been attached, for
+a piece of the cloth had come away with it, I looked at it narrowly--the
+cloth was of the same material as the overcoat Forrest had been wearing.
+
+The button had been almost under the wheels of my car, so I backed the
+Mercedes a few yards, and looked about for further traces. In the space
+thus laid bare there lay a lamp smashed to pieces. I picked up the
+frame, and saw that it was one of the lamps taken from the other motor.
+Further search only revealed another button similarly attached to a
+shred of cloth like the first one I had found. That was all.
+
+The sergeant looked at me and I at him. One thought was in both our
+minds, and we gave utterance to it simultaneously.
+
+"The Motor Pirate has been back again."
+
+"You must have scared him away the first time, and on his return to
+complete the job he found the inspector here, and----"
+
+The sergeant did not complete his sentence, but glanced apprehensively
+up and down the road.
+
+"If he has returned, I don't see what he can have done with Forrest," I
+replied.
+
+"Heaven knows!" the man replied, involuntarily lowering his voice. "I--I
+begin to believe that this Motor Pirate is--is the Devil."
+
+"Nonsense, man!" I said sharply.
+
+To tell the truth, my own nerves, in spite of the whisky, were in none
+too firm a condition; and I knew it would be fatal to allow myself to
+become infected by the very obvious funk which had seized upon my
+companion. I felt, however, I must be doing something unless I wanted to
+succumb.
+
+"Look here," I said, "you wait by the car a few minutes, while I go two
+or three hundred yards further up the road, to see if I can find any
+other traces."
+
+"I--I would much rather you--you didn't leave me," stammered the
+sergeant. "It's bad enough for there to be only the two of us."
+
+"Come, pull yourself together," I replied roughly. "There's nothing to
+be afraid of."
+
+"I don't think I can stand being left here alone," repeated the
+sergeant.
+
+"Very well; you had better come along with me then," I replied.
+
+He jumped into the car beside me with alacrity, and I started the motor,
+though not until I had arranged my revolver handily at my side. We went
+for a mile at our slowest pace in the direction of Stratford, and
+finding nothing, we returned, and covered the same distance in the
+direction of Towcester, with a similar result. Our progress was brought
+to a termination by our meeting with a trap containing the doctor, who
+was accompanied by a couple of constables. When we recognized who was
+approaching, the change that came over the demeanour of the sergeant was
+astonishing. All his courage came back to him. He talked to me quite
+easily as we returned to the scene of the outrage with the trap keeping
+close behind us; and when we pulled up, he took control of the
+proceedings as if he had never felt a moment's tremor in his life. He
+must have observed my astonishment, for he took me aside and said--
+
+"I was a bit overcome just now, sir. You won't mention it before my
+men."
+
+"Certainly not," I answered. "I was only one degree better myself."
+
+"That's enough to make any one feel creepy," he said, jerking his thumb
+towards the silent figure.
+
+We did nothing but stand about and talk in subdued tones, until the
+doctor had completed his examination of the silent figure by the light
+of my lamps. It did not last long.
+
+"Death was instantaneous," he said, as he stepped down from the car.
+"The bullet appears to have passed straight along the longitudinal
+sinus, and, as near as I can tell, he must have been dead about an
+hour."
+
+"You would like to make a more extensive examination, I suppose,
+doctor?" said the sergeant.
+
+"If a suitable place were available," he replied.
+
+The sergeant mentioned an inn at a village not far distant, and, the
+doctor acquiescing, arrangements were at once made for conveying the
+body there, the sergeant and I setting out in advance to provide for its
+reception.
+
+I am not going into any further detail regarding the proceedings of that
+night. Indeed I can to-day scarcely recall them. I know that I waited at
+the inn for a long while after the melancholy _cortege_ arrived, and
+that I felt curiously dazed amidst all the bustle caused by the arrival.
+I remember eventually driving the sergeant back to Towcester, and making
+to him a long statement, which he took down in writing.
+
+By the time I had completed this statement day had dawned. I shall never
+forget my impressions of that early morning as I rode home alone. The
+birds were twittering in the hedgerows, a soft white mist hung low down
+over the meadows, all nature was so serene and peaceful that it was
+difficult to imagine that the night which had passed had been so full of
+horror and mystery. I felt as one awakened from a dream. But on my way I
+passed the deserted motor-car. A constable was beside it, and I pulled
+up to speak to him.
+
+"Seen nothing of Inspector Forrest, I suppose?" I asked.
+
+"Nothing," he replied.
+
+I gave him good morning and got on. I made similar inquiries at Fenny
+Stratford, and again at Dunstable, still without result. I comforted
+myself with the thought that at St. Albans I should certainly hear news
+of him. But no. I found the police wild with excitement, but entirely
+without any information as to what had become of the missing detective.
+I found, however, that they did not share my forebodings as to anything
+serious having happened to him. Their view was that he had discovered
+some clue, and was hard upon the track of the murderer. I had to give
+them a complete history of the events of the night. But I got away at
+last, and reached home as tired as I had ever been in my life.
+
+I took a bath as hot as I could bear it, and went straight to bed. I was
+dead beat, and I fell asleep instantly.
+
+I awoke some time in the afternoon, and when I had got the sleep out of
+my eyes, and the events of the previous night came back to me, I felt
+inclined to curse myself for having thought of resting. I felt certain
+that if it had been myself who was missing, Forrest would not have slept
+until he had discovered something concerning my fate. I made a hasty
+meal while dressing, and ordered my car to be brought round. Directly it
+appeared I hurried off to St. Albans.
+
+Nothing had been seen or heard there of Forrest, and once more I set out
+upon the road I had traversed the previous night. Again I rode as far as
+Towcester. I had a chat with the sergeant of police, and found that,
+though search parties had scoured the country round for miles, no
+intelligence had been obtained. I made arrangements to appear at the
+inquest on the following day, and returned to St. Albans. Still no news.
+
+I got home again about seven, sick at heart. I had counted so much upon
+Forrest's assistance in the fulfilment of my vow; but that was only a
+secondary consideration now. I had grown to like him so much, that the
+idea that he had met with any mischance knocked me over completely. I
+went into my study and threw myself moodily into a chair. My man brought
+me in some whisky, and hovered about until I told him to go.
+
+"You were going to dine at Mr. Winter's to-night, sir, with Mr.
+Forrest," he reminded me.
+
+The engagement had completely passed from my memory.
+
+"I shall be unable to go, Wilson," I said.
+
+"They haven't found Mr. Forrest, then, sir?" said the man respectfully.
+He was simply brimming over with curiosity.
+
+"No. I'm afraid we shall never see him alive again," I groaned.
+
+"Dear me! Not so bad as that, I hope, sir," he responded
+sympathetically, as he still lingered.
+
+"Not half so bad as that, Wilson," remarked a cheery voice just outside
+the door.
+
+My man started, and I jumped to my feet with a shout of welcome.
+
+"Forrest! Forrest!" I cried. "Come along in, man."
+
+"Well, if I may?" replied Forrest's voice.
+
+"If you may!" I answered. "Why--what the----!"
+
+My astonishment at the appearance he presented as he entered the room
+choked my further utterance.
+
+The man who entered was a veritable scarecrow. A man with a torn coat
+and rent trowsers, and a battered hat which barely held together upon
+his head. He was covered from head to foot with mud. His face was dirty,
+unshaven, disreputable.
+
+"Forrest? Is it indeed you?" I could not but ask, when my speech
+returned to me.
+
+"I don't ask you to recognize me until I have had a bath and a shave,"
+he replied. "But when I have sacrificed to Hygeia, I expect to be
+presentable enough to dine with Mr. Winter to-night. I've been wondering
+all day whether I should manage to get here in time. Meanwhile, the
+least spot of whisky----"
+
+I could not express my delight at his return, and unthinkingly I poured
+out nearly a tumbler of the neat spirit, and felt almost hurt when he
+returned all but one finger to the decanter.
+
+"If you give me a dose like that, I shall certainly be unable to
+accompany you," he said.
+
+I could curb my curiosity no longer. I burst out with a string of
+questions.
+
+"Where have you been? What has happened to you? Why did you disappear?
+How----"
+
+He stopped me. "So that's why you gave me all that whisky. You wanted to
+make me talk, eh?"
+
+I laughingly disassociated myself from any such intention, and, putting
+the curb on my curiosity, I turned him over to Wilson to be valeted out
+of the semblance to a tramp.
+
+The process took some time, and when he came downstairs in
+irreproachable evening clothes, there was no time for him to give me the
+history of his adventures unless we were to miss our dinner.
+
+"And that," declared Forrest, "I absolutely refuse to do; for, with the
+exception of sixpenny worth of rum and a crust of bread and cheese,
+nothing has passed my lips since dinner last night."
+
+"Then you will be glad to hear that the Winters are punctual people," I
+remarked as we at once set out for my neighbour's house.
+
+"I suppose," he said, as we reached our destination, "I may count upon
+you not referring to the plight in which I returned to your place? I
+should not care for it to get abroad that the Pirate had got the better
+of me on the first occasion of our meeting."
+
+"Then you have seen him?" I cried eagerly.
+
+"Seen him!" Forrest ejaculated in reply. "Seen him! After dinner you
+shall have a full, true and particular account of all that's happened.
+Until then--well, assume you know everything but are not at liberty to
+divulge anything."
+
+I was as much at home in Winter's house as in my own, so I did not
+trouble to ring and Forrest followed me in. I had forgotten that his
+appearance was likely to create as great a sensation there as it had
+caused me. I entered the drawing-room first, Forrest being a little
+behind. Mrs. Winter, a fluffy-haired little woman with blue baby eyes,
+baby lips, and a most engaging little baby dimple, was the centre of the
+party gathered there. The other women were Miss Maitland and Mrs.
+Winter's twin sister, who reproduced the hair, lips, eyes and dimple
+with such exactness that it was always a puzzle to me how Winter had
+managed to make up his mind between them. About them were gathered
+Colonel Maitland, Mannering, Winter himself, and another man whom he had
+brought down with him from town that day. The subject of conversation, I
+learned afterwards, had been entirely devoted to Forrest's
+disappearance, and when they caught sight of him the effect was
+electrical. The ladies all jumped to their feet, the twin sisters
+screamed in unison, the men stood stock still. Mannering appeared to be
+the most astonished, for he turned pale and his lips became livid.
+Before any one could say a word, however, the door opened again and the
+butler announced dinner in an impassive voice, which sent everybody into
+convulsions of laughter.
+
+We filed into dinner a particularly merry party. Mrs. Winter had
+arranged for me to take in Miss Maitland, and the fact that Mannering
+obviously resented the arrangement added a great deal to my good humour.
+The fact of Forrest being the lion of the evening did not disturb me at
+all. Indeed I was glad some one else had to parry the numberless
+questions put to him respecting his disappearance.
+
+He fenced them remarkably well, though of course, when cornered, he
+could always fall back upon the excuse of his mouth being closed by the
+official pledge of secrecy.
+
+Needless to say, only one topic was mooted, and I should not have
+referred to it had not the man whom Winter had brought from town said
+something which, I found afterwards, had some bearing on future events.
+This person was a diamond merchant in his business hours, and after the
+ladies had left us, he expressed the opinion that it was a good thing
+the Motor Pirate confined his attentions to fellow motorists.
+
+"If, for instance," he remarked, "he were to take it into his head to
+hold up the Brighton Parcels Mail to-morrow night, he would make one of
+the best-known firms in Hatton Garden feel very sick."
+
+"How's that?" asked Mannering, carelessly. He had quite recovered from
+the temporary shock which Forrest's unexpected appearance had occasioned
+him.
+
+"Well, I heard they are sending off a particularly valuable collection
+of stones by registered parcel post to-morrow," he answered.
+
+"Seems a silly thing to do," commented Winter.
+
+"I don't know about that," was the reply. "Their theory is that the
+chances of robbery are infinitely less than by any other method of
+forwarding. They have followed the practice for years, and hitherto have
+never made a loss. You see, no one knows anything about it except the
+principal, who takes the packet to the post office. He registers it at
+St. Martin's, and the packet is immediately placed amongst a number of
+parcels of all sorts, shapes and sizes; and the chance of a casual thief
+selecting that particular parcel, even if he had the chance, are at
+least a hundred to one, while it is well known that the postal employee
+who steals always lets the registered letter severely alone."
+
+The subject was not pursued further, and soon after we joined the
+ladies. The party broke up early, and I was not sorry, for I could see
+Forrest was tired and I wanted to get his story from him before he
+turned in. But when we were back in my snuggery, I found that he
+considered it necessary to report himself at St. Albans. I was on the
+telephone, so I suggested its use, and he jumped at the idea. After some
+little difficulty we managed to get a message through to the
+police-station. Then settling down into an easy chair with a great sigh
+of content, he reeled out an account of his adventures.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+DESCRIBING A RIDE WITH THE PIRATE
+
+
+"WHEN you left me," Forrest began, "I thought I would pass the time
+until your return in making a still more detailed inspection of the
+ground than we had already made. I found I had no lights. In order to
+get over the difficulty, I went to the car in which the dead man was
+seated and examined the lamps. They were in good working order, and I
+could see that their extinction had not been due to any mischance. Why
+they should have been put out and the machinery of the car left running
+puzzled me. I could only conclude that the Pirate, after shooting his
+victim, had approached the car to plunder him, but had been scared away
+by the sound of our approach. He must have turned out the lights and
+have just had time to draw the car across the road to make a trap for
+us, before making his own escape. This impression of mine was confirmed
+later. I took one of the lamps from its socket, lit it, and looked again
+at the dead body. I am almost certain he had not been disturbed since
+the fated bullet struck him. His coat was closely buttoned. His rug was
+wrapped tightly round him. There were papers in his coat pocket, and I
+could feel through the coat that his watch and chain were still upon
+him. When thinking that the Pirate could not be far off, I regretted I
+had not accompanied you; but remembering you were well armed, I reckoned
+that if you did meet the gentleman, you were quite capable of giving a
+good account of yourself--and of him."
+
+You who happen to have read my account of the state of my mind, as
+faithfully described in these pages, will be able to judge how far my
+friend's confidence in me was justified. For myself, I doubt not that
+had he met me, the Pirate would have been able to add a second victim to
+that night's list with little difficulty. This by the way.
+
+"I did not make a very close examination," continued Forrest, "since
+there would be plenty of time for that when the doctor arrived. Besides,
+I wished him to see the body in the position we found it. So I turned my
+attention to the road again, going over the surface inch by inch in the
+most methodical manner. You never know, you see, whether some trifling
+object may not be dropped by the criminal which will provide a clue. I
+was so engaged when I became aware of a curious humming sound in the
+air. I stood upright and peered into the darkness. But my eyes had
+become dazzled by looking at the white road in the brilliant light of
+the acetylene lamp, and I might as well have expected to be able to see
+through a brick wall. The most sensible course to have pursued would
+have been to extinguish the lamp; but, instead of doing so, I stood like
+a fool in the middle of the road and waited until the Pirate--it was he
+without the slightest doubt--swooped down upon me, and if I had not at
+the last moment leaped aside I should have been bowled over. As it was,
+I just escaped being knocked down. The car pulled up with a jerk, and
+there, within reach, was the person whose capture would have--well, you
+can guess what it would have meant to me, if I could have managed to get
+him single-handed. But for the moment I was so astounded at the audacity
+of the rascal I could do nothing. I was not long in making up my mind to
+have a shot at capturing him, however. I dropped the lamp to the ground,
+and clipping my hand into my pocket I grasped my revolver. I knew I had
+to deal with a desperate character, but I was scarcely prepared to find
+him as physically powerful as he proved to be. I stepped up close to the
+car and with my left hand made a grab at him. It was a fruitless
+attempt. I found my wrist held in a grip of steel. I raised my right
+with the revolver. I was just a moment late in pulling the trigger, for
+he knocked up my hand and the bullet went wide. Before I had another
+chance, he twisted the weapon out of my grasp with a wrench that numbed
+my arm to the shoulder. How he managed to see in the dark was a mystery
+to me. He must have eyes like a cat--that man."
+
+Forrest paused to light another cigarette, and after a couple of puffs
+he resumed--
+
+"But the most startling thing was to come. Holding me tightly he leaned
+over towards me and said, 'Not this time, Inspector Forrest. You may
+think you have the Motor Pirate, but I can assure you that you were
+never more mistaken in your life.' Astonishment is not the name for my
+feelings at hearing him address me by my name. I had caught a glimpse of
+him before I dropped the lamp, but he was so swathed in his leather coat
+and disguised by his mask, that I should never be able to identify him.
+But I seemed to recognize something familiar in the intonation of his
+voice, yet even that was so muffled that I cannot be certain I have ever
+heard it before. However, I did not allow my astonishment to prevent me
+taking action. I threw myself suddenly backwards, hoping the weight of
+my body would upset his balance and drag him from his car to the ground,
+where we should have been on more equal terms. The jerk moved him about
+as much as if he had been built into his car. 'No, you don't,
+Inspector,' he said, with an infernal chuckle; and, so saying, he leaned
+over and, catching me by the coat, lifted me off my feet and swung me up
+on to the car before him. I'm not a light weight, as you can guess--I
+turn the scale at something nearer twelve stone than eleven--but he
+handled me as if I were a baby. I struggled of course, but my right arm
+was powerless, and he could master me with ease."
+
+"I suppose it was during the struggle that you lost the two buttons from
+your overcoat which you left behind you?" I asked.
+
+"Most likely," he replied, "though I knew nothing of them. Really his
+strength seemed diabolic. There was something else about him which to my
+mind scarcely seemed natural. At all my struggles he continued to laugh,
+but there was no merriment in his laughter, it was merely an even
+guttural cachinnation, the laugh of a fiend at the aimless struggles of
+a lost soul. It seemed to give him immense pleasure to see me wriggling
+on the smooth curved metal plate which formed the front of his car. I
+grew tired at last and lay still, hoping for a chance to better my
+position, for I came to the conclusion that in a mere trial of strength
+he was immeasurably my superior.
+
+"When he saw my resistance had ceased, he spoke again. 'I feel inclined
+to take you for a ride with me, Inspector,' he said. 'I can assure you
+that you will find the experience a thrilling one. It is given to few
+men to travel with the Motor Pirate. The pace alone should prove
+exhilarating, to say nothing of the companionship and--what awaits you
+at the termination of the entertainment.' He chuckled again as he
+concluded, and I felt a cold thrill in the region of my spine.
+
+"I made no reply. What would have been the use? But I do wish my right
+arm had been of some use, for I think in my anger I might have stood
+some chance of turning the tables on him. I quietly tried to rub the
+feeling back into it, but he did not afford me a chance of doing so for
+long. He produced a length of rope from somewhere or other, and, before
+I gathered what he was doing, he had twisted it round me and bound my
+arms tightly to my sides. I was absolutely powerless, and I gnashed my
+teeth with rage at the helpless state in which I found myself. There was
+I, a detective inspector with a reputation at the Yard second to none,
+trussed like a fowl, and lying on the slippery surface of the Pirate car
+I had come out to capture."
+
+"Not exactly a pleasant position," I remarked, as Forrest paused to
+moisten his throat with the whisky-and-soda at his elbow.
+
+"No; but the worst was yet to come. He had no sooner secured my arms
+than he drew another piece of cord through the band, and fastened it
+somewhere or other. 'Now, if ever you pray, Inspector,' he remarked,
+with some more of his beastly merriment, 'pray that this rope doesn't
+break; for if it should happen to do so at the pace we shall be
+travelling, you will go to hell even sooner than I intend you to do.'
+
+"With that he set his car in motion, and, judging by the way the wind
+stung me, the pace was something terrific. At first I attempted to pay
+some attention to the direction we took. But I soon gave up the idea. My
+position on the car was not one from which I could observe anything with
+any degree of comfort. With my arms bound, I sprawled out upon the
+smooth, curved bonnet of the confounded car, only held on by a cord
+which I expected to break and send me flying into the next world every
+time we touched a stone, or crossed a rut. My heart was in my mouth for
+the next hour or so, but afterwards I think I grew careless or callous.
+He had pulled the cord round my arms pretty tightly; that numbed me all
+over, and the exposure to the air did the rest. I fell into a dreamy
+condition. I only know that never for a moment were we still. There was
+always the drone of the wheels in my ears, and whenever I made a
+struggle and opened my eyes, all I could see was the blacker streak in
+the blackness caused by the hedges flying past. Heaven only knows how
+far and where we went. It seemed an eternity until it ended. But by then
+I was very near unconsciousness. I have a sort of impression the car did
+stop. I fancy that I saw the Pirate's mask bent closely over me while he
+examined me, that I heard him say, 'I don't think, Mr. Inspector, your
+attentions will trouble me much more.' I do remember distinctly being
+lifted in his powerful hands. I felt him swing me once, twice, thrice;
+then I felt myself flying in the air, and the next moment my senses came
+back to me with a rush, for I plumped into several feet of water."
+
+"Well?" I ejaculated, as Forrest paused to light another cigarette. I
+was so interested that I grudged him a moment's delay before completing
+the story.
+
+"The curious thing to my mind is that he did not knock me on the head at
+first," said Forrest. "I can only explain it by the conclusion that our
+friend the Motor Pirate is a madman. But, if so, I undoubtedly owe my
+life to the means he took to finish it. The sudden immersion brought me
+to myself much more rapidly than any other process could have done. In
+detaching me from the car he must have loosened the knot of the rope
+binding my arms; possibly the water made it slip further before it
+became saturated. I felt the rope give, and got one arm free by the time
+I came to the surface. I floundered into shallow water, and paused. By
+this time there was just a glimmer of light on the eastern horizon from
+the dawn, and I could see the bank was only a yard or two distant.
+Somehow or another I managed to scramble out, bringing half the bed of
+the river, or pond, whichever it was I had been pitched into, with me.
+When I was on firm ground I collapsed. I did not remain long on the
+ground, though. I knew very well that if I wanted to escape a severe
+illness, the only thing to do was to keep moving until my circulation
+was restored. So I got going. It was hard work at first. My limbs were
+so cramped and stiff that I was compelled to stop and groan after
+crawling every six paces. But the stiffness wore off gradually. I went
+ahead until I struck a village, and found out in what part of the
+country I was."
+
+"Why didn't you go to the police-station?" I asked.
+
+"Wasn't going to make myself a laughing-stock for a lot of country
+constables," he answered. "No; if I had got my man, I should not have
+minded what sort of figure I cut, but to turn up such a scarecrow after
+failing to get my man--not much. I had learned from the post-office
+window where I was. I had been dropped near Shefford, a village a few
+miles the other side of Hitchin on the North Road, and I thought if I
+walked back here I should avoid all likelihood of getting a chill. So I
+started. I found I had a shilling in my pocket. I had more money about
+me than that when I started out, but whether our friend helped himself
+to the balance, or whether it fell from my pockets during the ride, I
+haven't the slightest idea. But the shilling was sufficient to provide
+for my requirements. The first public-house I found open I went in, and
+had six-penny-worth of hot rum. My word! There's nothing like hot rum
+for putting new life into one. After I had drunk it I reckoned I should
+get here about noon; but I had not taken the somniferous effects of that
+sixpenny-worth of rum into the calculation. Before I had covered half a
+dozen miles, I found myself so sleepy that I could not keep my eyes
+open. I dropped off once or twice as I walked, so at last I made for a
+convenient haystack, rolled myself up in the loose litter at the base,
+and let myself go.
+
+"That's how it happened I was so late in my arrival," he remarked; "and
+now, Motor Pirate or no Motor Pirate, I am going to finish that snooze."
+
+He gave a prodigious yawn, and held out his hand. "Good night!" I said.
+"The story of my adventures will very well keep until to-morrow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+IN WHICH THE PIRATE HOLDS UP THE BRIGHTON MAIL
+
+
+ON joining Forrest at breakfast the following morning, I found he had
+mapped out a programme for the day which promised to keep us pretty
+busily occupied.
+
+"First," he said, "I must get into St. Albans, and see whether there is
+any fresh information to hand. If possible, I should like to run over to
+Shefford, for I want to look at the place where I had my ducking, and
+recover the piece of cord with which that almighty scoundrel secured me.
+Then there's the inquest at Towcester at twelve, and sometime to-day I
+must put in an appearance at head-quarters to hand in my report. Perhaps
+I had better train from Towcester for that. It will be making too great
+demands on your time."
+
+"Nonsense!" I replied; "I can run you up to town very nearly as quickly
+as you could manage the journey by rail."
+
+"I hope you won't have to return alone," he remarked. "I am hoping to be
+able to inflict myself upon you for a few more days; but it is on the
+cards I may be taken off the job since I have met with so little
+success."
+
+"I hope not," I answered.
+
+"I should be sorry, too," he said. "I am more convinced than ever that
+our friend is living within a twenty-mile radius of this house."
+
+"What grounds have you for thinking so?" I asked.
+
+"The very slightest at present," he declared frankly; "and until I have
+seen the police reports from other parts of the country, I will not
+commit myself definitely to the opinion."
