a chest, there was little furniture in
the room.

Blunt's busy pen at length ceased to move, and Sharp looked at him.

"Well, Blunt," he said, "I see nothing for it but to make a railway
porter of you."

"By all means, sir," said Blunt, with a smile, laying down his pen.

"Gorton station," continued Sharp, "has become a very nest of thieves.
It is not creditable that such a state of things should exist for a week
on our line. They have managed things very cleverly as yet. Five or
six bales of cloth have disappeared in the course of as many days,
besides several loaves of sugar and half-a-dozen cheeses. I am pretty
sure who the culprits are, but can't manage to bring it home to them,
so, as I have said, we must convert you into a porter. You have only
been once engaged on this part of the line--that was at the accident
when you were so hard on poor Mr Gurwood, so that none of the Gorton
people will know you. I have arranged matters with our passenger
superintendent. It seems that Macdonell, the station-master at Gorton,
has been complaining that he is short-handed and wants another porter.
That just suits us, so we have resolved to give you that responsible
situation. You will get a porter's uniform from--"

At this point Mr Sharp was interrupted by the door opening violently,
and a detective in plain clothes entering with a stout young man in his
grasp.

"Who have we here?" asked Mr Sharp.

"Man travelling without a ticket sir," replied the detective, whose calm
demeanour was in marked contrast to the excitement of his prisoner.

"Ha! come here; what have you to say for yourself?" demanded the
superintendent of the man.

Hereupon the man began a violent exculpation of himself, which entailed
nearly half-an-hour of vigorous cross-questioning, and resulted in his
giving a half-satisfactory account of himself, some trustworthy
references to people in town, and being set free.

This case having been disposed of, Mr Sharp resumed his conversation
with Blunt.

"Having been changed, then, into a railway porter, Blunt, you will
proceed to Gorton to discharge your duties there, and while doing so you
will make uncommonly good use of your eyes, ears, and opportunities."

Mr Sharp smiled and Blunt chuckled, and at the same time Joseph Tipps
entered the room.

"Good-evening, Mr Sharp," he said. "Well, anything more about these
Gorton robberies?"

"Nothing more yet, Mr Tipps, but we expect something more so