pistol and caused this
poor fellow to whistle a call for assistance to the constable in
Mulberry Lane, he was put to it to get out of the box in which he found
himself by those two things. To escape across the Common meant to be
pursued by the constable and driven across the track of one of the other
keepers; so he took the bold hazard of putting on this poor chap's coat,
cap, and badge and playing at joining in the hue and cry in the manner
he did. Is that"--turning to the dying man--"the truth of it?"

The keeper could only nod--he was now too far gone to make any verbal
response, and even the administering of another dose of brandy failed to
whip up his expiring strength.

"I'm afraid we shall never get any more out of him, poor fellow," said
Cleek feelingly. "He is lapsing into unconsciousness, you see. Raise him
a bit, make him a little more comfortable if pos---- Quick! Catch his
head, Mr. Narkom! Don't let it strike the boards. Gone!--a good true
servant of the public gone! And the blackguard that killed him still at
large!"

Then he gently folded the useless hands and closed down the sightless
eyes, and shaking out the coat which Petrie had bundled into a pillow,
spread it over the dead man and was very, very still for a little time.

"There's a widow--and some little nippers, Mr. Narkom," he said when he
at length rose to his feet. "Find them out for me, will you? And if you
can see your way to offer a good substantial reward for the clearing up
of this case and the capture of the criminal, I'll pull it off and you
may pay that reward to the mother of this man's children."

"Cleek, my dear fellow! How ridiculously quixotic. What on earth can you
be thinking about?"

"A woman, Mr. Narkom--just a woman--and a few little nippers ... who
might take the wrong road as--well, as somebody I know of took it
once--if there wasn't a hand to help them or a friend to guide. That's
all, dear friend, that's all!"

Lifting his hat to that silent, covered figure, he turned and walked
away. But at the foot of the steps leading down to the mist and darkness
of the drive he came to a halt; and there Narkom, following almost
instantly, joined him again.

"My dear fellow, of all the impulsive, of all the amazing men," he
began; but got no further, for Cleek's upthrown hand checked him.

"We won't go into that, Mr. Narkom," he said. "We'll stick to the case,
please. I've got something to tell you that you haven't heard as