The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-01-14
VOL. XXVIII.-NO. II.

have been-and "Mr. Allardyce" and his
gang thought themselves perfectly secure
from interruption. Charlie and bis party
crept cautiously up the stairs. hearing
voices and laughter coming from above.
On the first landing was wooden piano
case, in which ingenious and innocent re-
ceptacle our plate was to be packed, and
put on the truck which was waiting at the
door; in which guise it might safely be
trusted to elude the notice of every po-.
liceman in London, The thieves were so
secure in their fancied safety that when
the door was pushed open and they found
themselves surrounded by the policemen
with drawn truncheons they were blank
with amazement. ''Mr Allardyce" e"-not
in clerical costume this time-had opened
the press with the false keys, which the
wax impressions he had taken enabled him
to make. A second man, the driver of
the truck at the door, was standing BY
with chisel, and my sanity parlormaid
laughing at the ruse which had been sue
cessfully practiced on her master and mis-
tress, was helping the housemaid to roll
up the plate in green baize bags.
'NIr Allardyce' drew revolver, but
before it could be discharged he was
stunned by blow from the Sergeant's
truncheon. The others were quickly Sc
cured, and escorted by the policemen were
driven to the nearest police court, to be
charged before the sitting magistrate.
Our plate was saved; but it had the mar
rowest escape in the world Only ten
minutes more, and the thieves would have
got clear off with their booty, and we
should never have seen vestise of it
again.
The conspirators had contrived to send
! the cook on an errand which would detain
her an hour or two soon after Charlie and
| left. The housemaid-who, it will be re-
membered, came to me through Eliza
was in the plot; and they thought them
selves safe The parlormaid in whom
trusted so implicitly was member, sub rosa,
of the swell-mob, of which distinguished
profession "Mr Allardyce," who had re-
ceived a good education, was one of the
brightest ornaments He had written the
letter from Folkestone by means of which
she entered my service Eliza derived her
knowledge of Oakwood and of Mr.. Altar
dyce's affairs through having once staid
there for few weeks with a family in
whose service she was. For four or five
years she had played game similar to that
she had tried on me-getting mistresses to
con6de in her, and then, when she had
found out where their plate and valuables
were kept, betraying the house to her ac-
completes These burglaries remained pro-
found mysteries, thanks to her consummate
hypocrisy, her completely in them hav-
ing been suspected Her entering my
service was not the result Of chance, but
the consequence of one of the gang one day
hearing remark that Dr. Lester, of Mott
ing Hill, had some valuable plate, At first
she and her confederates thought of car
rying it off in a night attack; but the diff
culties in the way, thanks to Charles wise
precautions, caused them to change their
plans, and they concluded to try the STRAIT
agem have recorded.
The four were tried, and each sentenced
to long terms of penal servitude. A few
days after the trial was concluded / was
astonished to receive call from my old
housemaid Jane, who had been dismissed
for dishonesty. She told me that she had
only just heard Of what had taken place,
and that had emboldened her to come and
tell me that she was sure Eliza, knowing
her box would be searched, had purposely
placed articles belonging to me in it that
very morning, to insure her dismissal. She
said that one or two things Eliza had said
to her indicated very little regard for other
peoples property; but, finding that Jane
was honest, Eliza pretended to turn it all
off as joke. But from that time forth
she no doubt made up her mind to get rid
of Jane, as an obstacle in the way Of her
schemes. 1t is needless to say that ut
once took Jane back into my service, and
that she is with me now.
We had had a lesson We sent all our
plate off TO the bank the next morning
People who come to dine with us see good
deal Of silver, as they imagine, but it is
chiefly electro-plate. One attempted bur
glary is quite enough in lifetime.
We renewed the acquaintance with the
real Mr.. Allardyce, SO strangely begun, and
he is now one Of our most valued friends.
We oftea joke about his garden party"
which never came of. But if our parlor-
maid had succeeded in her nefarions de-
signs there would really have been no joke
in the matter
Partisan Economy.
In Paris nothing is wasted, observes a
writer in the Saturday Revieio, not the
n L /. L