a _cul-de-sac_.

"How long D 21 stood at that particular corner he could not exactly say,
but he thinks it must have been three or four minutes before he noticed
a suspicious-looking individual shambling along under the shadow of the
garden walls. He was working his way cautiously in the direction of the
_cul-de-sac_, and D 21, also keeping well within the shadow, went
noiselessly after him.

"He had almost overtaken him--was, in fact, not more than thirty yards
from him--when from out of one of the two end houses--No. 22, Phillimore
Terrace, in fact--a man, in nothing but his night-shirt, rushed out
excitedly, and, before D 21 had time to intervene, literally threw
himself upon the suspected individual, rolling over and over with him on
the hard cobble-stones, and frantically shrieking, 'Thief! Thief!
Police!'

"It was some time before the constable succeeded in rescuing the tramp
from the excited grip of his assailant, and several minutes before he
could make himself heard.

"'There! there! that'll do!' he managed to say at last, as he gave the
man in the shirt a vigorous shove, which silenced him for the moment.
'Leave the man alone now, you mustn't make that noise this time o'
night, wakin' up all the folks.' The unfortunate tramp, who in the
meanwhile had managed to got on to his feet again, made no attempt to
get away; probably he thought he would stand but a poor chance. But the
man in the shirt had partly recovered his power of speech, and was now
blurting out jerky, half--intelligible sentences:

"'I have been robbed--robbed--I--that is--my master--Mr. Knopf. The desk
is open--the diamonds gone--all in my charge--and--now they are stolen!
That's the thief--I'll swear--I heard him--not three minutes ago--rushed
downstairs--the door into the garden was smashed--I ran across the
garden--he was sneaking about here still--Thief! Thief! Police!
Diamonds! Constable, don't let him go--I'll make you responsible if you
let him go--'

"'Now then--that'll do!' admonished D 21 as soon as he could get a word
in, 'stop that row, will you?'

"The man in the shirt was gradually recovering from his excitement.

"'Can I give this man in charge?' he asked.

"'What for?'

"'Burglary and housebreaking. I heard him, I tell you. He must have Mr.
Knopf's diamonds about him at this moment.'

"'Where is Mr. Knopf?'

"'Out of town,' groaned the man in the shirt. 'He went to Brighton last
night, and left me in charge, and