205:, England, 1875. The main character falls through a glass roof onto a grinding machine below while fleeing from the police. Doctor Robert Farcett, hoping to prove himself an accomplished doctor by working on the criminal's complex wounds, saves the thief's life by performing surgery on him. Farcett continues to work on the thief after he is imprisoned and given the temporary name "Prisoner 493". The prisoner has no name other than "Montmorency", which was the name on the bag he had when he was captured. He adopts this name and slowly begins to craft a persona to match.
216:. Montmorency realises that the sewers are the perfect escape route for his daring robberies. He has high hopes for living as a gentlemen by selling the expensive items he could steal via the sewers. Montmorency realises that rich people do not normally smell like sewer water or wear ratty clothes, he finds himself in need of an accomplice—a fellow thief with knowledge, capability, and secrecy to perform the robberies. He develops a second identity—Scarper—to mask his true identity. Scarper, the thief, poses as a servant to the extravagant and wealthy Montmorency.
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The robberies committed by
Scarper make the papers. Eventually the police pick up a man named "Freakshow", a friend of Montmorency's from his prison days, and pin Scarper's robberies on him. He is hanged for Scarper's crimes. The hanging becomes a great source of guilt for Montmorency/Scarper.
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Scarper accomplishes many robberies (including burgling Doctor
Farcett), and is never caught. During this time, Scarper rents a room in the slums to stash the particularly valuable goods. The place he stays is run by Vi Evans, who later becomes one of Montmorency's close friends. Meanwhile,
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from a carriage accident. He and Fox-Selwyn hit it off immediately and they become friends, and after a bet forces him to put all of his criminal skills to good use breaking into the
Mauramanian Embassy to spy for information, Fox-Selwyn gives Montmorency a job as a spy for the
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through August of that year. The show was well received by critics and audiences, and Updale herself described it as "a nerve-wracking, but exciting experience".
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During his sentence, Montmorency becomes a chief exhibit at the
Scientific Society. It is at one of these gatherings that Montmorency comes across Sir
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Eventually, Montmorency sheds the
Scarper persona and returns all the stolen goods that remain in his possession, resolving to be an honest man.
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Montmorency is released after three years in prison. At this point, all communications between Dr
Farcett and Montmorency cease.
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A professional theatre company, FreeRange
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featuring a petty thief who turns gentleman and spy, namely
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An audiobook was released in the UK in July 2004 read by
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and published by
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Montmorency rents a room out at the
Marimion Hotel.
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