The Colonial, no longer shabby-looking, but dressed in very loud attire which he doubtless considered to be the height of fashion, slunk away, his face working, and muttering, “Drunken dog! Drunken dog!” Stormont pushed the women into the car and it drove off, the occupants waving a farewell to Leonard as he stood on the kerb. When he turned round to look for Grewgus, that gentleman had gone. He saw him a few yards off, stealthily tracking the Colonial. He knew by this action that the ever-vigilant man had overheard what had passed and was on a fresh scent. It was no use waiting for him. CHAPTER SIXTEEN It was not long before the quarry came to a halt at a public-house in a side street off Piccadilly. When he reached this hostelry, his intense indignation had exercised a remarkably sobering effect upon him, his gait was quite steady, and when he asked the barmaid for refreshment his voice had recovered its normal tones. Grewgus had followed him in. After a little while, Newcombe went and sat down in front of one of the tables. After a decent interval the detective followed him and opened up conversation by some remark about the weather. Mr. Newcombe made a somewhat gloomy response; it was evident his mind was still full of the epithet which Stormont had hurled at him as he hurried into the car. As Grewgus saw that he was not disposed for general conversation, he thought he would try him on something that would interest him. He judged him not to be too well blessed with the world’s goods, in spite of his loud but evidently cheap apparel; he thought, therefore, he would start on a democratic note. “Awful lot of money these nobs do waste on themselves. When you walk down these parts, the luxury that meets you on every hand makes you fairly sick, it does. Many a poor bloke has got to keep his wife and family for a week on what they spend on one meal.” He was a very good actor, and he put on a ripe Cockney accent for the benefit of his companion. He did not want to be taken for a man of too superior class, or else he might easily excite suspicion. Mr. Newcombe grunted assent to these propositions, and drained his tumbler. Grewgus put on a genial smile and did the same. “They give you precious little stuff for the money in these days,” he remarked in the same dissatisfied tone. “I feel a bit fed up to-day with thinking of all these things; I always feel that way when I see much of this quarter of the town. I’m going to have another; I should be rather glad if you’d have one with me.”