Free E. W. Hornung_A J Raffles 01 by The Amateur Cracksman Page B

and sound. The
brute you collared upstairs." Lord Amersteth bent lower. "By
Jove! Lowered the jewel-case out of the window, did he? And
they've got clean away with it! Well, well! I only hope we'll
be able to pull this good fellow through. He's off again."
    An hour passed: the sun was rising.
    It found a dozen young fellows on the settees in the
billiard-room, drinking whiskey and soda-water in their overcoats
and pyjamas, and still talking excitedly in one breath. A
time-table was being passed from hand to hand: the doctor was
still in the library. At last the door opened, and Lord
Amersteth put in his head.
    "It isn't hopeless," said he, "but it's bad enough. There'll be
no cricket to-day."
    Another hour, and most of us were on our way to catch the early
train; between us we filled a compartment almost to suffocation.
And still we talked all together of the night's event; and still
I was a little hero in my way, for having kept my hold of the one
ruffian who had been taken; and my gratification was subtle and
intense. Raffles watched me under lowered lids. Not a word had
we had together; not a word did we have until we had left the
others at Paddington, and were skimming through the streets in a
hansom with noiseless tires and a tinkling bell.
    "Well, Bunny," said Raffles, "so the professors have it, eh?"
    "Yes," said I. "And I'm jolly glad!"
    "That poor Mackenzie has a ball in his chest?"
    "That you and I have been on the decent side for once."
    He shrugged his shoulders.
    "You're hopeless, Bunny, quite hopeless! I take it you wouldn't
have refused your share if the boodle had fallen to us? Yet you
positively enjoy coming off second best—for the second time
running! I confess, however, that the professors' methods were
full of interest to me. I, for one, have probably gained as much
in experience as I have lost in other things. That lowering the
jewel-case out of the window was a very simple and effective
expedient; two of them had been waiting below for it for hours."
    "How do you know?" I asked.
    "I saw them from my own window, which was just above the dear old
lady's. I was fretting for that necklace in particular, when I
went up to turn in for our last night—and I happened to look out
of my window. In point of fact, I wanted to see whether the one
below was open, and whether there was the slightest chance of
working the oracle with my sheet for a rope. Of course I took
the precaution of turning my light off first, and it was a lucky
thing I did. I saw the pros. right down below, and they never
saw me. I saw a little tiny luminous disk just for an instant,
and then again for an instant a few minutes later. Of course I
knew what it was, for I have my own watch-dial daubed with
luminous paint; it makes a lantern of sorts when you can get no
better. But these fellows were not using theirs as a lantern.
They were under the old lady's window. They were watching the
time. The whole thing was arranged with their accomplice inside.
Set a thief to catch a thief: in a minute I had guessed what the
whole thing proved to be."
    "And you did nothing!" I exclaimed.
    "On the contrary, I went downstairs and straight into Lady
Melrose's room—"
    "You did?"
    "Without a moment's hesitation. To save her jewels. And I was
prepared to yell as much into her ear-trumpet for all the house
to hear. But the dear lady is too deaf and too fond of her
dinner to wake easily."
    "Well?"
    "She didn't stir."
    "And yet you allowed the professors, as you call them, to take
her jewels, case and all!"
    "All but this," said Raffles, thrusting his fist into my lap. "I
would have shown it you before, but really, old fellow, your face
all day has been worth a fortune to the firm!"
    And he opened his fist, to shut it next instant on the bunch of
diamonds and of sapphires that I had last seen encircling the
neck of Lady Melrose.

Le Premier Pas
*
    That night he told me the story of his earliest crime. Not since
the fateful morning of the Ides of March, when he