true, and the great Force need not blush. Have not the greatest generals and statesmen found solace in the society of the other sex? But John was now a married man, and devoted himself most strongly to his profession. Evil-doers feared him, and many were the scoundrels he had haled off to prison, with penal results. It was not often that he interfered with applewomen. His orders were to keep the way clear; but, as John said, "We must all live, and selling apples is honest as honest as selling tea and sugarhonester, for you can't adulterate your apples, though you may boil an orange." But John was now under a cloud, and he did interfere with apple men and women; "chivied" small boys; cuffed one who had "cut behind " a cab and nearly been run over; frowned severely at a fuzee seller; scowled at the patchouli native in cummerbund, till the coffee-coloured Hindoo shivered in his shoes and smiled pathetically. John even had words with an earl's coachman, and moved him on in spite of the coronet upon the panel and the dashing bays. For John was under a cloud. Mysterious robberies had been taking place on his beat, and though he had done his best to catch the members of the gang, they had been too much for him, and the robberies went on. Now this was very galling to a man who had set his mind upon rising in life. Blue was very well; but John wanted to wear black, with silk facings. P.C. was decent, sergeant was better; but inspector, and then superintendent - those were the goals that John Pipley wished to reach in the race of life; and now, instead of going forward, his movements were retrograde: he was threatened with minutes and reports, and all because of the scoundrels who had been too much for him. "I'll be down upon them, though, one of these days," said John. "I'll put salt on some of your tails, my pretty gaol-birds. It's 'ware hawk with you, so I tell you, my fine fellows." So he went on, up and down, down and up, and had nothing to report at last. And the robberies went on. A carpet bag was taken from a cab in motion. Next day, a shawl, and a carriage timepiece were stolen as the barouche stood at a fashionable milliner's door. The disturbance about that was hardly over when a boy was hustled, and a valuable parcel wrested from his hands. Again, a page was bonneted, and a pet dog and a mother-o'-pearl opera-glass taken from his encircling arms. John Pipley was in despair. Another day. Great-coat and umbrella from the front hall of Lord Rubblemede's town mansion, in Upper Crook Street; two umbrellas from No. 24 in the same street, and a roll of carpet from the big draper's round the corner. John had a sharp lecture from the inspector, and he went again upon his beat, horribly wroth. "If I'd only been by that shop-door I could have nailed them," said John, angrily; "but a man can't be everywhere at once. I'll have them, though, next time, hang me if I don't! or else I'll leave the force.” He was very busy that day, and took up one man on suspicion; but only got snubbed for his pains. "I shall be too many for them yet," said John, as he swung leisurely down a street. "Every dog has his day, watch-dogs as well as mongrels, a-running about and doing mischief; but when I do get hold, why then-—” He paused before an orange woman who was encroaching upon the pavement, and, after warning her off, began to ponder on her appearance. Some one must have committed these robberies, and why not she as well as any one else? She was bulky, and had a habit of sitting in a sieve packed with her legs under her, to keep her warm; her bonnet was very much crushed, and her plaid shawl all awry - all of which proved nothing; but they might be found to be associated in some way with the late robberies. It was astonishing what great things sometimes grew out of small, as the detective had often shown. John Pipley could not make the sides of the puzzle fit, so he moved on himself. Ah ! Now that was more likely. An organgrinder. Hum! Always loitering about and turning that handle-what opportunities for thinking out villainy! But no, it would not do. He couldn't take up Giuseppe on suspicion; so the man ground out the march from "Faust" like so much musical meal to be blown away upon the wind, the sounds buzzing in John Pipley's ears, even when he was out of sight. "I'll have 'em yet,-I'll have 'em yet," said John, as he chewed the cud of his disappointment, and thought of his inspector's words; but his business was very slack, the people were awfully well-behaved, and it was very disappointing. A cab rattled by, laden with luggage; but no scoundrel was dislodging a portmanteau; and he -John Pipley-could not run after that cab all the way to the Great Northern to see if it arrived there safe. It was not reasonable, and would be horribly wanting in dignity. How his head worked! How he beat together his gloves, in which his fingers itched to get at crime or longed to lay hold of his truncheon, and hit at something, hard-very hard! Up and down, here and there; but nothing on the wing. Not even a row between somebody s coachman and a cabby; not even a horse down; all was peace when he wanted war-war to the truncheon. It was enough to make any policeman sigh, and of their kind, lovers of living things, and po unquestionable proof the thread