At five minutes past ten o'clock he had given the last brush to
his shabby hat and the last scouring with bread-crumb to his
dirty gloves. At ten minutes past ten he was in the street, on
his way to the nearest cab-stand, and I and my subordinates were
close on his heels.
He took a cab and we took a cab. I had not overheard them appoint
a place of meeting when following them in the Park on the
previous day, but I soon found that we were proceeding in the old
direction of the Avenue Road gate. The cab in which Mr. Jay was
riding turned into the Park slowly. We stopped outside, to avoid
exciting suspicion. I got out to follow the cab on foot. Just as
I did so, I saw it stop, and detected the two confederates
approaching it from among the trees. They got in, and the cab was
turned about directly. I ran back to my own cab and told the
driver to let them pass him, and then to follow as before.
The man obeyed my directions, but so clumsily as to excite their
suspicions. We had been driving after them about three minutes
(returning along the road by which we had advanced) when I looked
out of the window to see how far they might be ahead of us. As I
did this, I saw two hats popped out of the windows of their cab,
and two faces looking back at me. I sank into my place in a cold
sweat; the expression is coarse, but no other form of words can
describe my condition at that trying moment.
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