Fic: Pickpocket: Gen
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holmes_minorTitle: Pickpocket
Length: 500
Rating: Gen
Summary: Watson and Holmes reminisce about meeting a young pickpocket.
“Guess who is coming to visit, Holmes?”
“I have been amongst the bees all morning and can deduce only that you are pleased by the prospect.”
“Daniel.”
Holmes broke out into a smile. “It will be good to see him.” He sat down to his tea, and we reminisced about our first meeting of Daniel.
--
“I ought to wring your little neck!” growled the gentleman whose face had turned purple and whose mouth was just shy of frothing.
“I didn’t steal it!” squeaked the lad, who was being shaken within an inch of his life.
“Lord Abingdon,” said a voice which was accompanied by a hand which clamped on a wrist and caused the release of the lord’s grip on the young pickpocket. “I think you’ll find your watch is in your pocket.”
“It isn’t!” The lord added with a snarl. “And who are you?”
“Sherlock Holmes, inquiry agent, your inquiry agent.”
“I don’t have an inquiry agent.”
“Lady Genevive requested my services. She was concerned about you. And I would strongly advise you to check your other pocket.”
“I don’t know why I should do anything you advise, but I know for a fact that this is the lad who pinched my
watch in Fleet Street yesterday.” The angry lord released the young urchin entirely and patted his coat, then frowned, then reached a hand in his pocket and pulled out a watch, then he opened the watch. He stared in disbelief. Then he snapped the watch shut and dropped it back in pocket. His purple colouring returned.
“What kind of trick is this?!”
“Your property was simply mislaid,” said Holmes. “I suggest you be on your way.”
The lord wanted to protest but, at the last minute, thought better of it.
“Very well. But I haven’t forgotten your face. Or yours.” He pointed to the lad.
“Nor we, yours,” said Holmes.
Later in the Baker Street sitting room, the same pickpocket had his hands cupped round a warm mug of hot cocoa and was being lauded for his courage by a very senior official.
“Well done, young man. You showed skill and bravery.”
“I just wanted revenge on the blackguard who killed my pa,” said Daniel, but he was clearly pleased by the recognition. “He was just a watchmaker. He didn’t want nothing to do with gangs or crooks. But with him gone, well, a lad’s gotta make a living, don’t he? So that watch was something special?”
“The watch was a code-breaking device,” said the statesman. “Because of your quick work, we were able to replace it with an almost duplicate one. Lord Abingdon won’t realize the switch until it is much too late, but the one he has now will not be breaking any codes at all. You have done your country a great service.”
“It just might be the first of many,” I proposed, feeling, too, that Daniel was an extraordinary youth, too extraordinary, perhaps, for a life of petty crime.
And I was right.
Length: 500
Rating: Gen
Summary: Watson and Holmes reminisce about meeting a young pickpocket.
“Guess who is coming to visit, Holmes?”
“I have been amongst the bees all morning and can deduce only that you are pleased by the prospect.”
“Daniel.”
Holmes broke out into a smile. “It will be good to see him.” He sat down to his tea, and we reminisced about our first meeting of Daniel.
--
“I ought to wring your little neck!” growled the gentleman whose face had turned purple and whose mouth was just shy of frothing.
“I didn’t steal it!” squeaked the lad, who was being shaken within an inch of his life.
“Lord Abingdon,” said a voice which was accompanied by a hand which clamped on a wrist and caused the release of the lord’s grip on the young pickpocket. “I think you’ll find your watch is in your pocket.”
“It isn’t!” The lord added with a snarl. “And who are you?”
“Sherlock Holmes, inquiry agent, your inquiry agent.”
“I don’t have an inquiry agent.”
“Lady Genevive requested my services. She was concerned about you. And I would strongly advise you to check your other pocket.”
“I don’t know why I should do anything you advise, but I know for a fact that this is the lad who pinched my
watch in Fleet Street yesterday.” The angry lord released the young urchin entirely and patted his coat, then frowned, then reached a hand in his pocket and pulled out a watch, then he opened the watch. He stared in disbelief. Then he snapped the watch shut and dropped it back in pocket. His purple colouring returned.
“What kind of trick is this?!”
“Your property was simply mislaid,” said Holmes. “I suggest you be on your way.”
The lord wanted to protest but, at the last minute, thought better of it.
“Very well. But I haven’t forgotten your face. Or yours.” He pointed to the lad.
“Nor we, yours,” said Holmes.
Later in the Baker Street sitting room, the same pickpocket had his hands cupped round a warm mug of hot cocoa and was being lauded for his courage by a very senior official.
“Well done, young man. You showed skill and bravery.”
“I just wanted revenge on the blackguard who killed my pa,” said Daniel, but he was clearly pleased by the recognition. “He was just a watchmaker. He didn’t want nothing to do with gangs or crooks. But with him gone, well, a lad’s gotta make a living, don’t he? So that watch was something special?”
“The watch was a code-breaking device,” said the statesman. “Because of your quick work, we were able to replace it with an almost duplicate one. Lord Abingdon won’t realize the switch until it is much too late, but the one he has now will not be breaking any codes at all. You have done your country a great service.”
“It just might be the first of many,” I proposed, feeling, too, that Daniel was an extraordinary youth, too extraordinary, perhaps, for a life of petty crime.
And I was right.
