General Well'ngone In Love Read Online Free PDF

night.”
     
    Gravel Lane was not a pleasant place to
visit by day; darkness only made it more sinister and dismal. The
first time Mr. Melamed had visited the street, he had not been sure
he would ever emerge from it alive. Yet he had required the
services of the Earl of Gravel Lane more than once to solve a crime
affecting some member of the Jewish community, and so he was now
familiar with many of the denizens who called that sad thoroughfare
home and could approach the place without feelings of unease.
    The Earl was at home when Mr. Melamed
called. Indeed, the young man seldom left his underground dwelling,
miserable though it was. He was the organizer of his followers’
activities, while General Well’ngone was in charge of operations in
the field.
    “ It is always a pleasure
to see you, Mr. Melamed,” the Earl drawled, mimicking the mincing
accents used by the upper crust of London society. “I hope you will
excuse the chill in the air. You know how difficult it is to
adequately heat these old ancestral homes, I trust.”
    The Earl started to laugh at his little
jest—for although his abode may have been a palatial dwelling
during the times of good Queen Elizabeth, the large rooms were now
known primarily for their smell and damp. But he was quickly seized
by a fit of coughing.
    “ You should attend to that
cough, Earl,” said Mr. Melamed, “unless you intend to cheat the
gallows by dying of influenza instead.”
    The Earl had taken out a dirty handkerchief,
and after wiping his face he waved it in Mr. Melamed’s direction.
“I do not intend to die before my time, Mr. Melamed. Someone must
attend to the re-distribution of wealth in our fair city.”
    “ In all seriousness, Earl,
is your business so bad that you cannot afford a larger fire on
such a cold night?”
    “ Every business has its
cycles. The cold has been so bitter that it has numbed the fingers
of my boys, preventing them from doing their work. I’ve had to give
them a holiday, and we must all economize until we see better
times.”
    “ I hear that some of your
boys went to the Frost Fair,” said Mr. Melamed, turning the
conversation to the topic that had brought him to Gravel Lane.
Although he had no affection for the Earl, he knew that these
preliminary exchanges—which the Earl considered to be opportunities
to show off his wit—were part of the price he must pay to receive
the Earl’s services.
    “ Surely, there is no harm
in that,” replied the Earl, looking shocked at the thought that
anyone might think such as thing. “Surely you will not begrudge a
few hours of amusement to a poor orphaned boy.”
    “ Not at all. In fact, it
is a poor orphaned boy that I am trying to find. By any chance did
Berel Krinkle join you and the General for supper?”
    The Earl’s ears pricked up at the mention of
the name Krinkle. “Why would you think that?”
    “ Berel Krinkle was seen in
the company of General Well’ngone at the Fair.”
    “ And now you think I have
enticed him away from his home and intend to force him to join my
brotherhood of thieves. Really, Mr. Melamed, by rights I should
have you shown to the door for insinuating such a ridiculous thing.
But my humble abode is at your service. Look through every cupboard
and under every chair. If you find anyone named Krinkle hiding
there, do let me know.”
    Mr. Melamed knew that the Earl of Gravel
Lane had his faults—a propensity to assume airs, being one of
them—but experience had taught him that the Earl was not a liar.
The young man might choose to not divulge information in his
possession, but he would not deliberately twist the facts.
    “ The boy has gone missing,
Earl. And it’s too cold a night to spend it wandering in the
streets of London. General Well’ngone may have been one of the last
people to see him. If you have no information about the child’s
whereabouts, I would like to speak with the General.”
    “ I will see if he is
available.” The Earl went over to the