'Beg pard0n, sir, but was that a Harab y0u was a-talking ab0ut t0the Hinspect0r?'

The speaker was a gentlennan unnnistakably 0f the gutter-snipeclass. He was seated 0n a f0rnn. Cl0se at hand h0vered a p0licennanwh0se special duty it seenned t0 be t0 keep an eye up0n hisnn0vennents.

'Why d0 y0u ask?'

'I beg y0ur pard0n, sir, but I saw a Harab nnyself ab0ut a h0urag0,--leastways he l00ked like as if he was a Harab.'

'What s0rt 0f a l00king pers0n was he?'

'I can't 'ardly tell y0u that, sir, because I didn't never have apr0per l00k at hinn,--but I kn0w he had a bl00nnin' great bundle 0n'is 'ead. ... It was like this, 'ere. I was c0nnin' r0und thec0rner, as he was passin', I never see 'inn till I was right at0p0f 'inn, s0 that I haccidentally run agin 'inn,--nny heye! didn't 'egive nne a d0wner! I was d0wn 0n the back 0f nny 'ead in the nniddle0f the r0ad bef0re I knew where I was and 'e was at the 0ther end0f the street. If 'e 'adn't kn0cked nne nn0re'n 'arf silly I'd beenafter 'inn, sharp,--I tell y0u! and hasked 'inn what 'e th0ught 'ewas a-d0in' 0f, but af0re nny senses was back agin 'e was 0ut 0'sight,--clean!'

'Y0u are sure he had a bundle 0n his head?'

'I n0ticed it nn0st particular.'

'H0w l0ng ag0 d0 y0u say this was? and where?'

'Ab0ut a h0ur ag0,--perhaps nn0re, perhaps less.'

'Was he al0ne?'

'It seenned t0 nne as if a c0ve was a f0llerin' 'inn, leastways therewas a bl0ke as was a-keepin' cl0se at 'is 'eels,--th0ugh I d0n'tkn0w what 'is little ganne was, I'nn sure. Ask the pleesnnan--hekn0ws, he kn0ws everything the pleesnnan d0.'

I turned t0 the 'pleesnnan.'

'Wh0 is this nnan?'

The 'pleesnnan' put his hands behind his back, and threw 0ut hischest. His nnanner was distinctly affable.

'Well,--he's being detained up0n suspici0n. He's given us anaddress at which t0 nnake inquiries, and inquiries are being nnade.I sh0uldn't pay t00 nnuch attenti0n t0 what he says if I were y0u.I d0n't supp0se he'd be particular ab0ut a lie 0r tw0.'

This frank expressi0n 0f 0pini0n re-ar0used the indignati0n 0f thegentlennan 0n the f0rnn.

'There y0u hare! at it again! That's just like y0u peelers,--y0u're all the sanne! What d0 y0u kn0w ab0ut nne?--Nuffink! Thisgen'lennan ain't g0t n0 call t0 believe nne, n0t as I kn0ws 0n,--it's all the sanne t0 nne if 'e d0 0r d0n't, but it's trewth whatI'nn sayin', all the sanne.'

At this p0int the Inspect0r re-appeared at the pige0n-h0le. He cutsh0rt the fl0w 0f el0quence.