him, I'll only shoot roun' an' roun' the beggar.
You're quite right, ole feller. Wouldn't hurt him. Great mishtake.
Roun' an' roun'. There--like that!"

His freckled paw shot up over Purvis's shoulder, mauve lightning came
from his ring, a red flash from his revolver, and shrieks from the
women as the reverberations died away. Some splinters lodged in my
hair.

Next instant the prize-fighter disarmed him; and I was safe from the
devil, but finally doomed to the deep sea. A policeman was in our
midst. He had entered through the drawing-room window; he was an
officer of few words and creditable promptitude. In a twinkling he had
the handcuffs on my wrists, while the pugilist explained the situation,
and his patron reviled the force and its representative with impotent
malignity. A fine watch they kept; a lot of good they did; coming in
when all was over and the whole household might have been murdered in
their sleep. The officer only deigned to notice him as he marched me
off.

"We know all about YOU, sir," said he contemptuously, and he refused
the sovereign Purvis proffered. "You will be seeing me again, sir, at
Marylebone."

"Shall I come now?"

"As you please, sir. I rather think the other gentleman requires you
more, and I don't fancy this young man means to give much trouble."

"Oh, I'm coming quietly," I said.

And I went.

In silence we traversed perhaps a hundred yards. It must have been
midnight. We did not meet a soul. At last I whispered:

"How on earth did you manage it?"

"Purely by luck," said Raffles. "I had the luck to get clear away
through knowing every brick of those back-garden walls, and the double
luck to have these togs with the rest over at Chelsea. The helmet is
one of a collection I made up at Oxford; here it goes over this wall,
and we'd better carry the coat and belt before we meet a real officer.
I got them once for a fancy ball--ostensibly--and thereby hangs a yarn.
I always thought they might come in useful a second time. My chief
crux to-night was getting rid of the hansom that brought me back. I
sent him off to Scotland Yard with ten bob and a special message to
good old Mackenzie. The whole detective department will be at
Rosenthall's in about half an hour. Of course, I speculated on our
gentleman's hatred of the police--another huge slice of luck. If you'd
got away, well and good; if not, I felt he was the man to play with his
mouse as long as possible.