CHAPTERCXXIII.MISTAKEN IDENTITY.“I felt convinced,” said Mr. Cartridge, “that I had got the right man, for all the facts that had come to my knowledge were dead against him, but I am free to confess that there were others who were of a different opinion. I will just give you a circumstantial account view of the case.“‘Send for his friends?’ I repeated, in reply to a question put to me by the inspector of a police-station at which I happened to be; ‘oh, yes. I see no reason to refuse his request, but I think you are fully justified in not admitting him to bail.’“The prisoner in question was a tall, fair man, of gentlemanly appearance, who seemed to feel his position acutely. He had lately been brought in on a singular charge of skittle-sharping.“The prosecutor, a simple-looking countryman, deposed that he had met the prisoner three days before in Westminster, with two other men, and was by them solicited to have something to drink.“After his compliance, a game of skittles was proposed. Bets were made, and he was ingeniously robbed of eighty pounds in gold and notes.“The whole of the gang on that occasion made their escape; but the prosecutor met the prisoner while walking in the Strand, and recognising him at once, gave him into the custody of the first police officer he saw.“The prisoner vehemently protested his innocence, and in no measured terms declared that he was the victim of a mistake.“He gave the name of Joseph Halliday, and gave a respectable address, which we afterwards found was a correct one; described himself as a civil engineer, and said that he was the scapegoat of the prosecutor’s stupidity.“It was the early part of the afternoon, but the business of the court that day not being very heavy, the magistrate had finished his work and gone home; so that Mr. Halliday would have to remain a prisoner until the next day, even if he were able to prove his innocence in an incontestable manner.“We were accustomed to see respectable men—that is, externally respectable—brought into the station on charges of skittle-sharping; and so Mr. Halliday’s decent exterior did not impress me in his favour in the least.“He appeared greatly distressed, and said repeatedly, as the charge was being taken, that he was innocent. His manner had the appearance of being genuine; but I never allowed appearances to have any weight with me.“Some of the rascals who infest the streets and plunder the simple are such clever actors that if they were not incorrigibly idle, they would make a decent living upon the stage.“I suggested to the inspector that it might be a case of mistaken identity; and, in order to set the question at rest, it would be better to send for the landlord and barman of the ‘Duke’s Head,’ which was the name of the public-house in which the swindle had been perpetrated.“The prisoner evinced the utmost signs of joy and exultation when he heard this proposal; and the prosecutor made no objection, saying that he was sure their testimony would bear out the charges he had just made against Joseph Halliday.“Accordingly messengers were dispatched to the ‘Duke’s Head,’ requesting the immediate attendance of the landlord and his barman. In the meantime the prisoner was conveyed into the yard of the station-house and placed in a row with nine other men.“It was intended that the witnesses we had sent for should identify the prisoner from amongst a number of others.“When they arrived, the landlord of the ‘Duke’s Head’ requested to be told why he had been summoned.“‘A case of skittle-sharping,’ replied the inspector, ‘took place in your house three days ago. Would you remember the three men who hired your skittle-ground for the best part of the afternoon?’“‘Perfectly,’ replied the landlord; ‘there were four altogether, and this gentleman’ (turning to the prosecutor) ‘was one of them.’“‘You are quite right; but he is the victim of the three rogues. We imagine that we have one of them in custody. He is amongst some others in the back yard. If your memory serves you, you will have no difficulty in selecting him from his companions.’“‘I don’t think I shall have the least trouble. I have a distinct recollection of the whole party,’ replied the landlord, following myself and the inspector to the yard.“The barman we left behind; his turn was to come next.“It must have been a moment of intense anxiety to Mr. Halliday.“I was a little curious as to the result, and looked on with expectation.“The court-yard was a narrow piece of ground, in which men were drilled occasionally. It was covered with gravel and surrounded by a high wall, which, however, in no way obstructed the light, which fell in a bright stream upon the men, who were marshalled in single file, to await the scrutiny of the landlord, who took a critical survey of them, and, without a moment’s hesitation, went up to Mr. Joseph Halliday, and touching him on the shoulder, exclaimed, ‘this is the man.’“A shudder of repulsion ran through the prisoner’s frame, and he turned ghastly pale. I thought he would have fallen. The inspector smiled, and said, ‘An old hand, evidently.’”“Oh, they generally come to that conclusion in most cases—do they not?” observed Peace.“Well, I don’t know that they do, sir,” returned Mr. Cartridge; “but you know we have such a number of shocking characters under our hands, that it is, after all, but a natural conclusion. But I will proceed with my narrative:”“‘Oh! I knew him again in an instant,’ exclaimed the landlord, who went back again with the inspector to allow the barman to commence his investigation.“A tin cup stood under a tap, and seeing the prisoner looked faint and ill, I filled it with water, and presented it to him.“He drank off the contents at a draught, and regarded me gratefully.“‘You are very kind,’ he murmured, in a low tone.“There was something in his voice that interested me—something quiet and gentle; but the evidence against him was so strong and damning, that I could not bring myself to regard him favourably, or look upon him as the victim of a mistake.“Presently the barman made his appearance; he seemed an intelligent fellow, possessed of powers of discrimination.“He walked along the yard and looked steadily at the men who were grouped together for his inspection, and stopped abruptly when he came to Mr. Halliday.“‘This is the one,’ he said, triumphantly. ‘I could tell him amongst a thousand.’No.64.Illustration: HIS PLAN FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELSPEACE DESCRIBING TO THE TWO DETECTIVES HIS PLAN FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.“The slender hope which had hitherto animated the prisoner now deserted him, and he fell on the ground in a heap, insensible. It was a terrible ordeal for him to have gone through, if innocent. Stepping up to the inspector, I said, ‘This is a remarkable case; but although the evidence seems against him, it is odd—isn’t it?—that he should take on so.’“‘I don’t know. These fellows are up to as many dodges as there are days in the year. He must take his chance. He’ll have a fair trial to-morrow. Perhaps he can prove an alibi. If you take an interest in him you can talk to him. I won’t lock him up again till you’ve done your little bit of palaver.’“Thanking the inspector, I returned to Mr. Halliday, and was glad to see that he showed signs of returning animation. Some good Samaritan had sprinkled his face with water, and he had opened his eyes.“By my orders, he was accommodated with a chair, and when he was sufficiently recovered I began a conversation with him.“‘Do you still persist in saying that you are the victim of a mistake, Mr. Halliday?’ I exclaimed.“‘Most certainly I do,’ he replied, earnestly. ‘Some one must have a strong and fatal resemblance to me.’“‘Will you tell me how you spent your time on the day of the alleged robbery?’“‘With pleasure,’ he answered; ‘but, I presume—excuse my asking the question—that I am talking to some one connected with the police.’“‘I am a detective, and in my professional capacity may be of service to you.’“‘You are very good, and I esteem myself fortunate in having met with you. In the first place, I must tell you that I am a civil engineer by profession, and tolerably well known to people who move in scientific circles. On the day in question, when the man who gave me in charge was robbed and plundered, I was attending a meeting at Muswell-hill and giving evidence as to the advisability of extended sewerage in the vicinity before the Muswell-hill Board of Works. The solicitors to the Board will prove it. The members of the Board will prove it.’“‘Very good, so far,’ I replied. ‘Leave your case in my hands and make yourself easy as to the result. I shall, with your permission, instruct Mr. Sea, one of the cleverest practising barristers we have in cases of this kind, to defend you when brought before the court to-morrow morning, and to ask for a remand. You must put up with the worry and annoyance of imprisonment for a few days. Bring all your philosophy to your aid, and I will see if I cannot unravel this tangled skein. By the way, I should like to ask you one thing.’