+
+I could not get anything more out of him then, but after he had made a
+note of all the information to be obtained at St. Albans--we were on the
+road by nine-thirty--he became more communicative. The information he
+obtained did not amount to much. On the previous evening, the Motor
+Pirate had not made his appearance anywhere; while on the evening
+before, the only outrage of which he had been guilty was the murder
+which we had discovered. On that night, however, his car had been
+reported as having been seen on various roads in the midlands, one
+appearance having been recorded as far north as Peterborough.
+
+"That confirms my opinion," Forrest declared. "The Peterborough report
+gives the time of his appearance as about 2.50. The sun rises at five,
+and it is beginning to be light an hour earlier. It must have been about
+four when he dropped me into the water at Shefford. Hitherto he has not
+been seen by daylight at all. Clearly he must have delayed getting rid
+of me until he thought it was dangerous to carry me about any longer.
+He may even have been close to his own home, though he would probably
+select a spot twenty or thirty miles away at least."
+
+"It seems likely," I agreed.
+
+"Certain of it," said Forrest. "Now we will get along to Shefford."
+
+We had a very pleasant run, and a mile from the village, Forrest stopped
+me where a deep pool fringed with rushes skirted the road.
+
+"This is the spot," he cried.
+
+He left me in the car and scrambled through the hedge into an adjoining
+field. He came running back with a dilapidated overcoat sodden with
+water in one hand, and a piece of rope in the other.
+
+"Thought I could not be mistaken," he cried.
+
+When he was again in the car he examined the rope carefully.
+
+"Just an ordinary piece of half-inch cord," he remarked. "It's not of
+much value as a clue, but as a piece of evidence--I have known a man's
+life hang upon a slighter thread before now." He chuckled grimly at his
+own pleasantry.
+
+"Where next?" I inquired.
+
+"Towcester," he replied; and I wheeled the car round, and we were soon
+making the dust fly again.
+
+We were not detained very long at the inquest. Forrest had a few words
+with the coroner, so that after formal evidence of identification had
+been given, and I had made my statement as to the finding of the body,
+the inquiry was adjourned. Thus plenty of time was left at our disposal,
+and we did not hurry on our way to town, even breaking our journey on
+the way for lunch.
+
+The weather remained delightfully fine. Clean roads, blue sky, soft
+winds, combined to make ideal weather for motoring. We reached town
+about four, and went straight to Scotland Yard. Forrest went in while I
+waited for him. Then he returned for me, and, taking me up in the lift,
+he piloted me into the presence of the commissioner, whom I found to be
+an exceedingly courteous gentleman. He expressed himself indebted to me
+for the assistance I had rendered the department. I did not see that my
+assistance had been of much practical value, and I said so; but I added
+that I was very keen on the Motor Pirate's capture, and I should be glad
+to render any service in my power which would tend to such an end.
+
+"Anything you can do to assist Inspector Forrest will be greatly
+appreciated," he declared. "Of course, it is not our usual plan to make
+use of outside assistance, but we are not so bound up in red tape as to
+refuse such aid as that you offer."
+
+We had ten minutes' further conversation, and then Forrest and I left
+together. The detective was in high glee. He had obtained _carte
+blanche_ to do as he liked. His chief had expressed every confidence in
+him, while urging him to spare no effort to obtain the Pirate's arrest.
+
+"The fact is," he said, "the papers have been rubbing it into us for
+allowing such audacious crimes to be committed right under our noses,
+and the chief is wild to get the chap. Half of the detective force are
+already engaged on the job. I fancy I should get him myself singlehanded
+sooner or later if he were a sane man; but, as it is, the cunning of a
+madman upsets every calculation."
+
+"You still hold to the theory that he is mad?" I asked.
+
+"Cannot explain his treatment of me in any other way," he replied
+promptly.
+
+"Well, what's the next move?" I asked, when we had returned to our car.
+"I suppose we may as well go for a prowl to-night, on the off-chance of
+finding him."
+
+"We might try a new district," answered Forrest, "You may have noticed
+that he breaks fresh ground every time he reappears."
+
+"Where shall it be then?"
+
+Forrest answered my question with another. "Supposing yourself to be in
+his place, and the desire to attract notoriety a stronger motive than
+mere plunder. What should you do?"
+
+There flashed into my memory what Winter's guest had said about the
+Brighton Parcels Mail, and I said laughingly--
+
+"I fancy I should hold up the Brighton Mail."
+
+"As likely a feat as any for him to attempt," replied Forrest,
+thoughtfully.
+
+I glanced up at the clock in the tower of St. Stephens; the hands
+pointed to a quarter before five.
+
+"Well," I said, "we may as well run down to Brighton by daylight and get
+acquainted with the road, since I have only driven over it once before.
+We can dine at the Metropole comfortably, spend a couple of hours on the
+front after dinner, and have plenty of time to meet the mail on the road
+afterwards."
+
+"A most excellent suggestion," agreed the inspector, and his eyes
+twinkled at the thought of the programme I had mapped out.
+
+We started forthwith. Reaching Brighton before sunset, I refilled my
+tanks with petrol before putting the car up at the Metropole and
+reserving a table for dinner. We had a wash, walked to the Hove end of
+the esplanade, and came back to our dinner with appetites equal to
+anything. We sat over our coffee a long while, Forrest making the time
+fly by spinning yarns about his experiences. Then we smoked a cigar on
+the pier, and so whiled away the time until eleven. If we had started
+then we should possibly have reached town before the mail had started,
+but as we were both tired of dawdling about, I proposed that we should
+extend our tour.
+
+Forrest was quite agreeable. "Really we are out on a fool's errand," he
+remarked. "We are just as likely to meet him on one road as another. Yet
+I have a presentiment that we shall hear something further about him
+to-night. If we do meet him, remember one thing. One of us must get in
+the first shot, and it must not miss."
+
+"Don't wait for me to shoot, then," I replied.
+
+We got our car, and after a glance at the map, I told my companion where
+I proposed to go: a run along the coast to Worthing, there to strike
+inland for Horsham, from Horsham to make for the Brighton road about
+Crawley, roughly about a forty-mile run in all, and I reckoned that if
+we kept to the legal speed limit we should just about meet the mail.
+
+Forrest made no objection to my suggestion, so we started at our slowest
+pace. I had very little to do, and the ride was one of the most
+enjoyable I have ever experienced. The salt breath of the sea was in our
+faces, and the roar of it in our ears. I was quite sorry when on
+reaching Worthing it became necessary to leave the coast. Inland the
+roads were absolutely deserted. We did not meet a single person between
+Worthing and Horsham, and for the first time I realized how easily the
+Motor Pirate's movements could evade notice. At Horsham we looked in at
+the police-station, and Forrest made a formal inquiry as to whether
+anything had been heard of our quarry in the neighbourhood; but, as we
+expected, without result. We remained there a little time to stretch our
+legs and to drink a cup of tea, which the officer in charge prepared for
+us, and on leaving we proceeded at the same steady pace, arriving in
+Crawley something after four. There we found that the mail had passed
+through a quarter of an hour before our arrival, and I questioned
+whether it would be worth our while to remain any longer on the road.
+
+"We may as well make a night of it," said Forrest, in reply to my
+remark on the subject, so I turned the car in the direction of Brighton
+again. We bowled along at about fifteen miles an hour, at which rate I
+reckoned on catching the mail within half an hour. But we were destined
+to overtake it in a considerably shorter time, for just after passing
+the third milestone after leaving the village, our path was blocked by
+the huge van standing in the middle of the road and all across it.
+
+I pulled up at once. Apparently the vehicle was not much damaged, but
+the door was broken open, while the parcels with which it had been laden
+were scattered all over the roadway. One horse lay on the roadway
+perfectly still, the others had disappeared.
+
+The moment we stopped Forrest leaped from the car; I followed his
+example. The first object which met our eyes was the form of a man. He
+lay perfectly still, and I thought he was dead, but my companion had
+sharper eyes. Taking a knife from his pocket, he hacked at cords which
+bound the man hand and foot.
+
+"More work of the Motor Pirate," remarked Forrest grimly, as I came to
+his assistance.
+
+The man was not dead, but he had been so roughly gagged that had we
+arrived ten minutes later he probably would have been beyond human help.
+In the condition he was, it took us ten minutes working vigorously to
+restore his respiration; and after that it took the whole of the
+contents of my pocket flask to restore him sufficiently to enable him to
+give us an account of the mishap which had befallen him.
+
+Then we learned that the man was the driver of the mail, and that
+Forrest's surmise that we had happened once more upon the handiwork of
+the Motor Pirate was correct. He had, it appeared, been driving quietly
+along, when his attention had been arrested by the curious high-toned
+hum which presaged the Pirate's approach. He was wondering what the
+curious noise could be, when he suddenly realized that a long low car
+was beside him. He did not anticipate any harm either to himself or to
+his charge, for, though he fancied that the stranger was the noted
+criminal, he shared the impression, pretty common until then, that the
+Pirate confined his attentions to motorists. The stranger did not even
+call upon him to pull up. He ran beside the coach, then slightly
+increasing his speed, he drew level with the wheelers of the team. There
+was the sound of a pistol shot, the off wheeler fell dead in his tracks,
+bringing down the other horses in his fall, and swinging the vehicle
+right across the road. The driver only escaped being pitched from his
+seat by the strap which held him to it.
+
+"Then," continued the man, "he ups with 'is pistol an' tells me to come
+dahn, an' dahn I toddles pretty quick. 'Sorry ter inconwenience yer, my
+good feller,' ee says. 'Don't menshing it,' I says, as perlite as you'd
+be with a pistol a pointing at yer 'ed. 'I want the keys er this 'ere
+waggin,' ee says. 'Sorry they don't trust 'em ter us drivers,' I
+answers. 'Don't matter worth a cent,' ee says. 'I've another w'y er
+openin' thet strong box. Put yer 'ands be'ind yer an' turn rahnd,' ee
+says. I done it, an' ee trusses me up like a bloomin' chicken, an'
+sticks my own angkincher dahn me froat. With thet ee walks along ter the
+door and blows the bloomin' locks orf with 'is pistol. That did it. Ee
+looks inside, an' the w'y ee cleared them parcels aht was a sight--well,
+yer can see fer yerself wort it's like. The other 'orses were thet mad
+they kicks theirselves free. Ee goes froo the parcels cool as a
+cowcumber until ee routs aht the registered parcels. Ee puts them in 'is
+car. 'Tar, tar!' ee says, wiving 'is 'and, an' orf ee goes jest abaht
+five minutes afore you gents comed along."
+
+When Forrest realized how near we had been to coming to close quarters
+with our quarry, he went aside, and for the first time since I had made
+his acquaintance, I heard him swear. It was a successful effort. He
+returned to my side the next moment.
+
+"The telegraph is our only chance," he said. "Drive like hell back to
+Crawley."
+
+I did. There we set the wires throbbing, and begun to scour the
+countryside for any traces of the Pirate. We did not give up our quest
+until eleven o'clock in the morning. I think we inquired at every house
+and cottage within a ten-mile radius of the scene of the outrage, but
+without finding a single person who had seen or heard of the Motor
+Pirate.
+
+Once more he had appeared and disappeared without leaving the faintest
+clue to his identity.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+HOW WE EXCHANGE SHOTS WITH THE PIRATE
+
+
+AFTER the sudden flurry which the reappearance of the Motor Pirate
+caused, and quite as much in the country at large as in my own
+particular circle, we settled down once again to a condition of
+comparative quietude. Of course there were plenty of facts to keep the
+public interest alive and to fill the papers. The adjourned inquest on
+the victim found near Towcester supplied columns of copy, while the
+robbery of the Brighton Mail afforded unlimited scope for the
+descriptive reporter as well as for the special crime investigator, who
+at this time made his permanent appearance on the staff of nearly every
+paper of any importance in the British Isles. My life at home was made a
+burden to me by these gentlemen. I bear them no malice for their
+persevering attempts to interview me, but they were an unmitigated
+nuisance, since I had no wish to air my experiences in the newspapers at
+this stage of affairs. It was with the utmost difficulty I escaped the
+attention of the gentlemen of the Fourth Estate, for they even waited on
+my doorstep for the chance of button-holing me when I went out in the
+morning; and pursued me so assiduously, that I dared not look a stranger
+in the face, lest my glance should be translated into a column of
+glowing prose.
+
+I have said that the Pirate left no clue to his identity upon his latest
+appearance, and, indeed, at the time, such was the opinion both of
+Forrest and myself. But in the light of after events we learned that
+there was a clue, had we been keen-witted enough to have discovered it.
+In the course of our inquiries around Crawley, we certainly did not
+succeed in finding any one who had observed the mysterious car which
+every one had learned to associate with the Pirate, but we had been told
+casually at Caterham--we had not returned by the direct road between
+London and Brighton--that we were not the only motorists abroad on that
+night, since another man had passed through the town early the same
+morning. When we learned, however, that he had been driving a car of the
+conventional shape with a tonneau body, we paid no further attention to
+the information, concluding that he was a sportsman, anxious like
+ourselves for a brush with the Pirate. Our blindness was to cost us dear
+before we had done.
+
+There was another supposition which I could not get out of my mind in
+connection with the latest feat, and a couple of days afterwards I
+mentioned it to Forrest as we waited, according to our invariable
+custom, at St. Albans for news of the Pirate's reappearance.
+
+"Don't you think it particularly strange," I remarked, "that in holding
+up the Brighton Mail, our friend at once searched for the registered
+parcels, and directly he laid his hands upon them at once made off?"
+
+"A perfectly natural thing for him to do," replied the detective. "He
+would guess that, if there were any valuables, they would almost
+certainly have been registered, and he could scarcely hope to go over
+the whole contents of the van."
+
+"Admitted," I replied. "Still, does it not strike you as curious that he
+should have selected the night when a valuable parcel of diamonds was
+there?"
+
+"Well?" asked Forrest, his attention thoroughly arrested.
+
+"It almost seems as if he was possessed of the same information as we
+were," I ventured.
+
+"According to your argument," he answered, "the pirate should be either
+yourself or myself, Colonel Maitland, Mr. Mannering, Mr. Winter, or his
+friend."
+
+"There remains Mannering and the diamond merchant," I said thoughtfully,
+"and I know the latter has never driven a motor-car in his life.
+Besides, he is scarcely likely to have robbed himself in such an
+extraordinary fashion." We had seen from the papers that he had, in
+fact, been referring to his own firm when he had described to us the
+advantages of the parcel post as a means of transmitting valuables. "He
+may have other friends beside Winter to whom he has mentioned the
+matter."
+
+"There's Mr. Mannering still to be accounted for," remarked Forrest.
+"No harm can be done by inquiring if he was away from home that evening.
+What sort of establishment does he keep?"
+
+"Merely a couple of maids," I answered.
+
+"In that case there should be no trouble in ascertaining whether he was
+out or not," he replied. "I'll see about it in the morning."
+
+He made the inquiry accordingly, but as he confessed to me afterwards,
+without expecting anything to come of it. His expectations seemed to be
+justified in the result. The maids declared that Mannering had gone to
+his sitting-room after dinner, and had been there with his slippers on
+when they retired for the night. They had locked up the house as usual,
+and the doors had been fast when they came down the next morning.
+
+This investigation, perfunctory as it was, decided us against any idea
+of Mannering's complicity, and I fell back upon the theory that the
+diamond merchant must have communicated his methods to some one else. We
+sought him out in the city, and he assured us that he had never before
+referred to the subject. He did not object to supplying us with the
+names of his acquaintances who owned cars, and either Forrest or myself
+made inquiries concerning every one of them. All were to no purpose.
+When we had finished, we were no nearer discovering anything concerning
+the Pirate than we were when we had begun.
+
+Then occurred an incident which should have opened our eyes, if anything
+possibly could have done so, to the personality of the Pirate. But
+again we were absolutely blind.
+
+It was the second week of May, and since, in spite of continued fine
+weather, our unknown terror remained in the seclusion of his
+hiding-place, wherever it might be, I had persuaded Forrest to come with
+me for a run one afternoon as far as Cambridge, proposing to return
+after sunset.
+
+The roads were beginning to be a little dusty, but altogether we had a
+very pleasant journey without any incident of note. We left the
+university town about nine, reckoning upon getting home comfortably
+before midnight. There was a bright slice of moon shining, and we did
+the dozen miles before reaching Royston at a decent pace. We went slowly
+over the hilly road out of Royston and had passed over the worst of it,
+and I had just put on a higher speed, when I fancied I heard the distant
+hum which once heard could never be mistaken for anything else. Forrest
+heard it at the same time as myself.
+
+"Pull up at the side of the road," he cried. "The car must not be
+damaged."
+
+I obeyed, running the bonnet into the hedge and leaving the back of the
+car extended over the footpath. Meanwhile, Forrest had drawn his
+revolver from his pocket, and the moment I brought the car to a
+standstill I followed his example.
+
+"Don't stand on ceremony," advised my companion; "shoot on sight!"
+
+The words were scarcely out of his mouth when our enemy made his
+appearance, coming from the direction of Buntingford. Whether he had any
+intention of stopping and robbing us, I have no means of telling, but I
+think not, for he was travelling at his most rapid pace, and gave no
+signs of slackening as he approached. Once more I was astonished at the
+wonderful steadiness of his machine. He passed us in a flash, the car
+running as evenly as if it were upon rails. In fact I paid so much
+attention to this, that I was too late to fire with any prospect of
+hitting him. Forrest was more alert. As the Pirate swooped by, the
+detective's Colt spoke twice. So far as we could see, the shots took no
+effect, for he did not move an inch.
+
+"No luck," muttered my companion, as the hum of the Pirate's car died
+away in the distance.
+
+I held up a warning finger. "Hush!" I said.
+
+My ears had told me truly--our enemy was once more approaching us. I
+leaned over the back of the car, this time determined that I would at
+least make an endeavour to stop his progress. The road was without a
+bend for a stretch of at least two hundred yards, and the moment he came
+into the straight he was clearly visible to us in the light of the moon.
+I did not wait. The moment I saw him distinctly, I lifted my revolver
+and pulled the trigger as rapidly as I was able. Before I had emptied
+three chambers he was level. I was just in the act of firing a third
+time, when a flash of fire spurted from the running car and my pistol
+dropped from my hand. Something had struck me violently on the arm. I
+felt no pain for the moment, only curiously numbed and cold. I wondered
+why my companion should continue to fire at the rapidly disappearing
+form of the Pirate, who appeared to me to be swerving from side to side
+of the road in the most ridiculous fashion. In another moment he was out
+of sight. I felt extremely sick, and, with something between a groan and
+a sigh, I sank back into my seat.
+
+"I fancy one of us must have got him," said Forrest, in an excited tone.
+"Let us get on."
+
+"I hope you are right," I answered. "For he has certainly managed to
+wing me."
+
+The shock had passed off, and, with the return of sensation, my arm felt
+as if a red-hot iron had been run through it, while there was a similar
+sort of feeling about my chest.
+
+"Really," said Forrest, as he looked closely into my face. He must have
+seen that I was not joking, for he jumped out of the car and came back
+with one of the lamps in his hand. "Where is it?" he asked, with some
+anxiety.
+
+"Merely the arm, I fancy," I replied.
+
+He took a knife from his pocket, and, without a moment's hesitation,
+ripped up the sleeve of the overcoat and under-coat which I was wearing.
+The shirtsleeve was already soaked with blood, and his face was
+curiously anxious as he cut away the linen and felt the bone from wrist
+to shoulder. Then his face cleared.
+
+"Only through the muscle," he remarked. "A fortnight will see the wound
+completely healed."
+
+Meanwhile he was tearing his handkerchief into strips, and, with this
+improvised bandage, he bound up the wound.
+
+"Sure that is all?" he asked, when he had tightened it to his
+satisfaction.
+
+"I've got much the same sort of feeling here," I replied, tapping my
+chest gingerly.
+
+His face grew grave again, and before doing anything more he fished my
+flask out of my pocket, and insisted upon my taking a liberal draught of
+the contents. Not until then would he examine me.
+
+"Your bleeding powers would do credit to a bullock," he commented, as he
+cut away my shirt: "but beyond loss of blood, I don't think there's much
+harm done."
+
+His first impression was correct. A cursory examination was quite
+sufficient to convince him that I was not much hurt.
+
+"Just a nasty furrow," he remarked. "Pretty painful, I suppose. The
+bullet glanced off, turned by that leather coat of yours, I presume.
+Lucky for you; as it is, you will be all right in the fortnight."
+
+I felt relieved by his tone, and assured him, when he had patched me up
+temporarily with strips torn from my shirt-sleeves and my own
+handkerchief, that I felt very little of the injury.
+
+"Now take my seat," he said, as he buttoned my coat round me. "I think
+I have had enough experience of motoring to ensure my taking you in
+safety to the nearest surgeon. It's infernally bad luck, though," he
+continued. "I would swear one of us must have hit our friend, and if we
+were only in a position to follow him up, we should be pretty certain to
+effect a capture."
+
+My mind had been considerably relieved to find that I was not seriously
+injured, and the dose of whisky I had taken had pulled me together.
+
+"You've bound me up pretty tightly?" I asked.
+
+"You are right enough until we find a doctor," he answered.
+
+"In that case," I said, "if there's any chance of our catching our man
+to-night, I'm not going to chuck it away. Put the light back and let us
+get on."
+
+My mind was made up on the subject. One reason was that physical pain
+always makes me feel mad, and I would have given a great deal to get
+even with the Pirate for that reason alone. Besides, call it vanity or
+what you will, I wasn't going to let any one say I had allowed a scratch
+to bowl me over. So the moment Forrest had replaced the light, I resumed
+my seat in the car, asserting that I was fully capable of driving.
+
+The detective attempted to dissuade me from the attempt, but I was bent
+upon having my own way. He did not argue the question at any length, for
+as soon as he was in the car I backed into the middle of the road and
+jammed on our highest speed.
+
+In three minutes we were at Buntingford, and there we nearly ran into a
+group of people who were gathered in the middle of the road. They were
+discussing, as it happened, the appearance of the Pirate, who had passed
+through the town twenty minutes previously. Here Forrest made another
+futile attempt to persuade me to see a surgeon immediately, but I would
+not listen to him. We swept onward. I could scarcely see, but I sent the
+Mercedes along recklessly, stopping for nothing until we reached Ware. I
+would never have driven in the manner I did in calmer moments. Forrest
+told me afterwards that his journey on the Pirate's car was nothing to
+it, for the car rocked so from side to side of the road that he was
+never certain whether I was not steering for the hedges; while at every
+bend his heart was in his mouth when he realized that the wheels were
+never on the ground together.
+
+On the outskirts of Ware we learned that the Pirate had been seen
+approaching the town, but that, instead of passing through the narrow
+streets, he had doubled back in the direction of Stevenage. He had kept
+his twenty minutes' start and I was for following him. Forrest was of
+another opinion.
+
+"According to his usual custom, he is obviously avoiding the towns," he
+argued; "and if, as I still suspect, his hiding-place is in the vicinity
+of St. Albans, we shall stand some chance of cutting him off if we take
+the most direct route. He cannot be badly hurt, or we should have picked
+him up before this, and under any other circumstance we are not likely
+to overtake him."
+
+I saw the force of his reasoning and we flew on. We heard nothing of him
+neither in Hertford nor in Hatfield.
+
+"Our only chance is at St. Albans," remarked my companion, and once more
+I put my car to top speed.
+
+We were just about half way between the two towns when we saw the lights
+of a motor ahead. I sounded the horn, or rather Forrest did, but the
+vehicle made no attempt to get out of the way. We caught up to the
+stranger hand over fist, and not until we were nearly touching did I
+slacken speed.
+
+As I did so the occupant of the car shouted out, "That you, Sutgrove?
+Never more pleased to meet with a friend in my life."
+
+It was Mannering.
+
+"Seen anything of the Pirate?" shouted Forrest, by way of reply.
+
+"Merely had the pleasure of exchanging shots with him ten minutes ago,"
+was the astounding answer. "Unfortunately he appears to have got the
+better of the exchange, for he has managed to put a bullet in my
+shoulder."
+
+"We have had a similar experience, and Mr. Sutgrove is the victim,"
+answered Forrest. "So I am afraid I cannot offer much assistance."
+
+"I think I can get to St. Albans all right," he replied. "It's only the
+left, and I managed to get a handkerchief round it."
+
+"If you will let us pass," I said, "I will run on to St Albans and see
+that assistance is sent to you."
+
+"Oh, I didn't notice I was taking all the road," he remarked, as he drew
+aside.
+
+Once more we drove ahead at our speed limit, and five minutes later we
+stopped before the police office. There we found every one in blissful
+ignorance of the fact that the Pirate was abroad. Nor did any one else
+see him that night. Again he had mysteriously vanished under
+circumstances which convinced the detective more firmly than ever that
+his retreat was somewhere in the vicinity of my home.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+OF THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED
+
+
+I SUPPOSE I must have lost more blood than I had reckoned upon, or else
+the excitement of the pursuit had been sufficient to keep me going; but
+whichever it was, no sooner had we pulled up than I collapsed. I was
+never nearer fainting in my life. In fact I had to take another stiff
+dose of whisky, and even then I was only too glad to relinquish the
+steering-wheel to Forrest, and let him drive me the rest of the way
+home. He never left me until I was safely in bed, and the surgeon he had
+summoned had stitched me up.
