“Did you notice whether he carried a valise in his hand?”

“A gripsack? Yes, sir.”

“A small one?”

“Yes, sir.”

“It was mine.”

“You don’t say so, sir! And such a respectable-lookin’ gemman, sir.”

“He may have looked respectable, but he was a thief all the same.”

“You don’t say? Did he take anything else, sir?”

“He took my pocketbook.”

“Well, well! He was a rascal, sure! But maybe it dropped on the floor.”