The children cautiously followed the broken-down patches of nettles. The ditch curved round to the back of the cottage- but there, unfortunately, so many people had trampled the night before, that it was impossible to pick out any footsteps and say, "Those are the man's! "
"Well, look here, although we can't find any footsteps in the garden that belong to the hiding man, we might be able to find some on the other side of the hedge," said Fatty. "What about us all squeezing through that gap where the man got in and out, and seeing if we can spy anything the other side."
They all scrambled through the hole in the hedge. Fatty was the last. His eye caught sight of something as he squeezed through. It was a bit of grey flannel, caught oa a thorn.
He gave a low whistle and clutched at Larry, who was just in front of him. He pointed to the scrap of flannel.
"The man tore his coat as he got through this gap," he said."See that? My word, we are getting on! We know that he wore a grey flannel suit now!"
Larry carefully took off the scrap of grey rag from the thorn. He put it into a match-box, wishing that he, and not Fatty, had noticed it.
"Good for you!" he said. "Yes - that may be a veiy valuable clue."
"Has Fatty found a glue?" asked Bets., in excitement. Every one crowded round to hear what Fatty had discovered. Larry opened the match-box and showed the bit of grey flannel.
"Now we've only got to find some one who wears a suit of grey flannel,, a bit torn somewhere, and we've got the man!" said Daisy, pleased.
"I think we're much cleverer than Clear-Orf," said Pip.