“‘As many as you like,’ he replied readily.“‘Does any of your family resemble you in any way? Have you ever been taken for any one else on a previous occasion?’“‘Some years ago,’ he replied, thoughtfully, ‘my twin-brother was alive, and you would not have known us from one another—we were veritable Dromios.’“‘Is he dead now?’“‘I am sorry to say he is. We were much attached to each other, but he was of a roving disposition and would never stick to anything. I started him in several professions, but he always repaid my kindness by ingratitude, which is hard to bear from a relation. At length, on my refusing to assist him any longer, he ran away to sea, and the ship in which he sailed was subsequently wrecked on a voyage to Malaga.’“‘Oh!’ I said, with a prolonged exclamation; I began to see my way a little clearer.“Wishing Mr. Halliday good-bye, I left the station-house to commence operations. If what the prisoner said about his being in attendance upon the Muswell-hill Board of Works at the very time at which he was accused of being at an obscure pot-house in Westminster, in company with two other men not in custody, to defraud a simple-minded countryman of his money, the case was at an end. I at once left a retainer for Mr. Sea and engaged his services for Mr. Joseph Halliday on the morrow.“I had a shrewd suspicion that I was about to embark in the investigation of one of the strangest cases of mistaken identity that had ever been heard of; nor was I mistaken, as after events tended to prove.“I was acquainted with a man of the name of Pegon—a Frenchman—who had, it was popularly believed, been a thief in his own country, although he might have left France through political motives.“On arriving in England he had taken service in the police force, and evinced such wonderful dexterity in tracking criminals that he speedily became one of our most valued detectives.“The old saying—set a thief to catch a thief—was, admitting the reports about Pegon to be true, never better exemplified than in the person of the dapper little Gaul. He was not a proficient in the English language; he talked it in a half-broken sort of way, rather amusing than otherwise. It was to Pegon that I betook myself after leaving Mr. Sea’s office.“I found him at his favourite public-house—the ‘Three Spies.’ He was seldom at home, and when not on business he could always be discovered at the before-mentioned tavern or else at the Welsh ambassador’s—the ‘Goat in Boots.’“Pegon had probably a greater acquaintance with the skittle-sharping fraternity than any other man in London.“He knew them all, and when they occasionally took a trip into the country Pegon would miss the familiar face, find out where he was gone, and telegraph to the police of Birmingham, Manchester, or Liverpool, and they would exercise such a strict look-out that their vigilance would soon drive the sharper back to his old haunts and associates.“When Pegon met him on his return, he would smile sardonically and say—“‘Back again—eh? Change of air is goot for your ’elth;’ and his mouth would distend itself into a broad grin.“It was rumoured that Pegon was occasionally heavily bribed by the thieves to allow them to remain unmolested; but his superiors took no notice of this scandal, as they always found him an active and intelligent officer; and if a man was wanted particularly, and Pegon was applied to for his apprehension, he was almost always forthcoming at a specified time. Pegon was sitting in the parlour of the ‘Three Spies,’ smoking contentedly, and drinking out of a pewter pot, which contained nothing stronger than the best old and mild ale. He rose when he saw me, and exclaimed, in a genial tone—“‘Ah, sir, it ees you! How you carry yourself? Sit down—’ere is a chair.’“Taking out his handkerchief, with true politeness, he dusted the bottom of it, and handed it to me.“‘Good morning, Pegon,’ I said; ‘I have come to consult you on a matter of some importance.’“‘Yaes—yaes.’“‘Three days ago a countryman was robbed by a skittle sharper at the ‘Duke’s Head,’ in Westminster.’“‘Yaes,’ said Pegon, concentrating his attention on what I was saying.“‘To-day a gentleman was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the robbery. The barman and the landlord swore that he was one of the men.’“‘Ah,’ said Pegon, ‘that is strange—ver strange.’“‘Have you heard of the robbery?’“‘No, but I have my suspicions; my good friend Toko, and my dear friend Donnymore have been ver flush of their money, and I suspect——’“‘Who is Donnymore?’ I ventured to ask.“‘Donnymore! oh, he ver goot fellow, Donnymore, but he go leetle too far.’“‘In what way?’“‘I shall tell you,’ replied Pegon.“‘Donnymore he come to my ’ouse, and he drinking my wine, but that is noting—oh, no, noting. You must know I need to pay Donnymore when I first com to England to show me thing or two I not know much, and Donnymore he shows me the places where thieves go, and give me hint now and then; but Donnymore he ver goot fellow, only he go little too far—just little bit too far. One day he com to my ’ouse and he drinking my wine and smoking my tabac, but that is noting—oh, noting—but he go to drawer, and he steal my stocking—oh, Donnymore, he ver goot fellow, but he go leetle, leetle too far.’“‘Your stocking,’ I said; ‘that was not very valuable, I should think.’“‘Oh, be Gar! it was. I keep all my money in my stocking. Thirty, forty, fifty, hundred pound! Oh, Donnymore, he ver goot fellow; but by Gar, he got leetle too far.’“‘So you think Donnymore had a hand in this robbery?’ I said, laughing at the Frenchman’s story.“‘I be dam well sure,’ replied Pegon, slapping his fist on the table. ‘I say to myself, aha, Donnymore, my boy, you have been at your old games again. More stocking, eh? Donny more, take care, sare, you do not go leetle too far.’“‘Who is Toko?’ I asked.“‘Toko! he Donnymore’s pal. They stand in always.’“‘And the third, do you know him? I believe these fellows always work in gangs.’“‘Oh, certainement! It most be! Let me see. It most be Fon Beest, the German. I know him. Oh! he is crafty, like one English fox—yaes, I say so!’“Von Beest I had heard of as a clever German thief, who had once been imprisoned for two years for a daring burglary in Oxford-street.“‘What do you know about Toko?’“‘Toko! he is what you say new mans almost; he has not been here ’bove year and half. He is sailor or something; he look like gentleman, and knows how to talk, and Donnymore he make him decoy. Oh, leave Donnymore alone. I have met him before to-day. Yaes, I know Donnymore; he ver goot fellow, but he go leetle too far, just leetle bit too far.’“And as the little Frenchman recalled his grievances, he pulled away somewhat vigorously at his pipe, and looked at the sanded floor as if the reminiscence of the gold-laden stocking was painful to talk about.“After a pause of a minute, he said, ‘Oh, yaes! I know Donnymore!’ and then he chuckled as if he contemplated revenge.“‘Where could you find Donnymore and his associates?’ I asked.“‘I say,’ asked the astute little Frenchman, ‘is there reward offered?’“‘No,’ I replied; ‘but Mr. Halliday, the gentleman I was speaking of, who is in custody, is well off, and will, I have no doubt, make a couple of days’ work worth our while.’“‘Bien!that is goot. I like to be on ze square, you know. You vash humbug, I vash humbug, we all vash humbug.Tiens!you shall hear. Donnymore, Toko, Fon Beest all stay now at the “Crown,” King-street, Seven Dials. I have my eye on all of themtoujours. I am father—they are my children.’“‘Let us go, then, and reconnoitre; I want to see if this man Toko resembles Mr. Halliday in any way; if so, the mystery is cleared up at once.’“‘Of coarse it is. Well, we will go. I can spot them. I shall not touch Donnymore, I think, for Donnymore he ver goot fellow; but he go leetle too far—just leetle bit too far. Donnymore and me were pals once,confrères. You shall have Toko and Fon Beest, but Donnymore he shall shake loose leg a little longer. Vat you say to that, sare?’“‘I have no objection,’ I replied. ‘I only want Toko.’“‘Bon!You shall have Toko, and I will be liberal—I will throw Fon Beest into the bargain.’“We shook hands in order to cement the bargain; and leaving the ‘Three Spies,’ we wended our way to the Seven Dials, and entered the ‘Crown.’ It was filled with thieves and loose women, their companions. Pegon perceived no trace of the trio we were in search of. Coming near, he said: ‘Attendez!they areen haut.’“On ascending the stairs, we found ourselves in a spacious room, in which singing was going on. It was long and narrow, with a stage at one end, and a succession of tables on each side, with a passage up the middle for ingress and egress, very much after the manner of the cafes chantants in the Palais Royal. The room was tolerably well filled.