CHAPTER TEN.
SHARP PRACTICE.
Standing with his back to the fireplace, his legs slightly apart, hishands in his pockets, and his eyes fixed on the ceiling, Mr Sharp,Police Superintendent of the Grand National Trunk Railway, communed withhimself and dived into the future.
Mr Sharp's powers of diving were almost miraculous. He had anunusually keen eye for the past and the present, but in regard to thefuture his powers were all but prophetic. He possessed a rare capacityfor following up clues; investigating cases; detecting falsehoods, notonly of the lip, but of the eye and complexion; and, in a word, was ableto extract golden information out of the most unpromising circumstances.He was also all but ubiquitous. Now tracking a suspicion to its sourceon his own line in one of the Midland counties; anon comparing noteswith a brother superintendent at the terminus of the Great Western, orGreat Northern, or South-Eastern in London. Sometimes called away togive evidence in a county court; at other times taking a look in at hisown home to kiss his wife or dandle his child before dashing off perexpress to follow up a clue to John O'Groats or the Land's End. Here,and there, and everywhere--calm, self-possessed, and self-contained,making notes in trains, writing reports in his office, makingdiscoveries and convictions, and sometimes making prisoners with his ownhands by night and day, with no fixed hours for work, or rest, or meals,and no certainty in anything concerning him, save in the uncertainty ofhis movements, Mr Sharp with his myrmidons was the terror of evildoers, and, we may truly add, the safeguard of the public.
Little did that ungrateful public know all it owed to the untiringwatchfulness and activity of Mr Sharp and his men. If he and hiscompeers were to be dismissed from our lines for a single week, thedescent of a host of thieves and scoundrels to commit wide-spreadplunder would teach the public somewhat severely how much they owe tothe efficient management of this department of railway business, and howwell, constantly and vigilantly--though unobtrusively--their interestsare cared for.
But to return. Mr Sharp, as we have said stood communing with himselfand diving into the future. Apparently his thoughts afforded him someamusement, for his eyes twinkled slightly, and there was a faintlyhumorous twist about the corners of his mouth.
David Blunt sat at a desk near him, writing diligently. Against thewall over his head hung a row of truncheons. Besides the desk, a bench,two or three wooden chairs, and a chest, there was little furniture inthe room.
Blunt's busy pen at length ceased to move, and Sharp looked at him.
"Well, Blunt," he said, "I see nothing for it but to make a railwayporter of you."
"By all means, sir," said Blunt, with a smile, laying down his pen.
"Gorton station," continued Sharp, "has become a very nest of thieves.It is not creditable that such a state of things should exist for a weekon our line. They have managed things very cleverly as yet. Five orsix bales of cloth have disappeared in the course of as many days,besides several loaves of sugar and half-a-dozen cheeses. I am prettysure who the culprits are, but can't manage to bring it home to them,so, as I have said, we must convert you into a porter. You have onlybeen once engaged on this part of the line--that was at the accidentwhen you were so hard on poor Mr Gurwood, so that none of the Gortonpeople will know you. I have arranged matters with our passengersuperintendent. It seems that Macdonell, the station-master at Gorton,has been complaining that he is short-handed and wants another porter.That just suits us, so we have resolved to give you that responsiblesituation. You will get a porter's uniform from--"
At this point Mr Sharp was interrupted by the door opening violently,and a detective in plain clothes entering with a stout young man in hisgrasp.
"Who have we here?" asked Mr Sharp.
"Man travelling without a ticket sir," replied the detective, whose calmdemeanour was in marked contrast to the excitement of his prisoner.
"Ha! come here; what have you to say for yourself?" demanded thesuperintendent of the man.
Hereupon the man began a violent exculpation of himself, which entailednearly half-an-hour of vigorous cross-questioning, and resulted in hisgiving a half-satisfactory account of himself, some trustworthyreferences to people in town, and being set free.
This case having been disposed of, Mr Sharp resumed his conversationwith Blunt.
"Having been changed, then, into a railway porter, Blunt, you willproceed to Gorton to discharge your duties there, and while doing so youwill make uncommonly good use of your eyes, ears, and opportunities."
Mr Sharp smiled and Blunt chuckled, and at the same time Joseph Tippsentered the room.
"Good-evening, Mr Sharp," he said. "Well, anything more about theseGorton robberies?"
"Nothing more yet, Mr Tipps, but we expect something more soon, for anew porter is about to be sent to the station."
Tipps, who was a very simple matter-of-fact man in some ways, lookedpuzzled.
"Why, how will the sending of a new porter to the station throw light onthe matter?"
"You shall know in the course of time, Mr Tipps," replied thesuperintendent. "We have wonderful ways of finding out things here."
