coach, they posted to within a mile of Crickgelly, and then
walked into the village, in order to excite no special attention,
should the doctor be lurking in the neighborhood. The runner had tried
ineffectually to gain admission as a visitor at Zion Place. After having
the door shut on him, he and Screw had watched the house and village,
and had seen me approach Number Two. Their suspicions were directly
excited.

Thus far, Screw had not recognized, nor even observed me; but he
immediately identified me by my voice, while I was parleying with the
stupid servant at the door. The runner, hearing who I was, reasonably
enough concluded that I must be the recognized medium of communication
between the doctor and his daughter, especially when he found that I was
admitted, instantly after calling, past the servant, to some one inside
the house.

Leaving Screw on the watch, he went to the inn, discovered himself
privately to the landlord, and made sure (in more ways than one, as
I conjectured) of knowing when, and in what direction, I should leave
Crickgelly. On finding that I was to leave it the next morning, with
Alicia and Mrs. Baggs, he immediately suspected that I was charged with
the duty of taking the daughter to, or near, the place chosen for
the father's retreat; and had therefore abstained from interfering
prematurely with my movements. Knowing whither we were bound in the
cart, he had ridden after us, well out of sight, with his countryman's
disguise ready for use in the saddle-bags--Screw, in case of any
mistakes or mystifications, being left behind on the watch at
Crickgelly.

The possibility that I might be running away with Alicia had suggested
itself to him; but he dismissed it as improbable, first when he saw
that Mrs. Baggs accompanied us, and again, when, on nearing Scotland, he
found that we did not take the road to Gretna Green. He acknowledged, in
conclusion, that he should have followed us to Edinburgh, or even to
the Continent itself, on the chance of our leading him to the doctor's
retreat, but for the servant girl at the inn, who had listened outside
the door while our brief marriage ceremony was proceeding, and from
whom, with great trouble and delay, he had extracted all the information
he required. A further loss of half an hour's time had occurred while
he was getting the necessary help to assist him, in the event of my
resisting, or trying to give him the slip, in making me a prisoner.
These