The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Long Trick, by Lewis Anselm da Costa
Ritchie

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Title: The Long Trick

Author: Lewis Anselm da Costa Ritchie

Release Date: June 28, 2008 [eBook #25921]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONG TRICK***

E-text prepared by Al Haines

Transcriber's note:

"Bartimeus" is the pseudonym of Captain Lewis Anselm da Costa
Ritchie, R.N.

THE LONG TRICK

by

"BARTIMEUS"

Author of "A Tall Ship," "Naval Occasions," etc.

"Much of what you have done, as far as the public eye
is concerned, may almost be said to have been done in
the twilight."--_Extract from address delivered by the Prime
Minister on board the Fleet Flagship, Aug._, 1915.

Cassell and Company, Ltd
London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne

First Published. October 1917.
Reprinted (Twice) October 1917, November 1917.

TO
one
CHUNKS
Who, in moments of frenzy, is called
HUNKS
and answers readily to
TUNKS, TINKS or TONKS,
This Book
is
INSCRIBED

FOREWORD

DEAR N AND M,

This is the first opportunity I have had of answering your letter,
although I am hardly to blame since you chose to write anonymously and
leave me with no better clue to your address than the Tunbridge Wells
postmark.

Fee! Fi! Fo! Fum! I am sorry about Torps, though. I admit his
death was a mistake, and I fancy my Publisher thought so too: but we
cannot very well bring him to life again, like Sherlock Holmes. So
please cheer up, and remember that there are just as many fine fellows
in the ink-pot as ever came out of it.

I have borne in mind the final paragraph of your letter, which said,
"We do beseech you not to kill the India-rubber Man." In fact, I
originally meant him to be the hero of this book. But as the book
progressed I found the melancholy conviction growing on me that the
India-rubber Man had become infernally dull. A pair of cynical
bachelors like you will, I know, attribute this to marriage and poor
Betty. For my part I am inclined to put it down to advancing years.

I have just finished the