“A man who threw himself into the most awful contortions and impossible attitudes, attired in a suit of clothes of a check pattern—something like Mr. Leech’s caricature of Mr. Briggs when his mind is on hunting intent—was lilting a ditty respecting ‘Sairy’s young man,’ which seemed to take the audience by storm. The success of this song was only equalled by another, beginning—A cove he would a macing go,Whether the blueskins would or no.An evident allusion to accomplished thieves and baffled policemen. We took up a position from which we commanded an excellent view of the room. I began to look about me, and perceived a couple of bottles of champagne standing on a particular table in one corner.“At this table three men were seated. I started. Pegon asked me what was the matter. I smiled at my stupidity; I thought I saw Mr. Halliday. My explanation of the singular coincidence was, that the brother whom Mr. Halliday had thought dead had escaped the shipwreck which had induced the belief of his decease, and that on returning to England his innate vagabondism had broken out afresh and he had allied himself with Donnymore and Von Beest.“‘Who is that?’ I asked Pegon, pointing out the man who bore such a marvellous resemblance to Mr. Halliday.“‘That is Toko, and that is my dear friend Donnymore, while the other is that sacre German Fon Beest. Oh, I will make it hot for Toko and Fon Beest.’“‘Cannot you go up to them and get into conversation?’ I asked.“Pegon looked at me steadily for a moment, and replied—“‘You of course my friend. Donnymore, he will jump to see me; but I shall give him the office, and say, it is no business; he is not wanted; and we shall be ver merry. When he is in luck he will spend money like a king; so vill Toko; but Fon Beest he is a screw—no good, no, not to anyone. Come along,mon cher.Baisez moi?Non. It is droll, is it not? Come ’long; let us go to these ruffyans.’“The Frenchman offered his hand to Donnymore and exclaimed—“‘Ah, how is Donnymore, my ole friend Donnymore? I always say he ver goot fellow, but he once go leetle to far—just leetle bit too far. But we will not talk ’bout that now. I have come out for what you say spree, one lark, and I am rejoice to see you here; and my friend Fon Beest too, and that dear Toko: Toko, how you do? You not shake hands with your own Pegon? That is right; Fon Beest, your hand: That is right also: Now, Donnymore, you make room for us.’“Donnymore, slightly reassured, made room for us, and we sat down:“‘Ah,’ continued the indefatigable Pegon, ‘you have been in luck lately. Champagne,vin de ciel. Give me some, Donnymore; I feel very dry.”“Donnymore called for some more glasses, and poured out some wine for both of us.“The more I looked at Toko the more surprised was I at the wonderful likeness between him and Mr. Halliday. No wonder, I thought, that the innkeeper and his barman as well as the prosecutor were deceived.“The resemblance was something marvellous. I remarked the same mild-looking blue eyes, the same rather broad mouth and thick lips, the same straight nose a little dilated at the nostrils; but there was one thing about Toko which was not observable in Mr. Halliday.“His face wore a restless expresssion, as if he had been haunted by the apprehension of arrest. You would have put him down at first sight as a man who had something upon his mind which was eternally weighing upon his spirits and depressing them. He drank heavily.“His somewhat bloodshot eyes, together with their swollen lids, and the dry, parched, burnt-up, cracking skin upon his lips sufficiently proclaimed the fact of his having addicted himself to spirituous compounds in a wholesale manner.“Pegon was in his element. He carried on the part he had undertaken with admirable cleverness.“‘Ha—ha!’ laughed the sharpers.“‘Pegon’s a good judge,’ said Toko.“‘Yes, leave him alone,’ replied Donnymore.“‘More wine, Donnymore,’ exclaimed Pegon. ‘Once you drinking my wine; to-day I drinking yours.”“Donnymore complaisantly filled his friend’s glass, paying mine the same compliment. After Pegon had, to his satisfaction, quaffed the foaming vintage, he exclaimed—“‘Donnymore, you telling me one thing.’“‘Fire away, old fellow.’“‘You will tell me true this one thing?’“‘Yes, half-a-dozen, if you like.’“‘What you going to do now?’“‘Do?’ repeated Donnymore, with the light of consternation in his eyes, for Pegon’s words seemed to have a strange significance for him.“‘Yaes, what you going to do?’“‘Oh, I don’t know.’“The man looked nervously around him, and eyed the door suspiciously, as if he fully expected to see a body of police standing in its immediate vicinity.“‘Why not try change of air?’“‘I’m well enough.’This was said rather surlily.“‘Birmingham is nice place.’“‘D—— Brummagem,’ muttered Donnymore.“‘Ah; you not like to leave your friends!’“‘No, I don’t.’“‘That is good, shows you have good heart. It is but natural, you are so well known, and have so manyfriends.’“He laid a stress upon the last word, and Donnymore looking steadily at Pegon, said angrily—“‘Look here, Pegon—what the deuce are you driving at?’“‘Me! noting, my friend—it is only anxiety for the state of your health.’“‘My health be blowed! What’s your little game?’“‘How you talk! as if I ever had little games; but he is so funny, that Donnymore.’“There was an awkward pause, during which the sharpers looked at one another uneasily.“‘There is that dear Fon Beest,’ resumed Pegon. ‘His friends could not part with him; he is too precious to them.’“‘Drink your wine and hold your row!’ growled the German.“‘Ha, ha!’ laughed Pegon.“‘That dear Fon Beest is like one bear with a sore head. He is complimentary too. But I shall have the pleasure of returning his compliment some day. I never forget my debts.’“‘Devil doubt you,’ said Donnymore.“‘I wish I was like you, Donnymore,’ exclaimed Pegon.“‘What for?’“‘Shall I tell you?’“‘Go ahead.’“‘I would take a Schwostle.’“‘Where’s the pull in that?’“‘Oh, you’d soon learn the squeak.’“It was clear now that Donnymore began to see some hidden meaning in Pegon’s apparently objectless remarks. He became more and more uneasy, and it was evident that he came to the conclusion that Pegon was giving him the office in a friendly way. He did not care much for Toko or Von Beest.“Self-preservation was the first law with him, and he apprehended they were both wanted, whilst he was, through the Frenchman’s kindness, allowed to escape. Rising from his chair, in a careless way, he put on his hat.“‘You are not going yet?’ asked Pegon, pretending to be surprised.“‘Going! no, not till midnight. I’m game for a spree.’“‘Where you off to, then?’“‘Back in a minute.’“When his associates heard this they disposed themselves quietly to await his return.“Pegon muttered to himself, ‘Oh, he’s fly bird, ver fly bird.’“After the lapse of five minutes the sharpers began to grow fidgety, and Toko rose to take his leave. Pegon got up at the same time and exclaimed—“‘Have you a minute to spare?’“‘What for?’“‘Just one word—private conversation. You stop here.’“This was to me.“Toko and Pegon walked up the room together. Suddenly there was a cry of rage and alarm. I looked up. Two men in the body of the hall were fiercely straggling together. The fight was of short duration. In less than a minute Toko was lying on his back on the floor handcuffed.When Von Beest perceived this he turned deadly pale.“I heard him utter an imprecation upon Donnymore and his treachery, and then he made a rush towards the door, but Pegon had by this time drawn his policeman’s staff, which he carried concealed under his cloak, and as the German attempted to pass him, he struck him on the forehead, and he rolled heavily over upon the floor.“Toko and Von Beest were both manacled and helpless.“A smile of triumph flitted over Pegon’s face; he beckoned to me. I came up and stood by the side of Toko, who was sitting disconsolately upon a bench.“The musical performance was arrested, and the people who were in the hall manifested the most lively interest in the proceedings of Pegon and myself.“I was especially an object of remark and scrutiny.“‘Mr. Halliday,’ I said, in a low voice to Toko.“He started; my words roused him from his listless apathetic mood, and he asked in a hurried voice if I spoke to him.“‘Certainly,’ I replied, ‘that is your name.’“‘How do you know?’“‘That does not matter; you cannot deny it.’“‘I can—I do,’ he vociferated.“‘Your violent asseverations—’ I began, when he interrupted me, saying—“‘Whoever says so is guilty of an infamous falsehood.’“‘Possibly,’ I replied. ‘By the way, have you seen your brother lately?’“‘My—my brother?’ he stammered.“‘Yes, the engineer.’“‘Who are you,’ he cried, ‘and why do you ask me these questions?’“‘I am a detective, and I ask you these questions in order that Justice may vindicate her character and reputation for impartiality.’“‘A detective,’ he repeated slowly.“‘I think I said so.’“‘Why, I should as soon have thought of seeing a flying fish or a sea-serpent with a ring through its nose.’“‘You have not answered my question respecting your brother yet?’“‘I have not seen him, nor do I wish to.’“‘What harm has he done you?’“‘Only driven me to——; but never mind.’“‘He thinks you’re drowned at sea.’“‘A good job too—let him think so.’“‘Do you know where he is now?’“‘No,’ he replied laconically.“‘He is where you will soon be.’“‘In gaol?’