him in the office as he
had a job for him that night,--returned towards the locality which he
had so recently quitted. In doing this he took advantage of another
goods train, from which he dropped at a certain hole-and-corner spot,
while it was slowly passing the goods-shed before mentioned. From this
spot he took an observation and saw the pipe of Jim, the night-watchman,
glowing in the dark distance like a star of the first magnitude.

"Ha!" thought Mr Sharp, "smoking! You'll have to clear your eyes of
smoke if you hope to catch thieves to-night, my fine fellow; but I shall
try to render you some able assistance."

So thinking, he moved quietly about among the vans and trucks, stooping
and climbing as occasion required, and doing it all so noiselessly that,
had the night permitted him to be visible at all, he might have been
mistaken for a stout shadow or a ghost. He went about somewhat like a
retriever snuffing the air for game. At last he reached a truck, not
very far from the place where Jim paced slowly to and fro, watching, no
doubt, for thieves. Little did he think how near he was to a thief at
that moment!

The truck beside which Mr Sharp stood sent forth a delicious odour of
American apples. The superintendent of police smelt them. Worse than
that--he undid a corner of the thick covering of the track, raised it
and smelt again--he put in a hand. Evidently his powers of resistance
to temptation were small, for both hands went in--he stooped his head,
and then, slowly but surely, his whole body went in under the cover and
disappeared. Infatuated superintendent! While he lay there gorging
himself, no doubt with the dainty fruit, _honest_ Jim paced slowly to
and fro until, a very dark and quiet hour of the night having arrived,
he deemed it time to act, put out his pipe, and moved with stealthy
tread towards the apple-truck. There were no thieves about as far as he
could see. He was placed there for the express purpose of catching
thieves. Ridiculous waste of time and energy--he would _make_ a thief!
He would become one; he would detect and catch himself; repay himself
with apples for his trouble, and enjoy himself consumedly! Noble idea!
No sooner thought than carried into effect. He drew out a large
clasp-knife, which opened and locked with a click, and cut a tremendous
slash about two feet long in the cover of the truck--passing, in so
doing, within an inch of the demoralised superintendent's