Upon the absolute silence of the scene there presently broke the
steady humming of a car. A great light, paled by the dawn, came
bobbing and sweeping, along the road that skirted the fen's edge.
A big open car drew up by the track and branched, off to the inn.
Its four occupants consulted together for an instant and then
alighted. Three of them were in plain clothes; the other was a
soldier. The driver was also in khaki.
"They're astir, Mr. Matthews," said one, of the plain clothes
men, pointing towards the house, "see, there's a light in the
inn!"
They followed the direction of his finger and saw a beam of
yellow light gleaming from among the trees.
"Get your guns out, boys!" said Matthews. "Give them a chance to
put their hands up, and if they don't obey, shoot!"
Very swiftly but very quietly, the four men picked their way over
the miry track to the little bridge leading to the yard in front
of the inn. The light they had remarked shone from the inn door,
a feeble, flickering light as of an expiring candle.
Matthews, who was leading, halted and listened. Everything was
quite still. Above their head the inn sign groaned uneasily as it
was stirred by the fresh morning breeze.
"You, Gordon," whispered Matthews to the man behind him--they had
advanced in Indian file--"take Bates and go round to the back.
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