Almost at the same time that the door opened, Tom and Tony rushed forward in a brisk stride.

Tony tugged at the edge of the door, trying to keep it from closing.

Tom picked up Adam, who was staying at the door, and retreated to the back.

Seeing this, the thief in the door, Old Fagin, changed his face suddenly, and the old man in his sixties almost didn't even think about it, and immediately took out his right hand that had been behind his back, which was a bright meat cleaver.

Just as he was about to stab Tony in front of him, his powerful palm grabbed his wrist like an iron pincer.

Old Fagin was in pain for a while, and the knife in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.

Arthur, wearing a bowler hat, lifted his coat with his other hand and showed him a flintlock pistol at his waist.

Arthur spoke, "Don't bother, Mr. Fagin. We have no ill intentions, we just want to have a brief chat with you. ”

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, Tony and Tom, who were standing behind him, also lifted their coats, and they also carried pistols in their arms.

Seeing this, Old Fagin had to raise his hands slightly to show that he had no intention of resisting.

The bald old man opened his eyes wide and took a breath: "Okay, it seems that I planted it today, and you are here to ask for the account, right?" How many people please, do you need me to help you make a cup of tea? ”

Arthur raised his eyebrows: "Asking for an account?" Do you owe a lot of money to someone? ”

"You're not here to ask for an account!"

Old Fagin looked a few people up and down in surprise: "Then you are Fred's people?" Could it be that his conscience has found out, and he finally intends to settle the payment owed to me for several months? ”

Tom and Tony glanced at each other, and Dickens was about to answer, but was stopped by them.

Arthur pondered slightly, stuck out his tongue and licked the corners of his mouth, he leaned against the door and tilted his head and smiled.

"Mr. Fagin, I wonder if you have forgotten anything important?"

"What else?"

Old Fagin rolled his eyes, he glanced at Arthur back and forth a few times, and suddenly narrowed his eyes: "If there is anything, you can just say it." You don't need to talk to me here, if you are really a brother on the road, you should know the rules. ”

When Arthur heard this, he didn't say much, but pulled out the pistol from his waist and put it on Fagin's head.

"Excuse me, old thing, I'm new here, and I don't understand your rules here."

As soon as the gun was placed on Fagin's head, the old man's hand, which had just been put down, was raised again.

He yelled, "Damn it! I hate you guys who are just starting out! Nothing but violence! ”

Seeing this, Adam couldn't bear to speak, "Mr. Hastings, you, you promised me. ”

Fagin glanced at Adam, who was being held in Tom's arms, "Adam, you actually believe their nonsense. What good did they give you, and you sold me like that?

I'm usually pretty good to you, but when you were kicked out by your parents, who took you in? Who taught you all those meticulous tasks?

At most, I'm taking a little bit of what you stole from you, don't think I'm taking 40% a lot, that's risking losing my head, I just want to earn some pension money!

You ask in St. Giles, who of those middlemen doesn't give you a discounted price? ”

When Adam heard this, he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart: "Mr. Fagin, they have no ill will towards you. ”

"No malice would put a gun on my head?!"

When Arthur heard this, he could only sigh helplessly, he turned the muzzle of the gun upside down, aimed it at his head and pulled the trigger.

I heard only a click, and nothing happened.

Arthur put his pistol back in his waist and spread his hands at old Fagin, "Mr. Fagin, as you can see, this is just a joke. ”

Old Fagin took his handkerchief from his jacket pocket, wiped the sweat from his chin, and glared at him: "Is there such a joke?" The old man's life is about to scare you away! What the hell do you do? ”

Officer Tony takes the Scotland Yard armband from his jacket pocket and displays it in front of Fagin.

"As you can see, we're the police."

"Police?" Old Fagin clutched his aching heart and hunched his back in cringe: "Mr. Officer, I, I think there must be some misunderstanding here." ”

He fumbled in his arms for a while, and shuddered, pulled out a new gold pocket watch and stuffed it into Arthur's pocket.

"For the sake of us all knowing Adam, be careful, and please accept it."

Arthur looked at the old man's metamorphosis back and forth, but reluctantly sent the gold watch back.

