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and told him where I was off to, promising to come back and tell the rest so soon as I should have found out anything. I drove to Walworth and found, with some difficulty, Potters Court. Mr. Smollets spelling misled me, as I asked for Poters Court instead of Potters Court. However, when I had found the court, I had no difficulty in discovering Corcorans lodging house. When I asked the man who came to the door for the depite, he shook his head, and said, I dunno im. There aint no such a person ere. I never eard of im in all my bloomin days. Dont believe there aint nobody of that kind livin ere or anywheres. I took out Smollets letter, and as I read it it seemed to me that the lesson of the spelling of the name of the court might guide me. What are you? I asked. Im the depity, he answered. I saw at once that I was on the right track. Phonetic spelling had again misled me. A half crown tip put the deputys knowledge at my disposal, and I learned that Mr. Bloxam, who had slept off the remains of his beer on the previous night at Corcorans,had left for his work at Poplar at five oclock that morning. He could not tell me where the place of work was situated, but he had a vague idea that it was some kind of a new-fangled wareus, and with this slender clue I had to start for Poplar.It was twelve oclock before I got any satisfactory hint of such a building, and this I got at a coffee shop, where some workmen were having their dinner. One of them suggested that there was being erected at Cross Angel Street a new cold storage building, and as this suited the condition of a new-fangled wareus, I at once drove to it. An interview with a surly gatekeeper and a surlier foreman, both of whom were appeased with the coin of the realm, put me on the track of Bloxam. He was sent for on my suggestion that I was willing to pay his days wages to his foreman for the privilege of asking him a few questions on a private matter. He was a smart enough fellow, though rough of speech and bearing. When I had promised to pay for his information and given him an earnest, he told me that he had made two journeys between Carfax and a house in Piccadilly, and had taken from this house to the latter nine great boxes, main heavy ones, with a horse and cart hired by him for this purpose. I asked him if he could tell me the number of the house in Piccadilly, to which he replied, Well, guvnor, I forgits the number, but it was only a few door from a big white church, or somethink of the kind, not long built. It was a dusty old ouse, too, though nothin to the dustiness of the ouse we tooked the bloomin boxes from. How did you get in if both houses were empty? There was the old party what engaged me a waitin in the ouse at Purfleet. He elped me to lift the boxes and put them in the dray. Curse me, but he was the strongest chap I ever struck, an him a old feller, with a white moustache, one that thin you would think he couldnt throw a shadder. How this phrase thrilled through me! Why, e took up is end o the boxes like they was pounds of tea, and me a puffin an a blowin afore I could upend mine anyhow, an Im no chicken, neither. How did you get into the house in Piccadilly? I asked. He was there too. He must a started off and got there afore me, for when I rung of the bell he kem an opened the door isself an elped me carry the boxes into the all. The whole nine? I asked. Yus, there was five in the first load an four in the second. It was main dry work, an I dont so well remember ow I got ome. |
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