terminable nonsense into the
ear-trumpet of Lady Melrose, whom he knew in town. Lastly, in the
billiard-room, they had a great and lengthy pool, while I sat aloof and
chafed more than ever in the company of a very serious Scotchman, who
had arrived since dinner, and who would talk of nothing but the recent
improvements in instantaneous photography. He had not come to play in
the matches (he told me), but to obtain for Lord Amersteth such a
series of cricket photographs as had never been taken before; whether
as an amateur or a professional photographer I was unable to determine.
I remember, however, seeking distraction in little bursts of resolute
attention to the conversation of this bore. And so at last the long
ordeal ended; glasses were emptied, men said good-night, and I followed
Raffles to his room.

"It's all up!" I gasped, as he turned up the gas and I shut the door.
"We're being watched. We've been followed down from town. There's a
detective here on the spot!"

"How do YOU know?" asked Raffles, turning upon me quite sharply, but
without the least dismay. And I told him how I knew.

"Of course," I added, "it was the fellow we saw in the inn this
afternoon."

"The detective?" said Raffles. "Do you mean to say you don't know a
detective when you see one, Bunny?"

"If that wasn't the fellow, which is?"

Raffles shook his head.

"To think that you've been talking to him for the last hour in the
billiard-room and couldn't spot what he was!"

"The Scotch photographer--"

I paused aghast.

"Scotch he is," said Raffles, "and photographer he may be. He is also
Inspector Mackenzie of Scotland Yard--the very man I sent the message
to that night last April. And you couldn't spot who he was in a whole
hour! O Bunny, Bunny, you were never built for crime!"

"But," said I, "if that was Mackenzie, who was the fellow you bolted
from at Warbeck?"

"The man he's watching."

"But he's watching us!"

Raffles looked at me with a pitying eye, and shook his head again
before handing me his open cigarette-case.

"I don't know whether smoking's forbidden in one's bedroom, but you'd
better take one of these and stand tight, Bunny, because I'm going to
say something offensive."

I helped myself with a laugh.

"Say what you like, my dear fellow, if it really isn't you and I that
Mackenzie's after."

"Well, then, it isn't, and it couldn't be, and nobody but a born Bunny
would suppose for a moment that it wa