at last I heard his stealthy step upon the gravel. I
would not go out to meet him. I sat where I was while the stealthy
step came nearer, nearer; and there I was sitting when the door
opened, and a huge man in riding-clothes stood before me in the steely
dawn.

I leaped to my feet, and the huge man clapped me playfully on the
shoulder.

"Sorry I've been so long, Bunny, but we should never have got away as
we were; this riding-suit makes a new man of me, on top of my own, and
here's a youth's kit that should do you down to the ground."

"So you broke into the house again!"

"I was obliged to, Bunny; but I had to watch the lights out one by
one, and give them a good hour after that. I went through that
dressing-room at my leisure this time; the only difficulty was to spot
the son's quarters at the back of the house; but I overcame it, as you
see, in the end. I only hope they'll fit, Bunny. Give me your patent
leathers, and I'll fill them with stones and sink them in the pond.
I'm doing the same with mine. Here's a brown pair apiece, and we
mustn't let the grass grow under them if we're to get to the station
in time for the early train while the coast's still clear."

The early train leaves the station in question at 6.20 A.M.; and that
fine spring morning there was a police officer in a peaked cap to see
it off; but he was too busy peering into the compartments for a pair
of very swell mobsmen that he took no notice of the huge man in
riding-clothes, who was obviously intoxicated, or the more
insignificant but not less horsy character who had him in hand. The
early train is due at Victoria at 8.28, but these worthies left it at
Clapham Junction, and changed cabs more than once between Battersea
and Piccadilly, and a few of their garments in each four-wheeler. It
was barely nine o'clock when they sat together in the Albany, and
might have been recognized once more as Raffles and myself.

"And now," said Raffles, "before we do anything else, let us turn out
those little cases that we hadn't time to open when we took them. I
mean the ones I handed to you, Bunny. I had a look into mine in the
garden, and I'm sorry to say there was nothing in them. The lady must
have been wearing their proper contents."

Raffles held out his hand for the substantial leather cases which I
had produced at his request. But that was the extent of my compliance;
instead of handing them over, I looked boldly into the eyes that
seemed to ha