It was plain, by this time, that Mr. Bruff and I had made another

mistake. The sailor with the black beard was clearly not a spy in the

service of the Indian conspiracy. Was he, by any possibility, the man

who had got the Diamond?

"After a little," pursued the Sergeant, "the cab moved on slowly

down the street. The mechanic crossed the road, and went into the

eating-house. The boy waited outside till he was hungry and tired--and

then went into the eating-house, in his turn. He had a shilling in his

pocket; and he dined sumptuously, he tells me, on a black-pudding, an

eel-pie, and a bottle of ginger-beer. What can a boy not digest? The

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substance in question has never been found yet."

"What did he see in the eating-house?" I asked.

"Well, Mr. Blake, he saw the sailor reading the newspaper at one table,

and the mechanic reading the newspaper at another. It was dusk before

the sailor got up, and left the place. He looked about him suspiciously

when he got out into the street. The boy--BEING a boy--passed unnoticed.

The mechanic had not come out yet. The sailor walked on, looking about

him, and apparently not very certain of where he was going next. The

mechanic appeared once more, on the opposite side of the road. The

sailor went on, till he got to Shore Lane, leading into Lower Thames

Street. There he stopped before a public-house, under the sign of 'The

Wheel of Fortune,' and, after examining the place outside, went in.

Gooseberry went in too. There were a great many people, mostly of the

decent sort, at the bar. 'The Wheel of Fortune' is a very respectable

house, Mr. Blake; famous for its porter and pork-pies."

The Sergeant's digressions irritated me. He saw it; and confined himself

more strictly to Gooseberry's evidence when he went on.

"The sailor," he resumed, "asked if he could have a bed. The landlord

said 'No; they were full.' The barmaid corrected him, and said 'Number

Ten was empty.' A waiter was sent for to show the sailor to Number Ten.

Just before that, Gooseberry had noticed the mechanic among the people

at the bar. Before the waiter had answered the call, the mechanic had

vanished. The sailor was taken off to his room. Not knowing what to do

next, Gooseberry had the wisdom to wait and see if anything happened.

Something did happen. The landlord was called for. Angry voices were

heard up-stairs. The mechanic suddenly made his appearance again,

collared by the landlord, and exhibiting, to Gooseberry's great

surprise, all the signs and tokens of being drunk. The landlord thrust

him out at the door, and threatened him with the police if he came back.

From the altercation between them, while this was going on, it appeared

that the man had been discovered in Number Ten, and had declared with

drunken obstinacy that he had taken the room. Gooseberry was so struck

by this sudden intoxication of a previously sober person, that he

couldn't resist running out after the mechanic into the street. As long

as he was in sight of the public-house, the man reeled about in the most

disgraceful manner. The moment he turned the corner of the street, he

recovered his balance instantly, and became as sober a member of society

as you could wish to see. Gooseberry went back to 'The Wheel of Fortune'

in a very bewildered state of mind. He waited about again, on the chance

of something happening. Nothing happened; and nothing more was to be

heard, or seen, of the sailor. Gooseberry decided on going back to the

office. Just as he came to this conclusion, who should appear, on the

opposite side of the street as usual, but the mechanic again! He looked

up at one particular window at the top of the public-house, which was

the only one that had a light in it. The light seemed to relieve his

mind. He left the place directly. The boy made his way back to Gray's

Inn--got your card and message--called--and failed to find you. There

you have the state of the case, Mr. Blake, as it stands at the present

time."




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