e to their business in
town. Many of them were put aside as needing no investigation, having
been residents there for years. Some of the others he saw start or
return, but none of them corresponded in any way with the probable
appearance of the man for whom he was in search. During this time he
heard of several private coaches being held up on the road between Epsom
and London, and three burglaries took place at Streatham.

He then moved to Stockwell. Before proceeding there he had his horse
up again from Crowswood, and rode into Stockwell from the west. He was
dressed now as a small country squire, and had a valise strapped behind
his saddle. The inn there was a busy one.

"I want a room," he said, as he alighted. "I shall probably stay here a
few days."

Presently he had a talk with the landlord.

"I am on the lookout," he said, "for a little place near town. I have
come in for a small estate in the country, but I have no taste for
farming, and want to be within easy reach of town, and at the same
time to have a place with a paddock where I can keep my horse and live
quietly. I don't much care whether it is here or anywhere else within
a few miles of town, and I intend to ride about and see if I can find a
place that will suit me. I do not want to be nearer the town than this,
for I have not money enough to go the pace; still, I should like to be
near enough to ride or walk in whenever I have a fancy for it."

"I understand, sir. Of course there are plenty of places round here,
at Clapham and Tooting, and I may say Streatham, but most of them are
a deal too large for a bachelor, still I have no doubt you would find a
place to suit you without much difficulty. These sort of places are most
in request by London tradesmen who have given up business and want to
get a little way out of town and keep a gig. I should say there must be
a score of such people living round here. I am often asked about such
places, but I don't know of one to let just at the present moment.

"Still, there ought to be, for of late people have not cared so much
to come out here; there has been such a scare owing to highwaymen and
burglars, that men with wives and families don't fancy settling out of
town, though there aint much work about it, for to every one house that
is broken into there are thousands that are not, and besides, the houses
that these fellows try are large places, where there is plenty of silver
plate and a few gold watches,