at the foot of the hill.

"Well, here I am," I said to myself, "thirty-three years old, and alone
in the world. Nobody knows me in England, but it won't be my fault if
they don't hear of George Fairfax before very long. I'll be off to
London and try my fortune there."

Next day I made my way to the Great Metropolis, and installed myself at
a small private hotel, while I looked about me preparatory to commencing
business. To talk of gaining a footing in London is all very well in its
way, but it is by no means so easy a task to accomplish as it might
appear. Doubtless it can be done fairly quickly if one is prepared to
spend large sums of money in advertising, and is not afraid to blow
one's own trumpet on every possible occasion, but that is not my line,
and besides, even had I so wished, I had not the money to do it. For a
multitude of reasons I did not feel inclined to embark my hard-earned
savings on such a risky enterprise. I preferred to make my way by my own
diligence, and with that end in view I rented an office in a convenient
quarter, furnished it, put a small advertisement in a few of the papers,
and then awaited the coming of my clients.

As I have a long and curious story to tell, and this book is only
intended to be the narration of a certain episode in my life, a detailed
description of my first three years in London would not only be
superfluous, but in every way a waste of time. Let it suffice that my
first case was that of the now notorious Pilchard Street Diamond
Robbery, my success in which brought me business from a well known firm
in Hatton Gardens. As the public will doubtless remember, they had been
robbed of some valuable gems between London and Amsterdam in a
singularly audacious manner. My second was the case of the celebrated
Russian swindler, who called herself the Countess Demikoff. This case
alone took me nearly six months to unravel, but I did not grudge the
time, seeing that I was well paid for my labours, and that I managed to
succeed where the police had failed. From that time forward I think I
may say without boasting that I have been as successful as any man of my
age has a right to expect to be. What is better still, I am now in the
happy position of being able to accept or decline business as I choose.
It is in many respects a hard life, and at all times is attended with a
fair amount of risk, but you cannot make omelets without breaking eggs,
and if any one chooses to spend his