h was covered with golden patches of flowering

gorse, gleaming magnificently in the light of the bright

spring sunshine. behind one of these clumps i took up my

position, so as to command both the gateway of the hall and

a long stretch of the road upon either side. it had been

deserted when i left it, but now i saw a cyclist riding

down it from the opposite direction to that in which i had

come. he was clad in a dark suit, and i saw that he had a

black beard. on reaching the end of the charlington

grounds he sprang from his machine and led it through a gap

in the hedge, disappearing from my view.

a quarter of an hour passed and then a second cyclist

appeared. this time it was the young lady coming from the

station. i saw her look about her as she came to the

charlington hedge. an instant later the man emerged from

his hiding-place, sprang upon his cycle, and followed her.

in all the broad landscape those were the only moving

figures, the graceful girl sitting very straight upon her

machine, and the man behind her bending low over his

handle-bar, with a curiously furtive suggestion in every

movement. she looked back at him and slowed her pace. he

slowed also. she stopped. he at once stopped too, keeping

two hundred yards behind her. her next movement was as

unexpected as it was spirited. she suddenly whisked her

wheels round and dashed straight at him! he was as quick

as she, however, and darted off in desperate flight.

presently she came back up the road again, her head

haughtily in the air, not deigning to take any further

notice of her silent attendant. he had turned also, and

still kept his distance until the curve of the road hid

them from my sight.

i remained in my hiding-place, and it was well that i did

so, for presently the man reappeared cycling slowly back.

he turned in at the hall gates and dismounted from his

machine. for some few minutes i could see him standing

among the trees. his hands were raised and he seemed to be

settling his necktie. then he mounted his cycle and rode

away from me down the drive towards the hall. i ran across

the heath and peered through the trees. far away i could

catch glimpses of the old grey building with its bristling

tudor chimneys, but the drive ran through a dense

shrubbery, and i saw no more of my man.

however, it seemed to me that i had done a fairly good

morning's work, and i walked back in high spirits to

farnham. the local house-agent could tell me nothing about

charlington hall, and referred me to a well-known firm in

pall mall. there i halted on my way home, and met with

courtesy from the representative. no, i could not have

charlington hall for the summer. i was just too late.

it had been let about a month ago. mr. williamson was

the name of the tenant. he was a respectable elderly

gentleman. the polite agent was afraid he could say no

more, as the affairs of his clients were not matters which

he could discuss.

mr. sherlock holmes listened with attention to the long

report which i was able to present to him that evening,

but it did not elicit that word of curt praise which i

had hoped for and should have valued. on the contrary,

his austere face was even more severe than usual as he

commented upon the things that i had done and the things

that i had not.

"your hiding-place, my dear watson, was very faulty. you

should have been behind the hedge; then you would have had

a close view of this interesting person. as it is you were

some hundreds of yards away, and can tell me even less than

miss smith. she thinks she does not know the man; i am

convinced she does. why, otherwise, should he be so

desperately anxious that she should not get so near him as

to see his features? you describe him as bending over the

handle-bar. concealment again, you see. you really have

done remarkably badly. he returns to the house and you

want to find out who he is. you come to a london

house-agent!"

"what should i have done?" i cried, with some heat.

"gone to the nearest public-house. that is the centre of

country gossip. they would have told you every name, from

the master to the scullery-maid. williamson! it conveys

nothing to my mind. if he is an elderly man he is not this

active cyclist who sprints away from that athletic young

lady's pursuit. what have we gained by your expedition?

the knowledge that the girl's story is true. i never

doubted it. that there is a connection between the cyclist

and the hall. i never doubted that either. that the hall

is tenanted by williamson. who's the better for that?

well, well, my dear sir, don't look so depressed. we can

do little more until next saturday, and in the meantime i

may make one or two inquiries myself."

next morning we had a note from miss smith, recounting

shortly and accurately the very inciden