The Argosy — page 220: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Up on the Moor. 203 have been far too many of these escapes in the fog lately ; we shall just show those Prince’s Town people that some other folks are wide- awake, whatever they may be themselves! I’m as glad——” The inspector’s happy chuckle stopped suddenly as his eye fell on the prisoner’s handsome features and fair wavy hair, and he turned enquiringly to the constable. ‘“‘ T'm afraid, sir, that ‘Black Jan’ has given us the slip after all, and I think you'll say the same when you’ve heard this young gen’leman’s tale, though I didn’t give much heed to it myself till now that I see him fairly under the gas-light. He certainly don’t answer to the description, do he, sir?” ‘““Stand out, sir!” said the inspector, sharply to Aleck, for his disappointment made him cross. ‘ Black hair’—(just see if that’s a wig, Burton)—‘ dark eyes and complexion,’—‘ six feet in height ’— why, this fellow isn’t above five foot ten!” The inspector threw down the printed slip in disgust, and turned again to the prisoner. ‘Now, sir! perhaps you'll be good enough to tell me what you mean by masquerading about the country in this fashion ?” ““Wouldn’t it be more to the point if I asked what your friend ‘Black Jan’ meant by going off with the new shooting suit Wolmer- shausen had just built for me,and the gun I gave five and twenty pounds for last season P—Look here, Mr. Inspector, I suppose you can see pretty plainly I’m not the man you want! Can’t you let one of your people fetch me some food before I begin my tale? I haven’t had a square meal these three days, and am pretty near famished. Do, there’s a good fellow, and I'll tell you the story in brief while they’re fetching it.” Something in Aleck’s good-humoured voice and face must have softened the official heart of Inspector Fox, for before long the wanderer was sitting down to an abundant meal of cold beef, and its attendant pickles, while the chief of the A police despatched a telegraphic account of ‘‘ Black Jan’s” escape to head quarters, “But I’m afraid, sir, that you'll have to come before the Justices to-morrow morning just as you are! You see we’re bound to produce a man as we find him; and you’ve got to account to the magistrates for the possession of these clothes; what J believe or don’t believe goes for nothing, of course. ‘The most I can do is to get the hearing arranged for the magistrates’ private room instead of for the court.” The prisoner sighed resignedly. ‘‘ Well, what can’t be cured must be endured, evidently ; and I’m only too glad to have got back to civilisation once more on any terms. So I must take a laugh from your worthy justices with the best grace I can muster.” “Well, sir, it won’t be a very long one; that is, if your story is true,” added the inspector, cautiously. ‘“ For all our justices know Squire Carew well enough, though he sits on the Newton Bench, not CoOnniclboooks (C©) im