h 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