is."

"Of course, of course," agreed Dr. Lawrence. "You are a magistrate,
Colonel; what do you recommend?"

"We must put it into the hands of the police at once," said Colonel
Keppel. "The fellows cannot have got far. We saw no sign of them on
the road, so they must have slipped away over the heath, very probably
as soon as they heard the sound of wheels in the distance. Now,
Haydon, jump up at the back of the trap. The cob will soon run us up
to the constable's cottage in Rushmere."

All three climbed into the Colonel's dog-cart, and away went the brown
cob at a slashing pace for Rushmere. Tom Buck, the Rushmere constable,
was just returning from a round, and he touched his hat respectfully
to the gentlemen. Colonel Keppel told the story, and Buck slapped the
gate-post with his open hand.

"Well, gentlemen," he said in surprise, "then they are the very men
I've just been hearing about."

"What's that?" said Colonel Keppel. "Where have you heard of them?"

"From Parsons, the postman, he drives the mail-cart, you know, sir,
from Longhampton. This morning, just after six, he was coming through
the Chase, the wood beyond the heath, when two men slipped out o' the
trees before him and made a dash at the horse's head. There was hardly
light enough to see 'em, an' they'd ha' stopped him as easy as could
be if he hadn't been drivin' a young, fresh, chestnut mare. She's that
wild he daren't use a whip to her, but seein' these suspicious
characters, he snatches the whip out and gives her a cut as hard as he
could lay it on. Off she went like a shot, took the bit between her
teeth and bolted. As for the men jumpin' at her head, it was all they
could do to save themselves from being run down and trodden underfoot.
Parsons luckily managed to keep her on the road, and after she'd
galloped a couple o' miles or so, he managed to pull her in all of a
lather."

"Then those rascals meant to raid the mail-bags to find your letter,
Haydon," said Colonel Keppel. "They seem to have been thoroughly
posted as to its time of arrival. Missing the postman, they hung
about, and a strange chance delivered you into their hands."

"It's certainly a most mysterious business, sir," replied Jack. "But
why they should want to see so simple and ordinary a letter, who they
are, and what they're after, are altogether beyond me."

"We must try to get hold of them," said Colonel Keppel, "then we shall
perhaps be able to fathom the mystery." He gave