Dorothy's Double. Volume 1 (of 3)Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
History
Dorothy's Double. Volume 1 (of 3)
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
Great Britain -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction
'We quite see that. Still, it will be something to find him; then we can
have him watched, and, if possible, caught in the act of posting the
letters.'
'You will find that difficult--I do not mean the watching him nor seeing
him post his letters, but bringing it home to him. I would rather have
to deal with anything than with a matter where you have got the Post
Office people to get round. Once a letter is in a box it is their
property until it is handed over to the person it is directed to. Still,
we may get over that, somehow. The first thing, I take it, is to find
the man. You say his betting name is Marvel?'
'That is the name he had on his hat at Epsom on the Oaks day, but he may
have a dozen others.'
'Ah, that is true enough. Still, no doubt he has used it often enough
for others to know him by it; and now for his description.
'Thank you, that will be sufficient. I think I will send a man down to
Windsor at once; the races are on again to-day. He will get his address
out of one or other of his pals. It will cost a five-pound note at the
outside. If you will give me your address, I shall most likely be able
to let you have it this evening.'
'I wish to goodness I had come to you before,' Captain Hampton said.
'Here I have been wasting three weeks trying to find the man, and
spending fifty or sixty pounds in railway fares, stand tickets and
expenses, and you are able to undertake it at once.'
'It is a very simple matter, Captain Hampton. I have been engaged in two
or three turf cases, and one of my men knows a lot of the hangers-on at
racecourses. Watches and other valuables are constantly stolen there,
and as often enough these things are gifts, and are valued beyond their
mere cost in money, their owners come to us to try if we can get them
back for them, which we are able to do three times out of four. Whoever
may steal the things, they are likely to get into one of four or five
hands, and as soon as we let it be known that we are ready to pay a fair
price for their return and no questions asked, it is not long before
they are brought here. I don't say I may be able to find out this man's
exact address, but I can find out the public-house or other place where
he is generally to be met with. I don't suppose the actual address of
one in ten of these fellows is known to others. They are to be heard of
in certain public-houses, but even their closest pals often don't know
where they live. Sometimes, no doubt, it is in some miserable den where
they would be ashamed to meet anyone. Sometimes there may be a wife and
family in the case, and they don't want men coming there. Sometimes it
may be just another way. Many of these fellows at home are quiet,
respectable sort of chaps, living at some little place where none of
their neighbours, and perhaps not even their wives, know that they have
anything to do with racing, but take them for clerks or warehousemen, or
something in the city. So I don't promise to find out the fellow's home,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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