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London, and So On: Low Company! 133
means
of his own, his peculiar gift only began to shine forth when he first
made contact with a master criminal for whom the police of two
continents had lain in wait for years. He was the reality of which the
writer of "thrillers" dreams, the human spider in the midst of a
world-wide web of crime.
Master
thief and organising genius together, they built up a perfect
organisation in which every international jewel thief had membership
and drew his pay in accordance with services rendered. So much for the
member who furnished valuable information or who carefully prepared
diagrams of chosen localities. So much for the snatch-thief, the
cat-burglar, the safe-breaker, terms more generous than the average
"fence" would pay; a liberal allowance to those who could be trusted to
follow a dealer in gems half-way round the world before, at an
opportune moment, relieving him of his goods without violence. H. F.
disliked violence, and was prejudiced against murder.
To
cover their tracks the astute heads of this gang had in their pay in
every important centre experts who could rapidly remove gems from their
settings, smelt down the precious metal into bars, alter the size of
stones by recutting them and of pearls by reducing their weights.
Everywhere there were others, too, brokers who were not squeamish
about handling "cheap" goods and asked no questions. "Ask no questions
and you will be told no lies" was a saying as constantly on the lips of
H. F. as on those of a nursemaid. It was a motto that appeared to pay
him as well as honesty in another wise saw, for H. F. died in his own
bed and left a handsome estate to his children.
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