+
+Fortunately my wounds proved, as Forrest had foretold, more painful than
+dangerous. The bullet had carried with it some shreds of cloth; and the
+removal of these from my arm was the only really painful bit of work the
+surgeon had to perform. However, the medical man insisted upon my
+remaining in bed, and I obeyed his orders for a couple of days; but on
+the third I felt so well that I rebelled against any further
+confinement, and though still considerably sore, I managed to get out
+and about.
+
+I found I was a little bit shaky, yet I managed to get as far as
+Colonel Mainland's house, and there I found my adventure had been a
+blessing in disguise, for I could see from the manner in which she
+greeted me, that my last encounter with the Pirate had wiped from Miss
+Maitland's memory all remembrance of the previous occasion. There was
+only one thing to mar my enjoyment of the situation thus created.
+Mannering had unfortunately been successful in making himself a
+candidate for similar solicitude. His injury, however, was even more
+trivial than mine, the bullet having merely scored his shoulder. I
+wished devoutly it had missed him altogether, or been a few inches
+higher and more to the right; for in such case I should have had Miss
+Maitland's undivided sympathies and attention, whereas I had perforce to
+share them with my rival. I knew I had done nothing heroic; but if
+Mannering had not been hit I might at least have posed as half a hero,
+instead of which I had to be content with being a quarter of one.
+
+However, I made the most of what glory I had earned, and I am bound to
+confess that I traded upon my sore arm in the most shameless fashion.
+
+Fortunately the Motor Pirate at this time entered upon a long period of
+quiescence, so that I was free to make the most of my opportunity, and
+to devote the whole of my time to Miss Maitland's society. The detective
+was firmly of the opinion that this prolonged rest was due to one of our
+shots having found its billet, and declared that we should hear nothing
+more of him until he had repaired damages. The inaction, however, soon
+became very wearisome to him; and when a fortnight had elapsed without a
+single appearance having been chronicled, he became quite morose. By
+that time he had searched over the whole district, but not a trace of
+any other injured person could he discover; and he was as much at a loss
+for a clue to the identity of the Pirate as he had been when he first
+entered upon the job of running him to earth.
+
+The Press by this time had nothing but jeers for the police and for the
+detective force generally. Meantime the most extraordinary steps were
+taken to secure the Pirate's arrest when he should renew his career. The
+Automobile Club had officially lent their assistance to the police, and
+night by night the principal roads of the county were patrolled by the
+members of the club, thirsting for the opportunity of distinguishing
+themselves by the capture of the marauder. The Pirate must have been
+vastly amused in his retirement as he read of the sensation he had
+created. I rather think that the man in the street looked upon the whole
+matter as the great sporting event of the century, and his sympathies
+were undoubtedly with the man who could so easily snap his fingers at
+the army of police, amateur and professional, who were engaged in the
+task of seeking him. In fact, if he had not committed the murder at
+Towcester, I am convinced that the public would have elevated him to the
+position of a great popular hero. Even as it was, he had no lack of
+apologists; and an eminent ballad-monger celebrated his exploits in some
+verses, which were immensely applauded when recited by long-haired
+enthusiasts at smoking concerts and similar gatherings. All this was
+gall to Forrest; and at last one day, three weeks after our encounter
+with the Pirate, he told me he could stand it no longer.
+
+"I must try another line of country," he remarked.
+
+"What line do you propose?" I asked.
+
+"The only thing I can think of," he replied, "is to make inquiries in
+Amsterdam, to see if the diamonds which were taken from the mail, have
+been offered for sale. I am quite certain they have not been put upon
+the market this side of the water."
+
+I was very loth to let him go alone; but he would not hear of my
+accompanying him.
+
+"What! run away now, and let your friend Mannering have a clear field? I
+wouldn't if I were you," he remarked. "Besides, I can manage this sort
+of work better by myself."
+
+His final argument was conclusive, and he went away promising to look me
+up immediately he returned, and expressing the hope that nothing more
+would be heard of the Pirate until his return.
+
+On the very same day it happened that Mannering also took his departure
+from St. Stephens. I had mentioned in his hearing that Forrest had been
+called away, and he had then informed us--Miss Maitland and myself--that
+he had some business in Paris in connection with the patent tyre with
+which he was still experimenting, which would entail his absence for two
+or three days.
+
+I sincerely trusted that his business would require a much longer
+period to transact; and as he was leaving by an early train the next
+morning, I took particular care he should obtain no opportunity for a
+private leave-taking with Miss Maitland.
+
+It was not a sporting thing to do, perhaps, but I was so much in earnest
+about my love-making, that I had no scruples about spoiling as many of
+my rival's chances as I could. However, as it happened, I found somewhat
+to my surprise that my tactics were not unwelcome to Miss Maitland. She
+confessed as much to me the next day. She---- But perhaps it will be
+better for me to give in some detail the conversation we had upon this
+occasion, since it had a considerable bearing upon after events.
+
+The morning after Mannering had departed was as brilliant a one as June
+ever bestowed upon mortal. Now that my rival was out of the way, I
+thought I might dispense with the sling which I had worn hitherto, and
+directly after breakfast I strolled across to the Maitlands', with the
+intention of persuading Miss Maitland to come for a ride on the
+Mercedes. I found her on the point of starting for a stroll, with the
+object of giving her favourite Irish setter a run, and I was easily
+persuaded to abandon my projected ride and accompany her instead. We
+chose the footpath between St. Stephen's church and the village of Park
+Street, and, stepping out briskly, we soon reached our destination; and
+as my companion would not hear of turning back, we continued our walk to
+Bricket Wood. There I insisted upon resting.
+
+I had never seen her in higher spirits than she was that morning. She
+bubbled over with gaiety. So much so that I could not help commenting
+upon the fact.
+
+"Yes," she replied frankly, in answer to my remarks on the subject, "I
+do feel gay this morning. I feel as if a load had been removed from my
+shoulders."
+
+"Surely you can have no troubles," I remarked, half-banteringly.
+
+A shadow alighted for a moment upon her face and was gone again.
+
+"Nothing which ought to be a trouble. Nothing tangible and yet---- Oh,
+Mr. Sutgrove, do you--have you ever experienced a presentiment of
+something dreadful happening? No; that is not exactly what I mean. I
+don't know how to explain myself without----"
+
+Then she paused, and I discreetly kept silence. Presently she resumed.
+
+"Men are so stupid, or I would tell you all about it. You would never
+understand."
+
+I saw my opening and made use of it. "We men may be stupid both
+individually and collectively," I said. "But I can answer for one man
+being sympathetic to anything you like to say to him."
+
+She laughed. "I am so afraid you will think me silly."
+
+"Miss Maitland--Evie----" I began.
+
+"Hush!" She stopped me with an adorable smile. "You know you haven't
+caught the Motor Pirate, yet."
+
+I summoned up the most injured expression permitted by my contentment
+with my surroundings and fell silent again.
+
+"Poor boy!" she said mockingly. "It is unkind of me to remind you of
+your vow, when you have already done your best to fulfil it."
+
+"Not quite my best, yet," I muttered sullenly.
+
+"Anyhow I think you have done quite enough to warrant my taking you into
+my confidence."
+
+She said this quite seriously, and glancing up at her, I saw she was
+looking into a glade of the wood with a preoccupied expression on her
+pretty face, which showed me that it was in reality no petty trouble
+which worried her.
+
+"This scene is so delightfully restful. I love the cool green lights and
+the cool grey shadows of the woodlands in early summer," she remarked
+absently.
+
+I had no eyes for aught but the face of the speaker, though I was
+indirectly conscious that there was a good deal of beauty in the wood.
+To me it seemed an appropriate background, that was all.
+
+"Yes," I said. "But about this presentiment of yours----"
+
+"It is hardly a presentiment; in fact, I don't know what to call it,"
+she replied. Then she turned and faced me. "Now listen. There's an
+acquaintance of mine, whom I know very well and used to like a great
+deal. Yes, I think I am right in saying used to like. Well, for some
+undefined reason, my liking has change to something very like fear."
+
+"For what reason?" I asked.
+
+"None," she replied. "Absolutely there is no reason whatever."
+
+"A case of Dr. Fell," I said. "Well, avoid your Dr. Fell."
+
+"That is exactly what I am unable to do," she answered, and I could see
+she was speaking truly. "This fear has grown up in some degree, I think,
+from a subtle sort of consciousness that the person in question has it
+in his power to exert a curious influence over me. I seem to be drawn
+against my will into an attitude towards him which is not only against
+my judgment, but also against my inclination."
+
+"Him?" I asked. "Him? Is it Mannering?"
+
+"Why, what made you think of him? Does he affect you in the same way?"
+she said eagerly.
+
+"Far from it," I replied. My first feeling was one of delight at
+discovering that my rival was more feared than loved. But as I thought
+over the matter, my astonishment grew. I had looked upon Mannering as a
+rival, and as a favoured rival, but I was not prepared to hear that Evie
+Maitland was afraid of him, or of any other man for the matter of that,
+and I said so.
+
+"A month ago, I should have laughed at the idea myself," she replied,
+"but to-day----" She shuddered slightly. "Now you know why I feel so gay
+this morning. The fact is, when on awakening this morning I realized
+that I should be absolutely free from his presence for two whole days, I
+hardly knew how to contain myself for joy."
+
+"Surely you must have some grounds for fearing him, something in his
+manner----"
+
+"No. Yet I have thought--but it is nothing. When we have been alone
+together he has sat once or twice staring at me. I try to speak to him,
+but he sits and stares and stares, with his eyes so bright and all the
+time so sombre--so penetrating that I feel that he sees quite through
+me. Just like one does in those unpleasant dreams where one's clothes
+have somehow disappeared. To-day, and now, it seems very silly, yet I am
+certain I shall feel exactly the same the next time I meet him. Then
+when he sees how confused I am he gives a sort of a laugh, an unpleasant
+kind of a chuckle without any merriment in it."
+
+"He's a d----d cad!" I cried hotly.
+
+"I--I don't know," she answered. "I don't seem to mind at the time. It
+is just as if I were in a dream, for I am so fascinated in watching him
+that I have no thoughts left for myself. It is when he has gone that the
+thought seems unpleasant. Then I always think I will never see him
+again, but the next time he calls I feel bound to do so. There, now I
+have confided in you, don't tell me I am a weak hysterical girl or I
+really don't know what will happen to me."
+
+She laid one of her little hands on my arm and looked imploringly into
+my eyes.
+
+"I know you are neither weak nor hysterical," I replied.
+
+"You will help me, won't you?" she asked.
+
+I took both hands in mine and looked straight into her eyes.
+
+"The only way I see of helping you," I said deliberately, "is for you to
+give me the right to do so."
+
+She did not take her hands from my grasp.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"Do you know, Jim," she said an hour later, when we came out of the wood
+into the meadow, "that I told you not to speak to me until you had
+captured the Motor Pirate."
+
+"You could not answer for me, darling," I replied. "But I should not
+have done so if I----"
+
+"Had not found the temptation to do so irresistible," she said, taking
+the words out of my mouth with so bewitching an air, that again I found
+an irresistible temptation confronting me.
+
+We did not revert again to the curious influence which Evie had declared
+Mannering exercised. She would not allow of it. She wanted to think that
+he had gone completely out of her life, and that no more shadows were
+ever to fall across her path. And I was too happy myself to wish to
+refer to anything which should bring an unpleasant memory to her mind.
+
+I shall never forget our walk home. The silver thread of the Ver, the
+old monastery gate-house and the ruins of Sopwell Priory in the
+foreground, the churches of St. Stephens and St Michaels on either hand,
+and in the centre of the picture the Abbey of St. Albans brooding over
+all. We decided to be married in the abbey. I trod on air.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+A CLOUD APPEARS ON LOVE'S HORIZON
+
+
+MANNERING remained absent for a week, and during that time I learned
+from Evie a good deal about the curious dread which he had inspired in
+her mind. Had inspired, I say, for she assured me it had passed away,
+and that she felt quite safe now she was promised to be my wife. Our
+betrothal had been announced the day after the never-to-be-forgotten
+walk to Bricket wood, and I had hastened to make it known as widely as I
+could, for I could think of no likelier method of ensuring her against
+any further annoyance on the part of Mannering. When he saw that he had
+lost, I could not think that he would do otherwise than retire
+gracefully from the scene. If, however, he failed to take his failure
+kindly, I should not have the slightest hesitation about sending him
+about his business. I should have been tempted to do so without further
+delay, if there had in reality been anything in Mannering's conduct to
+which open exception could have been taken. Evie recognized there was
+nothing of the sort as strongly as myself, and she was even averse to do
+as I suggested, and ask her father to hint to him that he should, for a
+while at least, cease his visits to the house.
+
+"You see," she remarked, "if he had made himself offensive in any other
+way, I should have welcomed the opportunity of speaking to papa about
+it. But he has not. His attitude has been outwardly perfectly courteous,
+and papa would only laugh at me if I were to tell him what I have told
+you. He would not believe me if I told him I was afraid of Mr.
+Mannering."
+
+"Besides, you are now no longer afraid?" I said.
+
+"No; I am no longer afraid of him. I am quite sure of that," she
+repeated.
+
+The manner in which she made the assertion ought to have warned me that
+she was not quite so certain on the point as she was willing to believe,
+but no such thought crossed my mind at the time.
+
+"Anyhow," I continued, "if when you see Mannering again, you feel any
+recurrence of your dread, it will be easy for me to pick a quarrel with
+him, and so compel him to absent himself from the house. You see, he
+will be unable to come here without meeting me."
+
+Evie pouted a dissent. "You must not do that," she remarked. "A quarrel
+with him would make both of us look ridiculous. Everybody would conclude
+that you were jealous; and I--I should not like to imagine any one
+thinking that I gave you cause."
+
+"My own darling!" I cried.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When once more we resumed our conversation, I bethought me of another
+plan, and I suggested to Evie that she could always find a retreat at my
+home in Norfolk, if she wanted to get away from Mannering's presence. My
+aunt, I knew, would be delighted to entertain her. She agreed at once to
+adopt this course if the occasion should arise. Thus I thought I had
+provided against every contingency for the short period which was to
+elapse before our wedding-day.
+
+When Mannering did return, however, it seemed as if we had been making
+preparations to meet a contingency which was never likely to arise. He
+learned of Evie's engagement from the Colonel, the morning after his
+return to St. Albans. He took the news very well. Much more coolly than
+I should have done had I been the disappointed one. In fact, a few
+minutes after he had been made acquainted with Evie's engagement, he
+came to us where we were in the garden, and congratulated us forthwith.
+
+"You are a lucky fellow, Sutgrove," he said. "I had cherished a faint
+hope that your luck might be mine, and now the only consolation I have
+is that the best man always wins."
+
+Spoken in a different tone than that which he employed, his words would
+have made a very pretty compliment, but from his lips the words seemed
+to be very like a sarcasm. However, I could pardon the expression of a
+little bitterness under the circumstances, so I made no reply; and,
+turning to Evie, he continued--
+
+"I trust your new tie will not put an end to the old friendships, Miss
+Maitland?"
+
+"Why should it?" she asked.
+
+"They often do," he replied.
+
+"Not if the old friendships are the real thing," I interjected.
+
+"No; not if they are the real thing," he repeated slowly. "I hope you
+will find mine to be the real thing."
+
+A faint smile fluttered across his face as he spoke, and was gone in an
+instant. Neither Evie nor myself knew what to reply, and an awkward
+pause ensued. He seemed to feel the awkwardness of it just as much as
+either of us, and he changed the subject with an inquiry as to whether
+anything further had been heard or seen of the Motor Pirate during his
+own absence in Paris.
+
+"I have been far too busy to even look at the papers," he explained,
+"and he might have been captured for all I know."
+
+"No such luck," I replied. "This time he seems to have disappeared for
+good."
+
+"I see I shall have to take up your job, and devote my energies to the
+task of his capture," he said laughingly. And, turning to Evie, he said,
+"I presume you will not allow Sutgrove to take any risks of that sort
+now, Miss Maitland?"
+
+Again there was something sarcastic in his tone, and I could see by the
+flush in Evie's cheek that the question had angered her. She answered
+almost hotly--
+
+"I am quite sure if any one can capture the Pirate, Jim can."
+
+"I have no intention of giving up the pursuit just at present," I added
+quietly, with a glance of thanks to my dear one for her ready
+championship.
+
+"I don't think I should trouble myself about any Motor Pirate if I were
+in your position," he replied. "I fancy if I were engaged to be married
+to the best girl in the world, the first thing I should do would be to
+eliminate every risk from my life, instead of looking about for fresh
+ones. Besides, it seems scarcely fair on the girl, does it?"
+
+"Surely that depends on what the girl thinks, doesn't it?" asked Evie.
+"A good many girls haven't much admiration for the man who would act as
+you suggest."
+
+"Ah, well!" returned Mannering. "I see now where Sutgrove has succeeded.
+The prize always goes to the adventurous."
+
+Again there was a subtle provocation in his tone--something very like a
+sneer. An angry retort was on the tip of my tongue, but a glance from
+Evie checked it, and soon after he left us together.
+
+"You must not be angry with him," she said, as soon as we were alone.
+"He does not know you as I do; and besides I think he--he must be
+disappointed."
+
+"There's not the slightest doubt about that," I answered emphatically.
+"He is badly hit, and he takes it pretty well considering. I know I
+shouldn't have taken my gruel so coolly. In fact, that is just what I
+don't like about him. One never knows what is going on behind that
+handsome mask of his."
+
+"Handsome," she said. "Do you call him handsome?"
+
+"Yes. I should say he was one of the handsomest men of my acquaintance.
+How could you ever bestow a single glance or thought upon me when----"
+
+Evie placed her hand upon my lips. "You dear, foolish old boy," she
+said. "There is only one face in the whole wide world which I think is
+really handsome, and I have thought so from the first time I caught
+sight of it."
+
+There was another interlude in our conversation--they were pretty
+frequent in those days--and the subject dropped for a time. It recurred
+frequently, however, and gradually I perceived that whatever subject we
+discussed, sooner or later, Mannering's name was bound to crop up. At
+first I rather encouraged Evie to talk about him; but, after a while, I
+discovered that I was ministering to the feeling which I thought had
+been destroyed. I could not help but notice that, soon after Mannering's
+return, Evie's high spirits became subdued--her gaiety less spontaneous.
+Yet when I asked her whether Mannering's presence produced any effect
+upon her, she assured me to the contrary.
+
+Nor did I see how Mannering could possibly exert any influence over her.
+I took particular care that he should never have a _tete-a-tete_ with
+her. Sometimes she would not even see him for a couple of days at a
+time, and when she did, it would be merely for a few minutes, and
+nearly always in the presence of Colonel Maitland as well as myself.
+
+It appeared to me, indeed, as if Mannering even took pains to avoid
+seeing much of her; and, though I watched him closely, his bearing was
+always studiously correct. He was the same _insouciant_ person who had
+impressed me so favourably upon my first introduction to him. But
+whether it was owing to the distrust which Evie's fear of him had
+impressed upon me, or because I could really see things which had before
+been hidden from my sight, I certainly did observe about him certain
+singularities which I had never before remarked. I saw, for instance,
+that, in speaking of his face as a handsome mask, I had been nearer the
+truth than I had known. On more than one occasion, while his lips were
+parted in a genial smile, I observed in his eyes an expression strangely
+at variance therewith. It was the expression of a cat when it crouches
+to spring upon a mouse. I have seen that look bent upon my betrothed. I
+have caught it directed at myself. There was a restlessness, too, which
+gave the lie to his nonchalant manner. I could see that he forced
+himself to remain still. His fingers were always busy with something or
+other.
+
+These were trifles, and equally trivial seemed the sarcasms which he
+directed at me now and again. These I attributed to the ebullitions of
+temper, natural enough in a defeated suitor. In my heart I pitied him,
+for I fancied I knew what a struggle it must have cost him to stand
+aside and watch a successful rival's happiness.
+
+As the days passed, a certain constraint appeared to have arisen between
+Evie and myself. I told myself that the idea was foolish, and yet I knew
+that it was not so. Mind, I had not the slightest doubt as to the
+strength of Evie's love for me. She expressed it clearly, yet there was
+something drawing us apart, and I began to be afraid.
+
+Towards the middle of June the tension became so great, that I could see
+the time had arrived when it would be necessary to do something; and,
+one night, I determined to mention the matter. Accordingly, after
+dinner, I persuaded Evie to come into the garden, with the intention to
+speak firmly in my mind. There, however, in the faint light of the
+summer night, with the sweet scent of the early roses filling the air, I
+forgot everything in the blissfulness of my lot. We had paced our
+favourite walk once in silence--my heart was too full of delight for
+speech--when, as we retraced our steps, to my surprise, Evie burst
+suddenly into passionate tears. Some minutes elapsed before I could calm
+her, and when I managed at last to do so, it needed all my powers of
+persuasion to get her to confide in me the cause of her outburst. At
+first she said it was nothing but the hysteria of happiness. Then she
+asked me, with a fierce clutch on my arm, if I should think her
+unmaidenly if she asked that our wedding-day should be hastened. We had
+fixed it for September, so I at once suggested July.
+
+Her mood changed at once. She said she was not feeling well, and that I
+must not listen to her. But being now thoroughly alarmed at her
+obviously nervous condition, I questioned her until I elicited from her
+that all her old dread of Mannering had returned, and with double
+intensity, in that it was accompanied by a presentiment of disaster to
+myself.
+
+"Jim," she said, looking up into my face with eyes which glowed in the
+faint light like stars, "I shall not feel sure of you until I am with
+you always. I want to be near you to look after you. Every moment you
+are absent from my side, I am imagining all sorts of horrible things
+happening to you. And it is worse to bear, because, it seems to me, that
+I am the cause of it all."
+
+I strove to laugh away her fears, but, say what I would, I could not
+dispel the thought in her mind that some disaster threatened our love.
+Probing her mind for the foundation of her belief, I was not surprised
+to find that Mannering had something to do with it.
+
+I did my best to make her mind easy, while determining that I would at
+once take steps to secure change of air and scene for her at some spot
+where my late rival should not come. She became tolerably composed at
+last, and I took her back to the drawing-room, where I was glad to find
+Mrs. Winter, in whom I recognized a most useful sedative for
+over-excited nerves.
+
+We had a little music, and with that and the commonplaces of
+conversation, the evening passed until eleven had struck, and the
+Colonel's yawns warned me that the time had arrived for taking my
+departure.
+
+The Winters and myself had just risen to leave when we heard a hasty
+step on the gravel outside, and, turning, we saw a man's figure at one
+of the French windows opening on to the garden.
+
+"Hullo!" said the Colonel. "Who's that?"
+
+The new-comer stepped into the room, and, as the light fell upon his
+face, I recognized Forrest. He nodded to me and turned to the Colonel.
+
+"I trust you will excuse this unceremonious call of mine, Colonel
+Maitland," he said. "But I was desirous of seeing Mr. Sutgrove
+immediately, and I guessed I should find him here."
+
+"I'll excuse you, if you will come to the smoking-room and drink Mr.
+Sutgrove's health in a whisky-and-seltzer," replied the Colonel,
+heartily.
+
+"I don't think I can spare the time," said the detective, quietly.
+
+"Nonsense, man! You must drink the health of my future son-in-law!" he
+declared.
+
+"Most certainly," remarked Forrest. "I can find time for that, even
+though----" He paused, and then said, with quiet incisiveness, "Even
+though the Motor Pirate is upon the road again!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+A CLUE AT LAST
+
+
+IMMEDIATELY Forrest had made his dramatic announcement, I glanced at
+Evie, for in view of the apprehension she had exhibited earlier in the
+evening, I was just a little doubtful as to whether she would take
+kindly to the renewal of my attempts to catch the Pirate. To my
+satisfaction, she exhibited no signs of trepidation, if she did not
+appear altogether delighted that I was to have another opportunity of
+distinguishing myself. In fact as soon as the detective had followed
+Colonel Maitland from the room, she told me that she was glad.
+
+"I don't fear for you a scrap, Jim. At least not much," she said. "I
+know you won't do anything foolish, for my sake."
+
+I interrupted with, "Nor for my own."
+
+"And do you know," she continued, "I have a queer sort of impression
+that when the Pirate is captured, this horrible depression which has
+been hanging over me will disappear altogether."
+
+"Then captured he must be without delay," I said.
+
+"Though I don't see how Mannering will be affected thereby."
+
+"I am not so sure about that," said Evie.
+
+"You surely cannot think that Mannering is in any way connected with the
+Motor Pirate?" I inquired in surprise, for any such idea had long passed
+from my mind.
