RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONDON DETECTIVE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3728, 5 February 1891, Page 3

RECOLLECTIONS OF A LONDON DETECTIVE.

(Continued)

Travers was a lazy warehouseman, and would never work if he could live without, and as for taldng home the wife he had driven from him by starvation and every kind of cruelty, I could not believe it. It was the very last thing I should have expected, and I said so to the waiter. "But I saiw him with her o' Sunday _ night," the man persisted. " I knew him, ♦ bnt I wasn't sure of her, though I know her white dress i* the pink flounces.' She'd a different headpiece—a bonnet and veil instead ot the bat —but, bless ye, there ain't another dress like hers in the place, and that's # enough to go by. Then I spoke to some others who'd seen them, and spoke to him, and they said it was all right between them, and he, was a-taking her off to Ramsgate for a wetk or two's 'olidays. Little Bob, over in the other house, 'e saw them go off in the train when 'e was takin' his young woman'out for the evening. 'Twas the pink flounces he knew her by—every one knows Poll by them or the tatoo marks."

" P'r'aps they've gone away for good ?" I suggested. " That's wot I say—that's wot I've been trying to drive into their thick 'eds all --."on:*," said the waiter with great energy. " 'Tain't likely a 'spectable cove like Travers would care to show her off much after they've been parted so long. He'll have took her away to some quiet place, and we'll never see her again." I had tny own thoughts about this strange move, bnt I said nothing to the man. It was very unlikely that Travers should act except for a purpose. really had taken her away it boded for the wretched and lost girl. It to put her quietly out of the way, up into a mad state and clap an asylum, a trick I've seen played JflHßny a time by men tired of their wives,-or Tyne might only wish her out of the City for a time till he could marry the pretty barmaid and'get hold of her money. I was rather busy with my own work at the time, but I remembered my promise to Poll, as well as her terror when extracting it from me ; so I went after Travers the first time I had to cali my own. He was not at his work, and not been there for a week, nor was the to be kept open for him. The head man there said that he understood that Travers had come into some money*or property, and left the City, and so would fiot need the work any more. I could not get any clue to the direction he had taken when leaving London, and thought I might get that from the pretty barmaid, Blue Bel!, I went to the place in which she expecting to catch sight of her high top-knot of hair and her haughty face the moment I got within the door, but I was disappointed. For the first time for many a day Blue Bell was absent, and another woman quite as flashy in her place. " Where's Blue Bell ?" I asked of the new girl, as I lifted the glass of stout she had drawn for me. :• " Oh, she's retired," she answered, showing all her white teeth in a big smile; "gone away to be married, I believe." "Married ? who to?" I said, with a stairt; but the girl was busy, and was gone serving others for a full quarter of an hour before she could attend to the question. " Who t6 ? : Oh, that's more than any of them can tell, for' she was very close about it," she merrily answered; " but there was a fellow named Travers who was never away from her for weeks and months before, i and he is said to be the lucky man." Again she was called away by a press of customers, and I had time to finish my drink and think a good deal as well before she got back. The more I thought the more muddled my head seemed to get, and t when-'the girl stood before me I asked her if the stout was good, for I half suspected that it had got into my head. If Travers had taken back his lost wife it. was clear to me that he could not have also married Blue Bell, the barmaid; unless, indeed—and there it was .that my professional instincts began to quicken—unless he had in some queer way first shut- up his real wife's mouth. How could he do that?' By buying her silence ? I've, known a bargain of that kind made and adhered to many a time—or by stopping her speech for ever ? I thought the first the likeliest, for, as I noticed, Travers was a little miserable-look-ing chap, a coward every inch, and one whom Poll could have mastered easily with one hind. And yet, knowing JPoll as I did, I could not believe that she would be bought W off. She thought too much of the coward to tamely allow another to carry himoff and money had no value to her. I-have seen her throw shillings awaiy in handfuls, though the next day she might be starving. If I had only had time I should have run down to Ramsgate to look for Travers; but I was put oat to a queer case at the Bonded Warehouses at the Tower, and had to stick .to that, for some days, thinking all the.while of Poll, and quite determined to get to the bottom of the' matter. I was going along from that place to Seething Lane Police Station one night pretty late—it must have been near- -midnight—when a hand like an icicle.touched mine oat of the darknes suddenly enough to make me jump. A littl ' ragamuffin stood before me, and I had no heard him hurry op to my side because h had neither shoes nor stockings on his fee It was November, and bitter cold, and I di not envy him. - ," What do you want ? and what din y° do that for ?" I said, as abgry as possibl gripping him by the. shoulder and turnir bis face round to the light of a street lamp All his clothes seemed to be a pair ragged trousers, and a man's coat, all holes, with a broken-rimmed felt hat, glos: with grease and old age. TJje face wasn exactly known to me, but then I see so mai faces. . . c. "No harm sir." he humbly answer* " You're in the pleece, they tell me—a 't« or somethink of that kind; and I heard tl you was askin* arter Poll—Spankin Poll the 'lghway. Ain't it so, sir ?" " You know her then ?" " Know her, sir ? Wy, everybody knows fcer for good. I've been missin' her all the time, sir, She stood me two taters, all 'ot, and a pint of warm rice water w'en I was Jead beat one night, and arter that give me a tanner to start me with some collar studs. Where is she gone to, sir?" and again he lid that icy hand on mine, and turned his syes up to mine in a queer way, which startled me more than the touch of his fingers. 3 , . "'Ave yon seen her anywheres about,

