The Turnpike House by Fergus Hume — Read

Perhaps had Heron attacked Jerry less suddenly, and had he not shewn by a few chosen remarks that he knew a good deal, the half-witted creature might not have confessed. But his weak nature gave way altogether. And during the next half-hour Geoffrey turned him inside out like a glove. The story which Heron extracted from the whimpering creature was this Roper had always suspected, and rightly, that Jenner had hidden the forged bill before he went to prison. When the man came out, he got to know the date of his discharge, and set Jerry to follow him in order that he might see where he went to get the document. Jerry was on the track for many days, and saw that he procured it from an old friend, who, ignorant of its value, had taken charge of it. The document was in a sealed envelope, and Jerry had seen Jenner place it in a red pocket-book. All this he reported to Roper, and he was then ordered to follow Jenner, and get it from him at all costs.

Jerry got again on the track of the released prisoner, and followed him down to Westham. In one way or another the spy kept himself out of sight, for Jenner, having been Roper's clerk, knew the lad -- as he then was. The rest may be told in Jerry's own words, which were many and rambling: