be after him. He seems to have
wondered at Mayes's mysterious movements for a long time, and so kept
his eye on him and made inquiries. It seems that Mayes sometimes uses a
back way, through the window you saw on the opposite side of the little
area, by way of that ladder you mentioned. It's quite plain this fellow
knows something, from the particulars about that ladder. He wants half a
sovereign to show me the way through a stable passage behind and point
out where our man can be trapped to a certainty. It'll be a cheap ten
shillingsworth, and we mustn't waste time. If Hewitt comes, tell him not
to move till I come back or send a message, which I can easily do by
this chap I'm going with. And be sure to keep your eye on the front door
of No. 8 while I'm gone."

The thing had begun to grow exciting, and the fascination of the pursuit
took full possession of my imagination. I saw Plummer pass across the
end of the street in company with a shuffling, out-at-elbows-looking man
with dirty brown whiskers, and I set myself to watch the door of the
staircase by the packing-case maker's with redoubled attention, hoping
fervently that Mayes might emerge, and so give me the opportunity of
capping the extraordinary series of occurrences connected with the Red
Triangle by myself seizing and handing him over to the police.

So I waited and watched for something near another quarter of an hour.
Then there came another thump at the door, and once more I beheld Mr.
Moon.

"Man askin' for you in the bar, sir," he said.

"Asking for me?" I asked, a little astonished. "By name?"

"Mr. Brett, 'e said, sir. He's the same chap, you know. He's got a
message from Inspector Plummer, 'e says."

"May he come up here?" I asked, mindful of maintaining my watch.

"Certainly, sir, if you like. I'll bring him."

Presently the shuffling man with the dirty whiskers presented himself.
He was a shifty, villainous-looking fellow of middle height, looking a
"nark" all over. He pulled off his cap and delivered his message in a
rum-scented whisper. "Inspector Plummer says the front way don't matter
now," he said. "'E can cop 'im fair the other way if you'll go round to
him at once. If Mr. Martin Hewitt's here 'e'd rather 'ave 'im, but on'y
one's to come now."

Naturally, I thought, Plummer would prefer Hewitt; but in this case I
should for once be ahead of my friend, and have the pleasure of relating
the circumstances of the capture to him, instead