"Mullett? Who's he?"
"He is an ex-convict, sir, who works for Mr. Finch in the apartment upstairs."
"You don't say! An ex-convict and works for Mr. Finch? What was his line?"
"Inside burglary jobs, sir. I understand, however, that he has reformed and is now a respectable member of society."
"Still, he was a burglar once?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, well!"
There was a silence. Officer Garroway, who was trying to find a good synonym for one of the adjectives in the poem on which he was occupied, stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. Mr. Waddington chewed his cigar intensely.
"Say, listen!" said Mr. Waddington.
"Sir?" said the policeman, coming out of his reverie with a start.
"Suppose," said Mr. Waddington, "suppose, just for the sake of argument, that a wicked person wanted a crook to do a
