atter with his hand.

"Richard," uttered Mr. Carlyle, "I am thunderstruck! I fear you have
done wrong to come here."

"I cut off from London at a moment's notice," replied Richard, who
was literally shivering with the cold. "I'm dodged, Mr. Carlyle, I am
indeed. The police are after me, set on by that wretch Thorn."

Mr. Carlyle turned to the sideboard and poured out a wineglass of
brandy. "Drink it, Richard, it will warm you."

"I'd rather have it in some hot water, sir."

"But how am I to get the hot water brought in? Drink this for now. Why,
how you tremble."

"Ah, a few hours outside in the cold snow is enough to make the
strongest man tremble, sir; and it lies so deep in places that you have
to come along at a snail's pace. But I'll tell you about this business.
A fortnight ago I was at a cabstand at the West End, talking to a
cab-driver, when some drops of rain came down. A gentleman and lady
were passing at the time, but I had not paid any attention to them. 'By
Jove!' I heard him exclaim to her, 'I think we're going to have pepper.
We had better take a cab, my dear.' With that the man I was talking to
swung open the door of his cab, and she got in--such a fair young lady,
she was! I turned to look at him, and you might just have knocked me
down with astonishment. Mr. Carlyle, it was the man, Thorn."

"Indeed!"

"You thought I might be mistaken in him that moonlight night, but there
was no mistaking him in broad daylight. I looked him full in the face,
and he looked at me. He turned as white as cloth. Perhaps I did--I don't
know."

"Was he well dressed?"

"Very. Oh, there's no mistaking his position. That he moves in the
higher classes there's no doubt. The cab drove away, and I got up behind
it. The driver thought boys were there, and turned his head and his
whip, but I made him a sign. We didn't go much more than the length of a
street. I was on the pavement before Thorn was, and looked at him again,
and again he went white. I marked the house, thinking it was where he
lived, and--"

"Why did you not give him into custody, Richard?"

Richard Hare shook his head. "And my proofs of his guilt, Mr. Carlyle?
I could bring none against him--no positive ones. No, I must wait till I
can get proofs to do that. He would turn round upon me now and swear my
life away to murder. Well, I thought I'd ascertain for certain what his
name was, and that night I went to the house, and got into conversation
with one