Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-11
TODAY'S INSTALMENT.

Wa
The heath WAS covered with golden
patches of Towering gorse, cleaning
magnihccntly in the light OF the bright
spring sunshine. Behind n OF these
clumps l took up my position, so as
to command both the gateway OF the
Hall and a long stretch Of the road
upon either side. 1t had been deserted
when I left it, but now ! saw a cycllst
riding down it from the opposite direc-
ton to that in which l had come. tie was
clad in . dark suit, and ! saw that he had
a black beard. On reaching the II
Of the Charlington grounds, he sprang
from his machine and led 1t through a
gap in the hedge, disappearing from my
view. .,
A quarter of an hour passed, and
then a second cyclist appeared. This
time it was the young lady coming
from the station. l saw her look about
her as she came to the Chariington
hedge. An instant later the man
emerged from his hiding-placc, sprang
upon his cycle, and followed her. In all
the broad landscape those were the only
moving figures, the graceful girl sitting
very straight upon her machine, and the
man behind her bending low over his
handlc-bar with a curiously furitlve
suggestion in every movement. She
looked back at him and slowed her
pace. He slowed also. She stopped.
He at once stopped, too, keeping two
hundred yards behind her. Her next
movement was as unexpected as II
was sririt,d. She suddenly whisked
her VI ee round and dashed straight
at him. He was as quick as she, how
ever. and darted off in desperate fight.
Presently she came back up the road
again, her head haughtily in the air,
not dcigning to take any further notice
of her silent attendant. He had turned
also, and still kept his distance until
the curve of the road hid them from
my sight.
l remained in my hiding-place, and
it was well that | did so, for pres
emily the man resppeared cycling
slowly back. He turned in at the
Hall gates, and dismounted from hi:
machine. For some minutes l couio
see him standing among the trees
His hands were raised and he seemed
10 be settling his necktie. Then HI
mounted his cycle, and rode ava,
from me down the drive towards the
Hall. ran across the heath and peerec
through the trees, Far away | coulC
catch glimpses of the old gray building
with its bristling Tudor chimneys, bu'
the drive ran through a dense shrubbery
and l saw no more Of my man.
However, it seemed to me that
had done q fairly good morning
work, and ] walked back in high spirit
10 Farnham. The local house agen
could tell me nothing about Charlingtol
Hall. and referred me to a ~well-knowl
firm in Pail Mall. There I halted on m.
way home, and met with courtes.
from the representative. No, | could no
have Charlington Hall for the summer
/ was Just too late. 1t had been let abou
a month ago. Mr.. Williamson was tn
name Of the tenant. He was a respectabl
elderly gentleman. The polite agen
WAS afraid he could say no more, as tn
affairs of his clients were not mstter
which he could discuss.
Mr.. Sherlock Holmes listened wit
attention to the long report which
was able to present to him that evening
but it did not elicit that word of cuI
praise which l had hoped for, and shout
have valued. On the contrary, h
eustere ~face,as even more severe tina
usual as he commented upon the thing
that / had done and the things that
had not.
'Your h~iding-place, my dear Wal
son, was very faulty. You shoul
have been behind the hedge, the
you would have had a close view {
this interesting person. AS it is, yo