ion. It's simply in his line; but you may be sure
there's something shady at the bottom of it. The odd thing is that I
have long made up my mind to go to Addenbrooke myself if accidents
should happen."

"And you're going to him now?"

"This minute," said Raffles, brushing his hat; "and so are you."

"But I came in to drag you out to lunch."

"You shall lunch with me when we've seen this fellow. Come on, Bunny,
and we'll choose your name on the way. Mine's Glasspool, and don't you
forget it."

Mr. Bennett Addenbrooke occupied substantial offices in Wellington
Street, Strand, and was out when we arrived; but he had only just gone
"over the way to the court"; and five minutes sufficed to produce a
brisk, fresh-colored, resolute-looking man, with a very confident,
rather festive air, and black eyes that opened wide at the sight of
Raffles.

"Mr.--Glasspool?" exclaimed the lawyer.

"My name," said Raffles, with dry effrontery.

"Not up at Lord's, however!" said the other, slyly. "My dear sir, I
have seen you take far too many wickets to make any mistake!"

For a single moment Raffles looked venomous; then he shrugged and
smiled, and the smile grew into a little cynical chuckle.

"So you have bowled me out in my turn?" said he. "Well, I don't think
there's anything to explain. I am harder up than I wished to admit
under my own name, that's all, and I want that thousand pounds reward."

"Two thousand," said the solicitor. "And the man who is not above an
alias happens to be just the sort of man I want; so don't let that
worry you, my dear sir. The matter, however, is of a strictly private
and confidential character." And he looked very hard at me.

"Quite so," said Raffles. "But there was something about a risk?"

"A certain risk is involved."

"Then surely three heads will be better than two. I said I wanted that
thousand pounds; my friend here wants the other. We are both cursedly
hard up, and we go into this thing together or not at all. Must you
have his name too? I should give him my real one, Bunny."

Mr. Addenbrooke raised his eyebrows over the card I found for him; then
he drummed upon it with his finger-nail, and his embarrassment
expressed itself in a puzzled smile.

"The fact is, I find myself in a difficulty," he confessed at last.
"Yours is the first reply I have received; people who can afford to
send long telegrams don't rush to the advertisements in the Daily
Telegraph; but, o