style="font-size:15px;"> I told him ay, I would go with all my heart. «But, Colonel Jacque», says he, «what if they should take hold of you and threaten to have you whipped? Won’t you discover me to them?» «No», says I; «if they would whip me to death I won’t». «Well, then», says he, «there’s the letter-case; do you go». So he gave me directions how to act and what to say; but I would not take the letter-case with me, lest they should prove false, and take hold of me, thinking to find it upon me, and so charge me with the fact; so I left it with him. And the next morning I went to the custom-house, as was agreed. What my directions were will, to avoid repetition, appear in what happened; it was an errand of too much consequence indeed to be entrusted to a boy, not only so young as I was, but so little of a rogue as I was yet arrived to the degree of.
Two things I was particularly armed with, which I resolved upon: 1. That the man should have his bills again; for it seemed a horrible thing to me that he should be made to lose his money, which I supposed he must, purely because we would not carry the letter-case home. 2. That whatever happened to me, I was never to tell the name of my comrade Robin, who had been the principal. With these two pieces of honesty, for such they were both in themselves, and with a manly heart, though a boy’s head, I went up into the long-room in the customhouse the next day.
As soon as I came to the place where the thing was done, I saw the man sit just where he had sat before, and it ran in my head that he had sat there ever since; but I knew no better; so I went up, and stood just at that side of the writing-board that goes upon that side of the room, and which I was but just tall enough to lay my arms upon.
While I stood there one thrust me this way, and another thrust me that way, and the man that sat behind began to look at me. At last he called out to me, «What does that boy do there? Get you gone, sirrah! Are you one of the rogues that stole the gentleman’s letter-case a Monday last?» Then he turns his tale to a gentleman that was doing business with him, and goes on thus: «Here was Mr. – had a very unlucky chance on Monday last. Did not you hear of it?» «No, not I», says the gentleman. «Why, standing just there, where you do», says he, «making his entries, he pulled out his letter-case, and laid it down, as he says, but just at his hand, while he reached over to the standish there for a penful of ink, and somebody stole away his letter-case».
«His letter-case!» says t’other. «What, and was there any bills in it?»
«Ay», says he, «there was Sir Stephen Evans’s note in it for £ 300, and another goldsmith’s bill for about £ 12; and which is worse still for the gentleman, he had two foreign accepted bills in it for a great sum – I know not how much. I think one was a French bill for 1200 crowns».
«And who could it be?» says the gentleman.
«Nobody knows», says he; «but one of our room-keepers says he saw a couple of young rogues like that», pointing at me, «hanging about here, and that on a sudden they were both gone».
«Villains!» says he again. «Why, what can they do with them? They will be of no use to them. I suppose he went immediately and gave notice to prevent the payment».
«Yes», says the clerk, «he did; but the rogues were too nimble for him with the little bill of £ 12 odd money; they went and got the money for that, but all the rest are stopped. However, ‘tis an unspeakable damage to him for want of his money».
«Why, he should publish a reward for the encouragement of those that have them to bring them again; they would be glad to bring them, I warrant you».
«He has posted it up at the door that he will give £ 30 for them».
«Ay; but he should add that he will promise not to stop or give any trouble to the person that brings them».
«He has done that too», says he; «but I fear they won’t trust themselves to be honest, for fear he should break his word».
«Why? It is true he may break his word in that case, but no man should do so; for then no rogue will venture to bring home anything that is stolen, and so he would do an injury to others after him».
«I durst pawn my life for him, he would scorn it».
Thus far they discoursed of it, and then went off to something else. I heard it all, but did not know what to do a great while; but at last, watching the gentleman that went away, when he was gone I ran after him to have spoken to him, intending to have broke it to him, but he went hastily into a room or two full of people at the hither end of the long-room; and when I went to follow, the doorkeepers turned me back, and told me I must not go in there; so I went back, and loitered about near the man that sat behind the board, and hung about there till I found the clock struck twelve, and the room began to be thin of people; and at last he sat there writing, but nobody stood at the board before him, as there had all the rest of the morning. Then I came a little nearer, and stood close to the board, as I did before; when, looking up from his paper, and seeing me, says he to me, «You have been up and down here all this morning, sirrah! What do you want? You have some business that is not very good, I doubt».
«No, I han’t», said I.
«No? It is well if you han’t», says he. «Pray, what business can you have in the long-room, sir? You are no merchant».
«I would speak with you», said I.
«With me!» says he. «What have you to say to me?»
«I have something to say», said I, «if you will do me no harm for it».
«I do thee harm, child! What harm should I do thee?» and spoke very kindly.
«Won’t you indeed, sir?» said I.
«No, not I, child; I’ll do thee no harm. What is it? Do you know anything of the gentleman’s letter-case?»
I answered, but spoke softly that he could not hear me; so he gets over presently into the seat next him, and opens a place that was made to come out, and bade me come in to him; and I did.
Then he asked me again if I knew anything of the letter-case.
I spoke softly again, and said folks would hear him.
Then he whispered softly, and asked me again.
I told him I believed I did, but that, indeed, I had it not, nor had no hand in stealing it, but it was gotten into the hands of a boy that would have burned it, if it had not been for me; and that I heard him say that the gentleman would be glad to have them again, and give a good deal of money for them.
«I did say so, child», said he; «and if you can get them for him, he shall give you a good reward, no less than £ 30, as he has promised».
«But you said too, sir, to the gentleman just now», said I, «that you was sure he would not bring them into any harm that should bring them».
«No, you shall come to no harm. I will pass my word for it».
Boy. Nor shan’t they make me bring other people into trouble?
Gent. No; you shall not be asked the name of anybody, nor to tell who they are.
Boy. I am but a poor boy, and I would fain have the gentleman have his bills; and indeed I did not take them away, nor I han’t got them.
Gent. But can you tell how the gentleman shall have them?
Boy. If I can get them, I will bring them to you to-morrow morning.
Gent.
