Stranica 165 [165]
119
6 You did, did you. Then confound
and damn vour — slow coaches down
. here; that’s all,” said the doctor, walk¬
ing away.
CHAPTER THE EIGHTH
Involves a critical position.
“'Who’s that?” inquired Brittles, open¬
ing the door a little way with the chain
up, and peeping out, shading the candle
with his hand. |
“Open the door,” replied a man out¬
side: “it’s the officers from Bow-street
that was sent to, to-day.”
Much comforted by this assurance,
Brittles opened the door to its full width,
and confronted a portly man in a great¬
coat, who walked in without saying any¬
ching more, and wiped his shoes on the
mat as coolly as if he lived there.
c Just send somebody out to relieve my
mate, will you, young man,” said the
officer: “he’s in the gig minding the
prad. Have you got a coach’us here that
you could put it up in for five or ten min¬
utes !"
Brittles, replying in the affirmative,
and pointing out the building, the portly
man stepped back to the garden gate, and
helped his companion to put up the gig,
while Brittles lighted them in a state of
great admiration. This done, they re¬
turned to the house, and, being shown
into a parlour, took off their great-coats
and hats, and showed like what they
were. The man who had knocked at the
door was a stout personage of middle
height, aged about fifty, with shiny black
hair, cropped pretty close, half whiskers,
a round face, and sharp eyes. The other
was a red-headed bony man, in top-boots,
with a rather ill-favoured countenance,
and a turned-up sinister-looking nose.
“Tell your governor that Blathers and
Duff is here, will you?” said the stouter
man, smoothing down his hair, and laying
a pair of handcuffs on the table. “Oh!
good evening, master. Can I have a word
or two with you in private, if you
please ?”
This was addressed to Mr. Losberne,
who now made his appearance; and that
gentleman, motioning Brittles to re¬
tire, brought in the two ladies and shut
the door.
Mr. Losberne, motioning towards Mrs.
Maylie.
Mr. Blathers made a bow, and, being
desired to sit down, put his hat upon the
floor, and, taking a chair, motioned Duff
to do the same. The latter gentleman,
who did not appear quite so much accus¬
tomed to good society, or quite so much
at his ease in it, one of the two, seated
himself, after undergoing several muscu¬
lar affections of the limbs, and forced the
head of his stick into his mouth with
some embarrassment. :
“ Now, with regard to this here rob¬
bery, master,” said Blathers. " What are
the circumstances ?”
Mr. Losberne, who appeared desirous
of gaining time, recounted them at great
length and with much circumlocution:
Messrs. Blathers and Duff looking very
knowing meanwhile, and occasionally ex¬
eg e a nod.
“TI can’t say for certain till I see the
place, of course," said Blathers ; " but my
opinion at once is,—I don’t mind commit¬
ting myself to that extent,—that this
was n't done by a yokel—eh, Duff?”
“ Certainly not,” replied Duff.
“ And, translating the word yokel for
the benefit of the ladies, I apprehend
your meaning to be that this attempt. was
not made by a courtryman?” said Mr.
Losberne with a smile.
“'That’s it, master,” replied Blathers,
“ ‘This is all about the robbery, is it?"
6 All,” rephed the doctor.
“ Now, what is this about this here boy
that the servants are talking of?” said
Blathers. :
“ Nothing at all,” replied the doetor.
“One of the frightened servants chose to
take it into his head that he had some¬
thing to do with this attempt to break
into the house; but it’s nonsense—sheer
absurdity.”
“Wery easy disposed of it is,” re¬
marked Duff a
“What he says is quite correct,” ob¬
served Blathers, nodding his head in a
confirmatory way, and playing carelessly:
with the handcuffs, as if they were a pair
of castanets. ‘“ Who is the boy? hat
account does he give of himself? Where
did he come from? He didn’t drop out
of the clouds, did he, master?"
“Of course not,” replied the doctor
with a nervous glance at the two ladies.
“IT know his whole history ;—but we can
talk about that presently. You would
like to see the place where the thieves
made their attempt, first, I suppose?"
“Certainly,” rejoined Mr. Blathers.
“ We had better inspect the premises
first, and examine the servants arte,