“Mr C—— will scarcely think that,” said he. “You have done enough to-day, and I think you had better go to bed.”
“No, I must have that watch, otherwise I could sleep none.”
I then went to the desk, and taking a printed form of one of our complaints, not filled up, and not signed of course, I put it quietly in my pocket, departed, and took my way to the man Hart’s once more. I found him in, just preparing to go to bed.
“My last visit, Hart,” said I; “I am come once more for the watch you got from the friend of Mitchell.”
“I told you before,” said he, “that I have no such watch, and never had.”
“And I tell you that I have the very best authority for knowing that you have. Now, Hart, I have known you for some time, and would rather save you than banish you, but,” pulling out the useless bit of printed paper, “I have no discretion. There are certain people called authorities, you know, and they have long arms. Do you see that paper? Did you ever hear of such a thing as a complaint?”
“Do you mean a warrant of apprehension?” said he.
“Just as you choose to call it,” replied I, taking out my handcuffs. “I am sorry for this duty imposed upon me, but either you or I must suffer. You must walk up to the Office, or I must bid farewell to it.”
My man got into a pensive mood, and looked on the floor.
The conjurors on the stage do their work with little things, and they deceive the senses; but they don’t often touch the heart. I have done some things in my conjuring way with very puny instruments. Yes, the heart is a conjurable commodity, very simple and helpless when operated upon successfully, and I was here trying to vanquish a stronger one than Mrs Donald M‘Leod’s, by the means of a bit of paper, with a few words of print on it, and a loop of leather. I have sometimes suspected that the world is juggled in a similar way, only the juggle is not very often known. If so, I may be allowed my small devices, especially when used in the cause of what is good and lawful. I wanted only to save another man’s watch. A bit of paper not much larger, once saved the lives of more Roman senators than my watches amounted to altogether.