‘Not want to’—— I began, in some astonishment, for such an idea was enough to astonish anybody, when he again snapped me up sharply.
‘If you will listen to me, and not interrupt,’ was his pleasant remark, ‘you may understand your instructions the sooner. The person who stole, or caused to be stolen, what really was taken, wanted only a couple of bills, accepted by Waterman & Co.—Do you know the firm?’
‘No; I can’t say I do. I know most of the City houses, but I never came across them.’
‘And you are not likely to do so,’ he returned; ‘for there is no such firm in existence. The bills were forgeries. They were never intended to get into my hands, and no doubt would have been taken up by the drawer. But the holders were pressed for money, and gave them to another firm not much better off, who handed them to us. I did not believe that a large house, as I heard Waterman & Co. were, would have anything to do with such small matters; and some other things, trivial enough in themselves, adding to my suspicions, I caused inquiries to be made, with the result I expected—that is, of finding they were forgeries. The next thing was to trace them; and as I was already pretty certain of the forger, I should easily have done that, when the office was entered, the safe unlocked, not forced, so it must have been done by some one who had access to the keys. These bills were stolen, so all proof is lost. But if I cannot trace the forger, I may the burglar, and that is what I want you for—and for this I will pay five hundred pounds.’
He went on to explain that he was not upon good terms with his wife. But I could have told him all about that; every one in the City knew that he had married a widow of great wealth, who had an only son, and that he had almost broken the poor woman’s heart by his coldness and neglect. There had been no open outbreak or scandal, but they were separated; the son, who was now some four or five and twenty years old, being a sort of link between the pair, by remaining in his step-father’s counting-house.
All this, with a very different colouring, the merchant told me now. I could have saved him the trouble, but you should always let such persons have as much talking as they like. When he had finished this part, he told me something which surprised me. He had reason to believe, he said, that this step-son, Godfrey Harleston, was the person who forged these bills and who robbed the office. There were marks on the counting-house window frames and sills which showed that the burglar had entered and left by that way; indeed, it would have been almost impossible for any one to leave by the front of the house without attracting attention. All this was clear enough; but then he went on to say that he would cheerfully spend a thousand pounds, besides the reward, to bring the crime home to his step-son, who, he explained, was a thoroughly bad character, and had been a thorn in his side for a long time.
‘If he is as bad as you are, old gentleman,’ I thought to myself, ‘he must be a bad one indeed.’
I took a great dislike to Mr Thurles for showing such bitter animosity to the young fellow; but I could see that the chief aim of the merchant was to wound his mother through him; and although, after seven-and-twenty years in the police, it took more than a little to upset me, I could hardly stand this. However, some one else would have the job if I did not, so I agreed to undertake the business.
I was to do what I liked, spend what I pleased, and have whatever help I wanted; but I do not care much about help. In some things, of course, you must have people with you; but, as a rule, a single man can do all there is to be done, and when he works, he is sure to be always working on the same line, which is more than you can be certain of when there are two or three of you in it. Nor did I see that laying out much money would help us. I told him so; and before I left him, had given him a sketch of what I thought would be a good beginning.
He rang for a bottle of port and some cigars. After a time, I went home in capital temper with myself, and talked my last cigar out with Winny, who was sitting up for me, and still, I thought, looking anything but her usual self.