第84章

SIR--As you have not honored me with any answer to my last communication, I assume that, in spite of your prejudices against me, it has produced the favorable impression on your mind which Iventured to anticipate.Gratified and encouraged beyond measure by the token of approval which your eloquent silence conveys to me, I proceed to report the progress that has been made in the course of the last twenty-four hours.

I am now comfortably established next door to Mr.Jay, and I am delighted to say that I have two holes in the partition instead of one.My natural sense of humor has led me into the pardonable extravagance of giving them both appropriate names.One I call my peep-hole, and the other my pipe-hole.The name of the first explains itself; the name of the second refers to a small tin pipe or tube inserted in the hole, and twisted so that the mouth of it comes close to my ear while I am standing at my post of observation.Thus, while I am looking at Mr.Jay through my peep-hole, I can hear every word that may be spoken in his room through my pipe-hole.

Perfect candor--a virtue which I have possessed from my childhood--compels me to acknowledge, before I go any further, that the ingenious notion of adding a pipe-hole to my proposed peep-hole originated with Mrs.Yatman.This lady--a most intelligent and accomplished person, simple, and yet distinguished in her manners, has entered into all my little plans with an enthusiasm and intelligence which I cannot too highly praise.Mr.Yatman is so cast down by his loss that he is quite incapable of affording me any assistance.Mrs.Yatman, who is evidently most tenderly attached to him, feels her husband's sad condition of mind even more acutely than she feels the loss of the money, and is mainly stimulated to exertion by her desire to assist in raising him from the miserable state of prostration into which he has now fallen.

"The money, Mr.Sharpin," she said to me yesterday evening, with tears in her eyes, "the money may be regained by rigid economy and strict attention to business.It is my husband's wretched state of mind that makes me so anxious for the discovery of the thief.I may be wrong, but I felt hopeful of success as soon as you entered the house; and I believe that, if the wretch who robbed us is to be found, you are the man to discover him." Iaccepted this gratifying compliment in the spirit in which it was offered, firmly believing that I shall be found, sooner or later, to have thoroughly deserved it.

Let me now return to business--that is to say, to my peep-hole and my pipe-hole.

I have enjoyed some hours of calm observation of Mr.Jay.Though rarely at home, as I understand from Mrs.Yatman, on ordinary occasions, he has been indoors the whole of this day.That is suspicious, to begin with.I have to report, further, that he rose at a late hour this morning (always a bad sign in a young man), and that he lost a great deal of time, after he was up, in yawning and complaining to himself of headache.Like other debauched characters, he ate little or nothing for breakfast.His next proceeding was to smoke a pipe--a dirty clay pipe, which a gentleman would have been ashamed to put between his lips.When he had done smoking he took out pen, ink and paper, and sat down to write with a groan--whether of remorse for having taken the bank-notes, or of disgust at the task before him, I am unable to say.After writing a few lines (too far away from my peep-hole to give me a chance of reading over his shoulder), he leaned back in his chair, and amused himself by humming the tunes of popular songs.I recognized "My Mary Anne," "Bobbin' Around," and "Old Dog Tray," among other melodies.Whether these do or do not represent secret signals by which he communicates with his accomplices remains to be seen.After he had amused himself for some time by humming, he got up and began to walk about the room, occasionally stopping to add a sentence to the paper on his desk.Before long he went to a locked cupboard and opened it.I strained my eyes eagerly, in expectation of making a discovery.I saw him take something carefully out of the cupboard--he turned round--and it was only a pint bottle of brandy! Having drunk some of the liquor, this extremely indolent reprobate lay down on his bed again, and in five minutes was fast asleep.

After hearing him snoring for at least two hours, I was recalled to my peep-hole by a knock at his door.He jumped up and opened it with suspicious activity.

A very small boy, with a very dirty face, walked in, said:

"Please, sir, they're waiting for you," sat down on a chair with his legs a long way from the ground, and instantly fell asleep!

Mr.Jay swore an oath, tied a wet towel round his head, and, going back to his paper, began to cover it with writing as fast as his fingers could move the pen.Occasionally getting up to dip the towel in water and tie it on again, he continued at this employment for nearly three hours; then folded up the leaves of writing, woke the boy, and gave them to him, with this remarkable expression: "Now, then, young sleepy-head, quick march! If you see the governor, tell him to have the money ready for me when Icall for it." The boy grinned and disappeared.I was sorely tempted to follow "sleepy-head," but, on reflection, considered it safest still to keep my eye on the proceedings of Mr.Jay.

In half an hour's time he put on his hat and walked out.Of course I put on my hat and walked out also.As I went downstairs I passed Mrs.Yatman going up.The lady has been kind enough to undertake, by previous arrangement between us, to search Mr.

Jay's room while he is out of the way, and while I am necessarily engaged in the pleasing duty of following him wherever he goes.