“The ground seemed opening under my feet. ‘Did he say where the watch was?’
“‘Yes,’ said the landlady.
“‘And the overcoat on the peg?’
“‘He did,’ said she, now all in a tremor of fright. ‘He seemed to know so exactly all about them, that I never suspected nothing at all.’
“‘And the coat’s gone, too?’ said I, looking into the passage.
“‘That’s sartain,’ said the woman.
“I rushed out; there was no time to lose. I ran round to all the pawnbrokers first; then to the police-office; then to the town-crier. I offered five pounds reward to any one who would detect the thief; I did that on my own head; I did not go to the parade—it would have been of no use—it would have been over—and I did not like to break the news. When I came back chop-fallen to our lodgings, there was my captain. The landlady had told him all. There he sate, dropped down into a low chair, and he looked now more like a corpse than he did in the coffin. He never spoke. I was horribly afraid that he’d go off into an apoplexy, or something, or lose his senses. ‘Captain,’ said I, ‘you’ve heard it.’ He never moved. ‘Captain!’ said I again, louder, and shook him by the shoulder. ‘It is no use sorrowing or fretting, we must be wide awake to recover the property.’
“Then he gave a great sigh, and seemed to rouse a little. ‘It is of no use,’ he said; ‘that was an old hand, that thief. Catch a weazel asleep, and shave his eye-brows. You’ll never catch that scamp. It is all up, Boddily. That was my last throw. There is not a single stone in this cursed world left unturned,’ and he went quite stupid and stony again.
“‘Captain,’ said I, ‘it is of no use talking that way. We must be after the fellow, we shall catch him before he leaves the town. Faint heart never won fair lady. Rouse, captain, rouse; we’ll have him yet, and all will be well.’
“But you might as well have tried to rouse a milestone. At last he burst into tears, and he cried like a child, and rocked to and fro in his chair with his face buried in his hands. He sprang up suddenly, and snatched a pistol from the mantel-piece; I tore it from his hand.