“In this case it would be ruination. The circumstances are so exasperating. My partners are inclined to twit me about what they call my ‘starched morality!’ My rivals in the Council Chamber are on the lookout for a chance of picking a hole in my character. My wife is desperately and absurdly jealous. They would one and all refuse to believe that I did not know to whom I was speaking, and I should be branded as a hypocrite who practised social vices under the cloak of pretended morality.” “What was the woman like?” “Tall, of fine figure, and ladylike appearance, with bright complexion, and a quantity of bright golden hair. She also wore a pair of gold rimmed eyeglasses.” “H’m! not much to go by. There are so many stylish-looking woman with yellow hair and bright complexions nowadays. A little ready money and a determination to be in the fashion can work wonders. Did you observe any other peculiarity about the pick-pocket?” “No, nothing. You see, I had not time to notice much, for the interview was short and I was quite unsuspicious.” “Well, there is very little to act upon. Still, I daresay you will find our firm of more use than the police would have been.” “I am quite sure of it. Those other cases you undertook for me were nothing short of miraculous, and I have the utmost faith in your powers.” “Thank you. I believe I may almost promise that you shall have your watch back within a week. Meanwhile, say nothing about the affair to anyone else. You can be supposed to have taken your repeater to be regulated.” When Mr Lanimore left our office he was much more at ease about his property than when he came in, and I was pretty confident about my ability to fulfil my apparently rash promise. I had taken shorthand notes of all the details Mr Lanimore was able to give me. Not that I needed them. But it looks well to be as business-like as possible. A few minutes later I was explaining the whole affair to my uncle, and we soon had our plans for future action completed. We generally keep an eye, through our subordinates, on such likely people for business as Angelina Dyer, and knew that she was lodging in a street off Commercial-road at this moment. We also felt sure that for this day, at least, she would suspend further active operations in the city. At present she would be displaying her prizes to the admiring gaze of her associates. Pawnshops are a worked-out field for our regular watch-lifters. They have a safer means of disposing their gains. Not far from Houndsditch there lives a man under whose clever manipulative fingers stolen watches and jewellery lose their identity. If ordinary “faking” won’t work the oracle, then the melting-pot is resorted to. In all probability Alderman Lanimore’s repeater would be in the hands of the watch-faker within twenty-four hours. We must, therefore, secure it to-night – if not by strategy, then by force.