“Youngish, fair, and big eyes like a gal’s. Wore a blue serge suit and a white straw ’at.” “Clean shaven?” I asked. “Yes, clean shaved; or any’ow, ’e’d no ’air on ’is face.” “That’s the man,” I said. “Well, come along, we’ll be off to the hotel. Do you know any one there, by-the-bye?” “I knows the chief waiter. ’E often ’as five bob on a ’orse with me.” “All right. Then you’d better go in first and see your friend the waiter and find out where Jeanes is. If he heard anybody asking for him by name in the hall he might think something was wrong and make a bolt. Then you’d lose your fifty pounds--which would be a pity.” The Professor assented, and we started for the Railway Hotel, he walking in front as if without any connection with me, and I some twenty paces behind. When the swing doors closed upon his bulky figure I stopped, as we had arranged, and pretended to look into a shop window until he should rejoin me. I had been nervous and excited when we set out, but now that the crisis had come, and I was so soon to stand face to face with Henry Jeanes _alias_ James Cross, _alias_ James Mullen, _alias_ Captain Shannon, I was as cool and collected as ever I was in my life. The next moment the Professor came hurrying out, with a face on which dismay was plainly written. “’E’s been there, right enough,” he said, all in a burst, and with a horrible oath, his features working meanwhile with agitation, the genuineness of which there was no mistaking. “But instead of ’aving lunch, as ’e told me ’e should, the ---- ’ad a glass of sherry and caught the 12.15 express to London, and ’e’s more than got there by now, rot ’im!” CHAPTER XXI HOW I STRUCK JAMES MULLEN’S TRACK Whether Jeanes, _alias_ Mullen, had noticed any signs of curiosity in regard to his movements on the Professor’s part, and had intentionally misinformed that worthy; whether his suspicions had been aroused by his discovering that he was being shadowed to the hotel; or whether his change of plans was entirely accidental, I had no means of knowing; but that my adversary in the game of chess I was playing had again called “check” just when I had hoped to come out with the triumphant “mate” was not to be denied. The only additional information I succeeded in eliciting from the Professor was that Jeanes had visited the shop some month or so ago and had arranged that any letters sent there for him should be kept till he came for them. He had left half-a-sovereign on account and had called four times, receiving three letters, including that which had been handed to him by the Professor.