One of the great peculiarities of the policeman is his head. Now, I do
not mean that his head differs from the small or large capital at the
head of most articles; but I allude to the use he makes of that
important appendage to the human body. A nod is said to be as good as a
wink to a blind horse; but leaving blind horses out of the question, the
policeman's nod is a great deal better than his wink. There is a
majesty about one of his wags of the head that is sun-like in its
powers; for as the snow dissolves, so melts away the crowd before that
simple act. It would be a matter of no small difficulty to reduce the
workings of his head to rule, on account of the vast number of
exceptions which would intrude; but in spite of the attendant
difficulties, I have learned something from my friend of the bracelet.
What most men would do by a wave of the hand, Bobby does waggishly--that
is to say, by means of his head. What one would do in a pointed manner
with one's finger, again, K9 performs with his head. If any ordinary
being wished to eject an intruder from his premises he would give
tongue--that is to say, not snarl or bark, but tell him to go in a very
fierce tone of voice; but again, a wag of our friend's head does the
duty, and far more effectually. In short, the nod of emperor or king is
not one half so potent in the upper regions of society as that of K9
with the people.
What awe there is amongst the small boys of the metropolis, and how they
skim and scuffle off when the policeman wags his head; and yet, as they
round a corner, how that never-to-be-beaten Briton peeps forth from
their small natures as they yell defiance when out of reach. But in
spite of his alacrity in fleeing, our friend holds the London _gamin_
somewhat in dread. There is something very humiliating for a noble
swell of a policeman to have to march off four feet six inches of
puerile mischief--powerful in its very weakness--a morsel which acts as
a barbed and stinging thorn in Bobby's side all the way to the station.
We can easily imagine the grim smile of satisfaction which would ripple
over the countenance of our hero if, in traversing that part of Holborn
called High, like Tom Hood, he came into contact with a mother bewailing
the loss of her beloved child. We can easily believe that Bobby would
fervently hope that the loss would prove his gain, that the child would
be, like the old woman's son Jerry in the ancient rhyme, lost and never
found; that the young dog would never turn up again to plague his life,
as he would be pretty sure to do at some future time, banding himself
with birds of a similar feather, chalking the pavements, bowling hoops
amongst the horses' legs, dropping caps down areas, altering butter-shop
tickets, running howling in troops out of courts, and disturbing the
equanimity of foot passengers, cutting behind cabs, yelling inside shop
doors, climbing lamp-posts and performing perilous acrobatic tricks on
the ladder bar, giving runaway knocks and rings, casting themselves
beneath horses' hoofs and miraculously escaping death at every tick of
the clock, making slides on the pave--ice in winter, mud in autumn or
spring, and of the slippery stones in summer; in short, proving a most
thorough plague, torment, and curse to our friend, who shuns the
persecution, as beasts do gad-flies or hornets, from their painful
insignificance.
A youthful pickpocket is a sad trial to him; in fact so is a small
offender of any description; for the sharp boys of London are all gifted
with tongues keen as the adder's teeth, and slightly artful in their
small way. They are powerful at snivelling and appealing to the tender
feelings of the bystanders for aid and assistance against the bitter
tyranny of their captor; and now shines forth that peculiarity of the
British public against which our friend declaims, for the removal of a
boy of tender years, but tough experience, generally calls forth a large
amount of sympathy, which is loudly evinced in a manner most trying to
the nerves of K9.
In due course I received proper apology for the rather rough treatment I
had received, and then listened with considerable attention to further
recitals, many of which are lost to posterity from the jealousy evinced
by the street hero when an attempt was made at noting.
"No thanky, sir," said he, "as I said afore, that sorter thing's bad
enough in open court; but then we says what we are obliged. No prifate
notin', thanky. P'raps you'll put that flimsy away, as it might cause
futur' unpleasantry through bein' used as information again your umbel
servant. I was a-goin' to say a word or two about a hupset as I had one
night going to take a fellow for forgery. It warn't a very partic'lar
affair, for we knowed where my gentleman could be found, and there
warn't any need of a detective. I was detective that time, and only
took one chap with me, as I went quietly about my job.
"From information I received I knowed my customer was somewhere out Soho
way, in one o' them big old houses as is all let out in lodgings, and
full of Frenchies, and Hightalians, and sich. Reg'lar furren colony,
you know, all the way towards Leicester-square. My customer had been a
clerk in a City firm, and had been hard at work makin' hisself a fortun
at bettin'. He used to work hard at it, too, allus making his book so
that he'd bet on the safe side, whatever 'oss won; and I don't know what
he warn't going to make out of it.
"On the strength of what was a-comin', and to pay some little expenses
as he used to come in for through a werry smart sort o' lady as he
courted, he used to borrow money of his gov'nor, just on the quiet-like,
without bothering of him when he knowed he was busy. So he used to sign
his gov'nor's name for him on bits o' cheques, and get what tin he
wanted from the bank; but allus meant to pay it back again when he got
in his heavy amounts as he was to win at Epsom, or Ascot, S'Leger, or
Newmarket.