“‘Yes, in a prison.’“‘What!’ he cried with a bitter laugh; ‘does it run in the family?’“‘Not that either.’“‘Explain yourself?’“‘You are the cause of his arrest.’“‘I!’ he ejaculated in astonishment.“‘Yes; he is accused.’“‘Of what?’“‘Of committing an offence, the responsibility of which rests entirely with you. He has been taken up as a skittle sharper.’“‘No; you are joking?’“‘I assure you I am speaking the truth.’“There seemed something so exquisitely ludicrous in the idea of his sober, steady-going respectable brother being brought before a magistrate for a disgraceful misdemeanour, that the dissipated scamp laughed immoderately.“The painful position in which he was did not affect his hilarity or his flow of animal spirits.“‘That is capital,’ he said at last. ‘I am only sorry he was not committed for trial.’“‘There is no chance of that now.’“‘I suppose not, as I have fallen into your clutches through the infernal treachery of that fellow Donnymore. But I’ll be even with him some day.’“‘He had nothing to do with it; you must lay your misfortune to the astuteness of Mr. Pegon.’“‘I wish you and Pegon and the whole kit of you were at the bottom of the sea!’ he growled.“Presently Von Beest returned to consciousness and glanced fiercely around him.“‘Ah,’ said Pegon, with cruel levity, ‘that dear Fon Beest is himself once more. Do I not pay my debts well? Have I not returned your compliment, my amiable Fon Beest? Come along; you shall go to the ‘Government Hotel’ to-night, and if the beds should turn out hard come and complain to me and I will get you a new chambermaid. Come here, my dear Fon Beest. Come along, my good Toko.’* * * * *“When the magistrate saw Toko he was no less astonished than the prosecutor, who at once admitted that he had fallen into an error which, he trusted, was excusable, owing to the wonderful likeness existing between the brothers.“Mr. Halliday, the engineer, and Mr. Halliday, the skittle-sharper, must have been cast in the same mould. The prisoner was at once discharged, and his brother placed in the dock.“Mr. Halliday’s joy at seeing his brother once more was considerably damped by the reflection that he had provoked the doom of a felon; and taking me on one side he asked me to add to the favour I had already done him, and try to make terms with the prosecutor.“I found this worthy rather obdurate at first, but when I told him that Mr. Halliday would refund all the money he had lost, and make him a handsome present besides, his anger gave way, and he consented to withdraw from the prosecution.“Toko was so much affected by this proof of his brother’s good nature that he gave up his evil ways of living, and addicted himself to honest pursuits. He thought it unadvisable to stay in England, so he went to Australia (not at the expense of the Government as he was once ambitious of doing—but by his brother’s assistance), and set up in New South Wales as a sheepfarmer; and the last time his friends heard from him he was doing remarkably well, and turning out better than the most sanguine of his acquaintances had ever anticipated; and so ended this marvellous case of mistaken identity.”“Ah,” observed Peace, in a quiet, contemplative manner, “we cannot any one of us be too careful in the matter of identity. I myself have on more than one occasion been sadly at fault in this respect, and I should hesitate before I swore to a person, unless there were corroborating circumstances.”“We have most of us been at fault in this respect,” returned Mr. Cartridge. “No stronger proof can be given of this than an event which occurred on this very day. When I saw you in the body of the Bow-street Police-court I mistook you for another person. I was under the full impression that you were the individual in question, and hence it was that I was induced to take you to a more convenient part of the court. So you see you have not so much reason, after all, to thank me for my courtesy,” he added, with a smile.“You were of essential service to me, anyway,” said Peace; “and, as a matter of course, I am duly thankful.”At this all three gentlemen laughed once more.“Wal, Cartridge,” said Shearman, “I have always said that sooner or later some very great alterations will have to be made in the detective department of this country. We manage matters a great deal better in the United States. Look at the number of murderers who escape in and about London! Why, it’s perfectly scandalous. With such a large and expensive establishment such things ought not to be.”“I quite agree with you—it is scandalous,” returned Shearman; “but how is it to be remedied?”“Ah—that’s another question, and one I shall perhaps not find it easy to answer; but that some remedy must be applied is, in my opinion, beyond all question. Why, within the last few years you have suffered a host of assassins of the very worst type to slip through your fingers. What am I saying?—that’s not precisely my meaning, for you have never laid hold of them at all. Now, there was that case at Brompton-Edith-grove or Maude-grove—I forget which. The two Wallaces, after the death of the ill-fated woman, betook themselves to a cab, were driven off, and not the faintest clue has been found to either of them. Is that not so?”Mr. Cartridge shrugged his shoulders, and said, “I am afraid it is.”“I’m sure of it. Wal, such things ought not to be. What is the inference? I say again, what is the inference?”“Can’t tell.”“I can—bribery and corruption. You won’t make me believe that they would have been all this time at large unless, like Kurr and Benson, they had closed the eyes of the police with gold-dust. What say you, sir?”This last observation was addressed to Peace, who by this time had begun to be in a little bit of a quandary, for he felt that it was an act of great imprudence to continue in the company of his two associates much longer, but he did not very well know how to bring the interview to an end without exciting suspicion.“I quite agree with you, sir,” he returned.Then, thinking to change the subject, which was to him by no means an agreeable one, he drew from his pocket again the drawing of his invention for raising sunken ships.“It would be indeed a favour if either of you gentlemen could put me in the way of laying this draft of my invention before the proper authorities.”With a couple of drawing-pins he fastened the drawing against the wall of the room, and proceeded to point out its merits once more to the two detectives. They knew but little about it, but strove to comprehend its mode of operation, rising from their seats and carefully inspecting the chart in question.“Ah,” murmured Peace to himself, “I wish I was fairly out of this. The Yankee bloke seems ever and anon to look one through. He’s awfully cute—I do wish he’d go.”After some further discussion the chart was rolled up again, and Peace placed it in his pocket, whereupon the three gentlemen sat down again.“Wal, stranger,” said Shearman, addressing himself again to Peace, “as we are all here to ourselves, I’ll just give you an account of a bit of business I was engaged on in New York. It’s a true story, and there ain’t no tall talk in it.”“I’m really very sorry,” observed Peace, “but I am afraid I shan’t have time.”“Oh, bosh, I’ll trot it off as sharp and brisk as a donkey’s gallop. Here’s to our better acquaintance. I am glad to have met you, sir,” added the American, raising the glass to his lips.“And I am equally glad to have met you, sir,” returned our hero, who wished the Yankee to the Antipodes. “But you must excuse me.”“Sit down for another quarter of an hour,” said Shearman. “We shall be all three of us going at the expiration of that time. Come, light up—have another cigar.”“Devil take these fellows!” murmured Peace to himself. “There is no getting out of their clutches.”He, however, lighted up, and reluctantly consented to remain a little longer.“My friend, Shearman, can tell you tales of detective life for a week at a stretch,” observed Cartridge, with a smile; “and mind you a good many of his stories are both interesting and instructing. One thing I will say for him, he is never backward in obliging.”“Wal, I hope we learn something from each other,” observed the American. “It is by the interchange of thought, and knowing something of other men’s experiences, is addition to our own, that we may eventually become smart officers. That’s my opinion, I make it a rule to listen to all people have to say, whether they be wise or otherwise.”“That’s right enough,” returned Cartridge.So here goes,” exclaimed the Yankee.
“I felt convinced,” said Mr. Cartridge, “that I had got the right man, for all the facts that had come to my knowledge were dead against him, but I am free to confess that there were others who were of a different opinion. I will just give you a circumstantial account view of the case.
“‘Send for his friends?’ I repeated, in reply to a question put to me by the inspector of a police-station at which I happened to be; ‘oh, yes. I see no reason to refuse his request, but I think you are fully justified in not admitting him to bail.’