"Indeed you have," said Tipps; "and, by the way, that reminds me thatthey have some wonderful ways of finding out things on the Continent aswell as here. I have just heard of a clever thing done by a Germanprofessor. It seems that on one of the lines--I forget which--a largebox full of silver-plate was despatched. It had a long way to go, andbefore reaching its destination the plate was stolen, and the box filledup with sand. On this being discovered, of course every sort ofinvestigation was set on foot, but without success. At last the thingcame to the ears of a professor of chemistry--or the police went to him,I don't know which--and it occurred to him that he might get a clue tothe thieves by means of the sand in the box. You see the greatdifficulty the police had, was to ascertain at which of the innumerablestations on the long line, it was likely that the theft had taken place.The professor ordered samples of the sand at all the stations on theline to be sent to him. These he analysed and examined with themicroscope, and found that one of the samples was precisely similar inall respects to the sand in the box. The attention of the police was atonce concentrated on the station from which that sand had been gathered,and in a short time the guilty parties were discovered and the theftbrought home to them. Now, wasn't that clever?"
"Very good, very good, indeed," said Mr Sharp, approvingly, "and ratherpeculiar. I had a somewhat peculiar case myself last week. You knowsome time ago there was a quantity of cloth stolen on this line, forwhich, by the way, we had to pay full compensation. Well, I could notget any clue to the thieves, but at last I thought of a plan. I gotsome patterns of the cloth from the party that lost it, and sent one ofthese to every station on the line where it was likely to have beenstolen. Just the other day I got a telegram from Croon station statingthat a man had been seen going about in a new suit exactly the same asthe pattern. Off I went immediately, pounced on the man, taxed him withthe theft, and found the remainder of the cloth in his house."
"Capital," exclaimed Tipps, "that was smartly managed. And, by the way,wasn't there something about a case of stealing muffs and boas lately?"
"Yes, and we got hold of that thief too, the day before yesterday,"replied Mr Sharp. "I felt sure, from the way in which the theft wascommitted, that it must be one of our own men, and so it turned out. Hehad cut open a bale and taken out several muffs and boas of first-ratesable. One set of 'em he gave to his sweetheart, who was seen wearingthem in church on Sunday. I just went to her and said I was going toput a question to her, and warned her to speak the truth, as it would beworse for all parties concerned if she attempted to deceive me. I thenasked her if she had got the muff and boa from Jim Croydon, the porter.She blushed scarlet, and admitted it at once, but said, poor thing, thatshe had no idea they had been stolen, and I believe her. This caseoccurred just after I had watched the milk-truck the other night forthree hours, and found that the thief who had been h
elping himself to itevery morning for some weeks past was the watchman at the station."
"I fear there are a great many bad fellows amongst us," said Tipps,shaking his head.
"You are quite mistaken," replied the superintendent. "There _were_ agood many bad fellows, but I flatter myself that there are very few_now_ in proportion to the number of men on the line. We are constantlywinnowing them out, purifying the ore, as it were, so that we aregradually getting rid of all the dross, and leaving nothing but sterlingmetal on the line. Why, Mr Tipps, you surely don't expect thatrailways are to be exempted from black sheep any more than other largecompanies. Just look at the army and navy, and see what a lot ofrascals have to be punished and drummed out of the service every now andthen. Same everywhere. Why, when I consider that we employ over twentythousand men and boys, and that these men and boys are tempted, morealmost than any other class of people, by goods lying about constantlyin large quantities in the open air, and in all sorts of lonely andout-of-the-way places, my surprise is that our bad men are so few. Nodoubt we shall always have one or two prowling about, and mayoccasionally alight on a nest of 'em, but we shall manage to keep 'emdown--to winnow them out faster, perhaps, than they come in. I am justgoing about some little pieces of business of that sort now," added MrSharp; putting on his hat. "Did you wish to speak with me aboutanything in particular, Mr Tipps?"
"Yes; I wished to ask you if that fat woman, Mrs ---, what's her name?"
"You mean Mrs Podge, I suppose?" suggested Sharp; "she who kicked herheels so vigorously at Langrye after the accident."
"Ah! Mrs Podge--yes. Does she persist in her ridiculous claim fordamages?"
"She does, having been urged to do so by some meddling friend; for I'mquite sure that she would never have thought of doing so herself, seeingthat she received no damage at all beyond a fright. I'm going to payher a visit to-day in reference to that very thing."
"That's all right; then I won't detain you longer. Good-bye, MrSharp," said Tipps, putting on his hat and quitting the office.
Not long afterwards, Mr Sharp knocked at the door of a small house inone of the suburbs of Clatterby, and was ushered into the presence ofMrs Podge. That amiable lady was seated by the fire knitting astocking.
"Good afternoon, Mrs Podge," said Mr Sharp, bowing and speaking in hisblandest tones. "I hope I see you quite well?"
Mrs Podge, charmed with the stranger's urbanity, wished him goodafternoon, admitted that she was quite well, and begged him to beseated.
