Edgar Wallace

“ There is the risk of detection and punishment which applies to the big as well as to the little delinquent. There is the risk of losing large sums of money invested for the purpose of securing even larger sums. The criminal who puts money in his business runs the least risk of detection. That is why only the poor and foolish come stumbling up the stairs which lead to the dock at the Old Bailey, and that is why the big men, who would be indignant at the very suggestion that they were in the category of law-breakers, seldom or never make their little bow to the Judge. ”

“ It is even milder than opium and the result infinitely more wonderful."
"You can't smoke it here," said Ballam, shaking his head. "Try the pipe, old man."
But the "old man"—he was really young in spite of his grey hair—was emphatic.
"It doesn't matter," he said, "I can smoke at home. I only came out of curiosity," and he rose to go.
"Don't be in a hurry," said Ballam hastily. "See here, we've got a basement downstairs where the hemp pipes go—the smokers up here don't like the smell—I'll come down and try one with you. Bring your coffee." ”

“ Ballam comfortably. "They get a lot of fun. There's only one life and you've got to die once."
"Some men die twice," said Leon soberly. "Some men who under the influence of a noxious drug go fantee and wake to find themselves murderers. There's a drug in the East which the natives call bal. It turns men into raving lunatics." ”

“ The venerable gentleman made a practice of going out to business every morning at ten o'clock, his shiny silk hat set jauntily on the side of his head, a furled umbrella under his arm and a button-hole in his coat. ”

“ He looked around for something.
"Where's the collar?" he asked trembling.
"You don't need a collar," the warder's voice had a certain quality of sardonic humour.
"Pull yourself together," said the man roughly. "Other people have gone through this. From what I've heard you ran an opium den. A good many of your clients gave us a visit. They had to go through with it, and so must you."
He waited, sitting on the edge of the bed, his face in his hands and then the door opened and a man came in. He was a slight man with a red beard and a mop of red hair.
The warder swung the prisoner round. ”

“ Ballam and I will gravitate together. Do I look like a detective, George?" he asked abruptly.
"You look more like a successful pianist," said George and Gonsalez sniffed.
"You can even be offensive at nine o'clock in the morning," he said.
There are two risks which criminals face (with due respect to the opinions of Leon Gonsalez, this word criminal is employed by the narrator) in the pursuit of easy wealth. ”

“ She has the habit of being seen—it is not vanity, it is merely a peculiar symptom of her profession."
"What is his favourite vanity?" asked Manfred and the Commissioner smiled.
"You know our Dickens, eh?" he asked, for he thought of Manfred as a Spaniard. "Well, it would be difficult to tell you what Gregory Ballam does to earn his respectable income," he said more seriously. "I think he is connected with a moneylender's business and runs a few profitable sidelines."
"Such as——" suggested Manfred. ”