Chapter 177: The Kid from Scotland

Chapter 176 The Kid from Scotland

Martin’s Tavern, 25 Brick Lane, Whitechapel Parish, Tauerhamletts.

Although Martin’s Tavern had only been open for a little over a month, due to the fair and cheap prices, and the owner, Mr. Martin’s good relationship with the Whitechapel district’s above-ground and below-ground talker, Sheriff Braden Jones, as well as Miss Fiona Evans, the nearby ruffians didn’t dare to pay for their drinks in arrears here, let alone make a mess of it.

So even though it’s just a newly opened tavern, it didn’t stop Martin’s Tavern from successfully turning a profit last month.

In the evening, the tavern gradually put out the light of oil lamps, in the swaying lights, a sweaty smell of sailors, bricklayers and even just completed a large order of pickpockets and vermin have come here.

In the crowded and noisy environment, the guests while drinking watered-down beer, while playing cards, throwing dice, guessing the size of a variety of large and small coins on the table thrown a piece.

And in the position near the bar, a gentleman wearing a big brimmed hat and a trench coat was holding a pipe and talking with Mr. Martin.

Mr. Martin had a fawning look on his face, and it seemed that he intended to give all the compliments of the year to the gentleman in front of him.

Arthur looked at the yellowed wine stains on the floor and the scattered cards and coins on the table and asked, “Do they play this every night?”

Mr. Martin nodded and said, “Mr. Hastings, it’s not like you don’t know. Those of us who do manual labor, that’s all the fun we have every day. We either drink or gamble. If you are short on cash, you can play cards, if you are rich, you can play horse racing. By the way, we used to be able to buy lottery tickets, but weren’t they banned by government legislation two years ago?

Members of Parliament feel that the purchase of lottery tickets will foster inertia, increase poverty, lead to debauchery, jeopardize the harmonious atmosphere in the country, and increase the number of lunatics. But I think that in this respect, Mr. Congressman is really making too big a deal out of it.

After all, buying lottery tickets is a traditional pastime in Britain, and I’ve heard my grandfather tell me that we’ve been playing it since the 16th century, back in the days of Elizabeth I, when the prizes weren’t just money, but also metal cutlery and fabrics and so on.

That can be much more interesting …… than those underground lotteries we play now.”

Mr. Martin said here, his face suddenly changed, he realized that he had missed his words.

But unexpectedly, Arthur actually did not look deeply into what he said.

Our Mr. Hastings simply stirred his own coffee cup with the silver spoon that Martin’s Tavern had specially reserved for him.

Arthur said, “Don’t worry, I’m off duty now and can’t be bothered with much of anything. But from a friend’s point of view, I’d advise you to play less of that stuff in general. The difference between the so-called underground lottery tickets and scams isn’t too great. I can understand laborers who can’t see hope going for that kind of stuff, after all, they don’t have many ways to get rich.

But Mr. Martin, you are different, your business is doing well now, as long as you sell your stuff honestly, sooner or later, you will live a decent life, why do you need to go to that unrealistic dream of getting rich? Or maybe that underground lottery is actually something you got up to?”

Hearing this, Martin quickly waved his hands, “Mr. Hastings, don’t misunderstand me, although I occasionally mix a few gadgets into my merchandise, I don’t do anything illegal at all. You should know me, I’m a good citizen.”

Arthur nodded, “Okay then, good citizen, any news on what I asked you to pass on to Fiona two days ago? A brown cowhide wallet with some money in it, two of Mr. Elder Carter’s business cards, and on top of that a supply pickup slip for the RMS Beagle. Oh yes, his silver pocket watch was stolen with it, and that one is quite distinctive, too, and should be easily recognizable.”

“Indeed, after all, it’s not often that you see a pocket watch with a naked blonde woman in the background.”

Mr. Martin picked up the rag on the counter and wiped the sweat from his head, “However, Mr. Hastings, I naturally wouldn’t dare to neglect your orders. But as you know, London is full of petty thieves. Although Miss Evan has now taken over a portion of Fred’s plate, her energy is not as big as Fred’s back then for the time being, and not every pickpocket who pins stolen goods will think of her in the first place.”

Arthur returned, “That said, the least she should know is which pickpocket groups frequent the Marylebone district. That brat with the Scottish accent is a veteran, and managed to unknowingly empty my friend’s pockets right under my nose.

