would go to Berwick
Street--he looked at the clock--no, not now; it was too late, or
rather too early; he would have to wait till the morning was a good
deal older.

Unfortunately the carrying out of the plan did not prove very
successful. Berwick Street he found, and No. 31 he found, but not Mr.
Gillat; he was gone and had left no address. Mrs. Horn did not seem
troubled by the omission; he had paid everything before he went away,
and he practically never had any letters to be sent on; why, she
asked, should she bother after his address?

Rawson-Clew could not tell her why she should, nor did he give any
reason why he himself should. He went away and, reversing the order of
his previous search, went to Marbridge.

But failure awaited him there, too. When he came to the Polkingtons'
house he found it empty, the blinds down, the steps uncleaned, and
bills announcing that it was to let in the windows. He stood and
looked at it in the grey afternoon, and for a moment he was conscious
of a feeling of desolation and disappointment which was almost absurd.
He turned away and began to make inquiries about the family. He soon
learnt all that was commonly known. They had been gone from East
Street some little time now; they must have left before the box
containing the explosive was posted. Julia had sent it to Aunt Jane's
lawyer, before she set out for the cottage, asking him to dispatch it
at a given date, and he had fulfilled her request, thinking it a
wedding present and the date specified one near the impending
ceremony. This, of course, Rawson-Clew did not find out; he found out
several things about the Polkingtons though, their debts and
difficulties, their sale and the break up of the family. He also found
out that the youngest Miss Polkington was married and the second, and
now only remaining one, had come home before the break up. As to where
the family were now, that was not quite so clear; Mrs. Polkington was
with one of her married daughters; her address was easily obtainable
and apparently considered all that any one could require, and quite
sufficient to cover the rest of the family. Captain Polkington--nobody
thought much about him--when they did, it was generally concluded he
was with his wife. As for Julia, she must have got a situation of some
sort--unless, which was unlikely, she was with her parents.
Rawson-Clew took Mrs. Polkington's address--it was all he could
get--and determined to write to her.

I