"Well, you see this sweetheart of his was jest sech another as that Miss
Millwood as did for George Barnwell, and she was a regular dragon at
spending money. Consequently my young friend was allus a borrowin' of
his gov'nor, as I telled you jest now; and at last of all he wouldn't
stand it any longer, for it was bleeding him precious heavy. Besides
which, he wanted to know who was being so kind to him and savin' him so
much trouble about his ortygruff, as he called it. So with a little bit
o' dodgin', in which I assisted, my customer was treed; and then,
watchin' his chance, he runs, and I has to find him. In fact, yer know,
he was what we calls `wanted.'
"But I could tell pretty well where my gentleman would be, so when I'd
got my instructions I goes off to look arter him.
"Jest as a matter of form I goes to his lodgin's; but, jest as I
expected, he wasn't there; so then I goes on to Soho, where his lady had
apartments. I was in plain clothes, so when I asked for her the people
let me in at once, and said I should find her in the first-floor front.
I left my mate on the other side o' the street, for I didn't expect any
opposition, so I walks upstairs to the door, turned the handle quietly,
and walks in--when I gave a bit of a start, for the place was nearly
dark, and would have been quite, if it hadn't been for the gas shining
up out of the street, and making patches of light on the wall; while, as
the lamps ain't werry close together in that part, it wasn't such a
great deal o' light as got in that ways. If I'd been in uniform I
should have had my bull's-eye; but, as I warn't, why, I hadn't; so I
looks round the room, and, as far as I could see, it was nicely
furnished, but there was nobody there; so I gives a kick under the
table, but there was no one there neither; but on it I could just make
out as there was a decanter and two glasses and some biscuits.
"Well, only naterally, I takes 'old o' the decanter with one hand, pulls
out the stopper with the other, and has a smell. No mistake about it--
sherry.
"There was the glasses all ready, and there was my mouth all ready; so I
pours out a glassful all ready too, and I was just a-goin' to raise the
glass to my lips, when a thought struck me, and I says to myself:
"`You air a niste promisin' young officer, you air. You're aspiring to
be a detective, you air; and jest in the midst o' business you're
a-goin' to commit yourself like that. How do you know it ain't a trap?'
"Well, you see, that was rather a settler; so I leaves the glass alone,
though it was rather hard work, and then I has another look, and sees as
there was foldin' doors leading into the back room, and one o' them
doors was not close shut.
"My finger goes up to the side o' my nose, and I gives myself a wink,
and slips out again to see if there warn't a door outer the back room on
to the landing. As a matter o' course there it was, so that any one
might slip out o' that hole while I went in at t'other. So I slips in
again and feels as there was one o' them little turning bolts on the
folding door; so I claps the door to, turns the bolt, and was out again
on to the landing in a jiffy.
"I needn't have hurried myself, though, for all was as quiet as could
be; and I thought as there was no one there, but of course I has to make
sure. All at once I thinks that perhaps the landing door would be
locked in side, and as I'd shut the folding door that would be locked
too, so that I should be obliged to have 'em broken open, and this was
the sort of house where you wouldn't have a row if you could help it.
"How-so-be, sir, I tries the landing door, and finds it open easy
enough, and then I was inside the room, but what sort of a place it was
I couldn't tell, for it was as dark as Ejup. Of course I expect it was
a bedroom, and thinks as I should soon feel the bedstead, as would fill
up a good bit o' the place. But fust of all I drops down upon my hands
and knees; so as if anybody hit at me, or shot at me, or tried any o'
them little games in the dark, as they'd most likely do it at the height
of a man, why it would go over one, and only hit the furniture, which
can be replaced, when you can't replace active and enterprising
officers--leave alone being cut off in the flower of one's youth, you
know.
"Then I listens. All as still and as dark as could be. But still as it
was, I could hear my heart go `beat, beat,' wonderful loud.
"`Wish I'd a light,' I says to myself, but then it warn't no use
wishing; and I didn't want to go to the people downstairs, so I begins
feeling about as slow and as quiet as I could.
"I soon finds out as it's a bedroom, for I rubs my knuckles up against
the bed-post, and soon was close up alongside o' the ticking, when I
thinks as I heered a noise, and darts back to the door in a moment; but
all was still again, and I turns back, and then in a manner I got lost,
and confused, and could not tell which way I was going, nor yet where
was the door.
"Now, I daresay that all sounds werry queer; but perhaps you don't know
how easy it is to be lost in a dark room as you've never been in before,
even if it is a little 'un; and if so be as you thinks werry little of
it, jest you get a handkercher tied tight over yer eyes, and do as you
does at Christmas time--`turn round three times and ketch who you may,'
and then see where you are in two twinklings.
"Well, first of all I hits my hand again a chair; then I butts my head
again the corner of as hard a chest o' drawers as ever I did feel in my
life; and then I kicks up such a clatter with the washstand as would
have a'most alarmed the house; but I keeps down on my hands and knees,
being suspicious of an ambushment, till last of all I feels my way round
to the bedside again, and when I was far enough I reaches my hand
lightly over, and lays it on the bed, and then I jumps as though I was
shot, for I felt somebody's leg under the clothes.