+
+"I don't know," she remarked dreamily; "I don't know. But I should not
+be surprised. I really could believe anything about him."
+
+I reminded her of the steps Forrest had taken to assure himself that
+there were no grounds for such a suspicion, but she was not convinced;
+so I forbore to continue the discussion, changing the conversation to
+the arrangements to be made for her proposed visit to Norfolk. It was
+decided that I should write at once to my aunt, and that she should be
+ready to start the moment I received a reply. We had settled all the
+preliminaries by the time the Colonel and Forrest returned, and I bade
+her good night, feeling quite easy in my mind.
+
+"I am delighted to be able to congratulate you," said Forrest, the
+moment we were outside.
+
+"I am the luckiest man in the world," I replied.
+
+"You are," returned the detective, emphatically. "All the same, I should
+not have been sorry if Miss Maitland had stuck to her intention of
+refusing to listen to you until after the capture of the Pirate."
+
+"Why?" I demanded.
+
+"For purely selfish reasons," he replied. "I take it you will not be so
+keen on the chase. Men in your position don't take risks."
+
+I held out my hand to him. "Put your fist in that," I said. "What I have
+promised, I stick to; and, to tell the truth, I was never keener on
+anything in my life."
+
+"That's good news for me," he answered, and I could tell from his tone
+that he meant it. Besides, he was not a man given to the paying of idle
+compliments.
+
+We were walking quietly towards my cottage as we talked, and the impulse
+came upon me to confide to him the presentiment which Evie had in regard
+to the capture of the Pirate relieving her from her burden of fear. That
+necessitated my explaining as well as I could the curious influence
+which Mannering exercised over her. Forrest listened attentively.
+
+"Curious," he muttered, when I had finished. "It is very curious that
+the fellow should have produced such an impression on Miss Maitland. By
+the way, he was not at the Colonel's to-night."
+
+"No," I replied.
+
+"I wonder----" he began. He never finished the sentence, nor did he
+speak again until he reached my door. There he paused, and said lightly,
+"I think I should like to discover whether the disappointed lover is at
+home to-night. Are you prepared for a little amateur burglary,
+Sutgrove?"
+
+"Ready for anything," I assured him.
+
+"It seems a little absurd to suspect Mannering," he remarked
+meditatively. "Yet there are times when a woman's intuition is a better
+guide than a man's ratiocination."
+
+"You didn't get any clue in Amsterdam, then?" I asked tentatively, for I
+was curious to hear the results of his journey.
+
+"No, no. Nothing at all in Holland."
+
+"If Mannering were the Pirate, and had tried to dispose of his plunder
+there, you would in all probability have caught him; but he would
+scarcely have chosen to go abroad at the same time as yourself," I
+remarked.
+
+Forrest emitted a long, low whistle. "By Jove!" he said. "Then it was
+indeed he whom I saw in Vienna."
+
+"In Vienna?" I queried.
+
+"When did he leave England?" asked the detective, ignoring my question.
+
+"The very day you left," I replied promptly.
+
+"Come, this is getting interesting," he said. "Tonight we will most
+certainly let the Pirate do his worst on the roads. We will look for a
+clue to the mystery of his identity nearer home." He looked at his
+watch. "It's a little too early to pay our call, so if you don't mind, I
+will come in and we can discuss the matter at leisure."
+
+To say that Forrest's enigmatic utterances filled me with excitement,
+very inadequately expresses the state of my mind. He followed me
+indoors, and, while I mixed a drink for each of us, he saw that the
+windows and doors were closed. Then seating himself in an easy chair, he
+selected a cigar and remarked--
+
+"Now we can talk."
+
+"I thought you only intended to go to Amsterdam," I began.
+
+"That was my intention," he replied. "But before giving you the results
+of my inquiries--it won't take long, by the way--I should like to ask
+you one or two questions, if I may?"
+
+"Fire away," I said.
+
+"Did you mention to any one where I had gone?"
+
+"Not to a soul. At least certainly not at the time, though I have
+probably mentioned the matter to Miss Maitland since."
+
+"Oh, you young lovers!" he interjected.
+
+"She would not speak of the matter, I know. I gave out to every one else
+that you had been recalled to London."
+
+"Anyway, it would not have mattered if she had, as Mannering left on the
+same day as myself. Where did he say he was going?"
+
+"He said he was bound for Paris on business connected with some patents
+he was applying for. He told us he would be absent for two or three
+days; and as a matter of fact, he was away for ten."
+
+"That would about fit in," remarked the detective, after a moment's
+thought. "But of that you shall judge for yourself." He moistened his
+lips and pulled at his cigar until it was well alight, and then he
+commenced his story.
+
+"I carried out my original intention, and the night after I left you I
+caught the 8.30 at Liverpool Street. The next morning I was in
+Amsterdam. I stayed there three days, until I was quite convinced that
+no such parcel of diamonds as had been stolen had been offered for sale
+to any of the Dutch dealers. I could not have failed to hear of it if
+any such attempt had been made. While there I had the good fortune to
+make the acquaintance of a Russian agent, whose work I fancy must have
+been largely political. Ivan Stroviloff his name was, and he had
+acquaintances in most European capitals. I discussed the matter with
+him. He thought that an attempt to dispose of the stones was much more
+likely to be made in Vienna or St. Petersburg than anywhere else except
+Paris. I was aware of our agents in Paris having been fully informed,
+and I knew it was not worth my while to go there; but beyond notifying
+the Austrian police, I doubted whether any steps had been taken in
+regard to Vienna, so I determined to proceed to the Austrian capital.
+Stroviloff proved a very decent fellow, rather an exception to the
+general run, for I don't take to those Russian agents as a rule; and as
+I was able to give him a few hints and some introductions over here--he
+was going on to London--he gave me in return letters to some of his
+colleagues in Vienna and Petersburg, thinking they would probably be of
+more use to me than application through the usual official channels.
+Well, I went on to Vienna. I won't weary you with a history of my
+fruitless inquiries, it would take far too much time. Anyhow, I did find
+eventually that a parcel of diamonds had been disposed of there, and, as
+Stroviloff had predicted, I obtained the information through one of the
+Russian agents and not through the Viennese police. I will say that I do
+not see how the latter could have helped me, for the purchaser was the
+representative of a Petersburg house who happened to be in Vienna for
+the purpose of attending the sale of the Princess Novikoff's jewels--you
+probably saw all about it in the papers."
+
+It was a remarkable sale, and the extraordinary prices realized are
+probably fresh in most people's memories. I told Forrest I had seen
+accounts of it, and he continued.
+
+"Unfortunately I did not get the information until after the
+representative in question had returned to Petersburg. There was nothing
+left for me to do but to follow him there if I wanted to satisfy myself
+as to whether the stones of which I had heard were really the ones
+stolen from the mail. It was rather like a wild goose chase, but I went.
+It was the day before I started that I saw the man who reminded me so
+forcibly of your friend Mannering. It was a very fleeting glimpse of a
+face which looked in at the door of a restaurant where I happened to be
+dining, and I should not like to swear that it was he whom I saw. At the
+time, I put my fancy down to one of those casual likenesses which
+sometimes lead even keen observers to accost total strangers in the
+streets as acquaintances. The likeness was, however, undeniable, in
+spite of something strange about his appearance. However, I paid no
+attention to the incident, and the next morning I was on my way to
+Petersburg. There I found no difficulty in obtaining full particulars
+from the dealer. I have no doubt but that he has purchased the stones
+which were stolen from the Brighton mail. In size, weight, and quality
+they answered to the description perfectly. I learned from him that the
+man from whom he had bought the stones had been introduced to him by a
+well-known Viennese jeweller. The price asked, though not very greatly
+below market value, was low enough to tempt him to purchase. The man who
+offered them suggested that payment should be made, not to himself, but
+to his firm in Amsterdam. The transaction seemed in every way _bona
+fide_, the explanation as to the low price being that the Amsterdam firm
+was rather pressed for cash, and so compelled to realize some of its
+stock, but was unable to do so in Amsterdam for fear of jeopardizing its
+credit. The man who sold the stones gave the name of Josef Hoffman, and
+the merchant produced his card which bore the name of Jacob Meyer and
+Meyer, and an address in the De Jordaan, Amsterdam. He was described to
+me as a tall, powerful, fresh-coloured, fair-haired German, of pleasant
+manners and address. The Petersburg merchant's representative had given
+him a draft on an Amsterdam bank and, on reaching the Russian capital,
+after examining the stones, his employer had authorized the payment of
+the draft by telegraph.
+
+"As soon as I obtained these particulars, I started once more for the
+Dutch city without wasting much time. Needless to say, I was too late to
+catch my man. The office in the De Jordaan I found to be a room which
+had been taken for a week or two, and then vacated, by a person whom I
+easily identified as the fair-haired German. The draft had been
+exchanged for a draft on the banker's London agents by the same man. I
+came on to London immediately, but Hoffman, or whatever his name may be,
+was a week ahead of me. I traced him to the London bank where he had
+cashed his draft. He did it in the coolest manner imaginable. He left it
+one day saying that he required gold, and that if they would get the
+amount ready--it was over L4000--he would call for it the next day. He
+actually allowed two days to elapse before doing so. Then he came in a
+cab with a handbag and took away the gold. That at present is as far as
+I have got. I only learned the last of these particulars this afternoon,
+and of course I went at once to the Yard to make my report and to
+arrange for the circulation of the description of the fair-haired German
+throughout the country. Then I came on to you."
+
+Forrest finished his drink and stood up. "Now you know as much about the
+case as I do," he remarked, "and I fancy it is about time for us to pay
+our proposed visit to our friend Mannering."
+
+"I don't see how you can connect him in any way with Hoffman," I said,
+as I rose from my seat.
+
+Forrest smiled. "I omitted to tell you one thing," he observed. "I could
+not see the hair of the man in Vienna whose face seemed familiar to me.
+But one thing I did remark. The man with Mannering's face wore a fair
+moustache."
+
+"But Mannering's is dark," I argued. "It was dark when he went away and
+dark when he returned."
+
+Forrest held up his hand mockingly. "In these days of scientific
+progress nothing is easier than for the intelligent leopard to change
+his spots. Ask the brunette when fashion decrees that fair hair is to be
+worn, and ask again of the blonde how she manages when the exigencies
+demand raven tresses."
+
+That settled me. "There's only one thing more," I said. "When did you
+hear that the Motor Pirate was at work again?"
+
+"At St. Albans. I called at the police office on my way here. He was
+seen about ten o'clock this side of Peterborough and going north."
+
+"It will be rather a sell if Mannering is at home," I remarked.
+
+"He will not be at home," replied Forrest with conviction.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+I COMMIT A BURGLARY
+
+
+THE night was moonless, but there was that soft diffused light in the
+air invariable in June, except on the cloudiest of evenings. There was
+just enough of it to enable us to see our way as we strolled towards
+Mannering's house. When we reached it everything appeared still. All the
+windows were dark. I felt my heart beginning to beat faster than
+ordinarily as Forrest lifted the latch of the gate opening on to the
+strip of garden, which lay between the road and the house. We walked
+along the turf edging of the path in order that our feet might not
+crunch upon the gravel. Forrest was first. He went straight to the front
+door and tried it. It was fast.
+
+"We will try one of those French windows," he whispered after returning
+to my side.
+
+The house was a two-story cottage with a verandah opening on the south
+side facing a lawn. On to this verandah windows opened from both the
+dining and sitting-rooms, the servants' quarters being on the other side
+of the house.
+
+We went round the angle of the building and tried the first window. It
+was fastened. With cat-like tread Forrest glided on to the second. It
+was one of the two giving entrance to the sitting-room. A sibilant sound
+from the detective's lips took me to his side. Without hesitating a
+second, he threw back the casement and stepped into the darkness.
+
+"Come," he muttered, and I followed.
+
+Heavy curtains veiled the windows and past these the darkness was thick
+enough to be felt. Of a sudden there was a crack which made me start. It
+was only Forrest striking a match. With imperturbable confidence, he
+stepped towards a table and lit the lamp which stood thereon. I felt
+exceedingly uncomfortable, but Forrest obviously knew no such qualms,
+for he at once proceeded to examine every object in the room. So far as
+I could see, there was nothing at all unusual about the place. The room
+was in exactly the same condition as I had observed it hundreds of times
+before when I had dropped in for a smoke and a chat. On the table,
+beside the lamp, was a tantalus and a glass, and a half empty syphon.
+The glass had been used and the ash on the floor, beside an armchair,
+showed that a cigar had accompanied the drink. A pair of slippers lay on
+the hearth rug as if they had been carelessly kicked off. Forrest
+pointed to them.
+
+"Mannering is not at home," he said. "If he had gone to bed, these would
+not be here."
+
+"I hope he will not return while we are about," I muttered.
+
+"It would be a little awkward for him," said Forrest, calmly. "I should
+be compelled to arrest him in self-defence, and I am not prepared to do
+so at present."
+
+He did not, however, hurry his movements in any way as he proceeded to
+deliberately search the room. Only once did he pause, and that was when
+he discovered a continental time-table of recent date. He brought the
+book to the light and turned over the pages carefully. A gleam of
+exultation crossed his face, as he pointed out to me a trace of tobacco
+ash between the pages which gave details of the train service between
+Vienna and Amsterdam.
+
+"We are on the right track," he observed.
+
+But that one slight piece of evidence was all that the most careful
+examination of the room revealed, although there was not a drawer nor a
+shelf which he did not overhaul.
+
+"We must try his bedroom," he remarked, when he had finished with the
+sitting-room.
+
+"What about the servants?" I asked.
+
+"If they are not asleep, they will merely imagine that it is their
+master going to bed," he replied, as taking a candlestick, which stood
+on an occasional table near the door, he passed out of the room. I
+followed him upstairs, with my heart in my mouth, and pointed out to him
+the door of the room which Mannering occupied. As Forrest turned the
+handle and entered, I was quite prepared to make a bolt for it. I should
+not have been a bit surprised to have discovered our suspect sleeping
+quietly within. But Forrest turned and beckoned me to enter. The room
+was empty, and this time I assisted the detective in his search.
+Between us we subjected the bedroom and the adjoining dressing-room to
+the closest scrutiny, but without result. We could not, unfortunately,
+make an exhaustive examination, for there were one or two ancient
+presses which were locked, and the Chubb safe let into the wall by the
+bed head was likewise fastened.
+
+The detective shrugged his shoulders when we had done.
+
+"As we haven't a burglar's outfit, we shall have to wait until we have a
+search warrant," he muttered.
+
+With a disappointed air he led the way out of the room. On the landing
+he paused. His keen gaze had rested for a moment on a travelling bag
+which stood under a table. There were the remains of a number of labels
+upon it and he scanned them carefully. There was no sufficient of any
+one of them left for identification.
+
+"He's a clever devil," he whispered.
+
+Then he opened the bag and again his countenance lightened. Inside was
+an empty bottle bearing the label of a London chemist, with the
+additional superscription--"Peroxide of Hydrogen."
+
+"The fair hair is accounted for," commented Forrest. "And as for the dye
+which would restore his locks to their natural colour, I presume he has
+it under lock and key."
+
+He slipped the bottle into his pocket and returned downstairs, I
+following at his heels.
+
+"There's not enough at present against him to warrant his arrest," he
+said, when we were again in the sitting-room.
+
+"Then why not have a look round his workshops," I suggested.
+
+"His what?" queried Forrest, eagerly.
+
+"Haven't I ever mentioned them to you? Haven't you ever heard that
+Mannering spends all his spare time in experimental motor construction?"
+I asked in surprise.
+
+"I think I have heard it mentioned, but until this moment I have always
+thought it was chaff," he replied.
+
+"Good heavens!" I ejaculated.
+
+"I should have been inside that shop a couple of months ago," he
+continued, "if I had thought---- Whereabouts is the shop?"
+
+"Just at the back of the house and abutting on the side of the road," I
+explained. "The old coach-house and stables." Then as the thought
+occurred to me, I continued, "Why I heard him tell you of his work
+himself."
+
+"That's precisely the reason why I paid no attention to it," said my
+companion. "Can you take me to the place?"
+
+I led the way through the French window, Forrest putting out the light
+before he followed me, and carefully closing the casement behind him as
+he stepped on to the verandah. A clock, somewhere in St. Albans, struck
+the half after two as we crossed the lawn in the direction of the
+workshop.
+
+"We have only a short time at our disposal," whispered Forrest. "The
+darkness is lifting, and our friend will soon be returning."
+
+We passed through a side door, which we found unlocked, into what had
+once been the stable-yard. But we could get no further. The two doors
+which gave admission to the building were firmly fastened, and there was
+no available window by which we might gain entrance. We retraced our
+steps, and, passing out of the door, approached the stables from the
+road. By this time the dawn had made such progress that we knew our
+chances of getting inside before Mannering's return were dwindling
+rapidly. We found no more likelihood of obtaining admission from this
+side than the other.
+
+"I cannot arrest a man on the evidence of a few grains of tobacco dust,
+and an empty phial," declared Forrest, savagely, as he shook the tightly
+locked door. "Listen!" I said.
+
+Borne on the wind came the throb of a motor. So still was the air that
+when the sound first reached our ears it must have been a mile away. The
+sound drew nearer and nearer, and while it was still a quarter of a mile
+distant, I recognized the familiar noise of Mannering's car, a sound as
+dissimilar to the hum of the Pirate car as it was possible to conceive.
+
+"Forrest," I cried, turning to my companion, "we must be mad to think
+that Mannering could play the part of the Motor Pirate on that old car
+of his."
+
+There was something so irresistibly ludicrous in the idea, that we both
+indulged in a hearty fit of laughter, and with one accord we turned and
+walked down the road.
+
+"He may keep his fast car elsewhere," remarked the detective, when his
+mirth had subsided.
+
+"It would be difficult to bring the guilt home to him if we failed to
+discover the car," I replied.
+
+A few seconds later we met the man whom we had so lately suspected. I
+felt a tinge of shame at the thought that, a few minutes previously, I
+had been sneaking into his house in the hope that I should find evidence
+to convict him of a crime. By this time dawn was sufficiently advanced
+to allow of recognition, and as he came level with us Mannering pulled
+up.
+
+"Hullo, Sutgrove!" he shouted. "You're about betimes. Been on the same
+job as myself?"
+
+"What's that, Mr. Mannering?" asked Forrest
+
+"Looking for an opportunity to pay back this little debt," was the light
+answer, as the speaker tapped his shoulder gently.
+
+"Any luck?" said Forrest, dryly.
+
+"Not a scrap," was the ready reply. "You see I'm a bit handicapped with
+this old car, for unless the fellow happens to take the same road as
+myself, there's precious little chance of my picking him up. Still, if
+you do not soon succeed in catching him, I think I shall have a good try
+myself."
+
+"I suppose by that you know who he is," I remarked, more in order to see
+what he would say than in the hope of eliciting anything.
+
+"Not the slightest idea on the subject," he responded promptly. "I am
+merely hoping that in a few days I shall be in possession of a new motor
+from which even the Pirate will be unable to escape."
+
+I made a gesture of surprise.
+
+"Fact," he continued. "My experiments have proved successful at last. In
+a week I shall have delivered to me the new motor I have designed, and
+then the Pirate had better look out. Good night."
+
+Waving an adieu, he set his car in motion, and jogged along until he
+reached the door of his coach-house. We watched him dismount, unlock the
+door, and disappear inside.
+
+"It beats me," remarked Forrest.
+
+"Surely you do not still harbour any suspicion concerning him?" I
+inquired in amazement.
+
+Forrest made no reply. His head was bent, his brow knitted deeply, his
+hands clasped behind him as we turned and walked back to my place. He
+did not speak until we stopped on my doorstep.
+
+"I wish he had not seen us," my companion then remarked. "He will be
+bound to tumble to the conclusion that we suspect him, and will be on
+his guard."
+
+"Then you do still suspect him," I cried again.
+
+"If I had one scrap of direct evidence," replied the detective,
+emphatically, "I would have him under arrest within half an hour. Only
+one little scrap," he almost groaned. "But, as it is, my reputation
+would not survive if I made a mistake."
+
+"Why, you don't imagine that he would go so far as to shoot himself just
+to avert suspicion," I asked, still incredulous.
+
+Forrest drew himself up smartly. "Good Lord! What a fool I am!
+What--a--blind--dunderheaded--jackass!" he cried.
+
+"What's the matter now?" I inquired smiling, for the detective was
+groping in his pockets. "Have you lost anything?"
+
+From his waistcoat pocket he produced a small leaden bullet, and he held
+it outstretched in the palm of his hand.
+
+"Here have I been wasting weeks on the continent, while with this I
+might have settled the matter once and for all."
+
+"How?" I asked.
+
+"I needed but to compare this with the bullet the surgeon extracted from
+Mannering's shoulder. This is the one which killed the poor fellow near
+Towcester. If Mannering's bullet is identical with this, I should have
+nothing more to say; but," he continued meaningly, "both your revolver
+and mine are of a different calibre to the weapon which fired this. If
+the bullet which hit Mannering should prove to fit either of our
+weapons, there would be no need to seek for further evidence. I must see
+that surgeon at once."
+
+He started off rapidly down the garden path. I hurried after him and
+laid my hand on his arm.
+
+"Steady, old man," I remarked. "You can hardly knock up a hardworked
+medical man at 3.30 a.m. just to ask him a question."
+
+Forrest stopped and gave a short laugh. "Upon my word, I had entirely
+forgotten what the time was. No, you are quite right. There is no need
+for such excessive hurry. Mannering is safe enough for the present."
+
+"At least, for the next eighteen hours," I observed, after glancing at
+my watch. "Meanwhile, your room has been kept ready for you."
+
+"A little sleep will not come amiss," he answered, yawning; "though it
+seems almost a pity to go to bed on such a morning."
+
+He was right. By this time dawn was breaking with a splendour I have
+never seen equalled before nor since. From east to west the sky was
+stained and flecked with crimson and gold, and our faces glowed ruddily
+in the reflected light. We both fell to silence, as with our faces to
+the east we watched the uprising of the sun; and, until the sky paled as
+the sun made its appearance above the line of the horizon, we did not
+stir.
+
+Then Forrest drew a deep breath. "There's been the beauty of destruction
+in the sunrise," he remarked. "We shall have a storm before nightfall."
+
+He followed me indoors, and, leaving him at the door of his room, I went
+to my own. I got into my pyjamas, but I did not feel inclined to sleep
+for the sunbeams were glancing in at my window, and all about were the
+sound and movement of the awakening earth-creatures. I wheeled an easy
+chair to the window, and wrapping a blanket about me, took a novel I had
+been reading and strove to fix my attention on the pages. I could not do
+so. Whether it was the reflex action of the brain from the excitement of
+the evening or not, but the fact was I felt unaccountably depressed. I
+fought against the feeling as best I could. But I could not get out of
+my head the idea that some great danger was threatening, not myself, but
+the one dearest to me in the world. From my window I could see her home,
+and I drew the chair into a position where my eyes might rest upon the
+roof which sheltered her. There was some consolation in this, and I
+watched until I eventually fell into an uneasy slumber, from which I
+awakened unrefreshed and ill at ease.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+STORM
+
+
+MY tub pulled me together to some extent, but I still felt restless when
+I went downstairs. Forrest had already gone out, leaving word that he
+expected to be back to breakfast at the usual hour. I went into the
+garden, but the sun was shining in a cloudless sky and there was not a
+breath of air stirring. It was insufferably hot and I was glad to return
+into the shade of the house.
+
+The detective came in panting, a little later, with disappointment
+plainly written in his face.
+
+"The surgeon out?" I inquired.
+
+"No," he answered. "But he was not much use though. Mannering kept the
+bullet. He wanted to retain it, so he said, as a memento of his
+adventure."
+
+"Perfectly natural," I commented.
+
+"Perfectly," returned Forrest. "The unfortunate result is, that his
+doing so prevents me from dismissing the possibility of his being the
+Pirate from my mind. And I ought to be doing something. Last night the
+rascal seems to have been everywhere. Apparently he was actuated with a
+desire to destroy everything which stood in his path. One would judge
+him to have become absolutely reckless. Instead of avoiding the towns,
+he courted observation by passing through them. This morning at the
+police office, I heard particulars of at least half a dozen cases of
+unoffending people being ruthlessly ridden down, and Heaven only knows
+how many more there may be of which the details are not yet to hand. The
+sheer devilry of his progress is simply amazing. What it comes to is
+this, Sutgrove. If I can't get hold of him within the next week I may as
+well resign the force at once. If I don't resign I shall be dismissed,
+and quite deservedly."
+
+I tried to say something consolatory, but he would not hear me; and it
+was not until after he had made a savage attack upon the eggs and
+rashers and had swallowed three cups of tea, that his usual equanimity
+returned.
+
+"What's the next move?" I asked, when breakfast was done.
+
+"I am going to town to see if I can identify the purchaser of this
+bottle," he replied, holding up the phial he had taken from the bag in
+Mannering's house the night before; "and to inquire whether anything
+more has been heard of the fair-haired German."
