ugh the general
opinion is that a lad, who goes into the civil forces, be like to perform
better away from his surroundings, where he was just a common object of
the countryside with none of the dignities of the law attaching to him,
yet in this case it fell out otherwise and Borlase left home to become a
policeman and in due course returned, the finished article.

Naturally with such a history behind him and the ambition of a lifetime to
fall back upon, the authorities found no difficulty with Samuel, because
he had a policeman's mind and a policeman's bearing and outlook upon life
from his youth up. He thought like a policeman about the mysteries of
existence; he regarded his neighbours with a policeman's inquiring eyes,
because a policeman has a particular glance, as you'll find if you have
much to do with 'em; and he moved like a policeman with the might and
majesty of law and order ever before his eyes.

He confessed in later time that he pushed his great theories of perfection
rather hard in his earlier years; and he came back to his native village
of Thorpe-Michael full of high intentions to lift the place higher than
where it already stood. He had an unyielding habit of tidiness and hated
to see children playing in a road; and he hated worse to see a motor-car
come faster round a corner than it did ought; or any sign of unsteady
steps in a man or woman, who'd stopped too long at the 'Queen Anne'
public-house, or anything like that. He weren't what you might call an
amusing man and he hadn't yet reached the stage to make allowances and
keep his weather eye shut when the occasion demanded it; but these high
branches of understanding was likely to develop in time, and Inspector
Chowne, who ruled over him when these things fell out, always held of
Samuel Borlase that the material was there and the man hadn't took up his
calling without promising gifts to justify it.

"I'd sooner see him fussy than careless," said Chowne, "because life cures
a chap of being fussy, if he's got a brain and a sensible outlook; but the
careless and slack sort go from bad to worse, and I ain't here to keep my
constables in order: they be here to strengthen my hands and keep the rest
of the people in order."

He didn't judge as Samuel would ever rise to the top of the tree, any more
than what he'd done himself; for Chowne was one who had long lost
illusions as to a leading place. He'd made a woeful mess of the only
murder case that ever