anyhow,' says he. ' It's Mr. So-and-So's,
of the Warwick Arms.' And up he jumped,
and off he went—letter and all. I got a cab,
followed on the box, and was so quick after
him that I came into the stable-yard of the
Warwick Arms, by one gate, just as he came
in by another. I went into the bar, where
there was a young woman serving, and called
for a glass of brandy-and-water. He came in
directly, and handed her the letter. She
casually looked at it, without saying anything,
and stuck it up behind the glass over the
chimney-piece. What was to be done next?

"I turned it over in my mind while I drank
my brandy-and-water (looking pretty sharp
at the letter the while), but I couldn't see
my way out of it at all. I tried to get
lodgings in the house, but there had been a
horse-fair, or something of that sort, and it
was full. I was obliged to put up somewhere
else, but I came backwards and forwards to
the bar for a couple of days, and there was
the letter, always behind the glass. At last I
thought I'd write a letter to Mr. Pigeon
myself, and see what that would do. So I wrote
one, and posted it, but I purposely addressed it,
Mr. John Pigeon, instead of Mr. Thomas Pigeon,
to see what that would do. In the morning
(a very wet morning it was) I watched the
postman down the street, and cut into the bar,
just before he reached the Warwick Arms.
In he came presently with my letter. 'Is
there a Mr. John Pigeon staying here?'
'No!—stop a bit though,' says the barmaid;
and she took down the letter behind the glass.
'No,' says she, 'it's Thomas, and he is not
staying here. Would you do me a favor, and
post this for me, as it is so wet?' The postman
said Yes; she folded it in another
envelope, directed it, and gave it him. He put
it in his hat, and away he went.

"I had no difficulty in finding out the
direction of that letter. It was addressed,
Mr. Thomas Pigeon, Post-Office, R——,
Northamptonshire, to be left till called for. Off I
started directly for R——; I said the same
at the Post-Office there, as I had said at
B———; and again I waited three days
before anybody came. At last another chap
on horseback came. 'Any letters for Mr.
Thomas Pigeon?' 'Where do you come
from?' 'New Inn, near R——.' He got
the letter, and away he went—at a canter.

"I made my enquiries about the New Inn,
near R——, and hearing it was a solitary sort
of house, a little in the horse line, about a
couple of miles from the station, I thought
I'd go and have a look at it. I found it what
it had been described, and sauntered in, to
look about me. The landlady was in the bar,
and I was trying to get into conversation with
her; asked her how business was, and spoke
about the wet weather, and so on; when I
saw, through an open door, three men sitting
by the fire in a sort of parlor, or kitchen; and
one of those men, according to the description
I had of him, was Tally-ho Thompson!

'I went and sat down among 'em, and
tried to make things agreeable; but they were
very shy—wouldn't talk at all—looked at
me, and at one another, in a way quite the
reverse of sociable. I reckoned 'em up, and
finding that they were all three bigger men
than me, and considering that their looks
were ugly—that it was a lonely place—railroad
station two miles off—and night coming
on—thought I couldn't do better than have a
drop of brandy-and-water to keep my courage
up. So I called for my brandy-and-water;
and as I was sitting drinking it by the fire,
Thompson got up and went out.

"Now the difficulty of it was, that I wasn't
sure it was Thompson, because I had never set
eyes on him before; and what I had wanted
was to be quite certain of him. However,
there was nothing for it now, but to follow,
and put a bold face upon it. I found him
talking, outside in the yard, with the landlady.
It turned out afterwards, that he was
wanted by a Northampton officer for something
else, and that, knowing that officer to
be pock-marked (as I am myself), he mistook
me for him. As I have observed, I found
him talking to the landlady, outside. I put
my hand upon his shoulder—this way—and
said, 'Tally-ho Thompson, it's no use. I know
you. I'm an officer from London, and I take
you into custody for felony!' 'That be
d—d!' says Tally-ho Thompson.

"We went back into the house, and the
two friends began to cut up rough, and their
looks didn't please me at all, I assure you.
'Let the man go. What are you going to do
with him?' 'I'll tell you what I'm going
to do with him. I'm going to take him to
London to-night, as sure as I'm alive. I'm
not alone here, whatever you may think.
You mind your own business, and keep
yourselves to yourselves. It'll be better for you,
for I know you both very well.' /'d never
seen or heard of 'em in all my life, but my
bouncing cowed 'em a bit, and they kept off,
while Thompson was making ready to go. I
thought to myself, however, that they might
be coming after me on the dark road, to rescue
Thompson; so I said to the landlady, 'What
men have you got in the house, Missis?' 'We
haven't got no men here,' she says, sulkily.
'You have got an ostler, I suppose?' 'Yes,
we've got an ostler.' 'Let me see him.'
Presently he came, and a shaggy-headed
young fellow he was. 'Now attend to me,
young man,' says I; 'I'm a Detective Officer
from London. This man's name is Thompson.
I have taken him into custody for felony. I'm
going to take him to the railroad station. I call
upon you in the Queen's name to assist me;
and mind you, my friend, you''ll get yourself
into more trouble than you know of, if you
don't! 'You never saw a person open his eyes
so wide. 'Now, Thompson, come along!' says
I. But when I took out the handcuffs, Thompson
cries, 'No! None of that! I won't stand
them!  I'll go along with you quiet, but I won't