+
+"Then I can be of no assistance to you, to-day?" I said.
+
+"None whatever beyond remaining here and keeping an eye upon our friend.
+I shall ask for another man to-day to assist in shadowing him, but
+until his arrival I should be glad for some one to keep me acquainted
+with his movements. If, as I presume you will, you go over to Colonel
+Maitland's, you cannot help seeing whether he leaves his house."
+
+I promised to do as he wished, and shortly after he had gone, I took my
+hat and strolled over to the Colonel's place.
+
+Evie appeared to have quite recovered from her fears of the previous
+evening, and being busily engaged upon domestic duties, she sent me to
+join her father under the shade of a big tree on the lawn. There solaced
+by an iced lemon squash and the newspaper, I managed to pass the morning
+very comfortably. Mannering gave no sign of existence.
+
+I took myself home for lunch, remembering letters I had to write. I felt
+much easier in mind, and made a hearty meal in consequence. The result
+was that I fell asleep over my cigar afterwards.
+
+I awoke suddenly, wondering where I was. Then I thought I must have
+slept for hours, for a blackness only one degree less than that of night
+brooded over the earth. I took out my watch lazily, and was surprised to
+see that the hands only pointed to five. I sat still for a minute or two
+striving to collect my thoughts, for my head was heavy. I held my watch
+to my ear. It had not stopped. I jumped up and walked to the window, and
+I saw at once the reason why I had imagined that night had fallen. From
+east to west and from north to south a dense pall of cloud hung over
+the earth. Not a leaf moved, and except for the shrill chirp of a
+grasshopper, not a sound broke the uncanny stillness.
+
+"By Jove!" I muttered, "we are going to have it hot."
+
+There came upon me an intense desire to be near Evie during the progress
+of the storm which threatened every moment to break. I did not wait to
+analyse the feeling, but catching up my hat I bolted straight out of the
+window. I had only a couple of hundred yards to traverse, but when I
+reached the Colonel's house, so hot and heavy was the air, that I was
+soaked from head to foot in perspiration. I paused at the gate to wipe
+my brow with my handkerchief, and at the moment the storm broke. I heard
+the crackle of the lightning as it slid from the sky, and the thunder
+clap followed so swiftly that for a moment I felt deafened. I waited no
+longer, but raced across the lawn and into the open French window of the
+drawing-room. The apartment was unoccupied, so I passed through into the
+hall. That was vacant too, and I continued my search through the
+morning-room to the Colonel's sanctum. There I saw the genial warrior
+standing at the window, and watching the play of the lightning with
+every appearance of interest.
+
+"Hullo, Colonel!" I said. "Where's Evie?"
+
+"Isn't she in the drawing-room? She was there twenty minutes ago," he
+replied.
+
+"She is not there now, I have just come through," I explained.
+
+"Then I fancy she will be in all probability in her bedroom with her
+head under the sheets," he said, chuckling.
+
+"At all events I will send one of the maids to see," I said.
+
+I rang the bell, and after giving a message to the maid who answered the
+summons, I joined the Colonel at the window. He appeared to be very
+pleased with the progress the storm was making.
+
+"Thank goodness this will clear the air," he explained, as a reason for
+his satisfaction. "It was so hot that I could take no lunch but a
+mayonnaise, iced strawberries, and a glass of hock. Don't you think the
+air is cooler already? I begin to feel quite an appetite for dinner. My
+only fear is that, if the thunder has not turned everything sour, it
+will have frightened my cook out of her senses, and there will be
+nothing to appease my appetite."
+
+The window at which we were standing faced towards Mannering's house.
+There was a stretch of lawn outside and, beyond, a thicket of shrubs and
+small trees between the grounds of the two residences. I was glancing in
+the direction of these, when I thought I saw something white moving in
+the shrubbery. I was about to say something to the Colonel when a crash
+of thunder drowned the utterance. At the next flash of lightning, I
+perceived that my eyes had not deceived me, and in an instant I jumped
+to the conclusion that it was Evie who was out there in the storm.
+Without a moment's hesitation I vaulted through the window and raced
+across the lawn. The Colonel must have thought me mad.
+
+It was something of a shock for me to find that I was right in my
+conjecture. There, huddled up under the spreading branches of a cedar,
+stood my darling, her eyes wide open, her cheeks blanched with terror.
+
+"Why, Evie, dear heart! What is the matter?" I cried.
+
+At the sound of my voice she started, and, with a little cry of delight,
+she threw herself into my arms.
+
+"I knew you would come--I knew you would come!" she sobbed hysterically.
+
+The cedar under which she was standing was close to the hedge, and I
+fancied, as she spoke, that I saw a figure move away from the other side
+of the hedge. I could not verify my suspicion, for Evie needed all my
+attention. She had fainted. Catching her up, I bore her across the lawn
+to the house.
+
+It was some time before she came to herself, and then, at her own
+request, I left her with her maid and returned to the Colonel. Needless
+to say I was very much worried in my mind. Why Evie should have been
+sheltering in the shrubbery from the storm, with the house so near,
+seemed unexplainable, and I awaited with anxiety the time when I could
+learn the reason from her own lips. The presence of the figure--the
+figure of a man--on the opposite side of the hedge, was also
+inexplicable. I should have guessed it to be Mannering, but I would have
+staked my life upon Evie's truthfulness when she had told me how much
+she had learned to detest him. Besides, her delight was obvious when I
+arrived on the scene.
+
+Not until the evening, however, did I get a chance of speaking to Evie
+again. The Colonel and I dined alone, Evie sending word to say that the
+storm had left her with a headache, and that she would join us later. I
+was so silent during the meal that my host grew quite merry at my
+expense.
+
+"Wait till you are married, my boy," he remarked. "There will come times
+when you will be grateful for these feminine headaches."
+
+I hate cheap witticisms of this sort, but I could hardly resent them
+from the Colonel as I could have done had they fallen from any one
+else's lips; but I fancy he saw at last that they were distasteful to
+me, for after a while he forebore to comment upon my dour looks.
+
+About ten Evie came downstairs. By this time the storm had passed away
+entirely, and the air was deliciously fresh and cool after the rain. It
+was a strangely subdued girl who came nervously to me, and shrank away
+from me as I kissed her.
+
+"No, Jim, no! You mustn't do that," she said.
+
+Colonel Maitland had slipped away upon his daughter's entrance, and we
+were alone.
+
+"Why, darling, what ails you?" I asked.
+
+"Nothing--nothing. Oh! don't ask me," she almost wailed in reply.
+
+I put my arm about her waist, and drew her down beside me to a seat on
+a big Chesterfield drawn before one of the windows. She resisted faintly
+at first, but presently I heard her give a sigh of content, and felt her
+nestle towards me. Then I spoke.
+
+"Tell me, dear, what possessed you to go out into the storm?"
+
+"I don't know," she murmured--"I don't know. I--I felt that I must. I
+didn't think it was going to break so soon, and then the first flash of
+lightning and the voice of the thunder! It was like judgment day."
+
+"It is all passed and over," I remarked, with a man's clumsy attempt at
+consolation.
+
+"I wish it were--I wish it were," she repeated, with an indrawn sigh.
+
+"It is all over hours ago," I said.
+
+She broke away from me passionately. "Oh! Jim, you don't know," she
+cried.
+
+"I don't know what?" I inquired, as I attempted to draw her to me again.
+
+She pushed my hands away with a gesture of despair. Then with an effort
+she rose to her feet, and looking at me straight in the face, she said--
+
+"Jim, this must not go on. It is more than I can bear."
+
+I rose to my feet too, my heart beating wildly. "I don't understand
+you," I answered, though I comprehended her meaning only too well. "What
+must not go on?"
+
+"Our--our engagement," she faltered. She was white to the lips as she
+said the words.
+
+I staggered back under the blow, then leaning forward I sought to take
+her hand.
+
+"No, Jim, no!" she said. "It's no use; I can never be yours. It is
+impossible--quite impossible. My love would be fatal to you! I know it
+will! He said so."
+
+"He?" I asked.
+
+She faltered. "Oh! I cannot help believing him. He tells me that I am to
+be his." She shuddered. "Jim, you must leave me, and never see me again.
+I cannot have your--your blood on my hands."
+
+She held out her slender white fingers, and I saw that the ring which I
+had placed there had been removed. Though my brain was awhirl, I tried
+my utmost to be calm. I think the effort was successful, and that my
+voice was fairly even when I said--
+
+"Come, darling, a promise is a promise, and my own little girl is not
+going to break her promise because of the threats of a jealous rival."
+
+She shuddered from head to foot. "You don't know him as I know him," she
+murmured. "He would stick at nothing, Jim. I don't think he is a man; he
+must be a devil. He can do things no man ever thought of doing."
+
+"You exaggerate his capacities for evil," I said, as equably as I was
+able, for her agitation was so great that I feared for her reason. "What
+has Mannering been saying to you, for it was he whom I saw behind the
+hedge when I brought you out of the storm, I suppose?"
+
+"You saw him?" she queried. "Then it is true. I have been hoping you
+would tell me I had been dreaming again."
+
+"I saw nothing very terrible about him," I remarked.
+
+"You don't know him," she said again.
+
+"He will have cause to know me before many hours have passed," I
+declared savagely.
+
+She clung to me in terror. "No, Jim. You must not go near him. You do
+not know the power he exercises. This afternoon I was sitting thinking
+of you when I became conscious that he was telling me to come to him.
+There was no reason why I should have thought so. He was not in sight,
+but I was bound to go."
+
+"And you found him waiting for you?" I asked quietly, though my brain
+was aflame, for I was determined to ascertain all that had passed
+between them.
+
+"He was waiting for me," she repeated--"waiting for me and the storm.
+That must have come at his bidding too. It was horrible waiting for him
+to speak--horrible! I tried to ask him what he wanted, but my tongue was
+tied. Not until after the first peal of thunder did he utter a word.
+Then he told me the time was nearly at hand when he should come for me."
+I clenched my fists involuntarily, but I did not interrupt my darling's
+story. "I begged of him to leave me free. He paid no heed. 'I am going
+away,' he said. 'For three days you will see nothing of me, though all
+England will be talking of my deeds. On the third I shall return. Mind
+you are ready.'"
+
+"Did you not mention me?" I remarked weakly. I hardly knew what to say,
+for it seemed to me that either Evie must be the victim of some
+extraordinary hallucination, or else that Mannering was mad.
+
+"He mentioned you," she replied. "'Tell Sutgrove,' he said, 'that he has
+three days in which to capture the Motor Pirate and make sure of his
+bride. After that he will be too late. Tell him, too, that death waits
+on the fool who fails.'"
+
+"It's a sporting challenge," I muttered, for I had no doubt now in my
+mind that Mannering and the Pirate were identical.
+
+My words did not reach Evie's ear, for she continued,
+
+"Now you know why I have put away your ring. He is too strong for us. I
+must do as he bids me. I----"
+
+I interrupted her sharply. "Have you everything packed to go away on
+your visit to Norfolk to-morrow?" I asked.
+
+The tone of my voice roused her. She looked at me wildly.
+
+"Why--why----" she said. Then the expression faded out of her face. For
+the second time that day she had fainted.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+IN WHICH THE PIRATE APPEARS IN A FROLICSOME HUMOUR
+
+
+THE fainting fit which terminated my conversation with Evie alarmed me
+tremendously, and as soon as I could summon assistance I sent for a
+doctor. She came round before the medical man arrived, but I did not
+revert to the topic which had agitated her. Indeed, she appeared
+listless and disinclined to say a word on any subject. Colonel Maitland
+was less worried than myself, but even he was anxious until after the
+doctor had seen her and assured him that his daughter was merely
+suffering from over excitement, and that a sedative and a good night's
+rest would probably restore her completely.
+
+I was not so sure that such would be the case, and when she had retired
+I thought it well to take the Colonel into his study and give him as
+full an account as I could of all that had led up to the fainting fit.
+He listened to my story with attention, and when I had done, though I
+could plainly see that he thought his daughter's fears were due to her
+own morbid fancy, yet he agreed with me that it would be well that she
+should have a change of scene at the earliest possible moment.
+
+After arriving at this decision I determined to at once seek out
+Mannering, and demand from him some explanation of his conduct, for I
+could not conceive that Evie's story was entirely the outcome of her
+imagination. It was a delicate subject to discuss, yet I did not
+hesitate. I was in no humour to mince matters. My anger, though I had
+kept it well under control hitherto, only needed the slightest fanning
+to bring it to a white heat, and I longed whole-heartedly that Mannering
+would afford me some excuse for giving physical expression to my
+feelings.
+
+I walked up to his front door, and knocked in a manner to denote with
+sufficient distinctiveness that the mood of the knocker was the
+imperative. I could see by the lights within that the inmates of the
+house had not retired to rest, but I had to repeat my summons before
+there was any response. Then I heard footsteps within, and the door
+opening an inch or two, a voice inquired who was there.
+
+"Is Mr. Mannering in?" I demanded.
+
+"Mr. Sutgrove, is it?" replied the voice, and upon my answering in the
+affirmative, the door was thrown open, and I saw the two maidservants
+standing in the hall.
+
+"I beg your pardon, sir," said the parlourmaid. "We didn't expect any
+one at this time of night."
+
+"That's all right," I answered. "Can I see Mr. Mannering?"
+
+"He's gone away for a day or two, sir," said the girl.
+
+"That's very sudden, isn't it?" I asked. "I saw him this afternoon."
+
+"Yes, sir. He said nothing about it to us until after dinner. Then he
+packed his handbag and went away on his motor."
+
+"It's a confounded nuisance," I remarked. "I wanted to see him on
+important business. Did he say where he was going?"
+
+"He said Cromer, sir, but he did not leave any address." Then, after a
+momentary hesitation, she added, "Is--is anything wrong?"
+
+I looked at her keenly. She dropped her eyes, and I could see there was
+something on her mind.
+
+"What makes you ask?" I enquired.
+
+"I--I don't know," she replied, with obvious embarrassment.
+
+"There must be something or you would not have asked," I said
+encouragingly. "Come--out with it."
+
+She still hesitated, but the housemaid was bolder. "I'll tell the
+gentleman if you don't, Sarah," she declared. "It's like this, sir," she
+rattled out volubly: "the master, Mr. Mannering that is, has been so
+queer in his ways lately that Sarah and me 'as been quite scared. Not
+that he 'asn't been quite the gentleman. He always was that, wasn't he,
+Sarah? But he's been that restless and bound up in himself
+lately--walking up and down in his room and talking to himself. He
+always was one to shut himself up in that nasty old coach-house with his
+experiments and things, but he was quiet, and we never took no account
+of it. But lately he's been different."
+
+"How?" I asked.
+
+"Well, instead of going to bed like a Christian he's up all hours of the
+night. It ain't only that. He slips out as if he didn't want us to see
+him, and when we've known he hasn't been at home we've found he's taken
+the trouble to tumble the bed to make it appear as how he slept in it."
+
+"Pooh!" I remarked. "If that's all, my servants would probably say the
+same about me. You need not be alarmed about such trifles."
+
+"But it's not all," said Sarah, taking up the story. "The nights he goes
+out are just the nights the Pirate makes his appearance."
+
+"Those are just the nights I am away from home," I said.
+
+"But you have the detective gentleman with you," argued the girl, "and
+when you come back I warrant you do not bring diamond studs back with
+you that don't belong to you."
+
+"What!" I cried. "What!"
+
+"It's truth, sir," said the housemaid. "A week ago, just after he came
+back from Paris, I was sweeping the floor of his bedroom, when I sweeps
+up a diamond stud. Now, I knew he never had such a thing----"
+
+"I suppose you know exactly what jewellery he has?" I interrupted,
+laughing.
+
+"He always was a very careless gentleman until the last month, before
+which he left his things lying about all over the place, but then he had
+a safe put in his bedroom, and he never so much as left the key lying
+about. However, I mentions the stud to Sarah, and we talks it over and
+puts two and two together, and Sarah thinks that if he doesn't ask what
+has become of it, it might be as well as if we told the detective
+gentleman about it."
+
+"Quite right," I remarked. "You might let me look at the stud, though."
+
+After a little pressing the girls fetched the trinket, and I perceived
+that it very closely resembled the stud Winter had worn on the night of
+our first encounter with the Pirate. I said nothing about this
+supposition to the maids, but bidding them to be careful not to mention
+the matter to any one until they had seen Forrest, whom I promised
+should call upon them, I left the house.
+
+Though disappointed in my original intention of forcing an explanation
+from Mannering, I was by no means ill pleased with the result of my
+visit to his house. My suspicions as to his identity with the Pirate had
+become considerably stronger, and once that identity was established I
+fancied I should have little difficulty in preventing any further
+annoyance at his hands.
+
+Yet when I came to think calmly upon the subject I could not fail to see
+how frail was the foundation upon which my suspicions were built up. The
+fancies of a girl, the suspicions of a couple of gossiping servants, and
+the discovery of a stud, which might or might not prove to be the one
+which had been stolen from Winter. I longed for Forrest to return, for I
+felt utterly incapable of resting, and as he had not put in an
+appearance by midnight, I got out my car and went into St. Albans to
+meet him. At the police station there was no news of him to be obtained,
+but I did learn that the Pirate had been seen, his presence having been
+reported from the vicinity of Bedford.
+
+Knowing that it would be impossible for me to sleep until I had seen
+Forrest; knowing, too, how unlikely it was that he would now return to
+St. Albans before morning, I thought I might at least have one shot on
+my own account of bringing off the capture I so ardently desired. So, in
+case of an untoward accident happening, I scribbled a note to the
+detective, telling him briefly what I had heard from the servants, and
+my intentions; and making sure that my revolver was in working order, I
+bade my friends at the police-station good night, and departed.
+
+I knew it would be useless to take the direct road to Bedford if I
+wished to meet the Pirate, and, as he had been reported going east, I
+took the route through Hertford, trusting that I might be able to cut
+him off upon his return. I gleaned nothing concerning him at either
+Hertford or Ware, and was so doubtful of proceeding further in that
+direction that I left it to the arbitrament of a coin to determine
+whether I should go on by a road with which I was unacquainted to
+Cambridge through Bishop's Stortford, or take a route I knew through
+Royston. The choice fell upon the Stortford road, and later I was glad
+I had taken it, for about a mile to the south of Stortford I discovered
+that I was upon the right track.
+
+I was bowling along at about fifteen miles an hour when I came upon two
+horses grazing at the road-side. They galloped off at my approach, and,
+a few seconds later, I came upon a specimen of the Pirate's handiwork,
+which at first sight was irresistibly ludicrous. A brougham was drawn up
+at the side of the road, and, bound to the wheels, were a coachman and a
+footman, clad in gorgeous liveries. The coachman was fat and florid, the
+footman a particularly fine specimen of flunkeydom, and their faces, as
+the light of my lamps fell upon them--they could not speak, for they
+were both gagged as well as bound--were so convulsed with terror, that I
+could see they did not look upon me as a friend. As I dismounted from my
+car to go to their assistance, I heard a dismal wail from the roof of
+the vehicle and, looking up, I perceived a portly old lady perched upon
+the uncomfortable eminence.
+
+I made an attempt to explain that my intentions were purely pacific, but
+as I could elicit nothing from the old lady but appeals to spare her
+life, I turned my attention to the two men, and speedily released them
+from their bonds. By the time they were loose they had realized that I
+was a friend; but it was some time before I managed to obtain from them
+an account of how they got into such a mess. Even when their powers of
+speech had returned they were unable to give a lucid account of the
+affair.
+
+Of course it was the work of the Pirate. They had been returning with
+their mistress--the old lady on the roof of the brougham--from some
+local coming-of-age festivities, when they had met the rascal. He had
+bound the servants, set the horses free, and, after robbing the old lady
+of all the jewellery she wore, he had compelled her to climb to the
+position where I discovered her, threatening to return and kill her if
+she moved from her position for an hour. It needed much persuasion
+before she ventured to descend from her perch; but with the assistance
+of the coachman, I managed to get her inside the brougham, and further
+assisting in securing the two horses, I left them.
+
+This incident delayed me for nearly half an hour, and it was a good deal
+past one before I again set out on my quest. The brougham had been
+stopped just near a bye-road, and as the footman had assured me that the
+Pirate had taken this path when he departed, I thought I would follow. I
+could see for myself that a motor-car had passed that way, for the
+thunderstorm of the previous day had left the roads heavy in places, and
+the marks of his tyres were plainly visible.
+
+I had followed the road for about a couple of miles further when I came
+once more upon some of the Pirate's victims. These, too, were returning
+from the same function at which the old lady had been a guest, when they
+fell into the clutches of the Pirate. In this case my assistance was not
+required, for the two young ladies of the party had recovered
+sufficiently from their fright to have already set at liberty their male
+companion and the coachman. They told me of their experiences, and
+after I had heard them, I thought that Forrest's idea that the Pirate
+was a madman more likely than I had done previously.
+
+When stopped by the Pirate, the husband of one of the ladies had shown
+fight until he had been felled by a blow from the butt end of a
+revolver. The coachman had discreetly made no resistance. Then, after
+securing the jewels the women wore, the Pirate had displayed a freakish
+humour quite new to his character. He had insisted upon the two women
+dancing for his amusement in the road, threatening to shoot the husband
+if they did not comply with his request. They assured me that he had sat
+chuckling with laughter, and urging them on with all sorts of wild
+threats, until they fell from exhaustion. They were splashed with mud
+from head to foot, and their dainty frocks presented a sorry sight. In
+addition they told me that they could barely stand, for their feet were
+cut to pieces, since, at the first steps of the weird dance, their
+slippers had stuck in the mud, and they were given no opportunity to
+stop and recover them.
+
+I did not wait to hear more than the barest outline of the story, for I
+learned that he had left them not more than ten minutes before my
+arrival on the scene, and with the heavy roads, I thought there was at
+least a chance of some lucky accident bringing me face to face with my
+quarry.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+A HOT SCENT
+
+
+I RAN on through the night, but I could not make any great progress. I
+was now involved in a maze of Essex bye-roads, totally unknown to me,
+and every few minutes I was compelled to dismount, and search for the
+tracks. I never lost them, however, until I came once more to a
+high-road. The curve of the tyre marks at the junction of the road gave
+me the direction I needed, and, letting my car go, in four or five
+minutes I found myself running into the electric-lighted streets of a
+town. The place was deserted, but eventually I found a policeman, and of
+him I inquired whether anything had been seen or heard of the Pirate.
+There was no need for me to describe the appearance of the pirate car.
+It was as well-known throughout the land, as the Lord Mayor's coach, but
+he had seen nothing of it, and was quite positive that it had not passed
+through the town. An ordinary car had passed about half an hour before
+my arrival, and though the constable's description of the car was not
+very lucid, it was sufficiently near the mark to make me think of
+Mannering.
+
+"I fancy the man you describe is a friend of mine," I said. "Which
+direction did he take?"
+
+"He went straight along the Colchester road," was the astonishing reply.
+
+"The Colchester road?" I inquired. "What town is this, then?"
+
+"This is Chelmsford, sir," he answered, with a surprise equalling my
+own.
+
+I could see my unguarded question had awakened his suspicions of me, so
+I made haste to remark that I had not realized how quickly I had
+travelled, adding that I might have known there was no other town of the
+size thereabouts.
+
+"I am afraid," I added, "that if you had met me outside the borough you
+would have had a case for the Bench in the morning."
+
+"I don't take no heed of speed myself, sir, when the roads is clear," he
+remarked; "but when the traffic's thick, it's another matter."
+
+I thought his sound common sense deserved a reward. Anyway it got one,
+and with a cheerful good night, I set my car going at a pace which made
+me hope that any other constable I chanced to meet would prove as
+intelligent as he from whom I had just parted. It is about twenty-two
+miles from Chelmsford to Colchester, and, in spite of the greasy state
+of parts of the road, I managed the distance in thirty minutes.
+
+Every one of those minutes I expected to be able to overtake Mannering;
+but I saw nothing of him, and by the time I came to Colchester, I began
+to fancy that he must have given me the slip at some bye-road. From my
+inquiries at Colchester, I learned, however, that I was still on the
+right scent; but I was mightily puzzled to discover that though he was
+driving the old car which he had always declared was unable to compass
+more than twelve or fourteen miles an hour, he was still half an hour
+ahead of me.
+
+He was still going away from town, and I followed. There is no need for
+me to give in any detail particulars of my journey that night. Day was
+breaking when I came into Ipswich, and it was broad daylight when I
+passed through the long, untidy street of Wickham Market. Mannering
+still kept ahead, and I followed doggedly. I heard of him at Saxmundham,
+but when I inquired at Blythburgh, I found I had missed him, and I had
+to hark back to Yoxford before I got on his track again. He had taken
+the side route to Halesworth, through which he had passed in the
+direction of Beccles. By this time he was an hour ahead of me, and, as
+he had left Beccles by the Yarmouth road, I went ahead as fast as I
+dared. It was not quite my highest speed, for by this time I was both
+tired and hungry, and the strain of travelling over unknown roads at a
+high speed at night made my head swim. I knew that unless I could soon
+get food and rest I should soon be fit for nothing. So immediately I
+reached Yarmouth, I went to a hotel, ordered breakfast, indulged in a
+hot bath while it was preparing, and went to sleep in my chair directly
+I had eaten the meal.
