EVE THE THIRD.
STRAY RECOLLECTIONS OF CHARLES CHALLICE, POLICEMAN 999 X, RESPECTING THAT YOUNG MAN AND THAT YOUNG WOMAN, WHO GOT INTO TROUBLE.
By FLORENCE MARRYAT.
IT’S many a time and oft, as I’ve been had up in the police courts and ordered by the beaks to stand forward and narrate on oath all I had seen or heerd on concerning certain strange circumstances, as had come across my path whilst on dooty. And I never made no bones about it neither, but spoke up, bold and true, for it seemed to come nateral like, and all in the way of the perfession.
Charles Challice, 999 X.
But when a man is called upon, at my age, to give the perticulars of the most tenderest memory of his life, it don’t come so easy, and if these here words as I’m about to put down is to be printed and published, and happen to fall into my missus’s hands, why, the Lord help me! for I shall never hear the end of it.
Howsomever, it’s been put to me, as my testimony is needed to complete the history of the life of a young woman, as was once a great friend of mine, and so I won’t refuse to give that testimony, though the doing of it may go to scrape the ashes off a fire, as was kindled twenty-eight years ago.
Twenty-eight years ago! Only to think of it, and yet I can remember everything as took place then, as plain as if it happened yesterday, though I’m a married man now, with six boys and gals round me a-growing up to men and women as fast as they can do it.
First there’s my Charley, a fine strapping young feller, as will be in the Force with me before long; and then his sister Maggie, as was married more than three months ago; and little Annie, in the Telegraph Office, who’s keeping company with the brewer’s young man. And after them come three youngsters, all in the Board School as yet (though it’s little enough, they’ll learn there to be any use to them), and the youngest is eight year old, so you may suppose their mother and I are no chickens.