The San Francisco call., 1905-08-20
Continued From age Two.

temperament is a fearsome thing. Bun
nv. in a woman with the DEVILS own
will"
Raffes tore uD the letter from which
he had read these piquant extracts.
and lay back on the pillow with the
tired air Of the veritable invalid which
he seemed able TO assume at will. But
for once he did look as though bed was
the best place for him; and l used the
fact as an argument for my own re
ueution in defiance of DIR. Theobald.
The town was full OF typhoid, 1 said.
and certainly that autumnal scourge
was in the air. Did he want me to
leave him at the very moment when he
might be sickening for a serious i'll
ness2
you know I don't, my good fellow.
said Raffies wearily; but Theobald
does. and 1 can't afford TO go against
him now Not that I really care what
happens to me now that that woman
knows I'm in the land of the living;
she'll let it out, to a dead certainty,
and at the best there'u be hue and
cry, which is the very thing L have
ESCAPED all these years. Now, what
want you to do is to go and take some
quiet place somewhere, and then let me
know, so that I may have port in
the storm when it breaks"
Now you're talkingw L cried, recov-
ing nv spirits. 'I thought you meant
70 go and drop a fellow altogether"
Exactly the sort OF thing you would
think" reioined Rafies with a con-
tenpt that was welcome enough after
my late alarm. mo. my dear rabbit,
what you've got to do is to make a
new burrow for US both. Try down the
Thames. IN some quiet nook that a
literary man would naturally select
I've often thought that more use might
be made Of boat. while the family
are at dinner, than there ever has been
vet. II Rafies is to come to life, old
chap, he shall go a-Rafiing for all he's
worth! There's something TO be done
with a bicycle, too. Try Ham Com
mon or Roehampton, or some sleepy
hollow trifle off the line: and say
you're expecting your brother from the
colonies"
Into this arrangement entered with
out the slightest hesitation, for we had
funds enough to carry IT out on a, COM
Portable scale. and Raffies placed a suf-
hcient share at my disposal for the
nonce. Moreover, 1 for one was only
too glad to seek fresh fields and pas
tures new-a phrase which l deter
mined TO interpret literally in my
choice OF fresh surroundings. L was
tired Of our submerged life in the poky
little fat. especially now that we had
money enough for better things. 1 my
self had OF late had dark dealings with
the receivers, with the result that poor
LORD Ernest Belville's successes We're
now indeed ours. Subsequent compli-
cations had been the more CALLING on
that account, while the wanton way in
which they had been created was the
most irritating reflection OF all. But
ii had brought its own punishment upon
Ranies. and 1 fancied the lesson would
prove salutary when We again settled
down.
IF ever we do, Bunny" said he, as L
took his hand and told him how l WAS
already looking forward TO the time.
But of course we WILL I cried, con-
cealing the resentment at leaving him
which his tone and his appearance re-
newed In my breast.
I'm not so sure of it" he said.
gIoonily. I'm in somebody's clutches,
and I've got to get out OF them first"
"rll sit tight until you do"
well" he said, IF you don't see me
in ten days you never will.
"Only ten days2' L echoed. That's
nothing at all"
"A lot may happen in ten days, re-
piled Raffies, in the same depressing tone,
so depressing in hin; and with that he
held out his hand a second time and