Fighting for the Right by Oliver Optic
page 41 of 275 (14%)
page 41 of 275 (14%)
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"Is that all you had to start with, my friend?" asked Christy. "That was all; and it was very little. Your American detectives are more cautious than Frenchmen in the same service." "I don't see how in the world you could work up the case with nothing more than a mere name to begin with," added Christy, beginning to have a higher opinion than ever of the skill of the French detective. "I tell you it was a narrow foundation on which to work up the case. It may amuse you, but I will tell you how it was done. In the first place, Captain Passford gave me all the money I needed to work with. I applied for a situation at Mr. Davis's warehouse. He imported wines and liquors from France; when his corresponding clerk, who spoke and wrote French, was commissioned as a lieutenant in the army, he was looking for a man to take his place. He employed me. I had charge of the letters, and carried the mail to him in his private counting-room every time it came." "I don't believe that any of our American detectives would have been competent to take such a position," suggested Christy, deeply interested in the narrative. "That is where I had the advantage of them. I was well educated, and was graduated from the University of France, with the parchment in that valise, signed by the minister of education. The carrier brought all the letters to my desk. I looked them over, and when I found any from England or Scotland, or even France, I opened and read them." |
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