The Washington herald., 1914-03-29
,ospyasht. lnL,

Of hand upon my arm. I thought-I al
ways was thinking-that my inevitable
hour was come at last. I. was only Raj
aes, however, who stood smiling at me
through the fog.
fWeil metr' said he. "Come up to my
place. have something amusing to tell
yoG."
I made excuses, for his tone foretold
the kind of amusement, and II was a
kind against which i had successfully set
ny face for months. I have stated be-
fore, however, and / can reiterate. that
TO me. at all events, there was never any
body in the world SO irresistible as Raj
: fies when his mind was made up. made
my excuses. as have said. But his arm
slid through mine. with his little laugh Of
light-hearted mastery. And even while
argued we were on his staircase in the
Albany.
His fire had fallen low. He poked and
repIenished 1t after lighting the gas. As
for me, stood by sullenly in my over
coat until he dragged 1t on my back.
what a chap you aren' said Raffies
playfuIly. "one would really think had
proposed to crack another crib this
blessed night! Well, it isn't that, Bunny;
SO get into that chair. and take one of
these Sullivans and sit tight"
He held the match to my cigarette; he
brought me q whisky and soda. Then he
went out into the lobby, and, just as
was beginning to feel happy, I heard a
bolt shot home. 1t cost me an effort to
remain in that chair: next moment he
was straddling another and gloating over
my discontinue across his folded arms.
"You remember Winchester, Bunny, old
boyg'
II don't forget It."
You remember the fellow we saw in
the inn? The forid, overdressed chap
who 1 told you was one Of the cleverest
thieves in town."
Il remember him. Crawshay his name
turned out TO be-"
well, it was certainly the name he
was convicted under. SO Crawshay let it
be. You needn't waste any pity on him,
old chap; he escaped from Dartmoor yes
terday afternoon"
well done!"
Rafies smiled, but his eyebrows had
gone up, and his shoulders followed suit.
"You are perfectly right; it was very
well done indeed. In a dense fog on the
moor yesterday good old Crawshay made
a bolt for it, and got away without q
scratch under heavy fire. All honor to
him, agree; a fellow with that much
grit deserves his liberty"
He unfolded a newspaper which he had
brought with him
But listen to this; here's an account Of
the escape, with just the addition which
puts the thing on a higher level: The
fugitive has been traced to Totnes, where
he appears to have committed peculiar
ly daring outrage in the early hours of
this morning. He is reported to have en-
tered the lodgings of the Rev. A H. e.
lingworth, curate of the parish, who
missed his clothes on rising at the usual
hour; later in the morning those Of the
convict were discovered neatly folded at
the bottom of a drawer. Meanwhile
Crswshay had made good his second es-
cape, though it is believed that so dis
tinctive a guise will lead to his recapture
during the day. What do you think of
that, Bunny?''
He is certainly a sportsman" said I,
reaching for the paper.
Hes more" said Raffles; hes an ar
tist, and envy him. Th curate Of all men!
Beautiful-beautiful! But that's not all.
/ saw just now on the board at the club
that there's been an outrage on the line
near Dawlish. Parson found insensible
in the six-foot way. Our friend again!
The telegram doesn't say so, but it's OBJ
vious; he's simply knocked some other
fellow out, changed clothes again, and
come on gaIly to town. Isn't it great?"
But why should he come to town."
In an instant the enthusiasm faded
from Rafies' face: clearly had remind
ed him Of some prime anxiety, forgotten
in his mpersona, joy over the exploit of
a fellow criminal. He looked over his
shoulder toward the lobby before reply
ing.
.I believe" said he, that the beggars
on my tracksT'
And as he spoke he was himself again
quietly amused-cynically unperturbed-
characteristica.iy enjoying The situation
and my surprise
But look here, what do you mean?"
said /. "what does crawsbay know
about you:"
mot much; but he suspects"
"why should be?''
Because, in his way he's very nearly
as good man as am; because, my dear
Bunny, with eyes in his head and brains
behind them. he couldn't help suspecting
He saw me once in town with old Baird.
He must have seen me that day in the
pub on the way to Winchester. as well
as afterward OF the cricket field. As a
matter Of fact know ne did. for he
wrote and told me 50 before his trial"
He wrote TO you! And you never told
mel"
The old shrug answered the old griev-
ance.
What was :he sood, my dear fellow?
II would only have worried you"
well, what did he say?"
That he was sorry he had been run in
before getting back to town. as he had
proposed doing himself the honor of pay