As I wheeled my vehicle into my yard I thought I should drop. The strain of that rush through the night, expecting every moment that something would give way, had been tremendous, and the moment the tension was relaxed I shook like an aspen leaf. When I tried to get in at my own door I found I could not fit the latch-key, and was obliged to hand it to the detective. He saw what was the matter with me, and the moment we were inside, he led the way to my study, thrust me down into a chair and mixed me a whisky-and-soda. I was never more grateful for a drink in my life. It pulled me together, and in less time than I had conceived possible, I felt as if I could have managed another seventy-five miles without a halt.
The moment he saw my nerves were steady again, Forrest proposed that we should get something to eat. I declared that I did not want anything.
"When you haven't time for sleep, the next best thing is to feed well if you want to keep fit," he remarked. "Besides, I am as hungry as a hunter has a right to be."
"That settles it," I laughed. "We shall have to forage for ourselves. The servants are all asleep."
We found our way to the larder and made a hearty meal on a cold pie we found there; and directly we had finished, we set out forthwith in the direction of Mannering's home. As soon as we arrived opposite the house, Forrest paused and gave a low whistle. It was answered immediately by a man dressed as a labourer, who made his appearance from behind the hedge opposite the house.
"Any one been here to-night, Laver?" asked Forrest.
"No one," the man answered. "The servants turned in about ten after locking up. No signs of any one about the place since."
"That's all right," grunted Forrest. "We shall be ready for him when he does come. Have you got the tools?"
The man was proceeding to scramble through the hedge when Forrest checked him.
"Better stay where you are," he advised. "Keep out of sight, and if I whistle, come at once."