CHAPTER XXVI.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1613, 4 November 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER XXVI.

I now resolved to put into execution my resolve of hunting up Glika Nasilovitch by the aid of the authorities, and, armed with the necessary credentials, I presented myself one morning at the police-inspector's office. The inspector, a tall, square-built man,, with a yellow moustache and a military bearing, received me with business-like politeness; " I have no doubt we can find the woman for you," he said, ringing a handbell as he spoke.' "You have no charge against her, I understand you to say ?" " No ; but I believe sho can give me important information concerning certain family matters." " Ah, quite so ! — I understand," said the inspector. " Sergeant Blake," he added, to the burly, red-headed Irishman who made his appearance in answer to the bell, " this gentleman is desirous of finding out the whereabouts of a woman who is very likely not unknown to the force. He will give you her description—or stay ! — Jinker was with me just now ; if he has not gone, will you ask him to step here. Detective Jiuker is your man," he said to me, when the sergeant had departed on his errand. " He'll be ablo to put his finger on the party, if anybody can." Detective Jinker might, as the inspector gave me to understand, have been a distinguished ornament of his profession, but his appearance in that case belied him much. A fat, stnpid-looking man of middle height, with a snub nose and watery grey eyes, he carried a huge cotton umbrella in one hand and a small black bag, suggestive of sandwiches, in the other. But a second glance showed a square, determined jaw, and the watery eyes aforesaid lost no time in making themselves acquainted with every item of my personal appearance- " Sit down, Jinker," said the inspector. "This gentleman, Mr. — Mr. Baymond, will describe to you the person he wishes to find. I've told him you're his man for that, if anybody is." Mr. Jinker acknowledged the compliment by a nod, and listened in silence to the description which I gave him. " Do you know her, Jinker?" asked the inspector, when I had finished. "As well as I know you !" answered the detective, in a curt, incisive voice, much at variance with his foolish, flabby appearance. " What's the charge?" " Oh, no charge ; but this gentleman believes her to be in possession of information which concerns him, and the Chief Commissidner directs us to assist him in any way we can." " Very good ; we'll go this evening. They're a bad lot, though ; we shall want two or three constables." " I'll send Blake and another with you ; will ihatdo?" " Yes ; I'll meet Mr. llaymond hero at seven T-liarp, then. Anything more?" "No, nothing more — except, by-the-way, that you might show Mr. Eaymond a bit of Melbourne low life while you are about it ; he has not been very long in the colony." "All right; good day!" and, shouldering yJiia umbrella, Mr. Jinker disappeared. " Deep file, Jinker— for all his soft looks," said the inspector, when the door had closed upon the detective. "He knows the city better than any other man in it. I should like to go ■with you myself, as the Chief Commissioner has recommended you to our good offices, but I fear I shall be too busy. Don't forget the time." ■ Five minutes to seven found me again at the office, and exactly as the clock struck', Mr. Jinker walked in. " Ready ?" he said. " Eeady 1" I answered, and, accompanied by Sergeant Blake and a constable, we sallied forth into a drizzling twilight. " Know Brummagem Ike*?" asked the detective of the sergeant. " Bedad, an' it's mesilf that does 1" was the •answer. " Wasn't it me that arristed him for •that affair at Jolimont, an' didn't he give me the divil's own black eye over the job ?" " Well, this woman we're after, lives where he does." '•Begorra, then, we may look out for a shindy, if it's goin' to nab her we are." "No I— we don't want her. This gentleman want 3 to speak to her ; that's all. We'll have a better chance of seeing her in an hour's time, though ; let's have a look at the Chinamen in the meantime," and, so saying, the detective turned into a narrow street, which I thought I recognised as the one in which I had been bo nearly robbed. t "This ßrummagem Ike is a housebreaker, sir," said the sergeant* to me, as we made our way ; into what I soon found was the Chinese .quarter.. "He's a smart one, too; but he's ,such "a born savage, that it's a wondher he has cchatea the gallows so long. He had a mate, though{'6f a moighty different sort; he was far-an^-away the cliverest burglar in Victoria, but the (ftiaresfc thing about him was that he looked Upon fyousebreakin' as a tip-top proiissiort/an' tydad it's not' far short of that .same— jihe 'W^y\he wint about it. A welleducated too, an' wouldn't stale the value of *<a K jnh outside his own lome of business. But /we've seen nothin* of him lately, an' I'm th^kjn^lie'must have lift the colony. Moind the step/sir'! .this' is an opium-smokin' den we're' goin^y©^ , ' A' large, lowi&jfe/T room, without , other furniture than |smiffl ,s|pye in the'eehtre, and a sort of low, bTOjwL^pteh wjiibh'rari round .the walls, and otywjmfcmt, lounged, or lay, /-about a dozen fifoßg^liEtns, ih'thV various stages of opium-intod^tfdhW'The owner oi the- place, a fat, qU^g^^^tnatt, whe .looked as if t he was^erßC^Myjaja^ranger ; tc the ' Lethe-drug arid i<ffpS||&iouB ..effects, came forwaif^ tb wit): •an insinuating: smile whiMfjap^Ad his white teeth, and squee?ed/uph«^^P^aond. eyes " I' don^ see anything 'v^^^falefhOTe ••after all,''* I-i'sjiid,* taking WmPBm^is& > ',' These men might just asjn^^^^^kix^ 'iobacco, as far aB'appe^rWcefgBSm^^*'?' ll! : ; I*?k"f that wctch maS^^^e

