The evening's entertainment was over. The last of the nobility and had departed, and Mr. McEachern had to his to smoke—in his shirt sleeves—the last and best cigar of the day, when his was invaded by his old New York friend, Mr. Samuel Galer.  
"I've done a fair cop, sir," said Mr. Galer, without , quivering with self-congratulation.
 
"How's that?" said the master of the house.
 
"A fair cop, sir. Caught him in the very blooming act, sir. Dark it was. Oo, pitch. Fair pitch. Like this, sir. Room opposite where the jewels was. One of the gents' bedrooms. Me hiding in there. Door on the jar. Waited a goodish bit. Footsteps. Hullo, they've stopped! Opened door a trifle and looked out. Couldn't see much. Just made out man's figure. Door of room was open. Showed up against opening. Just see him. Caught you at it, my beauty, have I? says I to myself. Out I jumped. Got hold of him. Being a bit to the good in strength, and knowing something about the game, downed him after a while and got the darbies on him. Took him off and locked him in the cellar. That's how it was, sir."
 
"Good boy," said Mr. McEachern approvingly. "You're no rube."
 
"No, sir."
 
"Put one of these cigars into your face."
 
"Thank you, sir. Very enjoyable thing, a cigar, sir. ' a good un. I have a light, I thank you, sir."
 
"Well, and who was he?"
 
"Not the man you told me to watch, for. 'Nother chap altogether."
 
"That red-headed——"
 
"No, sir. Dark-haired chap. Seen him hanging about, suspicious, for a long time. Had my eye on him."
 
Mr. Galer reminiscently.
 
"Rummest card, sir, I ever lagged in my natural," he said.
 
"How's that? inquired Mr. McEachern .
 
"Why," grinned Mr. Galer, "you'll hardly believe it, sir, but he had the , the , if I may use the word, the sauce to tell me he was in my own line of business. A detective, sir! Said he was going into the room to keep guard. I said to him at the time, I said, it's too thin, cocky. That's to say——"
 
Mr. McEachern started.
 
"A detective!"
 
"A detective, sir," said Mr. Galer, with a . "I said to him at the time——"
 
"The valet!" cried Mr. McEachern.
 
"That's it, sir. Sir Thomas Blunt's valet, he was. That's how he got into the house, sir."
 
Mr. McEachern despairingly.
 
"The man was right. He is a detective. Sir Thomas brought him down from London. He niver travels without him. Ye've done it. Ye've arristed of the bhoys."
 
Mr. Galer's dropped slightly.
 
"He was? He really was——"
 
"Ye'd better go straight to where it was ye locked him up, and let him loose. And I'd suggest ye hand him an apology. G'wan, mister. Lively as you can step."
 
"I never thought——"
 
"That's the trouble with you fly cops," said his employer .
"Ye niver do think."
"It never occurred to me——"
 
"G'wan!" said the master of the house. "Up an !"
 
Mr. Galer departed.
 
"And I asked them," said Mr. McEachern, "I asked them particularly not to send me a rube!"
 
He lit another cigar, and began to brood over the of mankind.
 
He was in a very pessimistic frame of mind when Jimmy curveted into the room, with his head in the clouds and his feet on air.
 
"Can you spare me a few minutes, Mr. McEachern?" said Jimmy.
 
The policeman stared heavily.
 
"I can," he said slowly. "What is ut?"
 
"Several things," said Jimmy, sitting down. "I'll take them in order.
I'll start with our bright friend, Galer."
"Galer!"
 
"Of New York, according to you. Personally, I should think that he's seen about as much of New York as I have of Timbuctoo. Look here, McEachern, we've known each other some time, and I ask you, as man to man, do you think it playing the game to set a farmer like poor old Galer to watch me? I put it to you?"
 
The policeman . The question chimed in so exactly with the opinion he had just formed, on his own account, of the human bloodhound who was now in the cellar making the peace with his injured fellow worker.
 
"Hits you where you live, that, doesn't it?" said Jimmy. "I wonder you didn't have more self-respect, let alone consideration for my feelings. I'm surprised at you."
 
"Ye're——"
 
"In fact, if you weren't going to be my father-in-law, I doubt if I could bring myself to forgive you. As it is, I overlook it."
 
The policeman's face turned purple.
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