You’d be challenging my common sense as a Scotland Yard policeman if you told me that the brat who could do the job so meticulously was working alone and was a fresh rookie.”

Mr. Martin thought for a moment and spoke up, “Have you sent someone to Old Fagin in St. Giles to ask? Maybe it was someone from the West End who made the move? If that’s the case, even if the stuff didn’t reach Old Fagin, he should at least know which group did it.” “I certainly sent someone to ask at Old Fagin’s.” Arthur took a sip of his coffee.

“What did he say?”

Arthur pursed his lips, “He said that the lads under his command have been very quiet lately, and that the organized gangs in the West End have all been scared out of their wits by Fred’s death, so most of the guys are chewing on their old money these days. If someone did steal a wallet with a Royal Navy supply pick-up slip attached to it, but anyone with a brain would turn it in to Scotland Yard. So it couldn’t have been their gang of West End ‘gentlemen’ who did this, and he said guys like that who have the guts and no brains usually hang out in the East End.”

Martin thought for a moment and muttered, “That sounds like a bit of sense, after all, you just fucked Fred over a while ago, and I’m afraid that the guy who dares to top that at this point in time is really tired of his own life.”

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard a sound of a door being pushed and a bell being rung behind them.

A few familiar looking gangsters walked into the tavern, and without thinking, they raised their hands and greeted Mr. Martin, “Martin, we’ve found the person you wanted. Fuck, you really don’t know how hard that kid was to find. You said he had a Scottish accent, and we originally thought he might be one of Kyle’s guys, but then we realized that the kid is actually a fucking one-hanger. If it wasn’t for that pocket watch of his that didn’t ship well, we wouldn’t have been able to find a clue to catch him.”

Arthur whipped his head around and his eyes met the lead punk’s.

The man he recognized as James, the same rape-catching punk he had once had the barrel of a gun pushed into his mouth.

James hadn’t seen him at first, but the moment his eyes sank down and he saw Arthur, his body couldn’t help but shake three times, then hurriedly took off his hat and said, “Mr. Black …… Hastings?”

Martin hurriedly spoke, “What do I need people for? Stuff! Stuff you brought?”

James hurriedly fished out his wallet from his pants pocket and walked up in three steps to place it on the counter, “The pocket watch, business card, and list are all in there, but the money has already been spent by that brat. Anyway, I’ve brought you the man, whether to put him in jail or beat him up and let him go, you two will see what you want to do.”

At the end of his sentence, James made a wink at the men behind him, “What are you all waiting for? Quickly bring the man up here!”

“Oh oh oh!”

The boss was furious, and a bunch of juniors hurriedly made way in a panic, and then, they saw a skinny monkey-like landlubber clamping a little kid with a rag stuffed in his mouth and his hands tied behind his back with a cloth walking up from the back.

As he walked, he also complained, “James, next time you get this job, this Scottish brat is quite strong, carrying it is similar to a donkey.”

“Cut the crap!” James glared, and then couldn’t stop smiling at Arthur: “Mr. Hastings, don’t mind, he’s new here, he doesn’t know the rules of our business.”

Arthur didn’t care, he just looked at the wide-eyed, defiant Scottish brat and opened his mouth to ask, “What’s going on when you just said he’s single-hung?”

James explained, “In case you don’t know, this little brat said he walked all the way from Glasgow, Scotland to London by himself. While walking, he was doing work on the road and ended up committing a crime at your hands not long after arriving in London. If this kid can find a good tutor to train him after coming to London, with his craft, he can be a character in the future. Of course, this character refers to our line, with you such a decent gentleman that is certainly not comparable.”

“Walked from Scotland to London by yourself?” When Arthur heard this, he also couldn’t help but be a little curious, he sized up this kid who looked to be eleven or twelve years old at most, he smiled and stepped forward to remove the rag from the brat’s mouth and asked, “That’s fine! What’s your kid’s name?”

But the other party just grunted when he heard Arthur’s words and turned his face away.

When James saw this, he couldn’t help but take the back of his hand and slap the side of his face, “Kid, do you know who this is? Caught stealing and still so cross? Do you want to go to the magistrate’s court? If I was half as tough as you were back then, I’d probably have gone to see God by now!”

The kid heard James mention the magistrate’s court, then he pursed his lips and reluctantly gave his name: “Don’t …… get mad, sir. I’m just getting some money. …… My …… name is Aaron Pinkerton.”

(End of chapter)