The Washington herald., 1914-03-22
fCopyrirht, lglfl
7 was the evening after our return
frnrn Ireland and I mas 1,,;tinn

plunucI. NdIneS ndQ MS own mctnO
of conducting this very vital brancl
of our business, which + was well con
tent to leave entirely in his hands
Moreover, he invariably employed th
same fence" who was ostensibly
money lender in a small (but yet no
torious) way, and in reality a rasca
as remarkable as Raffles himself. Onl,
lately l also had been to the man, bu
in my proper person. We had needed
capital for the getting of these very
emeralds, and l had raised a hundred
pounds, on the terms you would ex,
pect. from a soft-spoken graybeard witt
an ingratiating smile, an incessant bow
and the shiftiest old eyes that evel
few from rim to rim of pair of spec,
tacles. So the original sinews and ths
final spoils of war came in this case
from the selfsamc source-a circum,
stance which appealed to us both.
/ waited and waited with an impa.
tience that grew upon me with the
growing dusk. And now l was tearing
10 and fro in the grip of horrible hypo-
theses-a grip that tigltened when al
last the lift gates opened with a clatter
Outside-that held me breathless until
a well-known tattoo followed on my
door.
'In the dark" said Raffles as dragged
him in. why, Bunny, what's wrong"
Nothing you've come" said l,
shutting the door behind him in a fever
of relief and anxiety. well? WeIls
What did they fetch?"
Five hundred"
Down"
Got it in my pocket"
Good mani l cried. "You don't
know what "A stew I've been in. I'll
switch on the light. II was ass
enough to think something had gone
WrongP
Raffles was smiling when the white
light filled the room, but for the mo-
ment l did not perceive the peculiarity
of his smile.
SO you thought something had hap
pened?" said Rafles, leaning back in
my chair as he lit a cigarette, and look
ing much amused What should you
say If something had? Sit tight, my
dear chapl 1t was nothing of the
slightest consequence, and it's all over
now. A stern chase and long one,
Bunny, but l think I'm well to wind
ward this time"
And suddenly l saw that his collar
was limp, his hair matted, his boots
thick with dust.
The police?" whispered aghast.
"Oh dear, no; only old Baird"
Baird! But wasn't it Baird who
took the emeralds?"
at was"
Then how came he to chase you?"
My dear fellow, I'll tell you if you
give me chance; it's really nothing to
get in the least excited about. Old
Baird has at last spotted that I'm not
quite the common cracksman | would
have him think me. So he's been do
ing his best to run me to my burrow."
And you call that nothingT
1T would be something if he had
succeeded but he has still to do that.
l admit, however, that he made me sit
up for the time being. 1t all comes of
going on the job so far from home.
There was the old brute with the whole
thing in his morning paper. He knew
1t must have been done by some fellow
who could pass himself off for a gen.
tleman, and / saw his eyebrows 90 I'D
the moment l told him / was the man.
with the same old twang that you could
cut with a paper knife. / did NV best
to get out OF it-swore / had a pal
who was a real swell-but saw very
plainly that | had given myself away.
He gave up haggling. He paid nv
price as though he enjoyed doing it.
But felt him following me when /
made tracks; though, of course, II
didn't turn round to see"
'Why not?"
My dear Bunny, its the very worst
thing you can do. Once show that you
know you're being followed, and it's
fight or fight for all you're worth. L
never even looked round and mind you
never do in the same hole. / Just hur-
ried up to Blackfriars and booked for
High street, Kensington, at the top of
my voice; and as the train was leaving
Sloane Square out l hoped, and up all |
those stairs like a lamplighter, and
round to the studio by the back streets. |
We'll, to be on the safe side, l lay low
there all the afternoon. However, the |
coast seemed clear enough, and thus I
far it was my mere idea that he would
follow me; there was nothing to show
he had. So at last / marched out in
my proper rig-almost straight into old
Baird's arms"