“The prisoner in question was a tall, fair man, of gentlemanly appearance, who seemed to feel his position acutely. He had lately been brought in on a singular charge of skittle-sharping.
“The prosecutor, a simple-looking countryman, deposed that he had met the prisoner three days before in Westminster, with two other men, and was by them solicited to have something to drink.
“After his compliance, a game of skittles was proposed. Bets were made, and he was ingeniously robbed of eighty pounds in gold and notes.
“The whole of the gang on that occasion made their escape; but the prosecutor met the prisoner while walking in the Strand, and recognising him at once, gave him into the custody of the first police officer he saw.
“The prisoner vehemently protested his innocence, and in no measured terms declared that he was the victim of a mistake.
“He gave the name of Joseph Halliday, and gave a respectable address, which we afterwards found was a correct one; described himself as a civil engineer, and said that he was the scapegoat of the prosecutor’s stupidity.
“It was the early part of the afternoon, but the business of the court that day not being very heavy, the magistrate had finished his work and gone home; so that Mr. Halliday would have to remain a prisoner until the next day, even if he were able to prove his innocence in an incontestable manner.
“We were accustomed to see respectable men—that is, externally respectable—brought into the station on charges of skittle-sharping; and so Mr. Halliday’s decent exterior did not impress me in his favour in the least.
“He appeared greatly distressed, and said repeatedly, as the charge was being taken, that he was innocent. His manner had the appearance of being genuine; but I never allowed appearances to have any weight with me.
“Some of the rascals who infest the streets and plunder the simple are such clever actors that if they were not incorrigibly idle, they would make a decent living upon the stage.
“I suggested to the inspector that it might be a case of mistaken identity; and, in order to set the question at rest, it would be better to send for the landlord and barman of the ‘Duke’s Head,’ which was the name of the public-house in which the swindle had been perpetrated.
“The prisoner evinced the utmost signs of joy and exultation when he heard this proposal; and the prosecutor made no objection, saying that he was sure their testimony would bear out the charges he had just made against Joseph Halliday.
“Accordingly messengers were dispatched to the ‘Duke’s Head,’ requesting the immediate attendance of the landlord and his barman. In the meantime the prisoner was conveyed into the yard of the station-house and placed in a row with nine other men.
“It was intended that the witnesses we had sent for should identify the prisoner from amongst a number of others.
“When they arrived, the landlord of the ‘Duke’s Head’ requested to be told why he had been summoned.
“‘A case of skittle-sharping,’ replied the inspector, ‘took place in your house three days ago. Would you remember the three men who hired your skittle-ground for the best part of the afternoon?’
“‘Perfectly,’ replied the landlord; ‘there were four altogether, and this gentleman’ (turning to the prosecutor) ‘was one of them.’
“‘You are quite right; but he is the victim of the three rogues. We imagine that we have one of them in custody. He is amongst some others in the back yard. If your memory serves you, you will have no difficulty in selecting him from his companions.’
“‘I don’t think I shall have the least trouble. I have a distinct recollection of the whole party,’ replied the landlord, following myself and the inspector to the yard.
“The barman we left behind; his turn was to come next.
“It must have been a moment of intense anxiety to Mr. Halliday.
“I was a little curious as to the result, and looked on with expectation.
“The court-yard was a narrow piece of ground, in which men were drilled occasionally. It was covered with gravel and surrounded by a high wall, which, however, in no way obstructed the light, which fell in a bright stream upon the men, who were marshalled in single file, to await the scrutiny of the landlord, who took a critical survey of them, and, without a moment’s hesitation, went up to Mr. Joseph Halliday, and touching him on the shoulder, exclaimed, ‘this is the man.’
“A shudder of repulsion ran through the prisoner’s frame, and he turned ghastly pale. I thought he would have fallen. The inspector smiled, and said, ‘An old hand, evidently.’”
“Oh, they generally come to that conclusion in most cases—do they not?” observed Peace.
“Well, I don’t know that they do, sir,” returned Mr. Cartridge; “but you know we have such a number of shocking characters under our hands, that it is, after all, but a natural conclusion. But I will proceed with my narrative:”
“‘Oh! I knew him again in an instant,’ exclaimed the landlord, who went back again with the inspector to allow the barman to commence his investigation.
“A tin cup stood under a tap, and seeing the prisoner looked faint and ill, I filled it with water, and presented it to him.
“He drank off the contents at a draught, and regarded me gratefully.
“‘You are very kind,’ he murmured, in a low tone.
“There was something in his voice that interested me—something quiet and gentle; but the evidence against him was so strong and damning, that I could not bring myself to regard him favourably, or look upon him as the victim of a mistake.
“Presently the barman made his appearance; he seemed an intelligent fellow, possessed of powers of discrimination.
“He walked along the yard and looked steadily at the men who were grouped together for his inspection, and stopped abruptly when he came to Mr. Halliday.
“‘This is the one,’ he said, triumphantly. ‘I could tell him amongst a thousand.’
No.64.
Illustration: HIS PLAN FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELSPEACE DESCRIBING TO THE TWO DETECTIVES HIS PLAN FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.
PEACE DESCRIBING TO THE TWO DETECTIVES HIS PLAN FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.
“The slender hope which had hitherto animated the prisoner now deserted him, and he fell on the ground in a heap, insensible. It was a terrible ordeal for him to have gone through, if innocent. Stepping up to the inspector, I said, ‘This is a remarkable case; but although the evidence seems against him, it is odd—isn’t it?—that he should take on so.’
“‘I don’t know. These fellows are up to as many dodges as there are days in the year. He must take his chance. He’ll have a fair trial to-morrow. Perhaps he can prove an alibi. If you take an interest in him you can talk to him. I won’t lock him up again till you’ve done your little bit of palaver.’
“Thanking the inspector, I returned to Mr. Halliday, and was glad to see that he showed signs of returning animation. Some good Samaritan had sprinkled his face with water, and he had opened his eyes.
“By my orders, he was accommodated with a chair, and when he was sufficiently recovered I began a conversation with him.
“‘Do you still persist in saying that you are the victim of a mistake, Mr. Halliday?’ I exclaimed.
“‘Most certainly I do,’ he replied, earnestly. ‘Some one must have a strong and fatal resemblance to me.’
“‘Will you tell me how you spent your time on the day of the alleged robbery?’
“‘With pleasure,’ he answered; ‘but, I presume—excuse my asking the question—that I am talking to some one connected with the police.’
“‘I am a detective, and in my professional capacity may be of service to you.’
“‘You are very good, and I esteem myself fortunate in having met with you. In the first place, I must tell you that I am a civil engineer by profession, and tolerably well known to people who move in scientific circles. On the day in question, when the man who gave me in charge was robbed and plundered, I was attending a meeting at Muswell-hill and giving evidence as to the advisability of extended sewerage in the vicinity before the Muswell-hill Board of Works. The solicitors to the Board will prove it. The members of the Board will prove it.’
“‘Very good, so far,’ I replied. ‘Leave your case in my hands and make yourself easy as to the result. I shall, with your permission, instruct Mr. Sea, one of the cleverest practising barristers we have in cases of this kind, to defend you when brought before the court to-morrow morning, and to ask for a remand. You must put up with the worry and annoyance of imprisonment for a few days. Bring all your philosophy to your aid, and I will see if I cannot unravel this tangled skein. By the way, I should like to ask you one thing.’
“‘As many as you like,’ he replied readily.
“‘Does any of your family resemble you in any way? Have you ever been taken for any one else on a previous occasion?’
“‘Some years ago,’ he replied, thoughtfully, ‘my twin-brother was alive, and you would not have known us from one another—we were veritable Dromios.’
“‘Is he dead now?’
“‘I am sorry to say he is. We were much attached to each other, but he was of a roving disposition and would never stick to anything. I started him in several professions, but he always repaid my kindness by ingratitude, which is hard to bear from a relation. At length, on my refusing to assist him any longer, he ran away to sea, and the ship in which he sailed was subsequently wrecked on a voyage to Malaga.’
“‘Oh!’ I said, with a prolonged exclamation; I began to see my way a little clearer.
