The Devil's Company by David Liss Page B

surrounded at once by a crowd of some four or five urchins, the very ones I had seen during my previous visit. “I know you,” one of them said. He was not ten years old; his face and hands were covered with soot, and a pasty brown substance I did not care to ponder streaked his young face, making his bright blue eyes seem all the brighter. “You’re that spark what saved Crooked Luke from the fart catcher, ain’t you?”

    “I never heard his name, but I did help the child,” I agreed.

    “What’s your business with them, then?” he asked, gesturing with his head toward Cobb’s house.

    I stopped and studied the young fellow. “What’s yours?” I held up a pair of coppers to sweeten our discourse.

    He laughed and snatched the coins from my hand with such speed and dexterity it gave me cause to wonder if I’d ever held them at all. “Oh, I ain’t got much business with that Edgar and his gents. Nah, we just love to give them something to get angry about, on account of Edgar thinking he’s so much above us. He loves to chase us off, he does, and it drives him devilish angry when we break open their place, which is half the reason we do it.”

    “And what is the other half?”

    He grinned at me, showing a mouth full of the black teeth of an old man. “The other half is for the rhino. They got plenty what’s easy to sell for it.”

    “What do you know about Cobb?”

    He shrugged. “Not much as I can say. He don’t come out a lot, and when he do, he gets pushed into his coach right quick. We’ve jeered at him like we done with Edgar, but he don’t pay us mind.”

    “Do they receive visitors often?”

    “Not what I seen.”

    “Have you seen anything unusual about them?”

    He gave this question some thought. “Only that there’s hardly anyone in there. Big house like that, with two gentlemen and just the one servant, if you can credit it. Other than that, I can’t say much about them. They stay all quiet-like.”

    “That will have to do for the moment, then.” I handed him my card. “If you observe anything of note, come find me.”

    He looked at the card with the blank curiosity of the most ignorant savage. “What is it?”

    “It’s a card,” I said. “It has my name and directions upon it. If you need to find me, ask someone to read it for you.”

    He nodded, as though I had explained some ecclesiastical mystery.

    With the urchins continuing to watch me from the street, I knocked upon the door, and in a moment Edgar came and looked me over with a critical eye. “I’m surprised it took so long for you to return.”

    “Are you, now?” I punctuated my question with my fists. I struck him squarely in the nose, more with finesse than strength, and that organ erupted at once in a fount of blood. The servant fell back against the door, and I stepped forward, launching another blow to his face before he could sink to the ground. This one struck his jaw, and I felt confident I dislodged a tooth or two.

    The gathered urchins let out a cheer, so I dragged the footman to the stoop and closed the door behind him. I would let the children make of him what they would. My only concern was that I deal with Cobb while he was free of anyone who might interfere.

    I marched into the sitting room and found Cobb, as though prepared for me. I thought it fortunate that Hammond was not present, as he took a much harder position than did his uncle. Indeed, the older man sat placidly, sipping at a glass of wine and wearing his amiable smile. I would have none of it. I drew my blade and put it to his throat. “What do you want?”

    He looked at the blade but did not flinch. “You’re the one who’s come bursting into my home,” he pointed out. “Perhaps that is my question for you.”

    “Don’t play games with me, sir, or you shall find yourself answering my questions while you stare at the tip of your nose on the floor.”

    “I don’t think you want to antagonize me, Mr. Weaver. Not