it and reward for his
exploit from his firm and from their client, and more than one other firm
of lawyers engaged in contentious work made good offers to entice Hewitt
to change his employers. Instead of this, however, he determined to work
independently for the future, having conceived the idea of making a
regular business of doing, on behalf of such clients as might retain him,
similar work to that he had just done with such conspicuous success for
Messrs. Crellan, Hunt & Crellan. This was the beginning of the private
detective business of Martin Hewitt, and his action at that time has been
completely justified by the brilliant professional successes he has since
achieved.

His business has always been conducted in the most private manner, and he
has always declined the help of professional assistants, preferring to
carry out himself such of the many investigations offered him as he could
manage. He has always maintained that he has never lost by this policy,
since the chance of his refusing a case begets competition for his
services, and his fees rise by a natural process. At the same time, no man
could know better how to employ casual assistance at the right time.

Some curiosity has been expressed as to Mr. Martin Hewitt's system, and,
as he himself always consistently maintains that he has no system beyond a
judicious use of ordinary faculties, I intend setting forth in detail a
few of the more interesting of his cases in order that the public may
judge for itself if I am right in estimating Mr. Hewitt's "ordinary
faculties" as faculties very extraordinary indeed. He is not a man who has
made many friendships (this, probably, for professional reasons),
notwithstanding his genial and companionable manners. I myself first made
his acquaintance as a result of an accident resulting in a fire at the old
house in which Hewitt's office was situated, and in an upper floor of
which I occupied bachelor chambers. I was able to help in saving a
quantity of extremely important papers relating to his business, and,
while repairs were being made, allowed him to lock them in an old
wall-safe in one of my rooms which the fire had scarcely damaged.

The acquaintance thus begun has lasted many years, and has become a rather
close friendship. I have even accompanied Hewitt on some of his
expeditions, and, in a humble way, helped him. Such of the cases, however,
as I personally saw nothing of I have put into narrative form from the