+
+The waiter awakened me about ten. I went down to the beach and indulged
+in a swim, and, returning to the hotel, amazed the waiter by ordering
+and doing justice to a second breakfast before taking my departure.
+
+On leaving the hotel, my first consideration was to get my tank
+refilled, and, that done, I sent off a couple of wires, one to Evie and
+the other addressed to Forrest, at my own place, telling each of them to
+communicate with me at Sutgrove Hall if anything happened, for it was my
+intention to call at my home if I could possibly manage to do so.
+
+My next business was to search for traces of Mannering in Yarmouth, but
+it was some time before I ascertained that the man I imagined to be he,
+had left by the coast road through Caister. It was a tedious job to
+track him through the Norfolk lanes, for he had turned and doubled as if
+anxious to throw a pursuer off the scent, and it was one o'clock before
+I eventually struck the high-road between Norwich and Cromer. There I
+finally lost him, owing chiefly to the fact that the day was fine, and a
+large number of motor-cars were on the road in consequence.
+
+By this time I was beginning to think my impulsive action to be more
+than a little foolish, but in order that my journey should not be
+altogether wasted, I determined to run on to Cromer, lunch there, and
+afterwards proceed to Sheringham, near which delightful village my home
+was situated, and seize the opportunity to make arrangements with my
+aunt for Evie's visit.
+
+In pursuance of this plan, in half an hour's time, I walked into the
+dining-room of the Royal Hotel at Cromer. You may judge of my surprise
+when I saw Mannering seated at a table at one of the windows. He
+observed my entrance, and, rising, greeted me heartily.
+
+"Hullo, Sutgrove!" he said. "This is indeed a welcome surprise. I had
+not the slightest idea you were in this part of the country."
+
+"If you had, I presume you would not have chosen it for the scene of
+your exploits," I replied.
+
+The expression of astonishment which spread over his features at my
+rejoinder was so perfect that I felt all my suspicions begin to crumble
+away.
+
+"I don't follow you," he remarked.
+
+His manner was either the result of one of the best pieces of acting I
+had ever seen in my life, or due to absolute unconsciousness of my
+meaning. It made me remember that though there were undoubtedly
+suspicious circumstances connecting him with the Motor Pirate, yet so
+far there was not one iota of direct evidence. I thought it best to
+temporize.
+
+"Oh," I remarked; "I was only referring to your attempts to cut the
+records with your old car."
+
+He smiled calmly before replying. "You may be nearer the truth than you
+think. I've had a new motor fixed in the car--an idea of my own, and I
+find she travels at quite a decent pace. That's why I left home last
+night. After the rain I thought the roads would certainly be clear
+enough to give me the opportunity of making a fair test. The engine is a
+model of the one I have designed for the new car which I mentioned--last
+night was it? No; the night before."
+
+I was fairly staggered at his assurance. His demeanour was entirely
+without the suggestion of his being in any way aware that he was an
+object of suspicion.
+
+"Were you not afraid of meeting the Pirate? I heard he was abroad last
+night," I said.
+
+"Afraid!" he remarked witheringly. "Afraid! All I am afraid of is, that
+some of your Scotland Yard friends will be beforehand with me in his
+capture, and that is an adventure which has a particular appeal to me,
+since he left his mark upon me here." He tapped his shoulder
+significantly. "I have promised myself to repay this injury with
+interest."
+
+"Well, I suppose we are as likely to meet him here as anywhere," I
+ventured to remark.
+
+"I hope so," he answered. "But I am not stopping here for long. I've
+taken a bed for the night, because I feel confoundedly tired after last
+night's run. But what brings you down here? Are you motoring?"
+
+"In the first place I wanted a word with you," I replied.
+
+"With me?" The amazement in his voice was obvious.
+
+"Yes," I said; "that is my principal object."
+
+"But how did you discover my address? I left no word with any one."
+
+"I'll tell you later," I said.
+
+"Well, we have plenty of time to talk," he replied. "If there's any
+little difficulty in which I can be of any assistance, I need hardly
+assure you I am at your service. But hadn't you better have lunch
+first?" He lowered the tone of his voice. "Unless you wish the waiters
+to become acquainted with your affairs, I should think what you have to
+say could be much better said outside. Neither pier nor esplanade are
+much frequented at this time of the year."
+
+The suggestion was so natural and reasonable that, after a moment's
+consideration, I decided to accept it.
+
+All through the meal he chatted as easily as if there was not the
+slightest possibility of anything happening to interrupt the friendship
+which had always ostensibly existed between us. The longer we talked,
+the more puzzled I became. His manners were so natural, so fearless,
+that it was quite impossible for me to believe that I was sitting at
+lunch with the Motor Pirate. He was very curious to know how I had
+learned of his intention to come to Cromer, and I was induced to tell
+him of my experiences on the previous night. I watched his face keenly
+while I narrated the stories of the Pirate's victims. He listened quite
+gravely, not even the ghost of a smile crossing his face when I told him
+of the ludicrous pictures presented by the old lady and her two
+servants.
+
+"It is no laughing matter," he observed. "The rascal was bad enough when
+he confined his attentions to men; but now he has taken to bestowing
+them upon women, he deserves no mercy, and when I am able to get upon
+his track, he will get none."
+
+"Then you are really hoping to join in the hunt?" I asked.
+
+"Yes," he said. "I'll let you into my secret. At my place at St.
+Stephens, I had a car which only wanted one minor detail to make it
+complete. I have known for months, that if I could supply that detail, I
+should be in possession of a car which would outpace even the Pirate's.
+For months I've racked my brains over it. A week ago an idea occurred to
+me. I worked it out. I tried it for the first time last night. It has
+proved to be a success. The day after to-morrow I shall join in the
+pursuit of the Motor Pirate, so if your Scotland Yard friend does not
+make haste, he will be too late."
+
+"What power do you propose to use?" I asked. "Petrol?"
+
+He laughed before replying. "A month ago I would have told nobody; but
+to-day there is no need of secrecy; my drawings are all ready for
+deposit at the Patent Office, so there is no chance of any one
+forestalling me."
+
+"Well, what is it?" I said.
+
+"I don't want you to tell anybody else just yet," he said; and as I
+nodded my acquiescence, he continued, "My new motor is on an entirely
+novel principle. It is a turbine engine, worked by the expansion of
+liquid hydrogen."
+
+"What?" I gasped. The idea was so novel that I could not grasp it. He
+lifted his hand, checking the questions which started to my lips.
+
+"No. No questions, if you please: because, if you ask any, I shall not
+answer them. Meanwhile, you have not yet told me how you learned of my
+presence here?"
+
+I related how, in the course of my inquiries at Chelmsford, I had
+ascertained that a person so like himself had passed through the town,
+that I had determined to attempt to overtake him, little thinking the
+chase would prove so stern.
+
+He chaffingly congratulated me on my tracking powers, and expressed
+regret that I had not made my appearance earlier, so that we might have
+arranged a race; and by the time we had finished lunch, I was as
+completely convinced as I had ever been of anything in my life, that he
+had no connection whatsoever with the Pirate. Still, I was none the less
+determined to tackle him upon the subject of the influence which Evie
+declared he exerted over her, so when the meal was over, we left the
+hotel together and, seeing from the front that the pier was practically
+deserted, I led the way to the far end, determined to have a complete
+explanation.
+
+He was silent during our walk. So was I, for I was deliberating how best
+to introduce the subject. As it happened, he made the task easy for me,
+as after finding a comfortable seat and lighting a cigarette, he turned
+to me with--
+
+"Now, old fellow, what is it you have on your mind? Out with it!"
+
+I told him--told him fully and frankly everything that Evie had
+mentioned to me concerning him, and I finished by warning him that I was
+determined to exercise the right she had given me to protect her. He
+listened to me attentively and, one might have thought, even
+sympathetically. When I had concluded, he sat silent awhile; then,
+looking me full in the eyes, he remarked--
+
+"I suppose, Sutgrove, if I tell you that this story of the influence I
+am supposed to exercise over Miss Maitland is absolute news to me, you
+will not believe me?"
+
+I was staggered, and my astonishment must have been visible in my face,
+for he continued--
+
+"You may be surprised, but not half so much as I have been, by what you
+have told me. Really, the whole story sounds the maddest farrago of
+nonsense I have ever heard."
+
+I was about to make an angry retort, but he checked me with a gesture--
+
+"I do not mean any offence," he said; "for I can quite understand what
+your feelings on the subject must be. I, no more than yourself, would
+tolerate any unwarrantable interference such as you describe. It is just
+as well that you should have mentioned the matter to me, however, for
+you will know so much better how to proceed."
+
+"What do you mean?" I gasped.
+
+"Why, what else than that you will not waste any time before obtaining
+medical advice for Miss Maitland," he replied.
+
+I felt a grey horror creeping over me--a horror that tied my tongue, to
+think that Evie--my Evie--might prove to be--mad. Again, he must have
+divined my thoughts, for he said reassuringly--
+
+"You must not take too serious a view of the case. Miss Maitland is of a
+highly nervous temperament, and, I should imagine, rather prone to
+hysteria." Then, rising, he clapped me on the shoulder, "Take a cheerful
+view, Sutgrove. I'll bet you ten to one that her doctor will inform you
+that marriage will provide a complete cure."
+
+His tone was so hearty, so friendly, that I instinctively grasped his
+hand, and he returned my grip.
+
+The subject was not resumed; and, as we walked back to the hotel, I was
+completely convinced that I had been an unutterable cad ever to allow a
+single doubt concerning him to enter my mind, much less to harbour
+there.
+
+I left him at the hotel door and went in search of my car to continue my
+journey to Sutgrove Hall. He was still standing where I parted from him
+when I swept past, and he waved his hand to me, a smile upon his face.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+RELATES HOW THE PIRATE HOLDS UP AN AUGUST PERSONAGE
+
+
+I REACHED my destination about five, and found, as I hoped, a telegram
+awaiting my arrival. It read--
+
+          "Ever so much better. Do not worry about me.
+          Cannot spare you for long though. Lots of
+          love.--E."
+
+With my mind very much relieved, I was able to devote my attention to my
+aunt, who was full of questions as to the reason for my unexpected
+arrival and equally eager for a full account of my doings during the
+past six months, during which time, she assured me, I had grossly
+neglected my duties, especially by my failure to keep her adequately
+posted regarding my engagement.
+
+I was anxious, after reading Evie's wire, to start forthwith for St.
+Albans; my aunt was equally anxious that I should remain the night at
+Sutgrove, and while we were arguing the point, a second telegram
+arrived, which settled the matter. I tore open the envelope and read--
+
+          "Meet the 8.49 at Cromer with motor. Do not fail.
+          Most important.--FORREST."
+
+The message had been handed in at Liverpool Street at 4.50, and I
+wondered what could have happened to necessitate Forrest's presence in
+Norfolk. There was little use speculating, however, and I settled down
+to satiate, if it were possible, my aunt's curiosity.
+
+She was duly impressed by such of my adventures as I thought fit to
+relate, but she was not neglectful of what she considered her duties as
+hostess and, in spite of the fact that I had eaten a hearty lunch about
+two, I was able shortly after seven to do adequate justice to the early
+dinner which she provided for me. I left home soon after eight, and, in
+consequence of my impatience, had to wait ten minutes on the Cromer
+platform for the arrival of the train.
+
+As the engine drew into the station, I saw Forrest's head thrust out of
+the window of one of the carriages, and, before the train had come to a
+standstill, he had leaped from the door and was at my side. He was for
+him unusually excited, and, without reply to my greeting, save with a
+silent hand grip, he said--
+
+"Seen anything of Mannering?"
+
+"Why, yes," I replied directly. "I lunched with him, to-day. He's
+stopping at the Royal."
+
+"That's a bit of luck," replied the detective. "Come along;" and he
+pushed on in advance of me through the barrier.
+
+"What has happened?" I asked, as I caught him up in the station yard.
+
+"I hold a warrant for his arrest, and I am desirous of executing it at
+the earliest possible moment, that's all," he replied.
+
+I could hardly believe my ears. "What in the world for?" I asked.
+
+"What should it be for?" said Forrest, with a touch of sarcasm in the
+tone of his voice.
+
+"He cannot be the Motor Pirate. It is impossible. He could not have
+deceived me so completely," I exclaimed.
+
+"I would stake everything I hope for in the future, as well as
+everything I possess at the present moment, that he is though," returned
+the detective with conviction. "But we must not waste time. Take me to
+the hotel."
+
+Without stopping to argue the point, I jumped on my car, Forrest took
+the seat beside me, and we proceeded to the Royal.
+
+"Leave the car and come with me, I may want your assistance," he said,
+as we pulled up at the entrance to the hotel.
+
+He sprang out the moment I stopped and ran briskly up the steps. A
+porter was in the hall, and to him Forrest turned.
+
+"I want to see a Mr. Mannering, who is stopping here, at once, and I do
+not wish to be announced," he said.
+
+The man walked across to the office and made an inquiry of the clerk,
+then returning, announced that Mannering had left an hour previously.
+
+"Left?" said Forrest, and his jaw fell. He stepped across to the office
+himself, only to learn that though Mannering had booked a room for the
+night, he had after dinner called for his bill, paid it, and left on his
+motor, without giving any reason for his alteration of plans.
+
+Forrest stalked out of the hotel, his brow heavy with thought. I
+followed him. He stepped on to the car, and, taking my seat, I asked him
+tersely--
+
+"Where to?"
+
+"St. Albans," he replied with brevity equal to my own, and without
+further question we were off.
+
+"Don't mind taking a few risks," he said presently. "The sooner we can
+get there the better I shall be pleased."
+
+Then, leaning back in his seat, he asked me to tell him how I happened
+to learn of Mannering's presence in Cromer, and what he had said to
+convince me that he was in no way connected with the Pirate. So while we
+were still running at a moderate pace, I gave him a brief history of my
+adventures of the previous night. Before I had concluded, however, the
+road ahead seemed clear, and, pulling my mask over my face, I jammed on
+my highest speed and conversation became impossible.
+
+Forrest pulled his cap down over his eyes and, turning his coat-collar
+about his ears, settled himself apparently to slumber. Within half an
+hour the lights of Norwich sparkled in front of us, and it became
+necessary to slacken speed. Forrest immediately resumed the conversation
+at the point where we had broken off, and questioned me closely with
+regard to what Mannering had said to me. Once and again I endeavoured
+to ascertain what had induced him to take out the warrant; but he would
+not satisfy my curiosity, declaring that it was of more importance that
+he should know all that I could tell him first. There seemed little
+likelihood of my learning anything, for we soon left Norwich behind us,
+and were running at full speed on the road to Thetford and Newmarket,
+slackening speed only slightly as we swept through the villages and
+trusting to the continuous toot-toot of the horn to clear our path. Our
+progress was uninterrupted until we had reached and left the little town
+of Attleborough five or six miles behind us, when Forrest was afforded
+an opportunity, much to his chagrin, of giving me the reasons for his
+haste.
+
+Incidentally, I may remark, that the occurrence which afforded this
+opportunity came very near depriving me of the chance of hearing
+anything from anybody, or him from ever opening his lips again, for
+while we swept along at our top speed there was a sudden hissing sound,
+a sudden succession of jars, and the car swerved violently, nearly
+overturning. I jammed on both my breaks, and by good fortune the car did
+not overturn. I guessed what had happened, and there was no need for me
+to get a light to make sure--my sense of touch informed me that the off
+back tyre was as flat as a pancake.
+
+I hoped that the injury was only slight, but my hopes faded the moment I
+examined the injury. The tyre had picked up a curved and pointed piece
+of iron, and had been irreparably damaged. No patching was of any use.
+There was nothing for it but to replace the tyre with a new one.
+Fortunately, I was prepared with a spare outer cover as well as inner
+tubes, and, with a muttered curse, I threw off my coat and set about the
+job. Then when that was done, and it took me a good hour to complete the
+task, I discovered, on restarting the car, that a further misfortune had
+befallen us. Either owing to the jumping of the car when the tyre went,
+or more likely because of the sudden application, the footbreak had
+seized, and the transmission was so far injured that I could not get the
+car along above seven or eight miles an hour. I did my best to put the
+damage right. I lay on my back in the middle of the road, and used all
+the language approved by the most fluent members of the Automobile Club
+for use on such occasions, but entirely without result. Exactly where we
+were I did not know, and, after I had relieved my feelings, I thought it
+best to jog along until we came to some town where it would be possible
+to get skilled assistance.
+
+And it was while we were progressing in this humdrum fashion that
+Forrest confided to me the reasons for his anxiety.
+
+"In the first place," he said, "your theory as to the stud found by
+Mannering's servants proved to be correct. It was Winter's. I arrived at
+St. Albans the first thing this morning, and, after getting your note,
+went straight away and interviewed the girls. They handed me the
+trinket. I took it to Winter, and he identified it. He will swear to it
+anywhere. By the time I had done this, your wire for me had arrived,
+and your man, having seen me go into Winter's house, brought it on. I
+took the next train to town and went straight to the Yard, thankful that
+at last I was able to report something definite. Besides, I wanted to
+take a warrant without any one being aware of it, and I knew I could
+manage that better in London than in the country. Well, I called at the
+Yard, ran across to Bow Street and got my warrant, and returned to the
+Yard in order to instruct a couple of our men who had been placed at my
+disposal. While I was there particulars came to hand of a feat which
+throws all the other doings of the Pirate into the shade. You mentioned,
+I think, that Mannering, when he told Miss Maitland that he was going
+away, said that all England would be talking of him."
+
+"She said so," I replied doubtfully; "but she was so excited----"
+
+"She was probably correct in her recollection of what passed," he said.
+"If further proof were wanted to connect your friend with the Motor
+Pirate, those words would be sufficient. If what I know leaks out, the
+Pirate will fill the popular mind more to-morrow than he has done in the
+past even. Yesterday morning, within six miles of Sandringham, he held
+up"--he hesitated--"I must mention no names--he held up, let me say, an
+August Personage----"
+
+"The King?" I cried.
+
+"An August Personage," remarked Forrest, severely, "in broad daylight."
+
+"Let me hear all about it?" I asked eagerly.
+
+"I don't know that I can tell you everything, for so far I only know the
+particulars wired to the Yard. But the story is complete enough to
+enable me to do what I have hitherto failed in, and that is, complete
+the necessary identification of our friend Mannering. And curiously
+enough, it is owing to the keen powers of observation possessed by
+the----"
+
+"The August Personage," I reminded him, a trifle maliciously as he
+hesitated.
+
+Forrest laughed. "Quite right, you score that time," he remarked, before
+resuming his tale. "Owing to the August Personage's keen powers of
+observation, I am able to lay my finger on the one point which has
+puzzled me, namely, the manner by which Mannering has managed to escape
+suspicion. It is a simple trick. So simple, in fact, that I cannot
+conceive how I managed to overlook such a possibility for so long.
+However, you shall hear the facts as they were told to me, and judge for
+yourself with what transparent means we have been hoodwinked by the
+rascal. The August Personage, who, as you are probably aware, has been
+staying at Sandringham for some days past, has been in the habit of
+taking a ride on one of his cars whenever the roads were in good
+condition, accompanied only by his chauffeur. This morning he started
+for the customary run shortly after eleven, with the intention of taking
+a circular trip through Hunstanton, Burnham, Docking and Bircham, and
+returning for luncheon. The intention was not fulfilled since, before
+reaching Hunstanton, the Pirate made his appearance, and approaching as
+usual from behind, overtook the August motor. The August driver did not
+at first take any notice of the approaching car, but, merely imagining
+that the driver had recognized him, and felt some delicacy at passing,
+he signalled with his hand for the stranger to go ahead. What was his
+surprise to hear the stranger in a loud voice bid him stop his car. He
+turned to look at the audacious person who had dared take such
+unwarrantable liberty, and at once observed with whom he had to deal.
+The Pirate had in his hand a revolver, which was levelled at the August
+head. The August face flushed with anger, and turning away, he
+contemptuously took no notice of the summons. The Pirate thereupon fired
+two shots, aimed, fortunately, neither at the August Personage nor at
+the chauffeur, but at the tyres of the back wheels. The aim was good,
+the tyres ran down at once, and the August Personage found progress on
+the rims to be so uncomfortable that he thought it desirable to stop.
+The stranger ranged alongside, and the chauffeur, rising from his seat,
+was about to throw himself at the throat of the assailant, when his
+August master laid a hand upon his arm.
+
+"'No, no,' he said, 'I can easily get another car, but I do not know
+that I could replace my chauffeur.'
+
+"Thereupon the Pirate observed, 'I think, sir, there is so much wisdom
+in your remark that, in spite of my necessities, I almost feel inclined
+to forego my usual toll in your case.
+
+"The August Personage, whose coolness had never for a moment deserted
+him, replied imperturbably--
+
+"'Having robbed me of a morning's enjoyment, it seems to me there is
+nothing of any particular value left for you to take.'
+
+"'Then, sir,' replied the rascal, 'you will be doubtless glad to
+purchase my immediate disappearance with the contents of the August
+pockets?'
+
+"August was not the word he used, but it was one which showed that he
+was acquainted with the personality of his victim.
+
+"The August Personage shrugged his shoulders, and, searching his
+pockets, could produce nothing but a cigarette case and a button. To
+show his _sang-froid_, I need only remark that when he produced the
+latter article he laughed heartily and said to the chauffeur--
+
+"'I hope, P----, you have something to add to the contents of my
+pockets, or I fear this too eager gentleman will destroy our front tyres
+as well as the back.'
+
+"The chauffeur had some loose gold, a silver matchbox, and a watch, and
+when these were produced, speaking with the same nonchalance he had
+retained throughout, the August Personage remarked--
+
+"'I fear you have drawn a blank this time, Mr. Pirate; for, upon my
+word, that is the best I can do for you.'
+
+"The Pirate took the articles. Then he raised his hat. 'I take,' he
+said, 'the August word as readily as I take these souvenirs of this
+memorable meeting,' and with these words, he pulled a lever and was
+speedily out of sight."
+
+"By Jove!" I muttered. "The fellow's audacity is almost past belief. But
+you said something of observations made by the August victim?"
+
+"Yes," said Forrest. "The chauffeur was much too agitated to notice
+anything, but his master was not. He observed four things. First, that
+the Pirate was a man of about six feet in height."
+
+"Mannering is five feet eleven and a quarter in his socks," I remarked.
+
+"Secondly, that his hair was black. Thirdly, that the nails of the right
+hand, with which he took his plunder, were bitten to the quick."
+
+"The identification becomes nearly perfect," I interrupted.
+
+"Fourthly, that the car was originally a two-seated car, with a tonneau
+body, but that the seat had been set back, and the bonnet was enclosed
+by metal plates shaped into the form of the bow of a canoe, and bolted
+together in a manner which gave the impression that they might easily be
+removed. Why," continued the detective, "I did not think of so obvious a
+solution of the Pirate's mysterious disappearances before I cannot
+imagine. It is the trick the black flag merchants have practised since
+the days of Captain Kidd."
+
+I was silent. I could only wonder at my own blindness. Then an excuse
+occurred to me.
+
+"After all," I remarked, "we only met him in the dark."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+WE PLAN AN AMBUSH
+
+
+FORREST had just concluded his story when the lights of Thetford gleamed
+in our eyes. The time was 12.30. The last train was gone. The
+inhabitants were all in bed, and there we were, stranded with a broken
+car, and no means of putting it right. Forrest would not despair,
+however, and after some difficulty we managed, with the assistance of
+the local police, to knock up a man who was locally reputed to know all
+about motors. He was a little surly at first, but the inducement I
+offered him to make an attempt to put the transmission right, was
+sufficient to dissipate his very natural disgust at being disturbed in
+his beauty sleep. Fortunately his local reputation had reasonable
+foundation. He was a very capable mechanician, and the way he set about
+the job gave me great hopes that the car would run as well as ever when
+he had done with it. And my expectations were gratified. In less than an
+hour he had completed the repairs. I paid him and asked him to remain up
+for ten minutes in case we had another breakdown, telling him that after
+that period had elapsed, he would be at liberty to return to his bed.
+Whether he waited the ten minutes or not I do not know, for by that time
+we were halfway to Newmarket, flying through the darkness at a pace
+which two months previously I would not have dared venture upon in broad
+daylight. And right onward to St. Albans, we kept it up, reaching the
+ancient town just as the birds began to twitter in the hedges at the
+first grey light of early dawn. At St. Albans we stopped at the
+police-station. A man was waiting at the door.
+
+"Any news?" asked Forrest.
+
+The man shook his head.
+
+"You know where to bring it?" asked my companion.
+
+The man nodded.
+
+"Let us get on home," said Forrest to me.
