I warned you--most serious I done so--and what more could I do? You've
none to thank for this but yourself and you well know it. But my duty's my
duty, and I don't break my policeman's oath for you, or any man living."
"You ain't on duty to-night, however," replied Teddy.
"A policeman's always on duty," said Ford, "and 'tis vain to threat or
argue. I've got no choice."
But the other did argue still, and when he saw he was done, he threatened
also and said hard, terrible words. They went in one of Joseph's ears and
out of the other, of course, and he only wanted to get a painful job out
of hand by now. So he cut it short, and in another minute pretty well
lifted Teddy into the car and bade the driver carry 'em to Little Silver.
Pegram said no more after that, but a fiend glared out of his eyes as he
stared on the other, and Joseph, though he'd seen some hard cases, said
afterwards that he never wanted to look on such a wicked face again.
But the look was dead when they got to the police-station, and Ford
tumbled his man into a cell, then handed the pheasants over to the
Inspector and made his report.
There was a good deal of stir about it and some applause for the policeman
when the Justices gave Teddy two months' hard labour. And that was that.
But what you may call the interesting part of the affair happened after,
for when the two months was up, instead of selling his house and taking
himself off to practise his games elsewhere, if Teddy Pegram didn't return
to Little Silver, meek as Moses, and a reformed character!
Poor Joey, when he heard his dearest friend was in trouble, had wept a lot
of tears and took on very bad and even said hard things to his father for
catching 'Santa Claus' and sending him to prison.
Pages:
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26