Once a Week (magazine)/Series 1/Volume 11/The long firm

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THE LONG FIRM.
"Talk about Italian brigands, sir," said a keen-looking gentleman to me, as we were sitting before the fire of a commercial room in the midland counties; "why, I tell you they are not half as dangerous as some English scoundrels I know."
"Indeed," said I, wondering what adventure he was going to relate.
"No, sir," replied he, with a shake of his head; "I know a set of scoundrels who prey upon the public, and what's more, the law can't touch 'em, sir. They are safe, sir, from all penalties; they have a patent right to rob, sir; and such a state of things is a disgrace to us."
I confess I was puzzled as to the meaning of my friend, and thinking he was uttering a parable in which hotel-keepers formed the subject, I gave a nod of dubious acquiescence.
"Did you overhear tell of the Long Firm?" he asked, in a manner which I felt would soon lead to the solution of my doubts.
"No," said I, "who are they; what is their business—where are they located?"
"Ah, sir," said he, "I see you are not in the commercial line, else you would know something about them. Their business, sir, is to rob and plunder the public; and they do it, too, in fine style, and manage to keep out of the

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