+
+As I wheeled my vehicle into my yard I thought I should drop. The strain
+of that rush through the night, expecting every moment that something
+would give way, had been tremendous, and the moment the tension was
+relaxed I shook like an aspen leaf. When I tried to get in at my own
+door I found I could not fit the latch-key, and was obliged to hand it
+to the detective. He saw what was the matter with me, and the moment we
+were inside, he led the way to my study, thrust me down into a chair and
+mixed me a whisky-and-soda. I was never more grateful for a drink in my
+life. It pulled me together, and in less time than I had conceived
+possible, I felt as if I could have managed another seventy-five miles
+without a halt.
+
+The moment he saw my nerves were steady again, Forrest proposed that we
+should get something to eat. I declared that I did not want anything.
+
+"When you haven't time for sleep, the next best thing is to feed well if
+you want to keep fit," he remarked. "Besides, I am as hungry as a hunter
+has a right to be."
+
+"That settles it," I laughed. "We shall have to forage for ourselves.
+The servants are all asleep."
+
+We found our way to the larder and made a hearty meal on a cold pie we
+found there; and directly we had finished, we set out forthwith in the
+direction of Mannering's home. As soon as we arrived opposite the house,
+Forrest paused and gave a low whistle. It was answered immediately by a
+man dressed as a labourer, who made his appearance from behind the hedge
+opposite the house.
+
+"Any one been here to-night, Laver?" asked Forrest.
+
+"No one," the man answered. "The servants turned in about ten after
+locking up. No signs of any one about the place since."
+
+"That's all right," grunted Forrest. "We shall be ready for him when he
+does come. Have you got the tools?"
+
+The man was proceeding to scramble through the hedge when Forrest
+checked him.
+
+"Better stay where you are," he advised. "Keep out of sight, and if I
+whistle, come at once."
+
+"All right, sir," replied the man, as he handed through a gap in the
+hedge a small chamois leather bag.
+
+I had no idea as to what steps Forrest proposed to adopt in order to
+effect the arrest, so I asked him, and he explained briefly his plan of
+campaign.
+
+"One can see," he remarked, "that Mannering feels so confident of the
+completeness of his disguise that he will have no hesitation about
+returning. I am reckoning, too, upon there being an element of truth in
+the story he has told you about the construction of his motor, in which
+case his own workshop would be the only place where he would be able to
+refill his tank. We shall be able to decide that point in a very few
+minutes. If we do find any plant for the production of liquid gases, we
+can count upon catching our man within a very few hours."
+
+"Unless he smells a rat, and makes for some convenient port and gets out
+of the country," I remarked.
+
+"That eventuality is provided against," remarked the detective. "His
+description is in the hands of the police at every port in the kingdom,
+and even if he changes the colour of his hair, I don't think he will
+manage to get away. What I propose is, that we shall remain concealed in
+his coach-house and await his return."
+
+"How are we going to get in?" I inquired.
+
+Forrest took a bunch of skeleton keys from the bag Laver had handed to
+him and dangled them before his eyes.
+
+"There's not a burglar in the kingdom is better provided," he remarked,
+and set to work upon the lock forthwith.
+
+The lock was an ordinary one, and his efforts were speedily successful.
+The door swung open, and we entered eagerly a bare, stone-paved
+coach-house. Opposite the door by which we had entered from the road was
+a similar door, which gave upon the inner yard. On the left, a large
+sliding door had been fixed in place of the wall which had divided the
+coach-house from the stables. Relocking the door by which we had
+entered, Forrest led the way to the door on the left. It was unfastened,
+and as it swung back a cry of amazement sprang to my lips.
+
+"Hush--sh--sh!" said the detective warningly.
+
+But I could not have repressed the cry, for there before me stood a
+replica of the car I had seen on two occasions. There was only one point
+of difference at first apparent. The pirate car had been black. This one
+was built of aluminium and gleamed silvery white. But although the lines
+were very similar, I soon came to the conclusion that the car we saw
+before us was not the one which the Pirate had used when engaged upon
+his nefarious work. One glance at the tyres convinced me that they had
+never been upon the road, and I fancied that the wheels were smaller and
+the lines of the body finer altogether. I pointed these things out to
+Forrest, who, while agreeing that this particular car could not have
+been the one which had been responsible for holding up the "August
+Personage" on the previous day, would not commit himself further.
+
+We did not spend much time upon a close examination of the car, for the
+other contents of the building claimed our attention. We found ourselves
+in a long workshop. There were no windows in the walls, but the place
+was amply illuminated by a skylight which ran along nearly the whole
+length of the northern slope of the roof. On the right of the large door
+by which we had entered the inner shop was a small room, which had
+probably once served as a harness-room, for through this another door
+gave on to the yard, though this exit was evidently never used, for the
+door was fixed by screws. The contents were a couple of broken chairs,
+and some coats and rugs hung upon hooks upon the walls, together with a
+miscellaneous assortment of odds and ends upon a shelf. I gave merely a
+cursory glance at the contents of this apartment, for my attention had
+been attracted by a plant of machinery, which occupied the far end of
+the large room. As it happened, I had once had an opportunity of
+inspecting the laboratory of the Royal Institution, and I recognized at
+once that Mannering had set up an installation for the preparation of
+some one or other of the liquid gases. Without this experience, I doubt
+whether it would have been possible for me to guess even the purpose for
+which the plant had been devised. As it was, I had no hesitation in
+discovering the receiver into which the liquid gas was distilled; and
+when I let a little of the liquid with which it was filled run into a
+glass which I found handy, and saw the air fall in a shower of tiny
+snow-flakes as the stuff evaporated, I knew that Mannering had told me
+the exact truth when he had informed me that liquid hydrogen supplied
+the power for his new car.
+
+Once satisfied on this point, I examined the other contents of the
+place. I do not think there is any need to particularize all that we
+discovered, even if my memory served me. Practically the workshop
+contained a sufficient engineering equipment to build such a car as
+stood in the centre, though I judged that there was no convenience for
+the forging of the parts of the motor.
+
+Still, as I pointed out to Forrest, there was nothing in all these
+discoveries to negative the truth of the story Mannering had told me
+about his being engaged in building a car which should serve to outpace
+the Pirate car, but he would not listen to any theorising on the
+subject.
+
+"He can tell that story to the jury," he said, as he significantly drew
+a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and clinked them together. Then he
+proceeded to investigate the contents of the harness-room, while I went
+back to the new car and began a careful examination of the engines. The
+whole mechanism was, however, so novel to me, that I could only surmise
+as to the method of its working. I did notice, however, that the driving
+and steering gear varied very little from that of my own car, so far as
+it was controlled by the levers and wheel, while the breaks seemed to be
+particularly powerful. There was only seating accommodation for two, and
+judging from the size of the tank which was fitted behind the seat, I
+judged that Mannering contemplated runs over distances which would make
+large demands upon his supply of liquid gas.
+
+At the moment I made this discovery, I heard Forrest call to me in an
+excited whisper, and going across to him, I found him contemplating with
+keen interest a dirty piece of rope.
+
+"Look here, Sutgrove," he said; "this is the piece of cord with which he
+trussed me up on the occasion when he dropped me into the pond. Compare
+it with this"--he kicked a coil which lay at his feet--"and tell me if
+they are not identical."
+
+I examined them both, and came to the conclusion that Forrest was
+correct in his supposition. Next, mounting one of the chairs, he
+proceeded to rummage amongst the rubbish piled on the shelf. A moment
+later he observed triumphantly, albeit in subdued tones, "Another piece
+of evidence," and descending from his perch, he handed me a box of
+cartridges. A glance at the label had apparently been enough,
+nevertheless, to make sure, he searched again in his pocket, and
+produced the bullet which had proved fatal to the poor victim at
+Towcester. He compared it with one of the cartridges, and gave a grunt
+of content. "I fancy we shall soon obtain sufficient evidence to hang
+him," he murmured. Then a shadow crossed his face. "What an infernal
+dunderhead I have been not to suspect him before," he said, and turning
+impatiently away, he replaced the box of cartridges on the shelf, before
+renewing his systematic examination of the rest of the contents of the
+room. The search revealed nothing further, and at length he desisted.
+
+All the while we were keenly on the alert to detect any sound which
+should tell us of the approach of Mannering's car. But the minutes
+passed and grew into hours without a sign. It must have been about five
+in the morning when we had entered the coach-house, and when I saw by my
+watch that it was nearly ten, I began to think that in some way or
+another Mannering had got warning of the danger that threatened him. I
+suggested to Forrest that we might as well leave our hiding-place, but
+he would not hear of it.
+
+"I don't leave this building except in his company, unless I hear that
+he has been captured elsewhere," he declared obstinately. "At the same
+time, don't let me detain you."
+
+I wanted badly to see Evie, whom I thought might be getting anxious
+concerning me; but I hardly liked the idea of leaving Forrest to tackle
+Mannering alone if he should return. However, my first desire triumphed,
+so I persuaded Forrest to let me out of the door, promising to return
+within as short a time as I could manage.
+
+I hurried first to the Colonel's house, and had a brief interview with
+the dear girl, telling her what had happened and what was likely to
+happen in the near future. Next, I went to my own place, and had a
+basket packed with a plentiful luncheon, not forgetting to provide a
+couple of bottles of champagne, and thus provided I returned to the
+coach-house after an absence of less than an hour.
+
+When in response to my signal Forrest admitted me, his eyes twinkled
+with satisfaction as he saw my burden.
+
+"It is truly thoughtful of you," he remarked, as I lifted the lid of
+the basket and revealed the contents. "I only hope our friend will not
+spoil our picnic by arriving in the middle of it."
+
+The better to avoid any such _contretemps_, we set about our meal
+immediately with very good appetites. When we had finished, I do not
+know how Forrest felt, but I was confoundedly drowsy. I tried all sorts
+of tricks to keep my eyes open, but the quiet of the place, the
+coolness, and the subdued light of the saddle-room, where Forrest
+thought it best for us to remain, were too much for my powers of
+resistance and I dropped off to sleep.
+
+I must have slumbered for a couple of hours, if not three, when I was
+suddenly awakened by a hand placed on my mouth, while a voice whispered
+in my ear--
+
+"Wake up, man--wake up! There's no time to lose."
+
+I came to myself with a start. Forrest had hold of me, and was shaking
+me violently. At the same moment I became aware of the throb of an
+approaching motor.
+
+Recognizing the sound, I turned to the detective.
+
+"That's Mannering," I whispered.
+
+"Yes," replied my companion. "I could swear to the sound anywhere."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+GONE AWAY
+
+
+"DON'T stir an inch until I give the signal," whispered Forrest in my
+ear, as soon as he saw I was fully awake. He was perfectly calm, and he
+closed the door in order to conceal us from the sight of any one
+entering the workshop.
+
+The car pulled up outside. We heard the grate of the key in the lock,
+and the door creak on its hinges, as it swung open. There was a second
+grating noise, and I judged that the door of the inner yard had been
+opened by whoever had entered. There followed a few more pants from the
+motor, as it passed through the coach-house into the yard, and then
+everything was silent. The outer door shutting with a snap apprized us
+that the crucial moment was at hand, and my heart began to thump as I
+heard footsteps approaching. Forrest pointed to a vacant hook over my
+head, and I recognized why he had selected the harness-room for our
+hiding-place. The footsteps came slowly nearer, then stopped, and a long
+low laugh came from the lips of the unseen man. I thought we must have
+been discovered in our hiding-place and glanced at Forrest for
+instructions. He never moved a muscle. He stood poised like a greyhound
+about to be slipped from the leash.
+
+The footsteps approached again. The door knob rattled as a hand was laid
+upon it. The door flew open. Forrest darted forward.
+
+I caught one glimpse of Mannering's face, for it was indeed he, and I
+saw it become suddenly livid. It was not the pallor of fear. His eyes
+flashed. He had doffed his coat and was holding it in one hand, and
+quick as was Forrest's spring, he was equally swift to meet it. His
+other hand passed swift as lightning from the door handle, and catching
+the edge of the coat, spread the garment in front of him. Forrest,
+missing his grip, plunged heavily into the wide folds of the garment.
+Mannering's arms closed as a vice. The door swinging back had
+momentarily blocked my passage. I thrust it open, and had taken one step
+forward to Forrest's assistance, when Mannering with a herculean effort,
+swung the detective from his feet, and hurled him full at me. It was a
+magnificent effort, and I went down with a crash amongst the remains of
+the lunch with Forrest on the top of me. The whole incident had not
+lasted twenty seconds, and before either of us could regain our feet,
+the door was slammed and locked.
+
+Forrest was the first to regain his feet, and he rushed at the door
+furiously. We were trapped. The door was a strong one of oak, and I
+remembered that it fastened by a couple of bolts on the other side. The
+detective worried the door like a bear at the bars of his cage, but he
+could not move it. He gnashed his teeth, and he was white with rage.
+From the other side we could hear the sound of heavy objects being
+moved, and we guessed that our enemy was piling the most massive
+articles his workshop contained against the door to make it more secure.
+
+"D----n you, Sutgrove!" shouted the detective. "Don't stop to think, or
+we shall lose our man after all. Come, both together."
+
+I saw his intention, and I could understand and forgive his curse in the
+excitement of the moment. Together we hurled ourselves against the door.
+It did not move an inch, and a long low chuckle greeted the attempt from
+the other side. We tried madly again and again, but the barrier was
+immovable.
+
+Then I looked round for some tool which would enable me to break down
+the door itself. There were only the chairs available, and so I tore off
+the leg of one of them, and, bidding Forrest stand back, I swung the
+piece of wood round my head, and struck as hard as I could against one
+of the lower panels of the door. The improvised club flew into half a
+dozen fragments, but the panel had cracked. Forrest had provided himself
+meanwhile with a similar club, and directed his blows so effectively
+that the panel was driven out. I threw myself at the gap, trusting to be
+able to force my way through.
+
+What I saw filled me with rage. The wheels of the new car were moving,
+and right before my eyes the car disappeared into the outer
+coach-house. I made an unavailing attempt to struggle through the
+aperture, but the attempt was hopeless. It was too narrow to admit even
+my shoulders. Withdrawing, I told Forrest what I had seen.
+
+"I had entirely forgotten Laver," he remarked, and putting his whistle
+to his mouth, he blew it shrill and clear.
+
+Then together we renewed our attack upon the door. The sound of a shout
+from the outside followed by a pistol shot made us work like madmen, and
+within a minute, another panel gave, and we managed to get at the bolts
+and draw them. The articles piled against the door toppled in all
+directions, as we finally forced our way out.
+
+We were too late. The outer door was wide open, and just on the
+threshold, was Forrest's unfortunate subordinate lying on the ground,
+with blood trickling down his arm. He struggled into a sitting position
+as we came out, and pointed up the road in the direction of St. Albans.
+
+"Gone away, sir," he said.
+
+"Hurt?" asked Forrest, pausing as he did so.
+
+"Not much; smashed shoulder, I fancy," remarked the sufferer
+philosophically.
+
+"I'll send assistance," said my companion as he rushed after me into the
+road, where I stood horror stricken at what met my gaze.
+
+Fifty yards distant, opposite the entrance gate of Colonel Maitland's
+house, the new car was standing still. It was empty. The gate was open,
+and even as I watched, I saw Mannering come out of the gate, bearing in
+his arms the helpless figure of a girl. There was no need to guess who
+the victim might be. Even before I saw him appear, I knew intuitively
+why he had stopped. Had he not told Evie that on the third day he would
+return, bidding her be ready for him?
+
+I rushed forward towards the car, but before I had covered half the
+distance which separated me from it, he was aboard with his burden and I
+knew pursuit on foot to be hopeless.
+
+Yet, even as I saw him move away, there flashed across my brain one
+means by which I might possibly get on terms with my enemy. There was
+just one chance, and one chance only, of rescuing my darling from the
+Pirate, and that chance depended entirely upon the question as to
+whether the car upon which Mannering had returned was fitted with the
+same sort of motor as that on which he had departed.
+
+With the haste of a madman I returned to the coach-house I had just
+quitted. My hopes fell to zero. There was an unmistakable scent of
+petrol about the car. They rose again, however, upon a closer
+examination, for I saw at once that the motor was a turbine, though
+petrol was utilized in some way as a means of securing the necessary
+heat to secure the expansion of the gas for the starting of the engine,
+though I could see that once started, the expanded hydrogen was, as in
+the new car, ingeniously utilized to produce the necessary heat. I was
+glad then that I had spent as much time as I had upon examining the car
+upon which the Pirate had escaped, for I was enabled to see that, if
+only a supply of the liquid hydrogen were obtainable, I should be able
+to put my wild plan into execution. As it was, the tank was nearly
+empty, so putting my shoulder to the car, I shoved it into the workshop
+where, unless Mannering had let it run to waste, I knew I should find a
+supply of the hydrogen. Thank Heaven, Mannering had forgot to empty the
+receiver, and filling the tank and tightly screwing down the nuts of the
+covering, I wheeled the car into the open road. There I saw Forrest
+leaning against the wall of the coach-house, a figure of inexpressible
+dejection.
+
+"Come and lend a hand!" I shouted.
+
+The light that flashed into his face, as he realized what I would be at,
+was extraordinary. He sprang forward at once to my assistance. Now, in
+my attempts to get at the machinery of the car, I had discovered the
+plates with which Mannering had been wont to disguise its shape, and it
+occurred to me that they performed the further purpose of diminishing
+the wind resistance, so that if I wanted to get the full speed out of
+the car it would be necessary to fix them in their places. I immediately
+set to work to join up the various sections, leaving Forrest to bolt
+them together. We worked like niggers at the job, and it was nearly
+completed when a curious sound came down the breeze. I looked up, and to
+my surprise I saw the Pirate once more approaching.
+
+"Look!" I shouted to Forrest in my excitement, though there was no need
+to warn him.
+
+Nearer the Pirate came; still nearer. Every moment I expected to see him
+pull up and surrender. But it was a mad hope. He had not the slightest
+intention of so obliging us. As he approached, he suddenly increased his
+pace and flashed past us at full sixty miles an hour.
+
+Forrest fingered a revolver, but he dared not shoot for fear the bullet
+should find the slender form of Evie, who we saw was huddled close to
+his side. Mannering laughed as he passed us and waved his hand in
+derision.
+
+"There are a couple of masks in the coach-house," I said quietly to the
+detective.
+
+He darted into the doorway and returned a moment later with them,
+thrusting at the same time a bottle into his pocket. It took us no time
+to climb into the car and as, during his momentary absence, I had
+succeeded in starting the engine, we were in a position to move at once.
+
+For a hundred yards we travelled at the speed at which we were
+accustomed to see Mannering while using the car in the sight of men and
+in the light of day. Then with a word of warning to my companion, I
+pulled at the change-speed lever. The effect was marvellous. The car
+seemed to leap forward and the hedges suddenly transformed themselves
+into long green streaks.
+
+A cloud of dust on the road ahead gave the direction Mannering had
+taken, so I jammed down the lever to its limit and commenced the
+pursuit. At any other time the idea of chasing the Pirate on one of his
+own cars would have delighted me beyond measure, but my thoughts were
+too much occupied as to the fate which might await Evie if we failed to
+overtake her abductor to allow room for anything else.
+
+Exactly what speed we made I cannot tell, it must have been nearer
+eighty than sixty miles an hour, but the smoothness of the motion was
+wonderful, and I felt not the slightest tremor.
+
+Mannering had disappeared on the Watford road, and in a few minutes we
+swept through the north end of the town and, directed by a boy at the
+cross roads, made for Rickmansworth. Forrest took charge of the horn,
+and kept it braying continuously. We slackened speed through
+Rickmansworth, for the streets were full of vehicles, and there we
+learned that the white car was five minutes ahead. Once clear of the
+streets I let the car go again, and we tore away towards Uxbridge. On
+reaching the main Oxford road once more a dust cloud in the distance
+served as a guide, and informed us that Mannering had crossed the
+highway, and gone away in the direction of Slough. The going was rough
+for a while, but I did not slacken pace, though the road was narrow, and
+to have met a cart would have meant certain destruction. The road
+broadened after a time, and I fancied we were gaining, for the dust
+cloud seemed nearer. We skirted Slough to the east, the guiding cloud
+bearing towards Dachet. Darting through that little riverside town at a
+pace which set the police whistles blowing behind us, we came to the
+bridge across the Thames, and here we were informed that our quarry was
+barely a minute ahead, and running in the direction of Egham. A mile
+further on, at a straight piece of road, we first sighted the fugitives,
+and a cry of triumph escaped my lips. It was a little premature,
+however. Once again the silver car turned into a bye-road so winding
+that I was compelled, much against my will, to slacken speed. Then once
+more we came out upon a main road, to find our quarry not more than a
+hundred yards away as we swept out into the broad highway.
+
+And here, looking back, Mannering for the first time learned that we
+were on his track. At that moment, too, commenced a race which, I
+venture to think, will not soon be equalled in the history of the motor
+world. At all events, I trust it will never be my lot to take part in
+any similar trial of speed, at least, with such issues depending upon
+the result. Upon emerging from the bye-road we were a mile from Egham,
+and knowing the road, I asked Forrest to glance at his watch. The way
+was clear before us, and three minutes and a quarter later, we flashed
+through the railway arch at Sunningdale railway-station, four miles from
+the point where the timing commenced. But fast as we had travelled,
+Mannering travelled faster. When we reached Bagshot we learned he was
+half a minute ahead.
+
+We flew through the lovely pine country on the wings of the wind,
+through Hook, and so into Basingstoke. By this time we were covered from
+head to foot with white dust, looking more like working masons than
+anything else; but wherever we went, I knew Forrest had the power to
+make the way easy. If he had been anybody else but a detective from
+Scotland Yard, we should never have got through Basingstoke, for there
+the police, warned in some manner of our approach, had drawn a huge
+waggon across the road, thus completely barring our progress. It was
+soon drawn aside when Forrest produced his badge, and once more we flew
+westwards. So through Whitchurch and Andover.
+
+How we succeeded in escaping accidents I cannot explain. Providence
+seemed to watch over both pursuers and pursued. We were always on the
+verge of a collision with somebody or something. Cottages, carts,
+pedestrians, cyclists, seemed to be flying by in a never-ending
+procession. Yet we touched nothing.
+
+Once past Andover the road became clearer, for instead of turning
+towards Salisbury, as I expected, the Pirate chose the road through
+Amesbury and Stonehenge. We swept over Salisbury Plain at a magnificent
+pace, but we did not catch sight of the fugitives, though now and again
+a glimpse of a distant dust cloud raised my hopes momentarily. At
+Wincanton we learned we were three minutes behind, and setting my teeth,
+I determined I would not slacken speed again until we overtook the
+fugitives or reached Exeter. The road was admirable hereabouts, and we
+ran so steadily that, but for the hedges flying past, we might have been
+sitting in armchairs. After Ilminster the road became steeper, though
+it was yet too early in the year to be very rough.
+
+But how is it possible to describe a journey at the pace we were making?
+Our progress became dream-like to me. It was almost monotonous. One
+could observe so little, just an incident here and there to mark the
+stages in the journey. Thus I remember Honiton by the frightened scream
+of a cur which was swept off its feet by the rush of the air as we
+passed close at his tail. Then nothing of note until we reached Exeter.
+
+At the cathedral city we were told the white car was only a minute in
+advance. I began to wonder where the chase was going to end, for
+Mannering was still going westward without pause. Still we followed. Out
+on to the Launceston road; onward, ever onward until the bare hills of
+Dartmoor frowned upon us, and we had to slacken slightly for the long
+upward grind. Fortunately the hills were free from mist, and on reaching
+the summit of Whiddon Down we caught once more a glimpse of the white
+car before it disappeared in the distance. I was getting reckless, and I
+took the descent at a pace which blanched even Forrest's cheek. Then
+through a streak of white houses, which I fancied must be Okehampton.
+There was no need to inquire the way. At the pace both cars were
+travelling there was only one road which would serve either Mannering or
+myself. In fifteen minutes Launceston came into view. Then up again
+until from the top of Bodmin moor we caught fleeting glimpses of the sea
+on either side of us. On still without pause, through Redruth and
+Camborne and Hayle. Finally a sight of them at last, as we opened up St.
+Michael's Bay as we came to Marazion. And here I thought the chase had
+come to an end. I was mistaken.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+SAVED
+
+
+MY brain reeled as we rushed along the road into Penzance. My forehead
+seemed to be encircled with a band of steel. My mouth was so parched
+that my tongue rattled against my palate as I tried to speak to Forrest.
+My fingers were so cramped with the grip on the steering wheel, a grip
+which had never once been relaxed during our five hours' run, that I
+could not relinquish my hold. The road became dark, and involuntarily I
+cut off the supply of the gas to the motor and brought the car to a
+standstill.
+
+"Go on, man! Go on!" shouted Forrest in my ear.
+
+I could only gasp for answer. I felt suddenly sick.
