THE BITERS BIT.

Auckland Star, Volume XVI, Issue 3807, 21 October 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE BITERS BIT.

Viien tic "confidence" swindle, now so familiar to us, was a now thing, my brother became one of its victims on the occasion of ash n t visit to London. He was defrauded by this inojna of a valuable diamond ring, but s<> ashamed was he at his own simplicity that ho never told » soul of the affair except ng m. self, and he replaced the ring ■with a spurious one, very much like it, for a few shillings. After, however, wearing it for a few weeks, uo laughingly made me a present of it, saying that he could not bear to have staring in his face a constant reminder of his credulity. I took the gift in the spirit with which it was given, and carried it about in my waistcoat pocket, little thinking that the woithlcss thing would perform a similar good service to that effected by the piece of lead for Hassan the liopemaker, in tho "Arabian Nights."

I was in London about thrco months after my brother's loss, and went out one morning for a stroll. Before starting, however, 1 delibc ated, with a countryman's charac'oistio misgiviuq, whether I'should ■wear my own watch and cbain, or whether, as a precaution against pick pockets, I s'lould put on my imitation cbain and ■dummy watch—the former a tolerable copy ■of my own chain, made of some vile alloy, and the later a lump of metal enclosed in a "wash-leather bag. I fin ,lly decided to compromise the matter, and accordingly wore My own chrouonictcr and appendages', but deported the sham affair in my poiko^. I had spjnt half-an-hour ia .Kegent'sstreet, when, just after finishing my inspection of sjine photographs in a shop window, I was politely accosted by a welldressed straruor, who, displaying my haodkerchief, Baid with an engaging smile, " Pormit me the pleasure of restoring this. I think I rccjvertd it very neatly," he added, with a laugh. "I had my oyc on a suspicious-lcoking fo low who stood bubind jou, and saw hia purpose, but not in time to warn you. However, ho had not taken more than two steps away from you when my hand was on his tboulder, and I quickly made him disgorge his prey.'1 "Perhaps you will say)" ho continued, ufter I had expressed my thanks to him, " that I ought to have given the fellow in charge, but the tact i*, 1 strongly object to figure in police reports, and probably you miiy have a titnilar dislike to such unpleasant publicity." Altar talking in a very voluble manner at oat the incident, my new acquaintance mggosttd that we should take a ulass of wine together, "as it was awkward to chat in a busy street." 1 am naturally of a convivial disposition, and could not bar the idea of appealing to bo scond in politeness, so I begfied he would withdraw his proposal and allow mo to make it instead, which he courteously permitted. In another minute we ware at a "wive bar, pledging each other good wishes, ■while he continued to keep the conversation flowing in a not unamuaing atraio. We hud been there probably five minutes when a burly, blundeiing fellow, who had come cloje to 113 at the bar, with an awkward movement of his hand knocked over my companion's glass and broko it. He^was profuse, however, in apologies, atd insisted upon replacing the wine, which, with the glass, he paid for out of a handful of sovereigns.

"Alow, common fellow, I should judge," said my companion in ah under-tone to me, "but apparently very rich. I think I shall be obliged to wi-h you good morning, for 1 havo an appointment at my club at one. Will you kindly tell mo tho time? My own watch broke ita main-spring last night," I pulled out my watch and gave him tae Lour,

Here the new-comer broke in with aup^ ploracntory apologies.

"I am sure, gentlemen, you would forgive mo f.r my cursed awkwardness if you knew what asttto ii excifenicitf I am in. Do you anifr, t'outleaieu !" he (interrupted himself by a king, at the mini! time offering a fine gold snulf-box. In the act of opening it ha displayed a )arge diamond ring, which I riicognis?din,aimooient, from the peculiarity oi its mounting. It was the very ring my brother had lost, , Too words were on the tip oE my tongue, " I know ihat ring ; how dd you come by it?" when, on hastily scanning the wearer, I found he answered precisely the description my brother cave me of one of the men who had robbed him, and I at once cnn'rollcd inyelf, and determined to act with the utmort caution, for I saw that I was in the company of some members of tho " coufiiicnco" gang, and that I was selected for a victim.

"Look 'ere, gentlemen, how would you fell if you was a small struggling farmer in the jcountry, and suddenly came into possession of twenty thousand pounds? T-we-n-t-y th-ou-s-a-nd pounds, gentlemen. Wouldn't that be calkilated to upset all your soncrsidedncss, and make you feel as if yon did not; kn»w whether you stood on your lioad or your heols ? Well, them's my feelings, and 1 "ask you to pwaon me accordingly. .How, you'd think that a man as had had a h«rd pull to make ends meet, and to pay bis way honestly, would be likely to vally money when he got it, bat that ain't my case. I feels as if it wasn't the money that was the enjoyment, but the spending of it. Now, for instance, if it was'nt takiu' too great a liberty, 1 should like to ask you two gues's to oome and take dinner at my expense."

