THE NORTH COACH 315

“Tt was a lucky accident altogether. We saw him,
watched him, and managed to overhear a conversation from
which we gathered these facts. It was all simple enough.
Of course our idea is that we should, if possible, catch him
in the act of robbing the coach, bind and take charge of
him, saying that we should hand him over to justice, when
the coachman and passengers would, of course, appear to
testify against him. Instead of doing this we should take
him somewhere, and then give him the option of either
making a clean breast of the whole story, and remaining in
our custody until called upon to testify to his statement in
a court of justice whenever required, or of being handed
over to the authorities to be tried and hung as a highway-
man. One of our greatest difficulties is how to effect his
capture. ‘The attack will be made at night on the coach,
and in the darkness we might shoot him or he might get
away. He is at present in London at a lodging in a street
behind the Abbey, where, doubtless, his real profession is
altogether unsuspected by the people of the house. Now,
you know the whole affair, let us have your opinion as to
the manner in which we had best set about the business.”

‘The man sat for some time in silence.

“T 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.