+
+Then Forrest gave proof of his ready common sense. He thrust his hand
+into his pocket and produced the bottle of champagne which had been left
+over from our lunch, and which he had thoughtfully brought with him in
+view of some such eventuality as this. Tearing off the wire he cut the
+string. The cork flew out and the liquor creamed from the neck of the
+bottle. Pushing up my mask with one hand he held the bottle to my lips
+with the other.
+
+I spluttered. I choked. But I drank and I drank again. Never surely was
+champagne more grateful or more useful. My strength returned to me
+instantaneously. My brain cleared. My eyes saw. My hope returned. I drew
+a deep sigh of relief. Forrest handed me the bottle again.
+
+"After you," I said.
+
+He took a drink and then remarked authoritatively, "Finish the bottle."
+
+I obeyed and, draining it, tossed it into the hedge and once more set
+the car in motion. If our progress had been speedy before, when we were
+once through Penzance, it became absolutely reckless.
+
+My brain was dancing from the effect of the champagne, and a wild
+exhilaration throbbed in every artery. The pace was tremendous, and we
+had not left Penzance a couple of miles behind us before the fugitives
+came once more into view. Now for the first time I could see that we
+were holding our own in the race. It may have been that some bearing had
+become heated in the car Mannering was driving, for undoubtedly his new
+car was more speedy than the old, but it was clear that he could no
+longer leave us as he had been able to do in the earlier part of the
+chase. If only I could increase ever so slightly the speed of my car, I
+felt confident of overtaking him. I motioned to Forrest to bend towards
+me, and when his ear was level with my mouth, I asked him to throw
+everything which could be got rid of overboard, in order to lighten the
+car. He took my meaning at once, and away went the cushions and rugs.
+The difference was slight, but still there was a perceptible difference.
+At the pace we were now travelling the car rocked from side to side of
+the road, and Forrest had to brace himself stiffly against the
+foot-board to prevent himself being thrown out. But we were gaining foot
+by foot on the fugitives. I felt a thrill of delight when, on reaching
+the brow of a hill, I saw the white car only two hundred yards ahead,
+and reckoned that in a couple of minutes we should have overtaken them.
+
+But one thing I had overlooked. I became conscious that we should soon
+be at the end of our journey, for suddenly I saw the sea on the horizon.
+I knew now where we were, knew that the end was in sight. For Mannering
+there could be no return, and I shouted aloud with exultation when I
+realized it. We drew closer to him, so close that I fancied I could see
+his eyes glittering through the mica plate of his mask as he turned to
+look at us.
+
+A sudden horror gripped me by the throat. He surely must know as well as
+myself that he was near the spot where all roads ended; that we were
+barely a mile or two from Land's End. What if he intended to end his
+life and his journey together? And what if, not content with destroying
+himself, he were to carry with him to destruction the girl who rode
+beside him on his car?
+
+We reached within twenty yards of him, and then as if in answer to my
+thought, I heard him emit a screech of laughter as his car suddenly shot
+away from us, and in half a minute placed him at least a quarter of a
+mile ahead. The bitterness of that moment, as my hope died within me, I
+can never forget. I only continued the pursuit mechanically.
+
+We thundered through Sennen without pause and so onward until we opened
+up the hotel and the stretch of green on the brow of the cliff. Then I
+could have shrieked with delight. The white car was standing still and
+Mannering had left his seat and was standing by the side. Ten seconds
+would have brought us to him. Five passed. He leaped again to his seat,
+and as he did so, the white robed figure sprang from the car to the
+turf. The Pirate gave a cry of baffled rage. But he had no time to waste
+in recovering his escaping victim, for we were within fifty yards of
+him. His car leaped forward and, leaving the road, tossed like a boat at
+sea over the uneven boulder-strewn turf. We were within five yards of
+him, and it was as much as we could manage to do to keep our seats.
+
+Just in time I realized the danger into which we were being unwittingly
+drawn, and reversing the gear, I put on both breaks. I was in time, but
+only just in time, for we were on a treacherous grassy slope and in
+spite of the breaks our car continued to glide forward under the impulse
+of the velocity it had attained.
+
+"Jump for your life!" shouted Forrest.
+
+I had wit enough to obey without hesitation.
+
+As I leaped, my eyes were fixed upon Mannering who at that moment had
+reached the very edge of the cliff. I saw him disappear, and then I
+rolled over on the turf. I was unhurt, and gathering myself together, I
+regained my feet just as the car which had carried us so well followed
+the maker over the cliff. A dozen paces took me to the spot. I shuddered
+as I glanced downwards and saw the fate I had escaped. Two or three
+hundred feet below the tide was boiling over the jagged rocks. I fancied
+I could discern a few fragments of the white car and that was all.
+
+Not ten seconds before I had seen Mannering wave his hand at us
+mockingly as he rode to his death, and I guessed that his intention had
+been to lure us on to a common destruction. Once again he had
+disappeared, but now I knew it was for all time.
+
+A strange calm came upon me. Straight in front of us the Longships
+lighthouse made a pillar of black marble against the huge red disc of
+the setting sun. In the far distance the Cassiterides floated cloud-like
+on the horizon. I gulped down a sob of thankfulness, for the memory came
+upon me that the one whom I loved had been saved by the merest chance
+from sharing the fate of the madman who had so unhesitatingly rushed
+upon his doom.
+
+I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Forrest.
+
+"Our work is done," he said, and with an impatient sigh, he took from
+his pocket the useless handcuffs and hurled them after the cars. "One
+thing we have to be thankful for," he continued, "thank God, Miss
+Maitland is safe."
+
+For reply, I could only grasp his hands and wring them silently. As I
+did so, I became conscious that a number of excited people had gathered
+about us.
+
+"Where--where is she?" I gasped.
+
+Some one pointed to the hotel a hundred yards or so distant, and Forrest
+and I hurried towards it. I was a prey to the most horrible anxiety. I
+dreaded to contemplate what the result upon the mind of my darling might
+be. I had nearly reached the hotel door, when I saw a slight figure step
+across the threshold and shade her eyes with her hand. With a cry of
+delight I sprang forward.
+
+The next moment Evie was in my arms.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That is the story of the Motor Pirate. There remain but a few things to
+say. And first of them, let me explain how it happened that Evie managed
+to fall into the Pirate's clutches.
+
+I told her later that it was owing to feminine curiosity. She, on the
+other hand, declares it was entirely owing to her anxiety on my account.
+Whichever was the reason, the moment she had heard Mannering's car
+approach, she had gone to the garden-gate, whence she was able to
+command a view of the coach-house door. She had seen the man Laver rush
+forward at the sound of the whistle. Then the pistol shot rang out, and
+the next moment Mannering had appeared on the new car. He had seen her,
+and she had attempted to fly to the house, but he had overtaken her and
+carried her off. Once on the car he had proceeded a short distance on
+the St. Alban's road, and then stopped to speak to her, for the first
+and only time on that day.
+
+"I am going to take you for a ride with me, Miss Maitland," he had
+observed. "I merely wish to warn you before we start, that at the pace
+we shall travel, you will find any attempt to escape exceedingly
+dangerous."
+
+It was then from his manner and appearance she had realized that she was
+in the power of a madman.
+
+As regards the ride, she could tell me very little. The pace was so
+great that, being unprovided with a mask, she was obliged to crouch down
+on the seat and cover her face with a rug as a protection against the
+dust. It seemed an interminable time, she said, and the moment the car
+stopped she made an attempt to regain her liberty, without knowing how
+near she was to destruction at the time she made it.
+
+Fortunately the strain had been much less than I expected, so far as
+Evie was concerned, and much more than I anticipated, was its effect
+upon myself. It was a long time before I completely recovered from the
+effects of those three adventurous days. And the worst of it was, that
+everything combined to prevent me obtaining the absolute quiet which I
+needed. After spending a night at the hotel I, of course, hastened to
+take train to London in order to restore Evie to her father. But when I
+arrived at my place at St. Albans, I found a veritable army of pressmen
+encamped on my doorstep. They would not give me a moment's peace. I was
+compelled to remain in bed, and upon sending a message over to Evie to
+inform her of my predicament, she informed me that she was similarly
+besieged.
+
+We exchanged a dozen notes. I rose when it was dark, and slipped out of
+my back door. I could only see one method of securing quiet. Even a
+hardened pressman has a dislike to intrude upon the privacy of a newly
+married couple, so the next morning Evie and Colonel Maitland joined me
+in town, and we were married by special license and, without returning
+to St. Albans, we started for my home in Norfolk.
+
+So much for myself.
+
+Forrest was for a long time inconsolable at the final escape of the
+Pirate from the hands of justice. So was his subordinate, Laver, whose
+sentiments on the subject are quite too lurid for publication.
+
+As for Mannering, no trace of his body was ever found, though I have
+since heard that certain portions of the cars have been fished up from
+the pools amongst the rocks at the base of the cliffs at low tide. At
+present, however, there has not been sufficient of the machinery
+recovered to enable any one to construct a similar motor. He had
+apparently made no drawings, or else had destroyed them when they had
+served his turn, so it would seem as if the secret of the singularly
+speedy motor he invented is destined to be lost to the world. Still, it
+may be that sufficient will be recovered to give some skilled
+mechanician sufficient guidance to enable him to reproduce the lost
+pirate car. If not, well, I don't suppose it matters. Some one else will
+be sure to invent something similar. In fact, from the hints Mannering
+gave me, and owing to the opportunity I had of examining the car in his
+workshop, I think it is not unlikely that I shall shortly be applying
+for letters patent myself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+REVELATIONS
+
+
+THERE remains only one thing more. I feel that the story would be
+incomplete if I kept to myself certain particulars concerning Mannering,
+which have come to my knowledge since the day when he made his
+sensational flight into eternity from the brow of the cliff at Land's
+End. At the time, both my wife and myself wished never to hear again the
+name of the man whose actions had provided us with such terrible and
+nerve-shattering experiences, but afterwards, when we came to think over
+the matter, it occurred to both of us that in fact we knew very little
+about the man who had nearly wrecked our lives. To dwell upon that
+thought naturally awakened our curiosity concerning his past life, and,
+needless to say, when the opportunity occurred for gratifying our
+curiosity, we did not for a moment hesitate about accepting it. It is
+true that we had gathered from his conversation that he had travelled
+widely, but in what capacity, or with what object, we knew as little as
+we knew of his birthplace or parentage. We found, too, a difficulty in
+understanding the motives which had prompted Mannering's actions, and,
+though we often discussed the question, we could never of ourselves
+have arrived at a satisfactory solution of the problem.
+
+On this latter point I must mention the conclusion arrived at by _The
+Speaker_. This sober-minded and extremely British review declared that
+his animating motive was "the strong rock of equity, or abstract
+justice," inasmuch as, by principally directing his attention to
+motorists, he was avenging _The Speaker's_ quarrel with a class which
+this journal held in particular abhorrence. Naturally, both Evie and
+myself smiled at the thought that the Motor Pirate was a conservative
+gentleman, anxious only to restore to the highways of England something
+of their pristine calm. For myself, I inclined to the belief that he was
+a remarkable specimen of the megalomaniac, whose exploits were prompted
+much more by the desire for notoriety than by any altruistic motive, or
+even by any sordid consideration regarding the plunder which he secured.
+Certainly had he been a mere criminal, impelled by the desire for the
+easy acquisition of wealth, he could have pursued his career for a much
+longer period than he actually did. As for my wife, with a woman's
+natural tendency to read a romance into any and every development of
+human activity, she held fast to the opinion that the Pirate's
+extraordinary career was the outcome of an overmastering passion for
+herself. The probability is, that in his brain all these motives
+operated at different times. The natural love of plunder, inherent in
+the criminal mind, is as often as not accompanied by a morbid delight in
+awakening the wonder of the public by the performance of startling
+deeds and, in the same temperament, it is not unusual to discover the
+romantic nature developed to a considerable degree. But, from the data
+at our command, I fancy it would have been impossible even for the
+experienced psychologist to decide which, so to speak, was the master
+impulse.
+
+Perhaps, however, the few facts concerning him, which came into our
+possession afterwards, tend to clear up these points to some degree.
+Certainly they left me with a clearer light upon his individuality.
+
+To these facts I am indebted to Inspector Forrest, who, some six months
+after our famous ride together in pursuit of the pirate, managed to find
+time to pay a flying visit to our Norfolk home, where we had continued
+to dwell in peaceful seclusion.
+
+It was at dinner, on the night of his arrival, that Forrest first hinted
+that he had picked up some details of Mannering's life-history, and of
+course nothing would content Evie but a promise that we should hear what
+he had discovered. So, directly the meal was finished, we adjourned for
+our coffee and cigars to my sanctum, where, in front of a comfortable
+fire, Forrest made no difficulty about satisfying our curiosity.
+
+"You see," he began, when his cigar was once well alight, "I was every
+bit as curious as Mrs. Sutgrove."
+
+"Or myself," I interrupted.
+
+"Or Mr. Sutgrove," said the detective, smiling, "for there is precious
+little difference between the sexes so far as curiosity is concerned, in
+spite of the generally accepted opinion on the matter. But being
+curious, I naturally made the most minute search when I searched his
+place at St. Alban's. I didn't find much there, it is true, but I did
+secure a clue which ultimately led me to some lodgings which he had
+occupied some three or four years previously, and there, by the merest
+good luck, I discovered that when he had departed he had left behind him
+a worn-out travelling-bag, and in that bag was a bundle of papers which
+supplied me with sufficient information to reconstruct his history to
+some extent, though I should not like to swear to the absolute accuracy
+of every detail of his biography as I see it."
+
+"Was there nothing at all found at St. Alban's then?" asked Evie.
+
+"I fancy you must have seen in the papers a pretty full account of all
+that the police discovered there?" said the detective.
+
+"Yes," replied Evie. "We read a lot of stories, but they varied to such
+an extent that we really did not know what to believe."
+
+Forrest smiled. "Now I come to think of it, the reporters did give their
+imaginations free reins, but you can take it from me that, with the
+exception of the plunder he amassed after his return from that
+Continental trip, and the apparatus for the production of the liquid
+hydrogen, there was very little in his house of interest to me or you.
+There was his bank-book, and some correspondence with a learned
+professor at the Royal Institution. I followed up both clues. At the R.
+I. I discovered nothing. Mannering had merely posed as a wealthy
+amateur in chemistry, and of course he met with every assistance when he
+had asked for help in following up his researches into the behaviour of
+liquid gases. At his bank also, very little was known about him. When he
+had come to St. Alban's he had opened an account by a payment into it of
+six or seven thousand pounds in Bank of England notes. He had drawn
+steadily upon the account until it was nearly exhausted, and, in point
+of fact, there was only a few pounds to his credit from the time when he
+commenced his career on the road, until a week or two after his return
+from Amsterdam, when he paid in two thousand pounds in gold, and a
+fortnight later swelled his balance with a similar amount."
+
+"That was the proceeds of the Brighton mail robbery," I remarked.
+
+Forrest nodded. "That was his only really big coup. As for his other
+plunder, he probably disposed of the proceeds of all his early cruises
+on the Continent, at the same time that he sold the diamonds. That which
+he obtained afterwards was found intact in the safe in his bedroom.
+Heavens! What an opportunity I missed by not taking out a search-warrant
+for his house. When we paid our midnight visit, there must have been
+ample evidence behind the steel door to have convicted him."
+
+The detective was silent for awhile, and bit savagely at his cigar.
+
+"He was not a wealthy man, then," I remarked.
+
+"No," replied Forrest. "There was no trace of his owning any property
+anywhere, and his expenditure on the gas plant and on his motors--we
+found that the various parts had been made to specification at a variety
+of works in England and abroad--had eaten heavily into his capital, so
+that at the time of the commencement of his career he must have been
+very nearly penniless. Whether he built the motor with the idea of
+utilizing it for the purpose he ultimately put it to, of course I cannot
+say, but I have a shrewd suspicion that he really did design it for the
+purpose, since from what I have learned of him the predatory instinct
+must have been pretty strongly developed in him."
+
+The detective paused for a minute, and, flicking the ash off his cigar,
+gazed meditatively into the fire.
+
+"You shall judge for yourselves," he continued. "Unfortunately, I cannot
+begin right at the beginning, for I do not know where he was born, nor
+who his parents were. I can only guess at these facts from the knowledge
+that, as a boy, he was at school in the south of England, and that then
+his name was Ram Krishna Roy."
+
+"What?" I asked, in amazement. "A Hindu?"
+
+"An Eurasian, I should fancy," replied Forrest. "He had been sent to
+school in England by one of those petty Indian princes, who still
+exercise sovereignty under British suzerainty."
+
+"How did you discover that?" asked Evie.
+
+"It was like this, Mrs. Sutgrove," replied Forrest. "Amongst the papers
+I spoke about as being in the old portmanteau, were a number of letters
+written in characters I could not understand. I could see they were
+oriental, and that was as much as I could make of them, so I took them
+to a noted oriental scholar who translated them for me. The language was
+Urdu, and the writer was a munshi, who was obviously communicating with
+an old pupil. There were so many references to scenes with which the
+person to whom the letters were addressed, as well as the writer, was
+familiar, that it was quite clear that the former must have been brought
+up amidst purely native surroundings. There were one or two more obscure
+allusions which led me to conclude that the boy's mother must have been
+a white woman, and from what we saw of him there can be no doubt but
+that he was white on one side."
+
+"Nobody would have taken him to be aught but an Englishman," murmured
+Evie.
+
+"No," said Forrest. "I was intensely surprised when I discovered these
+proofs of his identity and at first I thought they could not apply to
+him, but before I come to the connecting link, let me mention one
+curious thing in the letters, which may do something to explain the
+curious influence which Mannering exerted over Mrs. Sutgrove."
+
+"He hypnotized me, I am sure," declared Evie, decidedly.
+
+"Very possibly," replied the detective. "In nearly every letter was to
+be found an admonition to the effect--I cannot give you a verbatim
+translation--that the writer hoped his old pupil would not forget that
+to him was entrusted the secret power of Siva, which would, by
+practice, enable him to mould all men to his will."
+
+"If he had possessed that," I interrupted, "there would have been no
+necessity for him to have practised piracy on the high-road."
+
+"True," said Forrest. "But it is quite possible that Mrs. Sutgrove's
+conjecture is correct, and that even at that early age Mannering had
+learnt something about hypnotism from his native instructor, for I am
+very certain that of these semi-occult sciences, the East has much more
+precise knowledge than is realized by the Western world."
+
+"Very likely," said my wife, shuddering slightly at the remembrance. "He
+certainly had a most singular power over me."
+
+"He probably increased his knowledge when he returned to his native
+land, which, I gathered, must have taken place when he was about
+seventeen. Then there is a break for nearly ten years in his history."
+
+"I don't quite see how you connect Ram Krishna Roy with Mannering," I
+interpolated.
+
+"I'm coming to that," replied Forrest. "With these letters was another
+in its original envelope addressed in the same hand to Julian Mannering
+at San Francisco. It was the most interesting letter of the lot. It was
+full of reproaches addressed to the dear pupil, who had cut himself off
+from the asceticism of the East, and devoted himself to the gross
+materialism of Western civilization. It concluded by the expression of
+an intention to once more attempt to persuade him to return by a
+personal appeal. On the back of the letter was a note in Mannering's
+handwriting. 'Old Chatterji kept his promise. I had quite a long
+conversation with him in the ballroom last night. Everybody thought I
+was drunk or mad to be talking Hindustani, apparently to empty air.
+However, that's the last of him. I've done with the East.'".
+
+"You make him more a man of mystery than ever," I exclaimed.
+
+"I can't help it," said Forrest. "Perhaps his old tutor really did
+appear to him. Perhaps Mannering was mad. Who knows? Both are dead.
+However, he seems to have carried out his intention of not returning to
+India. Ram Krishna Roy disappeared from that time forth, and Julian
+Mannering took his place. He seems to have been doing nothing at San
+Francisco at the time, but a little later he appears to have accepted an
+appointment as engineer to a mine in Arizona. He left the berth suddenly
+a few months later, owing to some trouble about the wife of one of the
+miners. The miner was shot, and his comrades were so incensed that
+Mannering had to depart hot-foot. Then for awhile I can only guess at
+his occupation from some newspaper cuttings which he had preserved.
+These point to his identification with the leader of a gang of
+desperadoes whose most notable exploit was the successful holding up of
+a train which had a considerable quantity of specie on board."
+
+"I remember him describing the affair," said Evie, "though he
+represented himself as on the side of the attacked."
+
+"The only assistance he gave to the plundered was to assist them to a
+better land by the aid of his gun. He escaped, though, and made his way
+to Australia, and once again he resumed the practice of his
+profession,--mining engineering. For three or four years he was engaged
+at a newly-opened mine in the northern territory of West Australia. But
+instinct was too strong for him. He must really have had a strong dash
+of the blood of some of those Indian hill-tribe freebooters in his
+veins, for he never seems to have been able to resist the prospect of
+plunder, and the likelihood of having to fight for it seems to have been
+an additional inducement. Thus, at the mine, under his charge, it was
+the custom to send, periodically, the gold extracted, under a strong
+escort, to the nearest town, some forty miles distant. For a long time
+these consignments were delivered with perfect safety. Then, after a
+particularly rich vein had been struck, it became necessary to forward a
+very large consignment of bullion. Contrary to the usual practice, only
+two men were sent in charge of it. Their dead bodies were afterwards
+discovered, and the gold was never recovered. No one seems to have had
+the least suspicion that the gentlemanly engineer at the mine was likely
+to have had something to do with the business, and when, shortly
+afterward, he resigned his post and took a passage to Europe, he
+received the highest possible testimonials from his manager and
+directors. I have no doubt, myself, that he was the prime mover in the
+robbery, for his salary was a small one, and directly afterwards he
+spent six months in Paris, where his expenditure would have been lavish
+for a millionaire."
+
+"That was where my father met him," remarked Evie. "I remember him
+expressing surprise at the simplicity of Mannering's life at St. Alban's
+in view of the luxury with which he had been surrounded when they had
+met previously."
+
+"Just so," said the detective. "But his Paris career ended as it had
+commenced. He disappeared suddenly, without a word of farewell to any of
+his acquaintance, and had it not been for one bit of evidence, I should
+have had not the slightest idea as to what he had been doing with
+himself in the interval between that time and his arrival at St.
+Alban's. You may remember that a scientific expedition was despatched by
+the Dutch government about six years ago to make some investigations in
+the interior of New Guinea?"
+
+I shook my head.
+
+"It started six months after Mannering disappeared from Paris, and from
+the time it left Batavia _en route_ for New Guinea not a word has ever
+been heard of it."
+
+"You cannot mean to infer that Mannering had anything to do with that?"
+I asked, incredulously.
+
+"I infer nothing," replied Forrest. "But I do know that a pocketbook,
+which had belonged to a chemist attached to the exploring party, was one
+of the documents I found in his bag. The book contained a number of
+notes upon the liquefaction of gases, and these may very likely have
+first interested Mannering in the subject. As I have since discovered
+from a search of the registers at Lloyds that there were quite a number
+of ships lost about the same time in those seas, I cannot help thinking
+that our friend had served an apprenticeship under the black flag at sea
+before taking to land piracy."
+
+"At that rate he must have been the greatest criminal on earth," I
+declared.
+
+"He was certainly the biggest I ever came across," replied Forrest, "and
+my only regret is that I was unable to secure him in order that he might
+have judicially paid the penalty for his crimes."
+
+"It was a pity," I said, "though I fancy if we had trapped him he would
+have found some means of cheating the gallows and making a melodramatic
+exit from the world."
+
+"It is more than likely," said Forrest. "He was not the ordinary type of
+criminal. I was speaking to a big mental specialist the other day,
+and--but I had better complete the story of his career first. Where did
+we leave him?"
+
+"New Guinea," I prompted.
+
+"The only other reason I have for suspecting him of being engaged in
+deeds of violence in that quarter of the globe is that he returned to
+England _via_ Singapore, with a considerable quantity of bullion in his
+possession. The rest of his history you know."
+
+"He seems to have had a stirring existence, anyhow," I commented. "And
+one hardly sees any reason for it save natural sin."
+
+"The alienist I was talking to the other day described him as a moral
+pervert. He said he was a type of insanity usually associated with
+physical incapacity or a low order of intelligence, but when, as in
+Mannering's case, both physique and intelligence were above the average,
+the moral pervert is a greater danger to the community than an army of
+ordinary criminals. If ever I said a prayer it would be when a madman of
+that type was removed from the world."
+
+"Amen," said both Evie and I, heartily.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+Text uses both St. Alban's and St. Albans.
+
+Page 24, "has" changed to "had" (papers had not)
+
+Page 76, "continue" changed to "continued" (he continued earnestly)
+
+Page 86, "sang-freid" changed to "sang-froid" (companion's _sang-froid_
+soon)
+
+Page 88, "typeing" changed to "typing" (typing, and upon)
+
+Page 139, "choose" changed to "chose" (We chose the footpath)
+
+Page 189, closing quote added (address." Then, after)
+
+Page 242, "couples" changed to "couple" (a couple of minutes)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Motor Pirate, by George Sidney Paternoster
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MOTOR PIRATE ***
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