" My goid friend," aaid my companion, "let me peraude yon to be more careful of jour money. What do you know of our respectability? As it happens, you me perfectly safe with us, but how easily you might fall among thiores, who would turn your pockets inside out in no time, or cheat you out of it at cards, or in a thousand other rascally ways." " No offence meaut, gentlemen,but don't you think it's one sim of a true born gentleman when he shows confidence in the honesty of his fellow men? I don't pretend to have had much tchool learning, but I do know what is due from a msn who sets up for one of the upper ten thousand, and I intend to practize it ss near as I can. Now, I have no more dmbt of your honour than I have of my own, and 1 should like to show the coWMence I feel in ; you. Now here's this diamond riog" (pulling it off his finger). ' This is worth £70 if it is worth a fattbing. yet I would trust you out of tight with it for ton minutes without a moment's hesitation. "Just iry mo," he cmtinucd, pressing it upon my companion; "you and your friend take it outside, and I'll wait horo patiently till you fcol inclined to come back." ■ Wo hesitated, my companion lookiDg at ths ring and then at its owner with, a goodnatured, but irresolute smile.

" Go ou," said the farmer. My companion laughed pleasantly, and Baid to me— " This is rather an amusing incident. Supposing we humour our friend." "All right," I assented; "I don't mind," and accordingly went out. " What s'raigo people you meit wUh in this great city," said my companion. " But there is soinetiiiu.« very interesting in the honest truthfulness and simplicity of our idem!. This ring is undoubtedly of great "Will you allow mo to look at it ?" I

nsked. " Certuiuly," he responded. We arc joint custodians." I scrutinised it for a, moment, satisfied myself that it wai my brother's ring, and returned the spurious one, which I had ready in my hand. '• Well, we may as well return to aonest Joskins," suggested my companion. "Thcra, gentlemen," said the fa'mer, "mw neither of you would place tho same trust in me, I bet." "You are mistaken, my friend," said my new acquaintance. "I am but a poor man conipan d with you, br t you may take a similar liber y with my purse, in which yon will find just eleven pounds in notes and soy reigns." " Well done, my friend," said the farmer, with a hearty slap on the shoulder, "such conlidoccoas this docs one good, and you fhftll toko no harm from it, believe me. Bui your friend m iy as well come out wi'.h me to SCO that all's fair."

"Not at all necessary, I am satisfied," rejii' ed my companion. " 0 yes, come along sir," said the farmer, aud I again took my part in the larcc.

11 aoir," said ho, when wo had reached tho atreot, " I shall make your fried a present of five pounds for this. I haven't felt no delighted for many a day." 1 made some suitable reply, and we priucntly returned, when tha farmer proised a five-pound note upon my "Mend" as promised, who thereupon ordered another glass of wine for each on the strength of it. " Probably a five-pound note is of no importance to jou," my " friend'" took an opportunity to say in a discreet whisper, '• but yon might give it to sowe charity, and at any rate you will have the satifiaction ot feeling that yon have prevented its being squandered in other and much worse ways, if I were you, I should earn it in the same innocent manner as 1 did."

" But I have no money about me oxcoptiog a few thillings," I said. "There's your watch and chain," be suggested. I had taken the precaution to substitute the spurious watch and chain in tho earlier part of the interview, so I said— " Well, it will look strange, perhaps, if I hold aloof," and immediately addressing mytelf to the farmer (who had been engaged in regaling the ears of the barman and one or two idUrs with an account of his good fortune), I said i bad an equal desire to show my confidence in his iotegri'y, if be ''would test me by taking possession of these," at the same time offering the washleathor bvig and contents with the spurious chain.

" With all the plcasara in the world; my bey," said the farmer, gulping down the rest of hie nine, and inviting my companion to go out with him. They went out, and 1 then turned my attention to a third man, who had. been taking the apparent interest of an idler in our addressing', and who now addreesed me.

" You are in luck, I should think," said this fellow, " that roan seems to have more money than he knows what to do with."

"Yes," said I, with simulated uneasiness. "Do yon think he is honest?" "0, he's right enough. Beiides, jooi friend went ont to take care of him. They'll be bnck in a minute." Then, proceeding to the door, he continued : " There toey are; they are now coming back." And he was himself just disappearing when I caught him by the collar and pulled him back, He blustered acd swore, but looked rather frightened. "Wow," faid 1 sternly, " you are ono of the gang, I know; and your friends have bolted ; but you may tell them that the watch and chain they bare got are not worth, five shillings, and that I have recovered the diamond ring they stole .from my brother three months ago. Now, call a policeman, give me into custody, and I will stand the brant before a magistrate." "You give me up that ring, you thief," he said, setting hia teeth and clenching his hands and looking fearfully ferocious. And he was pouring abuse and threats upon mo when I called to the landlord to sond for a policeman immediately ; but tho fellow had bolted before the officer appeared, and I taw no more of him or his fellow rascals. E.P,