"Then I snatches my hand back and turns all over in a wet, cold state as
if I'd been dipped, for I feels precious uncomfortable, and didn't know
what was best to be done next. One moment I expected to hear the
`whish' of a heavy stick, or the sharp crack of a pistol; for arter the
noise I made it was quite impossible for whoever was in the bed to be
asleep. Then I thinks as I would call for help, or run out, for I don't
mind telling you I felt regularly scared with the silence. How-so-be, I
gets the better of my bit o' failing; and, rousing up, I puts my hand
over once more close up to where the pillow should be, and lays it upon
a cold face, and there it seemed to stick, for a shudder went up my arm
right to my head, and I couldn't neither move nor speak, while my mouth
felt as dry and hot inside as though it was full o' dust.
"Cold! I never felt anything so cold; and I fell a shivering awful,
till with a regular drag I rouses myself up and snatches my hand away;
and as fast as ever I could I got out on to the landing and into the
front room, and all the while trembling and feeling as if something was
after me to pull me back. I got to the window, smashes out a pane, and
gives a whistle as brings my mate to the door, and then I hears a ring,
and some voices, and he was up to my side in a moment or two, with some
o' the people o' the house arter him.
"`Turn on your light,' I says, as soon as he stood by me on the landing,
and then, feeling as white as a sheet, and my hair wet with
persperation, but more plucky now there was light and a companion, I
goes back towards the room.
"`Here, give us one o' them candles,' I says to a woman as came upstairs
with one in each hand; and then from upstairs and down comes the people,
all talking together, while as soon as some on 'em sees as it was the
police they shuffles off again, so as it was all women as stayed about
us.
"First glance I take I sees what was up, and I says to my mate:--
"`Keep them all out;' and he goes and stands at the door and closes it
after him, when I'm blest if I didn't let the candle fall, and it was
out in a moment. But I felt better now there was help if I wanted it,
and I goes up to the bedside and lays my hand on that face as I touched
before, but it was cold as ice. Then I slips my hand down to the
breast, but there wasn't a beat there, so I then says to myself, `Gone,'
says I; and in spite o' my shiverin' and tremblin' I tried to get the
better of it, and reaches over again and lays my hand on the back of a
head as felt cold, too; and then, after a good hard tussel with number
one, I feels down to the breast of this one, and there wasn't a beat
there. Then I gets to the door again, just as a man comes with a candle
in his hand.
"I gives him my empty candlestick, and takes his light, and I says:--
"`I'm a policeman,' I says, `and you go out and fetch the nighest
doctor; and if you meets another constable tell him to come here.'
"`What for, young man?' he says, werry bounceable.
"`Never you mind what for,' I says; but you do as you're told; and
seeing me look as though I meant it, he starts off like a shot, and we
two stood there till the doctor came, and then we goes in, followed by
ever so many women, all looking white, and talking in whispers.
"Lord, sir, it was a sight! There was the room well-furnished, and on
the bed lay as pretty a girl as ever you see, search through all London;
her face, and neck looking as white as so much marble, while all her
long black hair lay loose and scattered over the pillow. Her hands were
under her head, and she looked for all the world as though she was
asleep; while by the flickering candles I almost thought I could see her
smile. And there, with one arm across her, his head close to her side,
his face buried in the clothes, half-lying on the bed, with his feet on
the ground by the bedside, was him as I took to be my customer as I
wanted; and both him and the girl dead and stiff.
"The doctor examined 'em, and only said what every one could see plain
enough, but he says as well that they'd been gone hours; and that we
didn't know.
"Then he gives a sniff or two, and says as there's a strong smell of
acid about. `Is there any cup or bottle anywhere?' he says.
"I gives a sorter jump, and felt my skin creep, for I recollects the
bottle and glasses in the next room, and a cold shiver goes all down my
back.
"How-so-be, I goes round and opens the folding doors, and shows the
doctor the sherry decanter, which had about three glasses at the bottom.
"`Ah!' says he, taking the glassful as I poured out, holding it up to
the light, and then sniffing it. `Ah,' says he, `there's more than
enough for one in that glassful; and that seems to be the same,' he
says, smelling at the decanter. `Pour it in, pleeceman, and tie the
stopper down, and seal it.'
"I takes up the glass and tries to pour it back, but if my hand didn't
shake to that degree that the glass chattered against the neck of the
decanter, and I spilt half the stuff on the cloth, I was so scared at
the escape I'd had.
"Well, sir, you see some one as won't take no refusal had been
beforehand with his warrant, and took both the forger and his lady, and
I know I thought it a most awful affair, for I was rather new to such
things then. But whether he poisoned her, or whether they'd agreed to
it aforehand, nobody knew, not even the Coroner; but all I know is that
never before, nor since, have I met with anything as upset me so much as
finding them two poor things lying there in the dark--dead, and stiff,
and stark; it upset me wonderful--at least, that and the sherry
together."