directing my attention to a' Chinaman who had just entered the room. Emaciated, withered, and shaking in every limb, the man's lack-lustre eyes wandered slowly over us; his claw-like hands were crossed upon his shrunken' chest; the few scattered hairs upon his upper lip were prematurely grey, and a thin stream of saliva trickled helplessly from the corner of his imbecile mouth.' " They begin like our friend, Ah Sin, here," went on Jinker, pointing to the grinning proprietor, "and they end like that miserable creature." Out into the street again, till we stopped at another door, some fifty yards further on. " What d'ye say to a look at the Chinese gamblin' tables?" asked the sergeant. " No good I" answered the detective. "They all know me, and they'd shut up directly they saw me. Come this way, though." Along a narrow, dingy passage, to a filthy, bioken stair, up which we clambered by the light of the constable's bull's-eye. There were sounds of talking and laughing from above, which grew louder as we ascended, but ceased like magic at the sound of a heavy knock upon the door, which stopped our further progress. Then there was a scuffling sound, and a whining voice inquired " who was there." " Open the door, Lanky Jones, or it will be the worse for you." " At the sound of the detective's voice, there was some more scuffling inside, and then the door was opened by a long-legged, shambling youth, with a candle in his hand. "I'm sure I didn't know as it were you, Mr. Jinker," he said, " or I wouldn't have kept you waitin' a moment 1" The detective made no reply, but, motioning the constable to remain in the doorway ; advanced into the middle of the room, followed by the sergeant and myself, A filthy room it was ; innocent of all f urnitnre, except a few empty gin-cases, and having straggling remnants of paper, hanging from the greasy walls. In one corner stood a kerosene tin, and a bottle or two, and, in another, was a heap of what appeared to be dirty blankets. Out of the eighteen or twenty persons of both sexes, who were in the room, not one appeared to be over seventeen or eighteen years of age, 1 while some could not have been more than ten or twelve, and all bore on their faces the impress of degradation and crime. The men or rather boys, were, with scarcely an exception, stunted, cracked-voiced, evil-faced creatures, who whispered amongst themselves, as they looked at us, with furtive glances, but the girls, bold-eyed, and loud voiced, down even to the mere child of ten, greeted us with impudent leeis, and hard brazen laughter. " You've heard of larrikins andlarrikinesses, sir?" asked the detective. " Yes; the newspapers are full of their misdemeanours." " Here you have them— of the lowest class. The male thieves, and loafers on the females ; the female thieves, also, and— etceteras I " But the age of these children !" I exclaimed in astonishment. " Where are their parents ? Cannot the police interfere to restore them to their families ?" " Hum ! — we do what we can !" said Jinker, thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "It's not much, though, for it is a peculiar phase of colonial life, that parents can't control their children— or say they can't." "Yi<s," said Sargeant Blake— " there's niver a day passes, but there's some people up at the police court, sayin' they can't manage their childer. Bedad, if a man was to come before a magisthrate in the ould counthry, an' say he couldn't manage a boy or a girl of tin or twilve years of age, it's laughed out o'coort he'd be !" " Now, then," said the detective, suddenly addressing the company generally — " has anybody here seen Lucy Carson, lately ?" There was no reply, but one of the younger girls, taken off her guard, cast an involuntary look towards the heap of blankets, in the corner. It was only the glance of a second, but Mr. Jinker caught it with his sleepy grey eye, " Let us see what we have got here," he said, and, walking across the room, he pulled the blankets aside, and disclosed to view, a girl of (about sixteen, who had lain hidden underneath. Bather a pretty girl she was, with fair hair and a bright colour, but her expression was hard and defiant, and her red lips opened to a stream of the vilest abuse, Seizing her by the arm, the detective handed her over to the constable. " Take her downstairs, and give her to the constable on the beat," he said. "You can meet us again at the corner of Turpentinelane. A case in point, sir," he added, to me, when the policeman had removed the struggling, screaming prisoner. " Girl of respectable parentage. Buns away from home. Father comes to police. Police catch her and hand her over. Runs away again. Father comes to police-magistrate. Girl caught again. Magistrate lectures her and turns'her over to father. Euns away third' time. Arrested her now on warrant. She'll go to a reformatory and come out worse than she went in ! It's an everyday experience here, sir!" At the entrance of a