"Mr. Fagin, you know I'm a policeman, how can I do this?"

Before old Eugene could reply, Adam, who was held in Tom's arms, said weakly: "That's right, Mr. Fagin, you have to give it privately." ”

Tom was dumbfounded, and he said, "Adam! Who did you learn this from? He can't give it in private, and he won't take it if he gives it to Arthur, and he is not short of money now. ”

Adam nodded thoughtfully, he blinked his eyes and said to Fagin, "That'...... Mr. Fagin, please give it to my father, our family is lacking. ”

Dickens, who was on the side, was stunned when he heard this, and he asked Tony beside him, "Are all the police officers in Scotland Yard like this?" ”

Tony pouted and shrugged, "There are like this everywhere, but at least we don't." ”

Fagin Sr. was overwhelmed by them, and just as he didn't know what to do, Arthur spoke.

"Forget it, Mr. Fagin, let's go in and talk."

Fei Jin, who learned the identity of the other party, did not dare to slack off, and he hurriedly led a few people into the door.

"Officers, please, I'll go make you tea."

"You don't need to make tea."

Arthur entered the room, and he looked at the living room, where the newspaper pasted the window and the floor seeped water.

The walls blackened by firewood, the table with half a leg missing and covered in graffiti, and the half-nibbled rye bread and the white cup with the lid off and the teapot on the table.

And in the small thatched hole in the corner of the wall, there was a lean black mouse sleeping soundly.

Faced with this situation, Arthur could not raise his appetite in any way.

Old Fagin also saw that several police officers seemed to be a little uncomfortable, and the old thief blushed embarrassedly and said, "Mr. police officer, my house is good nearby."

The landlord told me that this was a noble house, where both the baron and the baroness lived, and every wall was full of classical elegance.

It's just that there is a lack of maintenance here for a long time, so you may not be able to see it now. Don't believe me, look here......"

Fagin Sr. said as he stretched out his greasy sleeve and rubbed the handrail of the stairs leading to the second floor.

"Look at the carving of this armrest, it is definitely the taste of the master."

Arthur interrupted him by raising his hand: "Mr. Fagin, we can talk about taste next time."

I heard Adam say that you are a man with a face and a lot of information that no one else knows. So I'm here today, mainly to ask you some questions.

I have received reliable information that the diocese of St. Giles has been missing recently, do you know anything about this? ”

"Disappearances?"

Old Fagin's eyes wandered, and he pursed his shriveled lips: "Actually, this kind of thing has never been lacking in St. Giles." After all, you should know what we're doing here. People come here every day, people leave every day, and it's normal to have a few fewer people. ”

"But I've heard that this time it's all familiar faces on the street. There are adults, children, men and women, and with your network in St. Giles, you won't never hear from you, right? ”

After that, Arthur threw out a list from his arms and threw it on the table: "Do you know words?" If you don't know, I can read it to you. ”

Old Fagin was sweating profusely: "This ...... There are some things that I can't say too clearly, or I'll be in trouble. Everyone is doing this, and I'm cutting off their financial resources. ”

When Arthur heard this, he threw out another document: "Mr. Fagin, this one is now an accusation against you. With the amount of stolen goods you sold and the instigation of criminal acts, the punishment for several crimes is not enough to be hanged and enough to be exiled, you should know that at your age, there is no difference between exile and hanging.

However, if you are willing to cooperate with our investigation, I can drop these charges immediately, after all, the diocese of St. Giles is not my jurisdiction, and I don't need to bother with this matter. ”

When Fagin heard this, he hesitated, but when he saw the handcuffs that Officer Tony had taken out, he finally gritted his teeth.

"I can't say I know everything," he said. But I'm willing to tell you everything I know. ”

When Arthur heard this, he immediately threw the accusation papers into the dirty fireplace next to him.

"Tell me."

Fagin took a deep breath and asked, "Mr. Officer, do you know about the Funeral Mutual Aid Society?" It's the kind of association where a family pays a few pennies a week, and then if a family member dies, they receive a funeral allowance from the mutual aid society. ”