The man sat for some time, in silence.

“I can think of no better plan than yours, sir, and yet it seems to me that there is scarcely any chance of your catching him at the coach.  Of course, it would be easy enough if you did not care whether you killed or caught him.  All you would have to do would be to get half a dozen stout fellows, armed with pistols, on the coach with you instead of passengers, and then you would be pretty certain to kill some of them, perhaps all; but, as you can’t do that, and are afraid to shoot lest you should kill him, it seems to me that you have a very small chance of catching him that way.”

Charlie and his friend so thoroughly saw this, that they sat silent when he ceased speaking.

“We could not arrest him now, I suppose?” Harry said at last.

“Well, you see, you have got nothing against him.  He may have been a Knight of the Road for the last five years, but you have no witnesses to prove it, and it is not much use to accuse him of intending to rob the North mail.  You have no proofs, even of that.  It is only your word against his.

“There is no doubt that, after they have robbed the coach, they will separate.  They may go away in twos, or singly.  Now, you see, we know three of this fellow’s hiding places.  He would hardly choose the one at Barnet.  It is too close.  It is more likely he would choose the next place, the little inn in which you saw him first; but I think it more likely still that he and his mates will divide the plunder, half a mile or so from the place where they stopped the coach, and will then separate, and I am inclined to think his most likely course is to strike off from the main road, make a long round, and come down before morning to where he is now.  He may take his horse into its stable, or, more likely, he may leave it at some place he may know of on the road leading out through Putney, and then arrive at his lodgings just about daybreak.  He would explain he had been at a supper, and had kept it up all night, and no one would even have a suspicion he had been engaged in the affair with the coach.  I am sure that is his most likely plan.”

“Then, what would you do?” Harry asked.

“What I should do is this.  I will get two sharp active boys.  I know of two who would just do, they have done jobs for us before now.  I will give them the exact description of those two taverns, and send them down the day before the coach is to be attacked, and tell them that, that night, they are each to keep watch over one of them, see who goes in, watch till they come out, and then follow them, for days if necessary, and track them down.  Then they can send word up by the guard of the coach, each day; so that, if we find our man does not come back here by Saturday morning, we shall have news that will put us on his track again, before long.

“However, I think he is sure to come back here.  You had better point out to me, this evening, where he lodges, and I shall be able to find out, before long, whether they are respectable people, or whether they are likely to be pals of his.