“Wishing Mr. Halliday good-bye, I left the station-house to commence operations. If what the prisoner said about his being in attendance upon the Muswell-hill Board of Works at the very time at which he was accused of being at an obscure pot-house in Westminster, in company with two other men not in custody, to defraud a simple-minded countryman of his money, the case was at an end. I at once left a retainer for Mr. Sea and engaged his services for Mr. Joseph Halliday on the morrow.
“I had a shrewd suspicion that I was about to embark in the investigation of one of the strangest cases of mistaken identity that had ever been heard of; nor was I mistaken, as after events tended to prove.
“I was acquainted with a man of the name of Pegon—a Frenchman—who had, it was popularly believed, been a thief in his own country, although he might have left France through political motives.
“On arriving in England he had taken service in the police force, and evinced such wonderful dexterity in tracking criminals that he speedily became one of our most valued detectives.
“The old saying—set a thief to catch a thief—was, admitting the reports about Pegon to be true, never better exemplified than in the person of the dapper little Gaul. He was not a proficient in the English language; he talked it in a half-broken sort of way, rather amusing than otherwise. It was to Pegon that I betook myself after leaving Mr. Sea’s office.
“I found him at his favourite public-house—the ‘Three Spies.’ He was seldom at home, and when not on business he could always be discovered at the before-mentioned tavern or else at the Welsh ambassador’s—the ‘Goat in Boots.’
“Pegon had probably a greater acquaintance with the skittle-sharping fraternity than any other man in London.
“He knew them all, and when they occasionally took a trip into the country Pegon would miss the familiar face, find out where he was gone, and telegraph to the police of Birmingham, Manchester, or Liverpool, and they would exercise such a strict look-out that their vigilance would soon drive the sharper back to his old haunts and associates.
“When Pegon met him on his return, he would smile sardonically and say—
“‘Back again—eh? Change of air is goot for your ’elth;’ and his mouth would distend itself into a broad grin.
“It was rumoured that Pegon was occasionally heavily bribed by the thieves to allow them to remain unmolested; but his superiors took no notice of this scandal, as they always found him an active and intelligent officer; and if a man was wanted particularly, and Pegon was applied to for his apprehension, he was almost always forthcoming at a specified time. Pegon was sitting in the parlour of the ‘Three Spies,’ smoking contentedly, and drinking out of a pewter pot, which contained nothing stronger than the best old and mild ale. He rose when he saw me, and exclaimed, in a genial tone—
“‘Ah, sir, it ees you! How you carry yourself? Sit down—’ere is a chair.’
“Taking out his handkerchief, with true politeness, he dusted the bottom of it, and handed it to me.
“‘Good morning, Pegon,’ I said; ‘I have come to consult you on a matter of some importance.’
“‘Yaes—yaes.’
“‘Three days ago a countryman was robbed by a skittle sharper at the ‘Duke’s Head,’ in Westminster.’
“‘Yaes,’ said Pegon, concentrating his attention on what I was saying.
“‘To-day a gentleman was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the robbery. The barman and the landlord swore that he was one of the men.’
“‘Ah,’ said Pegon, ‘that is strange—ver strange.’
“‘Have you heard of the robbery?’
“‘No, but I have my suspicions; my good friend Toko, and my dear friend Donnymore have been ver flush of their money, and I suspect——’
“‘Who is Donnymore?’ I ventured to ask.
“‘Donnymore! oh, he ver goot fellow, Donnymore, but he go leetle too far.’
“‘In what way?’
“‘I shall tell you,’ replied Pegon.
“‘Donnymore he come to my ’ouse, and he drinking my wine, but that is noting—oh, no, noting. You must know I need to pay Donnymore when I first com to England to show me thing or two I not know much, and Donnymore he shows me the places where thieves go, and give me hint now and then; but Donnymore he ver goot fellow, only he go little too far—just little bit too far. One day he com to my ’ouse and he drinking my wine and smoking my tabac, but that is noting—oh, noting—but he go to drawer, and he steal my stocking—oh, Donnymore, he ver goot fellow, but he go leetle, leetle too far.’
“‘Your stocking,’ I said; ‘that was not very valuable, I should think.’
“‘Oh, be Gar! it was. I keep all my money in my stocking. Thirty, forty, fifty, hundred pound! Oh, Donnymore, he ver goot fellow; but by Gar, he got leetle too far.’
“‘So you think Donnymore had a hand in this robbery?’ I said, laughing at the Frenchman’s story.
“‘I be dam well sure,’ replied Pegon, slapping his fist on the table. ‘I say to myself, aha, Donnymore, my boy, you have been at your old games again. More stocking, eh? Donny more, take care, sare, you do not go leetle too far.’
“‘Who is Toko?’ I asked.
“‘Toko! he Donnymore’s pal. They stand in always.’
“‘And the third, do you know him? I believe these fellows always work in gangs.’
“‘Oh, certainement! It most be! Let me see. It most be Fon Beest, the German. I know him. Oh! he is crafty, like one English fox—yaes, I say so!’
“Von Beest I had heard of as a clever German thief, who had once been imprisoned for two years for a daring burglary in Oxford-street.
“‘What do you know about Toko?’
“‘Toko! he is what you say new mans almost; he has not been here ’bove year and half. He is sailor or something; he look like gentleman, and knows how to talk, and Donnymore he make him decoy. Oh, leave Donnymore alone. I have met him before to-day. Yaes, I know Donnymore; he ver goot fellow, but he go leetle too far, just leetle bit too far.’
“And as the little Frenchman recalled his grievances, he pulled away somewhat vigorously at his pipe, and looked at the sanded floor as if the reminiscence of the gold-laden stocking was painful to talk about.
“After a pause of a minute, he said, ‘Oh, yaes! I know Donnymore!’ and then he chuckled as if he contemplated revenge.
“‘Where could you find Donnymore and his associates?’ I asked.
“‘I say,’ asked the astute little Frenchman, ‘is there reward offered?’
“‘No,’ I replied; ‘but Mr. Halliday, the gentleman I was speaking of, who is in custody, is well off, and will, I have no doubt, make a couple of days’ work worth our while.’
“‘Bien!that is goot. I like to be on ze square, you know. You vash humbug, I vash humbug, we all vash humbug.Tiens!you shall hear. Donnymore, Toko, Fon Beest all stay now at the “Crown,” King-street, Seven Dials. I have my eye on all of themtoujours. I am father—they are my children.’
“‘Let us go, then, and reconnoitre; I want to see if this man Toko resembles Mr. Halliday in any way; if so, the mystery is cleared up at once.’
“‘Of coarse it is. Well, we will go. I can spot them. I shall not touch Donnymore, I think, for Donnymore he ver goot fellow; but he go leetle too far—just leetle bit too far. Donnymore and me were pals once,confrères. You shall have Toko and Fon Beest, but Donnymore he shall shake loose leg a little longer. Vat you say to that, sare?’
“‘I have no objection,’ I replied. ‘I only want Toko.’
“‘Bon!You shall have Toko, and I will be liberal—I will throw Fon Beest into the bargain.’
“We shook hands in order to cement the bargain; and leaving the ‘Three Spies,’ we wended our way to the Seven Dials, and entered the ‘Crown.’ It was filled with thieves and loose women, their companions. Pegon perceived no trace of the trio we were in search of. Coming near, he said: ‘Attendez!they areen haut.’
“On ascending the stairs, we found ourselves in a spacious room, in which singing was going on. It was long and narrow, with a stage at one end, and a succession of tables on each side, with a passage up the middle for ingress and egress, very much after the manner of the cafes chantants in the Palais Royal. The room was tolerably well filled.
“A man who threw himself into the most awful contortions and impossible attitudes, attired in a suit of clothes of a check pattern—something like Mr. Leech’s caricature of Mr. Briggs when his mind is on hunting intent—was lilting a ditty respecting ‘Sairy’s young man,’ which seemed to take the audience by storm. The success of this song was only equalled by another, beginning—
A cove he would a macing go,Whether the blueskins would or no.
A cove he would a macing go,Whether the blueskins would or no.
A cove he would a macing go,
Whether the blueskins would or no.
