Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1907 edition. Excerpt: ... THE CASE OF THE LOST FOREIGNER. I Have already said in more than one place that Hewitt's personal relations with the members of the London police force were of a cordial character. In the course of his work it has frequently been Hewitt's hap to learn of matters on which the police were glad of information, and that information was always passed on at once; and so long as no infringement of regulations or damage to public service were involved, Hewitt could always rely on a return in kind. It was with a message of a useful sort that Hewitt one day dropped into Vine Street policestation and asked for a particular inspector, who was not in. Hewitt sat and wrote a note, and by way. of making conversation said to the inspector on duty, " Anything very startling this way to-day?" "Nothing very startling, perhaps, as yet," the inspector replied. "But one of our chaps picked up rather an odd customer a little while ago. Lunatic of some sort, I should think--in fact, I've sent for the doctor to see him. He's a foreigner--a Frenchman, I believe. He seemed horribly weak and faint; but the oddest thing occurred when one of the men, thinking he might be hungry, brought in some bread. He went into fits of terror at the sight of it, and wouldn't be pacified till they took it away again." "That was strange." "Odd, wasn't it? And he was hungry too. They brought him some more a little while after, and he didn't funk it a bit, --pitched into it, in fact, like anything, and ate it all with some cold beef. It's the way with some lunatics--never the same five minutes together. He keeps crying like a baby, and saying things we can't understand. As it happens, there's nobody in just now who speaks French." "I speak French," Hewitt replied. "Shall I try him?..".