"I received your report and I went to a certain official myself--saw him in his own house before breakfast this morning.

I had reports of three other men occupying responsible positions in the city, Thomson, against whom there was really tangible and serious evidence.

Our friend had the effrontery almost to laugh at me." There was a little glitter in Thomson's eyes.
"These damned civilians!" he murmured softly.

"They've done their best to ruin Great Britain by crabbing every sort of national service during the last ten years.

They feed and pamper the vermin who are eating away the foundations of the country, and, damn it all, when we put a clear case to them, when we show them men whom we know to be dangerous, they laugh at us and tell us that it isn't our department! They look upon us as amateurs and speak of Scotland Yard with bated breath.