Stranica 168 [168]
122
up for the poor man, who was in a wery
low state of mind about his loss, and
went up and down the streets for three
or four days, pulling his hair off m such
a desperate manner that many people
was afraid he might be going to make
away with himself. One day he come up
to the office all in a hurry, and had a pri¬
vate interview with the magistrate, who,
after a good deal of talk, rings the bell,
and orders Jem Spyers in, (Jem was a
active rind and tells him to go and as¬
sist Mr. Chickweed in apprehending the
man that robbed his house.
Spyers,’ said Chickweed, ‘ pass my house
yesterday morning. —" Why didn’t you
up and collar him? says Spyers—‘I was
so struck all of a heap that you might
have fractured my skull with a toothpick,’
says the poor man; ‘but were sure to
have him, for between ten and eleven
o'clock at night he passed again.’ Spyers
no sooner heard this, than he put some
clean linen and a comb in his pocket, in
case he should have to stop for a day or
two; and away he goes, and sets himself
down at one of the public-house windows
behind a little red curtain, with his hat
on, all ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.
He was smoking his pipe here late at
night, when all of a sudden Chickweed
roars out—‘Here he is! Stop thief!
Murder! Jem Spyers dashed out; and
there he sees Chickweed tearing down
the street full-cry. Away goes Spyers;
on keeps Chickweed; round turn the
people ; every body roars out " Thieves!’
and Chickweed himself keeps on shout¬
ing all the time like mad. Spyers loses
sight of him a minute as he turns a cor¬
ner,—shoots round—sees a little crowd—
dives in. ‘* Which is the man? —
: D—me! says Chickweed, ‘I’ve lost
him again!’
‘Tt was a remarkable occurrence, but
went back to the public-house, and next
morning Spyers took his old place, and
looked out from behind the curtain for a
tall man with a black patch over his eye,
till his own two eyes ached again. At last
he could nt help shutting "em to ease "em
a minute, and the wery moment he did so,
he hears Chickweed roaring out, " Here
he is!’ Off he starts once more, with
Chickweed half-way down the street
ahead of him; and, after twice as long a
run as the yesterday’s one, the man’s lost
again! This was done once or twice
more, till one-half the neighbours gave
vy the devil who was playing tricks with
}
him arterwards, and the other half that
poor Mr. Chickweed had gone mad with
grief."
‘What did Jem Spyers say ?" inquired
the doctor, who had returned to the room
shortly after the commencement of the
story.
“Jem Spyers,” resumed the officer,
‘for a long time said nothing at all, and
listened to everything without seeming
to, Which showed he understood his busi¬
ness. But one morning he walked into
the bar, and, taking out his snuff-box,
sald, ‘Chickweed, I’ve found out who’s
done this here robbery.’ —" Have you?’
‘Oh, my dear Spyers,
only let me have wengeance, and I shall
die contented! Oh, my dear Spyers,
where is the villain?’—‘ Come!’ said
Spyers, offering him a pinch of snuff,
‘none of that gammon! You did it your¬
self.’ So he had, and a good bit of money
he had made by it, too; and nobody would
ever have found it out if he hadn’t been
so precious anxious to keep up appear¬
ances, that’s more!” said Mr. Blathers,
putting down his wine-glass, and clinking
the handcuffs together.
‘Very curious, indeed,” observed the
doctor. “Now, if you please, you can
walk up stairs.” a
“Tf you please, sir,” returned Mr.
Blathers. And, closely following Mr.
Losberne, the two officers ascended to
Oliver’s bedroom, Mr. Giles preceding
the party with a lighted candle.
Oliver had been dozing, but looked
worse, and was more feverish than he
had appeared yet. Being assisted by the
doctor, he managed to sit up in bed for a
minute or so, and looked at the strangers
without at al! understanding what was
going forward, and, in fact, without seem¬
ing to recollect where he was, or what
had been passing.
c This,” said Mr. Losberne, speaking
softly, but with great vehemence notwith¬
standing, * this 1s the lad, who, being ac¬
cidentally wounded by a spring-gun in
some boyish trespass on Mr. What-d’ye¬
cail-him’s grounds at the back here,
comes to the house for assistance this
and maltreated by that ingenious gentle¬
man with the candle in his hand, who has
placed his life in considerable danger, as
I can professionally certify.”
Messrs. Blathers and Duff looked at
Mr. Giles as he was thus recommended
to their notice, and the bewildered butler
gazed from them towards Oliver, and from
Oliver towards Mr. Losberne, with a most
ludicrous mixture of fear and perplexity.