The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 155: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. Pugegy was in the hands of the very worst enemy he had ever encountered throngh all his life, “I will get all I can out of this trembling hound,” thought Gale, ‘‘and when he has served my purpose, I will let him slip away again into his old haunts and habits. It won’t be long ere he does something we shall ‘ want’ him for, and then——” Aye, then ! If Puggy had known Gale’s meaning by the word “then ” as he thought it, he would have seen the panorama of a penal colony pass before his mind, in the centre of which, Puggy himself stood, decorated with a cannon-ball and chain to his leg, breaking stones in the quarry, or hewing timber in dismal forests. For life! For detectives think thus of informers—— If they prove false to their friends they will surely do so to us, their natural enemies. “J will use this rascal, and ,then transport him out of the way.” Puggy was in the hands of a man whose heart was of ice, and whose hands were made of steel. But he knew it not. CHAPTER LIV. THE FLIGHT OF VILLAINS—THE RUSE, THE sudden appearance of policemen in the apart- ments of old Flint or Mr. “ Schmidt,’’as he now styled himself, would have struck terror to the heart of any one with less nerve than Jonathan. He, however, smiled blandly when informed of the purport of their visit, and asked them so many questions with an air of coolness that threw the officers off their guard. For a moment Flint knew not what to do or Bay. He felt like a man in a terrible nightmare. When he perceived, however, how quietly Jona- than took matters, he also assumed an air of in- difference. After much questioning and scrutinising, the officers came to the conclusion that they had been put upon the wrong scent. Jonathan was very grand, and informed them that he was the sole master and proprietor of Bromley Hall, and was indignant that the privacy of _ himself and friend should have been thus trespassed upon. Had the officers known so much about Bromley Hall, and its proprietor, as Mr. Gale, who was then on his way to London, they would not have retired as they did. But they did not. Neither did they for a moment imagine, as Gale would, had he been on the spot, that these two very respectable-looking persons were none other than rogues and vagabonds, if nothing worse. And this is the manner in which detectives some- times foil their own designs. They seldom, if ever, let the men of one division know what those of another are after; but keep their own thoughts and designs to themselves, through pride or avarice. Hence it often arises when great rogues orscoun- drels know, or, touse their own terms, have the ‘ office,’ that they are wanted by the detectives of one division, they move their place of abode far away, and if hotly pressed, actually commit some petty theft in a far-off rural district, and get com- mitted for a month or two until their own affair has blown over, 149 Had the officers therefore of this division known as much about the affairs of Flint or Jonathan as Gale did, those two accomplished scoundrels would have been arrested then and there, As it was, however, the officers imagined that they had made a descent upon the wrong place, and shortly afterwards retired, They had not gone farther than the bottom of the street, however, when a “ plain-clothes man”’ who had been placed there, stopped the sergeant, and entered into conversation with him fora few moments, “You don’t mean that?” said the sergeant in astonishment, ““T do, though,” said the plain-clothesman. “ Then we may be right after all.” “T have no doubt of it,” “Let us, return then. There is no way for them to escape, is there?” ‘‘T think not,” was the reply, as they returned towards old Flint’s abode. x * * * * The officers had scarcely left the house a moment when Flint heaved a deep sigh. “ You see how it is,” said Jonathan. *“T do,” gasped Flint. “There is no time to be lost, they are on our track,” ‘¢ T have done nothing,” said Flint, pretending to be innocent and very calm; “why should JZ run away like a guilty thing for?” Jonathan scowled on him darkly and with a curling lip. “ Done nothing !” he growled. “No! I have not. I fear not all the officers in the land.” ‘‘ Liar !” said Jonathan. And as he said this he seized Flint by the collar and whispered in his ear. “ Done nothing! eh? Do you know Warner?” The mention of this name caused Flint to tremble violently. He could not speak for some time. He and Jonathan looked at each other like two wild cats about to spring at each other's throats. “ You know all, then?” the lawyer gasped. cE dos’ “What must be done?” “ Leave this place at once, if you don’t wish to swing on a gallows.” “ But I have bulky luggage.” “T—n your luggage !” said Jonathan. “If you saw your ship sinking and a life-buoy near wouldn’t you jump overboard without your luggage? Have you any ready money by you? 7Z/at is the ques- tion.” “T have.” “Where?” “In that trunk, yonder; but stay,” said the lawyer, “‘ J will find it, and take care of it.” ‘No, you won't,” said Jonathan, tearing open the portmanteau mentioned, and seizing a bag of gold and some notes, This was done within afew moments, and very quickly. ‘‘Can’t we get a cab?” Flint enquired. “What for, to ride to Newgate in?” Jonathan asked with a sneer. “Isn't the house watched, you old ass ?” “ Watched !” “ Aye, watched, and so are you; you sat in the theatre all the evening with one of the sharpest detectives in all London.” “ Me? Jsit with him?” Flint gasped. A LE Ccomicbooolk COlit.