18793    'Well, then we must make a cross-country journey to Newhaven, and so over to Dieppe.

18794    Moriarty will again do what I should do.

18795    He will get on to Paris, mark down our luggage, and wait for two days at the depôt.

18796    In the meantime we shall treat ourselves to a couple of carpet bags, encourage the manufactures of the countries through which we travel, and make our way at our leisure into Switzerland, via Luxembourg and Basle.'

18797    I am too old a traveller to allow myself to be seriously inconvenienced by the loss of my luggage, but I confess that I was annoyed at the idea of being forced to dodge and hide before a man whose record was black with unutterable infamies.

18798    It was evident, however, that Holmes understood the situation more clearly than I did.

18799    At Canterbury, therefore, we alighted, only to find that we should have to wait an hour before we could get a train to Newhaven.

18800    I was still looking rather ruefully after the rapidly disappearing luggage van which contained my wardrobe, when Holmes pulled my sleeve and pointed up the line.

18801    'Already, you see,' said he.

18802    Far away from among the Kentish woods there arose a thin spray of smoke.

18803    A minute later a carriage and engine could be seen flying along the open curve which leads to the station.

18804    We had hardly time to take our places behind a pile of luggage when it passed with a rattle and a roar, beating a blast of hot air into our faces.

18805    'There he goes,' said Holmes, as we watched the carriage swing and rock over the points.

18806    'There are limits, you see, to our friend's intelligence.

18807    It would have been a coup-de-maître had he deduced what I would deduce and acted accordingly.'