"All right, sir," replied the man, as he handed through a gap in the hedge a small chamois leather bag.
I had no idea as to what steps Forrest proposed to adopt in order to effect the arrest, so I asked him, and he explained briefly his plan of campaign.
"One can see," he remarked, "that Mannering feels so confident of the completeness of his disguise that he will have no hesitation about returning. I am reckoning, too, upon there being an element of truth in the story he has told you about the construction of his motor, in which case his own workshop would be the only place where he would be able to refill his tank. We shall be able to decide that point in a very few minutes. If we do find any plant for the production of liquid gases, we can count upon catching our man within a very few hours."
"Unless he smells a rat, and makes for some convenient port and gets out of the country," I remarked.
"That eventuality is provided against," remarked the detective. "His description is in the hands of the police at every port in the kingdom, and even if he changes the colour of his hair, I don't think he will manage to get away. What I propose is, that we shall remain concealed in his coach-house and await his return."
"How are we going to get in?" I inquired.
Forrest took a bunch of skeleton keys from the bag Laver had handed to him and dangled them before his eyes.
"There's not a burglar in the kingdom is better provided," he remarked, and set to work upon the lock forthwith.
The lock was an ordinary one, and his efforts were speedily successful. The door swung open, and we entered eagerly a bare, stone-paved coach-house. Opposite the door by which we had entered from the road was a similar door, which gave upon the inner yard. On the left, a large sliding door had been fixed in place of the wall which had divided the coach-house from the stables. Relocking the door by which we had entered, Forrest led the way to the door on the left. It was unfastened, and as it swung back a cry of amazement sprang to my lips.
"Hush—sh—sh!" said the detective warningly.