visitors we seemed
among the first.

"That's the room," said Raffles, who had bought the two-penny guide, as
we studied it openly on the nearest bench; "number 43, upstairs and
sharp round to the right. Come on, Bunny!"

And he led the way in silence, but with a long methodical stride which
I could not understand until we came to the corridor leading to the
Room of Gold, when he turned to me for a moment.

"A hundred and thirty-nine yards from this to the open street," said
Raffles, "not counting the stairs. I suppose we COULD do it in twenty
seconds, but if we did we should have to jump the gates. No, you must
remember to loaf out at slow march, Bunny, whether you like it or not."

"But you talked about a hiding-place for a night?"

"Quite so--for all night. We should have to get back, go on lying low,
and saunter out with the crowd next day--after doing the whole show
thoroughly."

"What! With gold in our pockets--"

"And gold in our boots, and gold up the sleeves and legs of our suits!
You leave that to me, Bunny, and wait till you've tried two pairs of
trousers sewn together at the foot! This is only a preliminary
reconnoitre. And here we are."

It is none of my business to describe the so-called Room of Gold, with
which I, for one, was not a little disappointed. The glass cases,
which both fill and line it, may contain unique examples of the
goldsmith's art in times and places of which one heard quite enough in
the course of one's classical education; but, from a professional point
of view, I would as lief have the ransacking of a single window in the
West End as the pick of all those spoils of Etruria and of ancient
Greece. The gold may not be so soft as it appears, but it certainly
looks as though you could bite off the business ends of the spoons, and
stop your own teeth in doing so. Nor should I care to be seen wearing
one of the rings; but the greatest fraud of all (from the aforesaid
standpoint) is assuredly that very cup of which Raffles had spoken.
Moreover, he felt this himself.

"Why, it's as thin as paper," said he, "and enamelled like a
middle-aged lady of quality! But, by Jove, it's one of the most
beautiful things I ever saw in my life, Bunny. I should like to have
it for its own sake, by all my gods!"

The thing had a little square case of plate-glass all to itself at one
end of the room. It may have been the thing of beauty that Raffles
affected to consider it, but I for