The Golden Bat by Fred M. White — Read

Ray went off to the little shop at Poplar the following morning, and in the course of a few hours had established himself in the back bedroom looking over the river.

He was still, of course, in his disguise of a foreign sailor, and the only person who knew anything to the contrary in that shy neighbourhood was the landlady herself. But, then, Ray knew that he had established confidential relations with her, and that she was not in the least likely to betray him in any way. This was going to be rather a long job, and probably a tedious one. It might be days before he could turn his back on Poplar again, but he was not going to do anything of the sort until he had found out why Keen came down here, and who the people were that called upon him. And when he had done this, it seemed to him that he would have a fairly comprehensive idea as to the gang who were pulling off that series of daring and brilliant robberies. Also, he was fairly comfortable in his mind as to his own disguise. Mrs. Roffy was in the habit of letting lodgings to seamen of all nationality, and even if he and Keen came face to face, it should arouse no suspicion.