alive upon their to the ordinary eye c it, does not in reality fess I have been many calling Piscator, my expectations which ruin, a cruel and cold quiet way in which -never taking the p wriggled its last, an fresh victim-or sele his green water-box pleasant river, his that he does not kn under-jaw. When so well, and given in the most saga float, and has bee the interior of not yet suffer hi he is a very go could atone for -drops him ag duct only to be e the legend, whi by her lover in for eels; upon the lady, "pu some more." my revered May-fly, in see a boy not so muc but an old reminds these r and put packed case, the man got his under the other, tü. he sighed accordingly. Ah! if some darin woopidrel would only dash a brick through one of those great panes of glass, and seize handfuls of the glorious jewels therem! With what a feeling of ex-secured, the man climbed into the cart, a mutua quisite de light he could bring down his truncheon nod of good-fellowship was exchange, the reas upon the evil doer's arm, and make him drop the were shaken, the horse flicked, and away it ratt.i treasure, which would fly scintillating all over while P.C. Pipley slowly replaced his gloves the pavement; and then, with the fellow's cuff tightly held, the jewels gathered and placed in his John Pipley's pocket, how he could proudly march the thief off, enter the charge, and deposit the culprit, like so much honey which he had gathered, safely in a cell! Ah, and court next day! Yes, he would shine there as the active and intelligent officer. The jeweller would, of course, come down handsome, and it would be a step towards promotion. Yes, if such an attempt were only made, and he was at hand to stay it! What a crack at the gang it would be if it were not a castle in the air. PC. Pipley beat his gloves together and sighedsi hed deeply. "I was on the look-out when that last carriage robbery came off, and I'd almost go so far as to won that I saw that roll of carpet perfectly safe ten minutes before it was stolen. Though it couldnt have been safe, or it wouldn't have been taken Ah! I shall have 'em yet." Now then, Bobby, give's a lift with this here, there Sa good un John Pipley had been slowly approaching a great est monger's shop, at one end of which stood a hh cut, with the tail board down, and an ordi nary looking man was trying to lift a large firkin into the cart, its fellow being already there. Heavy! Said P.C. Pipley, an' out," said the man. John Pipley was naturally good-natured. He Luck's dead against me," he said-dual as dead; but I'll have 'em yet. If some one world only do something. If I'd had any luck at 1 I should have nobbled some one after them Patter kegs. Heighho! nothing never falls in my way. All through the afternoon, like a law-preserving and intelligent officer, did P.C. Pipley watcher about his beat, longing to get a shot at some rasal or another; but everything was quieter than uste and the time for relief coming, P.C. Pipiey retumad to the station. Another robbery on your beat this afterno 1, Pipley," said the inspector. "Strange thing Most mysterious! But it must be stopped. We can't go on like this. I must put another ma on." "No, sir, don't, please; I'm down on 'em frst chance," said Pipley: "but what is it this timeanother timepiece out of a carriage!” "No; a- Not a great-coat from a hall!" "No; a shop-door robbery.” And I told 'em to be careful about them there rolls of carpet," said Pipley, "I don't want to be harsh," said the inspector i and I suppose you were watched out of the way. A man can't be everywhere at once, nor yet le all eyes, as the ratepayers and the press seen to think." What was it this time, sir?" said Pipley "Oh, a a very daring affair-butter firkins and g the Law was glad to appeal to a civilian for help in firkins and a chest taken from the cheesemonges knew, too, the value of aid in a row: how often chests, just delivered from a railway van. Two So, without a the capture of some ugly customer. "A little furder, old un," said the man; A vigorous push sent the firkin right forward beside the other. Now this here," said the man," and then there's the price of a pint," as he stepped up to an egg box lying close under the cheesemonger's window. "All right," said John; "but just tell your people as it aint safe to leave these things out; there's been a good many robberies about.” door directly after." "Were they outside the shop, sir?" said Pípley, rubbing his gloves softly together. "Yes, outside at Chedderby's. The fellows must have had a cart. I'll put on a couple of pliaO clothes men, for this sort of thing must le stopped. The colonel will be furious.” and thet. Pipley, with a peculiar look of his eye: a bit of straw into the smallest possible fragments. "It won't do to say how I've been sold," he muttered at last, as he sat down to the tea-table: "Well, I told our foreman as it wasn't safe," " for I have been sold, and no mistake. Looked as innocent as a lamb, he did; and me not to see as he was the lamb of black sheep. And me, after John Pipley pocketed the twopence offered to eight years in the Force, not to have the gumption said the man; "but he called me a fool for my pains. Now, then." him, got his fingers under one end of the straw to take a note of the name upon the cart!" |