narrow, cut-throat-looking passage we found the constable waiting for us. " Tough job that, sir," he said to the detective. "We had to get a cab to take her to the station. She bit and scratched like a wild cat!" " I daresay I " said Mr. Jinker, looking at > his watch. •« It's about time to catch your bird now, Mr. Raymond ; this way I " and he dived into the gloomy opening of Turpentinelane. • Making our way for some distance between dead wallsf, we reached a wider passage, and saw on either hand a row of small delapi;' dated houses, with a light gleaming here' and there through a dirty window. At 'a door which was ajar the detective stopped, and, without the "ceremony of knocking, pushed it open 'and '- entered. A tallow candle burned upon the 'ta^le 'of a rough, ill-fvtrnishfed room, and ■ove ! r / >jihV embers bf a fire, a man sat smoking^witti^s elbows on hid knees.' Beside hini waVft'jug of beer, and' when, on our entrance, 1 * fce^strted to his feet, 'his 'rolling ' eye and^BWafljr gait showed' that he had been drmkfng'Jfreeiy. ' ' " What^the— — " he was beginning, when his eye fell'juponsthe detective's features. " Sit down/'Brtigimagem,;' paid the latter, quietly, 'fJiVe^djin't want' you', 1 but we don't want' any builjMgtielther.l ",-, <■ ./ ■ "Don't By-^— ! I should think you &an& 7 want me ! There's nothing 1 against me' v fio#%&B|it / what the '■• do you want, then : -SpQ!^^4iW7a man's hoiise'Vith^ ; ' Mits not your^^K?f 'returned 1 thW'drfec-^ tive. "If belon^^Pl&jied'Mary.'l It's slie^ ; • " Oh', it's hSi?^SfiTO; ii if?;" ,said,the J ruffian; whohi.l ' «jjMp>!^nised as ihe' in#n L whom Bill "prush^^^kMoblke'd dowEToyerl 1 the aog-fighV,' V4'^SpSs^^l^^V 4 '^SpSs^^ 1^^ %^'m '" " Sble'^'begn* uV laflal!qin& ancL ike'' is in' ' ' the hpase,' > repUefl^S^i^^Sen'df-herh'er'6 ';, I this 'e^^^^fß/SSa^ }0/'r^ '<!. 3 ' he,? " Bai& MfMo^Mmmß^'BP l <% feflj

" But I won't "be quiet 1 ■" rtfared the fellow, whose potations were telling more and more upon him. "I'll smash " ' ' ! The levelled barrel of a revolver made him fall hastily back, and', changing his' loud l ' abuse for muttered curses, he reeled out of' the room. " She'll be here directly," he said, return- • ing after a few seconds, and then, after sulkily draining the jug, he lumbered heavily out into the lane, where a Bmall knot of dangerous-looking ruffians, whom his loud tones had attracted, proved that the preoaution of coming armed to such a locality was very far from superfluous. The next moment the Bussian woman made her appearance, dressed in a showy silk, and with enough rouge upon her face to justify the sobriquet by which it appeared she was known. Her grey eyes, cold and unfathomable as ever, glanced from one l to the other of our party, and then settled upon me, but she gave no sign of recognition until the detective informed her that I wished to speak to her. " Yes," she said then," I know this gentleman." " Very good, then," said Jinker. " We'll Avait outside for you, Mr. Raymond," and the three passed out. " I want to ask you a question," I said, " and I will make it worth your while to tell me the truth." She stood motionless opposite to me, with the flaring candle on the table between us. The flickering light shone up into her ghastly painted face, and cast fantastic shadows amongst her features, but I recognised the tigerish expression of old, as she answered — " First answer me a question or two. You were at the opera one night not long ago with that Italian count who was at MonktonEdgetfe. Who was the young woman with him?" "His daughter," I answered, wondering much what could be her drift. " Ah ! — and who was the young man ?" " His name is Addison," I replied. "It is about him—" " Wait !" she interrupted. " Let me finish first, and then ask what you will. Is that young man going to marry the Italian's daughter?" ' "He hopes to do so," I answered, — " but there are — " " That will do !" she said. " Now you can go as soon as you like." "But you have not answered me yet," I said. " I came to you to ask for the real truth concerning my wife's son. This ybung Addison strongly resembles me, and there^ is some mystery connected with his origin. Mixed up with that mystery, there is a certain Father Ormonde, and this Father Ormonde, again, appears to know you. I want you to tell me, once for all, whether my wife's son was, in very truth, Dumarlay's. Tell me what you know of this priest — of young Addisons origin ; in short, clear up the mystery — as I believe you alone can, and I will pay you whatever sum you choose to ask !" " Five thousand pounds?" " Five thousand pounds is an unreasonable amount, but still — " " Bah !— l would not take five— ten— twenty thousand for my revenge. Youx mystery shall never be cleared up ! — You shall know no more than you do now !" " You said I might ask what questions I wished." "And you have asked what questions you wished !" she said, with a devilish sneer. " But I have not answered them— nor shall I ! Now do you understand me ? You may have forgotten— l have not— how, long years ago, I offered you my love, and you spurned it I" " Woman," I said, as I turned to leave the house — "your love was a contamination then, scarcely less great than it would be now." I found the policemen waiting a short distance off, and, having accompanied me out of the locality, they bade me good night and left me.