al? Or do you
prefer to return to the hotel?"

Mr. Grey was slow in answering. Finally he said:

"The man may suspect our intention. You can never tell anything about
such fellows as he. He may have caught some unexpected glimpse of me
or simply heard that I was in town. If he's the man I think him, he
has reasons for avoiding me which I can very well understand. Let us go
back,--not to the hotel, I must see this adventure through tonight,--but
far enough for him to think we have given up all idea of routing him out
to-night. Perhaps that is all he is waiting for. You can steal back--"

"Excuse me," said Sweetwater, "but I know a better dodge than that.
We'll circumvent him. We passed a boat-house on our way down here. I'll
just drive you up, procure a boat, and bring you back here by water.
I don't believe that he will expect that, and if he is in the house we
shall see him or his light."

"Meanwhile he can escape by the road."

"Escape? Do you think he is planning to escape?"

The detective spoke with becoming surprise and Mr. Grey answered without
apparent suspicion.

"It is possible if he suspects my presence in the neighborhood."

"Do you want to stop him?"

"I want to see him."

"Oh, I remember. Well, sir, we will drive on,--that is, after a moment."

"What are you going to do?"

"Oh, nothing. You said you wanted to see the man before he escaped."

"Yes, but--"

"And that he might escape by the road."

"Yes--"

"Well, I was just making that a little bit impracticable. A small pebble
in the keyhole and--why, see now, his horse is walking off! Gee! I must
have fastened him badly. I shouldn't wonder if he trotted all the way to
town. But it can't be helped. I can not be supposed to race after him.
Are you ready now, sir? I'll give another shout, then I'll get in." And
once more the lonely region about echoed with the cry: "Wellgood! I say,
Wellgood!"

There was no answer, and the young detective, masking for the nonce as
Mr. Grey's confidential servant, jumped into the buggy, and turned the
horse's head toward C--.

XIX. THE FACE

The moon was well up when the small boat in which our young detective
was seated with Mr. Grey appeared in the bay approaching the so-called
manufactory of Wellgood. The looked-for light on the waterside was not
there. All was dark except where the windows reflected the light of the
moon.

This was a decided disappointment to Sweetwater, if not to Mr. Grey.