The Small House at Allington Anthony Trollope (the top 100 crime novels of all time .TXT) đ
- Author: Anthony Trollope
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âWeâve got him here in custody, sir,â said Bushers, touching his hat. It had become known from the guard that Crosbie was somewhat of a big man, a frequent guest at Courcy Castle, and of repute and station in the higher regions of the Metropolitan world. âThe magistrates will be sitting at Paddington, now, sirâ âor will be by the time we get there.â
By this time some mighty railway authority had come upon the scene and made himself cognizant of the facts of the rowâ âa stern official who seemed to carry the weight of many engines on his brow; one at the very sight of whom smokers would drop their cigars, and porters close their fists against sixpences; a great man with an erect chin, a quick step, and a well-brushed hat powerful with an elaborately upturned brim. This was the platform-superintendent, dominant even over the policemen.
âStep into my room, Mr. Crosbie,â he said. âStubbs, bring that man in with you.â And then, before Crosbie had been able to make up his mind as to any other line of conduct, he found himself in the superintendentâs room, accompanied by the guard, and by the two policemen who conducted Johnny Eames between them.
âWhatâs all this?â said the superintendent, still keeping on his hat, for he was aware how much of the excellence of his personal dignity was owing to the arrangement of that article; and as he spoke he frowned upon the culprit with his utmost severity. âMr. Crosbie, I am very sorry that you should have been exposed to such brutality on our platform.â
âYou donât know what he has done,â said Johnny. âHe is the most confounded scoundrel living. He has brokenâ ââ But then he stopped himself. He was going to tell the superintendent that the confounded scoundrel had broken a beautiful young ladyâs heart; but he bethought himself that he would not allude more specially to Lily Dale in that hearing.
âDo you know who he is, Mr. Crosbie?â said the superintendent.
âOh, yes,â said Crosbie, whose eye was already becoming blue. âHe is a clerk in the Income-tax Office, and his name is Eames. I believe you had better leave him to me.â
But the superintendent at once wrote down the words âIncome-tax Officeâ âEames,â on his tablet. âWe canât allow a row like that to take place on our platform and not notice it. I shall bring it before the directors. Itâs a most disgraceful affair, Mr. Eamesâ âmost disgraceful.â
But Johnny by this time had perceived that Crosbieâs eye was in a state which proved satisfactorily that his morningâs work had not been thrown away, and his spirits were rising accordingly. He did not care two straws for the superintendent or even for the policemen, if only the story could be made to tell well for himself hereafter. It was his object to have thrashed Crosbie, and now, as he looked at his enemyâs face, he acknowledged that Providence had been good to him.
âThatâs your opinion,â said Johnny.
âYes, sir, it is,â said the superintendent; âand I shall know how to represent the matter to your superiors, young man.â
âYou donât know all about it,â said Eames; âand I donât suppose you ever will. I had made up my mind what Iâd do the first time I saw that scoundrel there; and now Iâve done it. Heâd have got much worse in the railway carriage, only there was a lady there.â
âMr. Crosbie, I really think we had better take him before the magistrates.â
To this, however, Crosbie objected. He assured the superintendent that he would himself know how to deal with the matterâ âwhich, however, was exactly what he did not know. Would the superintendent allow one of the railway servants to get a cab for him, and to find his luggage? He was very anxious to get home without being subjected to any more of Mr. Eamesâs insolence.
âYou havenât done with Mr. Eamesâs insolence yet, I can tell you. All London shall hear of it, and shall know why. If you have any shame in you, you shall be ashamed to show your face.â
Unfortunate man! Who can say that punishmentâ âadequate punishmentâ âhad not overtaken him? For the present, he had to sneak home with a black eye, with the knowledge inside him that he had been whipped by a clerk in the Income-tax Office; and for the futureâ âhe was bound over to marry Lady Alexandrina De Courcy!
He got himself smuggled off in a cab, without being forced to go again upon the platformâ âhis luggage being brought to him by two assiduous porters. But in all this there was very little balm for his hurt pride. As he ordered the cabman to drive to Mount Street, he felt that he had ruined himself by that step in life which he had taken at Courcy Castle. Whichever way he looked he had no comfort. âDâ âžș the fellow!â he said, almost out loud in the cab; but though he did with his outward voice allude to Eames, the curse in his inner thoughts was uttered against himself.
Johnny was allowed to make his way down to the platform, and there find his own carpetbag. One young porter, however, came up and fraternized with him.
âYou guve it
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