An evident allusion to accomplished thieves and baffled policemen. We took up a position from which we commanded an excellent view of the room. I began to look about me, and perceived a couple of bottles of champagne standing on a particular table in one corner.
“At this table three men were seated. I started. Pegon asked me what was the matter. I smiled at my stupidity; I thought I saw Mr. Halliday. My explanation of the singular coincidence was, that the brother whom Mr. Halliday had thought dead had escaped the shipwreck which had induced the belief of his decease, and that on returning to England his innate vagabondism had broken out afresh and he had allied himself with Donnymore and Von Beest.
“‘Who is that?’ I asked Pegon, pointing out the man who bore such a marvellous resemblance to Mr. Halliday.
“‘That is Toko, and that is my dear friend Donnymore, while the other is that sacre German Fon Beest. Oh, I will make it hot for Toko and Fon Beest.’
“‘Cannot you go up to them and get into conversation?’ I asked.
“Pegon looked at me steadily for a moment, and replied—
“‘You of course my friend. Donnymore, he will jump to see me; but I shall give him the office, and say, it is no business; he is not wanted; and we shall be ver merry. When he is in luck he will spend money like a king; so vill Toko; but Fon Beest he is a screw—no good, no, not to anyone. Come along,mon cher.Baisez moi?Non. It is droll, is it not? Come ’long; let us go to these ruffyans.’
“The Frenchman offered his hand to Donnymore and exclaimed—
“‘Ah, how is Donnymore, my ole friend Donnymore? I always say he ver goot fellow, but he once go leetle to far—just leetle bit too far. But we will not talk ’bout that now. I have come out for what you say spree, one lark, and I am rejoice to see you here; and my friend Fon Beest too, and that dear Toko: Toko, how you do? You not shake hands with your own Pegon? That is right; Fon Beest, your hand: That is right also: Now, Donnymore, you make room for us.’
“Donnymore, slightly reassured, made room for us, and we sat down:
“‘Ah,’ continued the indefatigable Pegon, ‘you have been in luck lately. Champagne,vin de ciel. Give me some, Donnymore; I feel very dry.”
“Donnymore called for some more glasses, and poured out some wine for both of us.
“The more I looked at Toko the more surprised was I at the wonderful likeness between him and Mr. Halliday. No wonder, I thought, that the innkeeper and his barman as well as the prosecutor were deceived.
“The resemblance was something marvellous. I remarked the same mild-looking blue eyes, the same rather broad mouth and thick lips, the same straight nose a little dilated at the nostrils; but there was one thing about Toko which was not observable in Mr. Halliday.
“His face wore a restless expresssion, as if he had been haunted by the apprehension of arrest. You would have put him down at first sight as a man who had something upon his mind which was eternally weighing upon his spirits and depressing them. He drank heavily.
“His somewhat bloodshot eyes, together with their swollen lids, and the dry, parched, burnt-up, cracking skin upon his lips sufficiently proclaimed the fact of his having addicted himself to spirituous compounds in a wholesale manner.
“Pegon was in his element. He carried on the part he had undertaken with admirable cleverness.
“‘Ha—ha!’ laughed the sharpers.
“‘Pegon’s a good judge,’ said Toko.
“‘Yes, leave him alone,’ replied Donnymore.
“‘More wine, Donnymore,’ exclaimed Pegon. ‘Once you drinking my wine; to-day I drinking yours.”
“Donnymore complaisantly filled his friend’s glass, paying mine the same compliment. After Pegon had, to his satisfaction, quaffed the foaming vintage, he exclaimed—
“‘Donnymore, you telling me one thing.’
“‘Fire away, old fellow.’
“‘You will tell me true this one thing?’
“‘Yes, half-a-dozen, if you like.’
“‘What you going to do now?’
“‘Do?’ repeated Donnymore, with the light of consternation in his eyes, for Pegon’s words seemed to have a strange significance for him.
“‘Yaes, what you going to do?’
“‘Oh, I don’t know.’
“The man looked nervously around him, and eyed the door suspiciously, as if he fully expected to see a body of police standing in its immediate vicinity.
“‘Why not try change of air?’
“‘I’m well enough.’
This was said rather surlily.
“‘Birmingham is nice place.’
“‘D—— Brummagem,’ muttered Donnymore.
“‘Ah; you not like to leave your friends!’
“‘No, I don’t.’
“‘That is good, shows you have good heart. It is but natural, you are so well known, and have so manyfriends.’
“He laid a stress upon the last word, and Donnymore looking steadily at Pegon, said angrily—
“‘Look here, Pegon—what the deuce are you driving at?’
“‘Me! noting, my friend—it is only anxiety for the state of your health.’
“‘My health be blowed! What’s your little game?’
“‘How you talk! as if I ever had little games; but he is so funny, that Donnymore.’
“There was an awkward pause, during which the sharpers looked at one another uneasily.
“‘There is that dear Fon Beest,’ resumed Pegon. ‘His friends could not part with him; he is too precious to them.’
“‘Drink your wine and hold your row!’ growled the German.
“‘Ha, ha!’ laughed Pegon.
“‘That dear Fon Beest is like one bear with a sore head. He is complimentary too. But I shall have the pleasure of returning his compliment some day. I never forget my debts.’
“‘Devil doubt you,’ said Donnymore.
“‘I wish I was like you, Donnymore,’ exclaimed Pegon.
“‘What for?’
“‘Shall I tell you?’
“‘Go ahead.’
“‘I would take a Schwostle.’
“‘Where’s the pull in that?’
“‘Oh, you’d soon learn the squeak.’
“It was clear now that Donnymore began to see some hidden meaning in Pegon’s apparently objectless remarks. He became more and more uneasy, and it was evident that he came to the conclusion that Pegon was giving him the office in a friendly way. He did not care much for Toko or Von Beest.
“Self-preservation was the first law with him, and he apprehended they were both wanted, whilst he was, through the Frenchman’s kindness, allowed to escape. Rising from his chair, in a careless way, he put on his hat.
“‘You are not going yet?’ asked Pegon, pretending to be surprised.
“‘Going! no, not till midnight. I’m game for a spree.’
“‘Where you off to, then?’
“‘Back in a minute.’
“When his associates heard this they disposed themselves quietly to await his return.
“Pegon muttered to himself, ‘Oh, he’s fly bird, ver fly bird.’
“After the lapse of five minutes the sharpers began to grow fidgety, and Toko rose to take his leave. Pegon got up at the same time and exclaimed—
“‘Have you a minute to spare?’
“‘What for?’
“‘Just one word—private conversation. You stop here.’
“This was to me.
“Toko and Pegon walked up the room together. Suddenly there was a cry of rage and alarm. I looked up. Two men in the body of the hall were fiercely straggling together. The fight was of short duration. In less than a minute Toko was lying on his back on the floor handcuffed.
When Von Beest perceived this he turned deadly pale.
“I heard him utter an imprecation upon Donnymore and his treachery, and then he made a rush towards the door, but Pegon had by this time drawn his policeman’s staff, which he carried concealed under his cloak, and as the German attempted to pass him, he struck him on the forehead, and he rolled heavily over upon the floor.
“Toko and Von Beest were both manacled and helpless.
“A smile of triumph flitted over Pegon’s face; he beckoned to me. I came up and stood by the side of Toko, who was sitting disconsolately upon a bench.
“The musical performance was arrested, and the people who were in the hall manifested the most lively interest in the proceedings of Pegon and myself.
“I was especially an object of remark and scrutiny.
“‘Mr. Halliday,’ I said, in a low voice to Toko.
“He started; my words roused him from his listless apathetic mood, and he asked in a hurried voice if I spoke to him.
“‘Certainly,’ I replied, ‘that is your name.’
“‘How do you know?’
“‘That does not matter; you cannot deny it.’
“‘I can—I do,’ he vociferated.
“‘Your violent asseverations—’ I began, when he interrupted me, saying—
“‘Whoever says so is guilty of an infamous falsehood.’
“‘Possibly,’ I replied. ‘By the way, have you seen your brother lately?’
“‘My—my brother?’ he stammered.
“‘Yes, the engineer.’
“‘Who are you,’ he cried, ‘and why do you ask me these questions?’
