catch a thief

7/27/2019 Catch a Thief

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People often wrote to him. They asked him-

they even begged him- to sell them objects that

they specially wanted. But he always said no.

It is not quite correct to say that the Twiggs

lived in the town. Their house stood all alone ontop of a hill, and the road which led to it ended

in a field. Their nearest neighbours. A ships

engineer and his wife, lived a hundred yards

down the road. They were away most of the

time. For while the husband was at sea, the

wife went to stay with her mother.

You know, Mark, Jane said one at breakfast, I

get rather afraid sometimes. Were all alone

and

youve been reading too many books, said

Mark, pushing his empty plate away from him.

Cook me another egg. Im hungry this morning.

It must be the sea air.

Im quite serious, Mark, Jane said, not moving.

look at all these valuable things. Look at this

table. Didnt you say the other day that it was

worth nearly 1,000?

Thieves dont steal tables, Mark replied. And

we always lock the silver in the drawers every

night. Theres nothing to be afraid of.

Well, Jane continued, Ill tell you something. I

saw a man watching the house yesterday!

Mark laughed.

He was probably just another painter-looking

for a subject, he said.

He didnt look like a painter, said Jane.

The weeks passed. Then on Monday morning

Mark received an unusual letter from London.

Strange! he said. Just listen to this:


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Dear Mr. Twigg,

I am collecting material for a history of English

art collections and would very much like your

advice. I shall be staying at the Savoy hotel in

London during the next two weeks. If you couldhave lunch with me on Friday next I would

consider it a very great honour.

Who is it from? asked Jane.

Its signed Samuel B. Goldstein and he adds,

It may interest you to know that two of your

pictures hang in my bedroom. In my opinion

you are one of the best painters in England

today. Well, what do you think?

I think youll go to London next Friday and

leave me all alone! said Jane.

Why dont you come with me then - if youre

still afraid of that thief?

Ill come with you if you go by train, she said

firmly, but not if you take the Jaguar. Im much

more afraid of the jag than I am of any thief.

Now Mark had a particular love of fast cars. Hehad already had an Aston Martin and an M. G.

He had destroyed them both, and he had also

broken both his legs and an arm. It wasnt my

fault, he had said each time. Its these English

roads. They arent straight enough! But a drive

to London over 200 miles! He could not miss

an opportunity like that.

Im taking the Jag, he said, and dont try to

stop me!

Well, youll kill yourself, said Jane, and weve

only been married a year.

As Friday came nearer Jane got quieter and

quieter. On Thursday she did not talk to Mark at

all, and she did not eat a single meal.


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This is nonsense! cried Mark angrily, when

they went to bed that night. What do you

expect me to do? Sell the Jaguar and buy a

bicycle instead?

Jane did not answer.

Mark got up very quietly the next morning. It

was still dark, and Jane was asleep. He was glad,

because he did not want to say good-bye to her.

He was afraid of the look she would give him.

He had a quick breakfast. Then he jumped into

the Jaguar and drove away in the direction of

the London road.

As he disappeared a man came out from behind

a garden wall. He had a broken nose and large

red ears. There was a smile on his face. But it

was not a pleasant smile.

It was eight oclock when Jane at last awoke.

When she saw the empty place beside her in

the bed she jumped up and ran to the window.

The Jaguar had gone. The sun was high in the

sky. Three fishing-boats were leaving the port.

Far away she could hear the noise of a train.

She dressed, but she could not eat any

breakfast. She just sat on a hard wooden chair

beside the telephone and waited for it to ring.

She was sure it would ring. And at half past nine

it did ring. She picked it up. Is that you, Mark?

she cried. But it was a womans voice that

answered:Mrs. Twigg? Im sorry but I have

some bad news for you. Your husbands car hit

a bus near Salisbury Hes badly hurt, Im

afraid Yes, very serious. They carried him tothe nearest house. Hes too ill to be moved. Ive

ordered a taxi to collect you

But Mark Twigg did not hit a bus, and he did not

get as far as Salisbury. Just outside Exeter he

turned a corner too fast and ran into a cow. The


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cow was killed and the two front wheels of the

Jaguar were completely destroyed. Mark paid

the farmer for the cow, left the jaguar in a field

and caught a bus to Exeter. He went straight to

the station. But there was no train which

reached London before one oclock. So he went

into the nearest telephone box and phoned the

Savoy Hotel.

catch a thief

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