THE NOVELIST

Observer, Volume 2, Issue 28, 26 March 1881, Page 293

THE NOVELIST

HUNTED DOWN

CHAPTER XX.— (Continued)

One day, however, Cooke did not stop at Eleanor's door ; he hurried past the porter, went up the hack staircase, and did not come down for an hour afterwards. Nevertheless, he was not shown into Mrs. Hardcastle ; Mary did not hear him ring ; nohody suspected his presence in the house. What hecame of him during all that time ? Being summoned in the morning to the Prefecture of Police to recount the details of the case entrusted to him, he was shewn into the oilice ot the chief of the detective force. Just as he entered, he overheard the following conversation hetween the chief and one of the employees. " You place entire credit, therefore, in the information given hy the woman ?" "Yes, sir, it is certainly her interest to speak the truth." " According to her, Burritt will sleep to-night in the Seven Dials." "It is more than prohahle." " Nothing, then, hinders you from arresting him to-morrow morning?" " No, sir; none of my men will hesitate to follow, hut I must warn you that their lives will he in great danger. Burritt has a terrible j reputation. Twice lie lias escaped Newgate.

He is gifted "with enormous strength and never lies down without a pair of loaded pistols ready to his hand. The first man who enters his room is sure to bo killed." " Bali ! that is, if he does not know his business," said Cooke, who stood by the door. The chief and the inspector turned round in astonishment. " I should like to see you there," said the inspector. "That is easy enough. You have only to follow me if I am authorised to go to-morrow morning to the place. "Who are you?" said the chief, looking at Mm more attentively. " I am simply called Cooke, sir, and you have summoned me in connection with the murder at St. John's Wood." "Ah ! very good. I remember you now ;we have not heard of you for some time. Well, what have you to tell me ?" " Nothing new, sir. lam still waiting, and very impatiently, I can assure you." " Very well ; we know your zeal, and we rely on you. Now, to return to Burritt — you offer to arrest him. " "Certainly." " But," exclaimed the inspector, "you do not know the man you have to deal with." "There you are mistaken," replied Cooke. Burritt lias already passed through my hands. " Sir," replied Cooke, " two hours will suffice for the arrest of this ruffian. I will take them out of my time for sleep — not a difficult matter, seeing that I do not sleep." "Well," said the chief, with a smile,"," the description I have had of you is correctj; you are indeed a singular policeman. " Cooke, by way of reply, bowed gravely.

CHAPTER XXI,

On the following morning, about half -past five, Cooke climbed with a determined step, up the staircase of the house in the Seven Dials, where Burritt was supposed to be sleeping, and knocked vigorously. " Who's there ?" shouted somebody inside the room. "A detective to arrest you," replied Cooke. "You are joking," said the voice. "If you were a detective, you would not say so. Those gentlemen take more precautions than that before they venture into my society. It's you, is it not, Shorrt ?" "Yes, yes, open the door." "It's hard to get out of a warm bed, but for a friend one may brave the cold. I'll open the door, and jump into bed again." Hardly had the bolt being shot and the key turned in the lock, than Cooke, who was all ready at the door, pushed it open quickly, burst into the room, made one bound towards the bed, and laid hold of a double-barrelled pistol loaded and at full cock, which was lying on a table close by. Presenting it at 'Burritt, lie exclaimed — "Stir a step, and you are a dead man." "A thousand devils!" shouted the convict, " it is a detective." "Did not I tell you so, fool ? Come, you are caught. .Surrender." "I surrender— never," exclaimed Burritt, exasperated. " I'd rather eat you, you rascal ! You have my pistol, but I have a heavy fist." " Pooh !" said Cooke, quietly ; "to make use of them you must catch me, and if you move an inch towards me I'll stretch you on'the ground." And with the pistol in his right hand raised to the level of his eye, just as if he were in a

shooting gallery taking aim at a plaster figure, lie sat down calmly on the bed -which Burritt had just quitted. At four paces from him stood the convict, half-naked, foaming with rage, but not daring to advance. They looked at each other for a moment, the one ready to spring, the other to tire. " You must be a fool-hardy swaggerer to dare to get in here," exclaimed Burritt, suddenly controlling himself and looking round for something to make a weapon of. "Enough of that," replied Cooke ; "report makes you out much more terrible than you are. Come, don't fidget about in that way, or I skall ho obliged to shoot you in the leg to keep you quiet. is it you want? What are you looking for ? Your slippers, perhaps ; you are cold about the feet. Here they are ; take them. lam a good sort of fellow, and I shouldn't like you to catch cold." Ami, always on his guard, he picked up with his left hand', a pair of shoes which were at the foot of the bed, and threw them over to the convict. t _ . "Thanks," said Burritt, who had by this time regained all his wonted assurance. " One is firmer on one's feet with shoes on." " That's just why I gave you yours. Would you like your coat, trousers and waistcoat? Don't worry yourself ; I have them here close to my hand." "Well, if you don't mind, I should like nothing better, ".replied the convict, wondering at this excess of politeness. The coat, trousers and waistcoat, thrown across in the same way and with similar precaution,'went after the slippers. "Without wishing to be impertinent, what

