u, Bunny. I very nearly did."

"For my face?"

"It has been my fortune before to-night, Bunny. It has also given me
more confidence than you are likely to believe at this time of day.
You stimulate me more than you think."

"Your gallery and your prompter's box in one?"

"Capital, Bunny! But it was no joking matter with, me either, my dear
fellow; it was touch-and-go at the time. I might have called on you at
any moment, and it was something to know I should not have called in
vain."

"But what to do, Raffles?"

"Fight our way out and bolt!" he answered, with a mouth that meant it,
and a fine gay glitter of the eyes.

I shot out of my chair.

"You don't mean to tell me you had a hand in the job?"

"I had the only hand in it, my dear Bunny."

"Nonsense! You were sitting at table at the time. No, but you may have
taken some other fellow into the show. I always thought you would!"

"One's quite enough, Bunny," said Raffles dryly; he leaned back in his
chair and took out another cigarette. And I accepted of yet another
from his case; for it was no use losing one's temper with Raffles; and
his incredible statement was not, after all, to be ignored.

"Of course," I went on, "if you really had brought off this thing on
your own, I should be the last to criticise your means of reaching
such an end. You have not only scored off a far superior force, which
had laid itself out to score off you, but you have put them in the
wrong about you, and they'll eat out of your hand for the rest of
their days. But don't ask me to believe that you've done all this
alone! By George," I cried, in a sudden wave of enthusiasm, "I don't
care how you've done it or who has helped you. It's the biggest thing
you ever did in your life!"

And certainly I had never seen Raffles look more radiant, or better
pleased with the world and himself, or nearer that elation which he
usually left to me.

"Then you shall hear all about it, Bunny, if you'll do what I ask
you."

"Ask away, old chap, and the thing's done."

"Switch off the electric lights."

"All of them?"

"I think so."

"There, then."

"Now go to the back window and up with the blind."

"Well?"

"I'm coming to you. Splendid! I never had a look so late as this. It's
the only window left alight in the house!"

His cheek against the pane, he was pointing slightly downward and very
much aslant through a long lane of mews to a little square light like
a yellow tile at the