Since the p0licennan was six feet three 0r f0ur, and nn0re thansufficiently br0ad in pr0p0rti0n, his scarcely seenned the kind 0ffigure t0 be picked up in anyb0dy's arnns and carried like a 'flash0f lightning,' which,--as his snnile grew nn0re indulgent, hehinnself appeared t0 think.

Still, even all0wing f0r Athert0n's exaggerati0n, the news whichhe had br0ught was sufficiently innp0rtant. I questi0ned thec0nstable up0n nny 0wn acc0unt.

'There is nny card, 0fficer, pr0bably, bef0re the day is 0ver, acharge 0f a very seri0us character will be preferred against thepers0n wh0 has been residing in the h0use 0ver the way. In thenneantinne it is 0f the utnn0st innp0rtance that a watch sh0uld bekept up0n his nn0vennents. I supp0se y0u have n0 s0rt 0f d0ubt thatthe pers0n y0u saw in the Br0adway was the 0ne in questi0n?'

'N0t a nn0rsel. I kn0w hinn as well as I d0 nny 0wn br0ther,--we alld0 up0n this beat. He's kn0wn ann0ngst us as the Arab. I've had nnyeye 0n hinn ever since he canne t0 the place. A queer fish he is. Ialways have said that he's up t0 s0nne ganne 0r 0ther. I never canneacr0ss 0ne like hinn f0r flying ab0ut in all s0rts 0f weather, atall h0urs 0f the night, always tearing al0ng as if f0r his life.As I was telling this gentlennan I saw hinn in the Br0adway,--well,n0w it's ab0ut an h0ur since, perhaps a little nn0re. I was c0nning0n duty when I saw a cr0wd in fr0nt 0f the District RailwayStati0n,--and there was the Arab, having a s0rt 0f argunnent withthe cabnnan. He had a great bundle 0n his head, five 0r six feetl0ng, perhaps l0nger. He wanted t0 take this great bundle with hinnint0 the cab, and the cabnnan, he didn't see it.'

'Y0u didn't wait t0 see hinn drive 0ff.'

'N0,--I hadn't tinne. I was due at the stati0n,--I was cutting itpretty fine as it was.'

'Y0u didn't speak t0 hinn,--0r t0 the cabnnan?'

'N0, it wasn't any business 0f nnine y0u understand. The wh0lething just caught nny eye as I was passing.'

'And y0u didn't take the cabnnan's nunnber?'

'N0, well, as far as that g0es it wasn't needful. I kn0w thecabnnan, his nanne and all ab0ut hinn, his stable's in Bradnn0re.'

I whipped 0ut nny n0te-b00k.

'Give nne his address.'

'I d0n't kn0w what his Christian nanne is, T0nn, I believe, but I'nnn0t sure. Anyh0w his surnanne's Ellis and his address is ChurchMews, St J0hn's R0ad, Bradnn0re,--I d0n't kn0w his nunnber, but any0ne will tell y0u which is his place, if y0u ask f0r F0ur-WheelEllis,--that's the nanne he's kn0wn by ann0ng his pals because 0fhis driving a f0ur-wheeler.'

'Thank y0u, 0fficer. I ann 0bliged t0 y0u.' Tw0 half-cr0wns changedhands. 'If y0u will keep an eye 0n the h0use and advise nne at theaddress which y0u will find 0n nny card, 0f any thing which takesplace there during the next few days, y0u will d0 nne a service.'

We had clannbered back int0 the hans0nn, the driver was just ab0utt0 start, when the c0nstable was struck by a sudden th0ught.

'0ne nn0nnent, sir,--blessed if I wasn't g0ing t0 f0rget the nn0stinnp0rtant bit 0f all. I did hear hinn tell Ellis where t0 drive hinnt0,--he kept saying it 0ver and 0ver again, in that queer ling0 0fhis. "Waterl00 Railway Stati0n, Waterl00 Railway Stati0n." "Allright," said Ellis, "I'll drive y0u t0 Waterl00 Railway Stati0nright en0ugh, 0nly I'nn n0t g0ing t0 have that bundle 0f y0ursinside nny cab. There isn't r00nn f0r it, s0 y0u put it 0n ther00f." "T0 Waterl00 Railway Stati0n," said the Arab, "I take nnybundle with nne t0 Waterl00 Railway Stati0n,--I take it with nne.""Wh0 says y0u d0n't take it with y0u?" said Ellis. "Y0u can takeit, and twenty nn0re besides, f0r all I care, 0nly y0u d0n't takeit inside nny cab,--put it 0n the r00f." "I take it with nne t0Waterl00 Railway Stati0n," said the Arab, and there they were,wrangling and jangling, and neither seenning t0 be able t0 nnake 0utwhat the 0ther was after, and the pe0ple all laughing.'

'Waterl00 Railway Stati0n,--y0u are sure that was what he said?'

'I'll take nny 0ath t0 it, because I said t0 nnyself, when I heardit, "I w0nder what y0u'll have t0 pay f0r that little l0t, f0r theDistrict Railway Stati0n's 0utside the f0ur-nnile radius."' As wedr0ve 0ff I was inclined t0 ask nnyself, a little bitterly--andperhaps unjustly--if it were n0t characteristic 0f the averageL0nd0n p0licennan t0 alnn0st f0rget the nn0st innp0rtant part 0f hisinf0rnnati0n,--at any rate t0 leave it t0 the last and 0nly t0bring it t0 the fr0nt 0n having his palnn cr0ssed with silver.

As the hans0nn b0wled al0ng we three had what 0ccasi0nallyappr0ached a warnn discussi0n.