rtain cords," Holmes went on.

Heavens! how I hated the job, but there was no drawing back now! We had gone
too far for that.

"There!" said Holmes, as we laid our victim out on the floor, tied hand and
foot and as powerless to speak as though he had been born deaf and dumb.
"We'll just rifle your chest, Cato, and stow you away in the bath-tub with a
sofa-cushion under your head to make you comfortable, and bid you farewell--
not au revoir, Cato, but just plain farewell forever."

The words were hardly spoken before the deed was accomplished. Tearing aside
poor Cato's vest and shirt-front, Raffles placed himself in possession of
the treasure from Bar, LeDuc & Co., after which we lay Darlington's unhappy
confederate at full length in the porcelain-lined tub, placed a sofa-cushion
under his head to mitigate his sufferings, locked him in, and started for
the elevator.

"Great Heavens, Raffles!" I chattered, as we emerged upon the street. "What
will be the end of this? It's awful. When Sir Henry returns--"

"I wish I could be there to see," said he, with a chuckle.

"I guess we'll see, quick enough. I leave town to-morrow," said I.

"Nonsense," said Holmes. "Don't you worry. I put a quietus on Sir Henry
Darlington. _He'll_ leave town to-night, and we'll never hear from him
again--that is, not in this matter."

"But how?" I demanded, far from convinced.

"I wrote him a letter in which I said: 'You will find your treasure in the
bath-tub,'" laughed Holmes.

"And _that_ will drive him from New York, and close his mouth forever!" I
observed, sarcastically. "So very likely!"

"No, Jenkins, not that, but the address, my dear boy, the address. I put
that message in an envelope, and left it on his table where he'll surely see
it the first thing when he gets back to-night, addressed to 'Bob Hollister,'
Diamond Merchant, Cell No. 99, Pentonville Prison."

"Aha!" said I, my doubts clearing.

"Likewise--Ho-ho," said Holmes. "It is a delicate intimation to Sir Henry
Darlington that somebody is on to his little game, and he'll evaporate
before dawn."

A week later, Holmes brought me a magnificent pearl scarf-pin.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Your share of the swag," he answered. "I returned the pearl necklace to
Bar, LeDuc & Co., with a full statement of how it came into my possession.
They rewarded me with this ruby ring and that stick-pin."

Holmes held up his right hand, on the fourth finger of which glistened a