“‘I am a detective, and I ask you these questions in order that Justice may vindicate her character and reputation for impartiality.’
“‘A detective,’ he repeated slowly.
“‘I think I said so.’
“‘Why, I should as soon have thought of seeing a flying fish or a sea-serpent with a ring through its nose.’
“‘You have not answered my question respecting your brother yet?’
“‘I have not seen him, nor do I wish to.’
“‘What harm has he done you?’
“‘Only driven me to——; but never mind.’
“‘He thinks you’re drowned at sea.’
“‘A good job too—let him think so.’
“‘Do you know where he is now?’
“‘No,’ he replied laconically.
“‘He is where you will soon be.’
“‘In gaol?’
“‘Yes, in a prison.’
“‘What!’ he cried with a bitter laugh; ‘does it run in the family?’
“‘Not that either.’
“‘Explain yourself?’
“‘You are the cause of his arrest.’
“‘I!’ he ejaculated in astonishment.
“‘Yes; he is accused.’
“‘Of what?’
“‘Of committing an offence, the responsibility of which rests entirely with you. He has been taken up as a skittle sharper.’
“‘No; you are joking?’
“‘I assure you I am speaking the truth.’
“There seemed something so exquisitely ludicrous in the idea of his sober, steady-going respectable brother being brought before a magistrate for a disgraceful misdemeanour, that the dissipated scamp laughed immoderately.
“The painful position in which he was did not affect his hilarity or his flow of animal spirits.
“‘That is capital,’ he said at last. ‘I am only sorry he was not committed for trial.’
“‘There is no chance of that now.’
“‘I suppose not, as I have fallen into your clutches through the infernal treachery of that fellow Donnymore. But I’ll be even with him some day.’
“‘He had nothing to do with it; you must lay your misfortune to the astuteness of Mr. Pegon.’
“‘I wish you and Pegon and the whole kit of you were at the bottom of the sea!’ he growled.
“Presently Von Beest returned to consciousness and glanced fiercely around him.
“‘Ah,’ said Pegon, with cruel levity, ‘that dear Fon Beest is himself once more. Do I not pay my debts well? Have I not returned your compliment, my amiable Fon Beest? Come along; you shall go to the ‘Government Hotel’ to-night, and if the beds should turn out hard come and complain to me and I will get you a new chambermaid. Come here, my dear Fon Beest. Come along, my good Toko.’
* * * * *
“When the magistrate saw Toko he was no less astonished than the prosecutor, who at once admitted that he had fallen into an error which, he trusted, was excusable, owing to the wonderful likeness existing between the brothers.
“Mr. Halliday, the engineer, and Mr. Halliday, the skittle-sharper, must have been cast in the same mould. The prisoner was at once discharged, and his brother placed in the dock.
“Mr. Halliday’s joy at seeing his brother once more was considerably damped by the reflection that he had provoked the doom of a felon; and taking me on one side he asked me to add to the favour I had already done him, and try to make terms with the prosecutor.
“I found this worthy rather obdurate at first, but when I told him that Mr. Halliday would refund all the money he had lost, and make him a handsome present besides, his anger gave way, and he consented to withdraw from the prosecution.
“Toko was so much affected by this proof of his brother’s good nature that he gave up his evil ways of living, and addicted himself to honest pursuits. He thought it unadvisable to stay in England, so he went to Australia (not at the expense of the Government as he was once ambitious of doing—but by his brother’s assistance), and set up in New South Wales as a sheepfarmer; and the last time his friends heard from him he was doing remarkably well, and turning out better than the most sanguine of his acquaintances had ever anticipated; and so ended this marvellous case of mistaken identity.”
“Ah,” observed Peace, in a quiet, contemplative manner, “we cannot any one of us be too careful in the matter of identity. I myself have on more than one occasion been sadly at fault in this respect, and I should hesitate before I swore to a person, unless there were corroborating circumstances.”
“We have most of us been at fault in this respect,” returned Mr. Cartridge. “No stronger proof can be given of this than an event which occurred on this very day. When I saw you in the body of the Bow-street Police-court I mistook you for another person. I was under the full impression that you were the individual in question, and hence it was that I was induced to take you to a more convenient part of the court. So you see you have not so much reason, after all, to thank me for my courtesy,” he added, with a smile.
“You were of essential service to me, anyway,” said Peace; “and, as a matter of course, I am duly thankful.”
At this all three gentlemen laughed once more.
“Wal, Cartridge,” said Shearman, “I have always said that sooner or later some very great alterations will have to be made in the detective department of this country. We manage matters a great deal better in the United States. Look at the number of murderers who escape in and about London! Why, it’s perfectly scandalous. With such a large and expensive establishment such things ought not to be.”
“I quite agree with you—it is scandalous,” returned Shearman; “but how is it to be remedied?”
“Ah—that’s another question, and one I shall perhaps not find it easy to answer; but that some remedy must be applied is, in my opinion, beyond all question. Why, within the last few years you have suffered a host of assassins of the very worst type to slip through your fingers. What am I saying?—that’s not precisely my meaning, for you have never laid hold of them at all. Now, there was that case at Brompton-Edith-grove or Maude-grove—I forget which. The two Wallaces, after the death of the ill-fated woman, betook themselves to a cab, were driven off, and not the faintest clue has been found to either of them. Is that not so?”
Mr. Cartridge shrugged his shoulders, and said, “I am afraid it is.”
“I’m sure of it. Wal, such things ought not to be. What is the inference? I say again, what is the inference?”
“Can’t tell.”
“I can—bribery and corruption. You won’t make me believe that they would have been all this time at large unless, like Kurr and Benson, they had closed the eyes of the police with gold-dust. What say you, sir?”
This last observation was addressed to Peace, who by this time had begun to be in a little bit of a quandary, for he felt that it was an act of great imprudence to continue in the company of his two associates much longer, but he did not very well know how to bring the interview to an end without exciting suspicion.
“I quite agree with you, sir,” he returned.
Then, thinking to change the subject, which was to him by no means an agreeable one, he drew from his pocket again the drawing of his invention for raising sunken ships.
“It would be indeed a favour if either of you gentlemen could put me in the way of laying this draft of my invention before the proper authorities.”
With a couple of drawing-pins he fastened the drawing against the wall of the room, and proceeded to point out its merits once more to the two detectives. They knew but little about it, but strove to comprehend its mode of operation, rising from their seats and carefully inspecting the chart in question.
“Ah,” murmured Peace to himself, “I wish I was fairly out of this. The Yankee bloke seems ever and anon to look one through. He’s awfully cute—I do wish he’d go.”
After some further discussion the chart was rolled up again, and Peace placed it in his pocket, whereupon the three gentlemen sat down again.
“Wal, stranger,” said Shearman, addressing himself again to Peace, “as we are all here to ourselves, I’ll just give you an account of a bit of business I was engaged on in New York. It’s a true story, and there ain’t no tall talk in it.”
“I’m really very sorry,” observed Peace, “but I am afraid I shan’t have time.”
“Oh, bosh, I’ll trot it off as sharp and brisk as a donkey’s gallop. Here’s to our better acquaintance. I am glad to have met you, sir,” added the American, raising the glass to his lips.
“And I am equally glad to have met you, sir,” returned our hero, who wished the Yankee to the Antipodes. “But you must excuse me.”
“Sit down for another quarter of an hour,” said Shearman. “We shall be all three of us going at the expiration of that time. Come, light up—have another cigar.”
“Devil take these fellows!” murmured Peace to himself. “There is no getting out of their clutches.”
He, however, lighted up, and reluctantly consented to remain a little longer.
“My friend, Shearman, can tell you tales of detective life for a week at a stretch,” observed Cartridge, with a smile; “and mind you a good many of his stories are both interesting and instructing. One thing I will say for him, he is never backward in obliging.”
“Wal, I hope we learn something from each other,” observed the American. “It is by the interchange of thought, and knowing something of other men’s experiences, is addition to our own, that we may eventually become smart officers. That’s my opinion, I make it a rule to listen to all people have to say, whether they be wise or otherwise.”
“That’s right enough,” returned Cartridge.
So here goes,” exclaimed the Yankee.