he had left in darkness, with
the inner door shut as carefully as the outer one. I asked him what he
meant to do.

"Let him knock--if he gets so far. The porter is to say I'm out of
town; it will be true, too, in another hour or so."

"You're going off to-night?"

"By the 7.15 from Liverpool Street. I don't say much about my people,
Bunny, but I have the best of sisters married to a country parson in
the eastern counties. They always make me welcome, and let me read the
lessons for the sake of getting me to church. I'm sorry you won't be
there to hear me on Sunday, Bunny. I've figured out some of my best
schemes in that parish, and I know of no better port in a storm. But I
must pack. I thought I'd just let you know where I was going, and why,
in case you cared to follow my example."

He flung the stump of his cigarette into the fire, stretched himself as
he rose, and remained so long in the inelegant attitude that my eyes
mounted from his body to his face; a second later they had followed his
eyes across the room, and I also was on my legs. On the threshold of
the folding doors that divided bedroom and sitting-room, a well-built
man stood in ill-fitting broadcloth, and bowed to us until his bullet
head presented an unbroken disk of short red hair.

Brief as was my survey of this astounding apparition, the interval was
long enough for Raffles to recover his composure; his hands were in his
pockets, and a smile upon his face, when my eyes flew back to him.

"Let me introduce you, Bunny," said he, "to our distinguished
colleague, Mr. Reginald Crawshay."

The bullet head bobbed up, and there was a wrinkled brow above the
coarse, shaven face, crimson also, I remember, from the grip of a
collar several sizes too small. But I noted nothing consciously at the
time. I had jumped to my own conclusion, and I turned on Raffles with
an oath.

"It's a trick!" I cried. "It's another of your cursed tricks! You got
him here, and then you got me. You want me to join you, I suppose?
I'll see you damned!"

So cold was the stare which met this outburst that I became ashamed of
my words while they were yet upon my lips.

"Really, Bunny!" said Raffles, and turned his shoulder with a shrug.

"Lord love yer," cried Crawshay, "'_E_ knew nothin'. _'E_ didn't
expect me; 'E'S all right. And you're the cool canary, YOU are," he
went on to Raffles. "I knoo you were, but, do me proud, you're one
after my own kidney!" A