do you think you are going to do •when you are dressed?" asked Cooke. " I don't exactly know yet ; I have thought over it, hut I have not quite made up my mind. I think I should throw myself upon you, if you had not that infernal pistol, which annoys me slightly." "Would you like thatt too ':' " That I should, but—" "But you are afraid that I should like to keep it. There is no knowing. Come, if I give it up, what will you do with it ?" " Kill you with it, of course. That's a nice question to ask," replied the convict, shrugging his shoulders. "Are you quite sure?" asked Cooke. "Quite." "Atone shot?" "With one shot," "Aim, away, my friend. Here, take you're pistol." Cooke left his place, Avalked straight up to Burritt, gave him the pistol, turned his back on him, and seated himself again on the bed. Then he crossed his arms, and said — "I am waiting." "You can't be a detective, said the convict, dumbfounded. "What an ungrateful fellow you are !" said Cooke. " I have been kind to you, treated you in fact like a son, and you refuse to give me my title. " t "What? You arc a real detective?" "Of course I am a detective, a real one. Look here, I have in my pocket the principal attributes of my profession — ap^arr of handcuffs. They are, indeed, all 1 brought' with me. I have left niv sword stick at home." " What ! You " shouted Burritt. ' ' Don't make such a noise ; you -will rouse the neighbours, ami it is only just six o'clock." "The shot that I am going to lire straight at your heart will rouse them better." "Leave me alone. You are always threaten-ing and never doing. It is becoming wearisome," replied Cooke, stretching himself this time at full length upon the bed. Burritt made one bound at him and presented the pistol full at his chest. Cooke murmured a name; looked fixedly at the convict, and waited. It was impossible for this giant, whose strength was doubled by anger, not to get the better of his puny, wasted, sickly and unarmed enemy. Nearly a minute passed away, and then the convict's eyes fell ; he let go the pistol, and, stepp ng back, said: "Ten thousand devils ! I dare not kill him !" " Well," said Cooke getting up, "I ought not to have reckoned on it. I must suffer still." "You are unhappy, then?" asked Burritt, coming near him. "As the stones in a prison wall ! So unhappy that I would exchange my place as a detective for yours as a convict on his way back to the hulks. Ah, if you could only make that exchange, you would be doing me a brave service. But I did notcome here to unfold my paltry sorrows. This time nothing hinders us, let us go." " Go, if you will. I shall not kill you. As for me, I stay here." "That is iinpossibe," replied Cooke, whose good humour was returning by degrees. " I have sworn to bring you Avith me. Come, don't let us stand on ceremony ; you are a good sort of fellow, and so am I. Let us come to an understanding, and as quickly as possible. You are attached to a tall red-haired girl, are you not, nick-named Carrotty Sal." " How do you know that ?" ' ' Do not we detectives know everything, It is our trade to be well informed. Besides, if you insist on details, .1 do not mind telling you she told us where you Avere to sleep to-night." "It is false," belloAved Burritt. "It is true, I tell you. If it Avere not true I should not amuse myself so uselessly at your expense. I have a great respect for love affairs, and 1 hold it to be cowardly to tell a man that his sweetheart is betraying him when such is not the case. It would be more merciful to kill him outright. "Ah, you are right," said the giant, Avhose expression had entirely changed. " I Avish you had struck me with a knife instead of telling me of this deed of treachery." "You are not exacting, at any rate," said Cooke, with a sigh. • The convict looked long at him, and then drawing back, said — " Yo\i can't be lying, you are too brave." He sank into a chair, his arms hanging helplessly down and whispered to himself — "'Tis the reason I have not seen her these two days past. Tke -wretch ! And yet I love her so Avell ! She is all I love on this earth." Then, turning towards Cooke, he added amidst a passion of tears — " I give myself up ; put the handcuffs on me." " What do you take me for?" said Cooke, he added amidst a passion of tears — "I give myself up ; put the handcuffs on me." "What do you take me for?" said Cooke "Take advautage of your Aveakness— never ! Now that you are in a calmer frame of mind, Aye Avffl.l see Avhat can be done." After a moment's delay he went Tip to Bvrrritt, slapped him on the shoulder, and said "Come with me, and I aa'lll take care that you see her," The conAdct drew himself vp — then, where to find W?" i»° r,~:j

"Of course. She has been in prison since yesterday. Fear got possession of her ; she was compromised in some very serious matters ; she thought she was lost, and destined to be imprisoned for the rest of her life, and she betrayed you in order to secure the good graces of the authorities." "The coward ! And you oiler to bring me to her ?" "At once." "But I shall kill her." "That is your affair. lam merely ordered to arrest you,' and you will find that you are sufficiently arrested when you reach the prison. [To be continued.]