* I shook niy head, and watched his eyes. They were full of suppressed horror, and the lad was trembling all over. " Is she alive, sir ?" he said at last, in an awful whisper. ,' , "Alive? I believe so. I was told she went away to Ramsgate on Saturday." "I saw her on Friday night," said the lad, in the same strange tone. " I saw where .she went with a man. and I never saw her. come back. You know the burnt block, sir, along near Black Raven's Ally, close by the river ?" I had seen the place—a* big warehouse which had been burned nearly to the cround. "Well, I saw her going about all night with that man: they say he's her husband," continued the boy, in a whisper. " She was drunk—werry drunk, and he'd to help her along by- the arm. I wanted to speak to her, and get the loan of a shillin" to buy some stock for Saturday, but I didn't like to bother her while he was with her. She hadn't on her pretty dress, but I know her face, and I beard her speak, so I'm sure it was her:" " Well, go on." •• I'm a-goin' on. I followed tbeoi to the burnt Mock. I've slept there sometimes, for there's a hole at the end of the boarding you can get ia by. He went in there, and Icame oat again in a little while, but Poll didn't come out with hira. He noticed me, and came up and gave me a sixpence. I wanted to see that Poll was all right, for > she was not fit to be left there herself, so when he was gone I crept in and looked all over the place, but she wasn't there." .«• " Why do you look so queer! Out with it®all! What do you suspect?" I cried, collaring him by the ragged coat. "'Spect? w'y, that Poll either fell into the river or was dropped in. I've never seen her since. If she went in there the mud would suck her out of sight in two hours. I've been in it often, and I know." " How could you see her if she's gone to Ramsgate ?" " Ramsgate be blowed. If she went there she went by the river." he sharply returned. " I heerd them speak about her going away there on Saturday, but I 'spect It was ony her pretty dress stuck on some bouncing gal about her size. I've never been able to get that burnt block out of my head, and the mud outside of it, and what may be unier the mud. I can't sleep for it, or, if I do sleep, I'm always scraping away at the mud with my hands, and getting hold of something I don't want to touch. 'Tecks is good at finding out things. Couldn't you find ouf if Poll is under the-mud ?" " You can swear that you saw her husband go in there with her and come out alone?" " Swear it a hundred times over," he solemnly returned. I took him with me, and, by the side ol the 6r« in the oolice station, he soon got off to sleep. (To be Contiputd,)