n the other hand, I was not quite prepared to hear
from men like yourselves. Candidly, and on consideration, I am not
sure that you ARE the stamp of men for me--men who belong to good
clubs! I rather intended to appeal to the--er--adventurous classes."

"We are adventurers," said Raffles gravely.

"But you respect the law?"

The black eyes gleamed shrewdly.

"We are not professional rogues, if that's what you mean," said
Raffles, smiling. "But on our beam-ends we are; we would do a good
deal for a thousand pounds apiece, eh, Bunny?"

"Anything," I murmured.

The solicitor rapped his desk.

"I'll tell you what I want you to do. You can but refuse. It's
illegal, but it's illegality in a good cause; that's the risk, and my
client is prepared to pay for it. He will pay for the attempt, in case
of failure; the money is as good as yours once you consent to run the
risk. My client is Sir Bernard Debenham, of Broom Hall, Esher."

"I know his son," I remarked.

Raffles knew him too, but said nothing, and his eye drooped disapproval
in my direction. Bennett Addenbrooke turned to me.

"Then," said he, "you have the privilege of knowing one of the most
complete young black-guards about town, and the fons et origo of the
whole trouble. As you know the son, you may know the father too, at
all events by reputation; and in that case I needn't tell you that he
is a very peculiar man. He lives alone in a storehouse of treasures
which no eyes but his ever behold. He is said to have the finest
collection of pictures in the south of England, though nobody ever sees
them to judge; pictures, fiddles and furniture are his hobby, and he is
undoubtedly very eccentric. Nor can one deny that there has been
considerable eccentricity in his treatment of his son. For years Sir
Bernard paid his debts, and the other day, without the slightest
warning, not only refused to do so any more, but absolutely stopped the
lad's allowance. Well, I'll tell you what has happened; but first of
all you must know, or you may remember, that I appeared for young
Debenham in a little scrape he got into a year or two ago. I got him
off all right, and Sir Bernard paid me handsomely on the nail. And no
more did I hear or see of either of them until one day last week."

The lawyer drew his chair nearer ours, and leant forward with a hand on
either knee.

"On Tuesday of last week I had a telegram from Sir Bernard; I was to go
to him at once. I