"Thank you, Mrs Podge," said Mr Sharp, complying. "I have taken theliberty of calling in regard to a small matter of business--but pardonme," he added, rising and shutting the door, "I inadvertently left thedoor open, which is quite inexcusable in me, considering your delicatestate of health. I trust that--"
"My delicate state of health!" exclaimed Mrs Podge, who was as fat as aprize pig, and rather piqued herself on her good looks and vigour ofbody.
"Yes," continued Mr Sharp, in a commiserating tone; "I have understood,that since the accident on the railway your--"
"Oh, as to that," laughed Mrs Podge, "I'm not much the worse of--but,sir," she said, becoming suddenly grave, "you said you had called onbusiness?"
"I did. My business is to ask," said Mr Sharp, with a very earnestglance of his penetrating eyes, "on what ground you claim compensationfrom the Grand National Trunk Railway?"
Instantly Mrs Podge's colour changed. She became languid, and sighed.
"Oh, sir--damages--yes--my nerves! I did not indeed suffer much damagein the way of cuts or bruises, though there _was_ a good piece of skintorn off my elbow, which I could show you if it were proper to--but mynerves received a _terrible_ shock. They have not yet recovered.Indeed, your abrupt way of putting it has quite--thrown a--"
As Mrs Podge exhibited some symptoms of a hysterical nature at thispoint Mr Sharp assumed a very severe expression of countenance, andsaid--
"Now, Mrs Podge, do you really think it fair or just, to claim damagesfrom a company, from whom you have absolutely received _no_ damage?"
"But sir," said Mrs Podge, recovering, "my nerves _did_ receivedamage."
"I do not doubt it Mrs Podge, but we cannot compensate you for that.If you had been laid up, money could have repaid you for lost time, or,if your goods had been damaged, it might have compensated for that butmoney cannot restore shocked nerves. Did you require medicalattendance?"
"N-no!" said Mrs Podge, reddening. "A friend did indeed insist on myseeing a doctor, to whom, at his suggestion, I gave a fee of fiveshillings, but to say truth I did not require him."
"Ha! was it the same friend who advised you to claim compensation?"
"Ye-es!" replied Mrs Podge, a little confused.
"Well, Mrs Podge, from your own admission I rather think that thereseems something like a fraudulent attempt to obtain money here. I donot for a moment hint that you are guilty of a fraudulent _intention_,but you must know, ma'am, that the law takes no notice of intentions--only of facts."
"But _have_ I not a right to expect compensation for the shock to mynervous system?" pleaded Mrs Podge, still unwilling to give in.
"Certainly not, ma'am, if the shock did not interfere with your ordinarycourse of life or cause you pecuniary loss. And does it not seem hardon railways, if you can view the subject candidly, to be so severelypunished for accidents which are in many eases absolutely unavoidable?Perfection is not to be attained in a moment. We are rapidly decreasingour risks and increasing our safeguards. We do our best for the safetyand accommodation of the public, and as directors and officials travelby our trains as frequently as do the public, concern for our own livesinsures that we work the line in good faith. Why, ma'am, I was myselfnear the train at the time of the accident at Langrye, and _my_ nerveswere considerably shaken. Moreover, there was a director with hisdaughter in the train, both of whom were severely shaken, but they donot dream of claiming damages on that account. If you could have shown,Mrs Podge, that you had suffered loss of any kind, we should have_offered_ you compensation promptly, but as things stand--"
"Well, well," exclaimed Mrs Podge, testily. "I suppose I must give itup, but I don't see why railway companies should be allowed to shock mynerves and then refuse to give me any compensation!"
"But we do not absolutely refuse _all_ compensation," said Mr Sharp,drawing out his purse; "if a sovereign will pay the five shilling fee ofyour doctor, and any other little expenses that you may have incurred,you are welcome to it."
Mrs Podge extended her hand, Mr Sharp dropped the piece of gold intoit, and then, wishing her good afternoon, quitted the house.
The superintendent of police meditated, as he walked smartly away fromMrs Podge, on the wonderful differences that were to be met with inmankind, as to the matter of acquisitiveness, and his mind reverted to avisit he had paid some time before, to another of the passengers in thetrain to which the accident occurred. This was the commercial travellerwho had one of his legs rather severely injured. He willingly showedhis injured limb to our superintendent, when asked to do so, butpositively declined to accept of any compensation whatever, although itwas offered, and appeared to think himself handsomely treated when a fewfree passes were sent to him by the manager.
Contrasting Mrs Podge unfavourably with this rare variety of theinjured human race, Mr Sharp continued his walk until he reached a partof the line, not far from the station, where a large number of vans andwaggons were shunted on to sidings,--some empty, others loaded,--waitingto be made up into trains and forwarded to their several destinations.