d search for the
tracks. I never lost them, however, until I came once more to a
high-road. The curve of the tyre marks at the junction of the road gave
me the direction I needed, and, letting my car go, in four or five
minutes I found myself running into the electric-lighted streets of a
town. The place was deserted, but eventually I found a policeman, and of
him I inquired whether anything had been seen or heard of the Pirate.
There was no need for me to describe the appearance of the pirate car.
It was as well-known throughout the land, as the Lord Mayor's coach, but
he had seen nothing of it, and was quite positive that it had not passed
through the town. An ordinary car had passed about half an hour before
my arrival, and though the constable's description of the car was not
very lucid, it was sufficiently near the mark to make me think of
Mannering.

"I fancy the man you describe is a friend of mine," I said. "Which
direction did he take?"

"He went straight along the Colchester road," was the astonishing reply.

"The Colchester road?" I inquired. "What town is this, then?"

"This is Chelmsford, sir," he answered, with a surprise equalling my
own.

I could see my unguarded question had awakened his suspicions of me, so
I made haste to remark that I had not realized how quickly I had
travelled, adding that I might have known there was no other town of the
size thereabouts.

"I am afraid," I added, "that if you had met me outside the borough you
would have had a case for the Bench in the morning."

"I don't take no heed of speed myself, sir, when the roads is clear," he
remarked; "but when the traffic's thick, it's another matter."

I thought his sound common sense deserved a reward. Anyway it got one,
and with a cheerful good night, I set my car going at a pace which made
me hope that any other constable I chanced to meet would prove as
intelligent as he from whom I had just parted. It is about twenty-two
miles from Chelmsford to Colchester, and, in spite of the greasy state
of parts of the road, I managed the distance in thirty minutes.

Every one of those minutes I expected to be able to overtake Mannering;
but I saw nothing of him, and by the time I came to Colchester, I began
to fancy that he must have given me the slip at some bye-road. From my
inquiries at Colchester, I learned, however, that I was still on the
right scent; but I was mightily puzzled to discover that though he was
driving the old c