Читать книгу Charles Peace, or The Adventures of a Notorious Burglar онлайн

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He went to the front door, which he unfastened, and said, in a tone of well-simulated alarm—

“Don’t let him escape. Search the house, and—​and place a guard at the door.”

Two policemen at once proceeded upstairs, another kept guard over the entrance, while a fourth was on the opposite side of the way, flashing his bull’s-eye on the screened windows of the establishment.

“There is a fire somewhere,” said Peace, in a confidential tone, to the nearest policeman. “Of that I am quite certain. Don’t you smell something burning?”

The man sniffed, and said he could not smell anything.

“It’s at the back—​that’s where it is,” cried our hero. “Come this way, policeman.”

As he said this, he walked leisurely along the front of the house, which was a corner one, and led the way to the street by its side. The policeman followed.

At the back of the jeweller’s was a mews.

“There!” exclaimed Peace. “It’s there!”

The policeman, thrown completely off his guard—​he was quite a green hand—​walked a few steps down the mews, and looked about in the vain effort to discover the fire.