"He could have seen just as well from either of the other hedges, with
less chance of detection," he said, after a long pause.

T. X. grinned.

"You have the makings of a brain," he said admiringly. "I agree with
you. Always remember that, Mansus. That there was one occasion in your
life when T. X. Meredith and you thought alike."

Mansus smiled a little feebly.

"Of course from the point of view of the observer this was the worst
place possible, so whoever came here, if they did come here, dropping
revolver bullets about, must have chosen the spot because it was
get-at-able from another direction. Obviously he couldn't come down the
road and climb in without attracting the attention of the Greek who was
waiting for Mr. Lexman. We may suppose there is a gate farther along the
road, we may suppose that he entered that gate, came along the field by
the side of the hedge and that somewhere between here and the gate, he
threw away his cigar."

"His cigar!" said Mansus in surprise.

"His cigar," repeated T. X., "if he was alone, he would keep his cigar
alight until the very last moment."

"He might have thrown it into the road," said Mansus.

"Don't jibber," said T. X., and led the way along the hedge. From where
they stood they could see the gate which led on to the road about a
hundred yards further on. Within a dozen yards of that gate, T. X. found
what he had been searching for, a half-smoked cigar. It was sodden with
rain and he picked it up tenderly.

"A good cigar, if I am any judge," he said, "cut with a penknife, and
smoked through a holder."

They reached the gate and passed through. Here they were on the road
again and this they followed until they reached another cross road that
to the left inclining southward to the new Eastbourne Road and that to
the westward looking back to the Lewes-Eastbourne railway. The rain had
obliterated much that T. X. was looking for, but presently he found a
faint indication of a car wheel.

"This is where she turned and backed," he said, and walked slowly to the
road on the left, "and this is where she stood. There is the grease from
her engine."

He stooped down and moved forward in the attitude of a Russian dancer,
"And here are the wax matches which the chauffeur struck," he counted,
"one, two, three, four, five, six, allow three for each cigarette on a
boisterous night like last night, that makes three cigarettes. Here is
a cigarette end, Mansus, Gold Flake brand,