myself against the wall, and let him have it as he passed. I
acknowledge the foul blow, but here's evidence that it was mercifully
struck. The victim has already told his tale."

As he drained his glass, but shook his head when I wished to replenish
it, Raffles showed me the flask which he had carried in his pocket: it
was still nearly full; and I found that he had otherwise provisioned
himself over the holidays. On either Easter Day or Bank Holiday, had I
failed him, it had been his intention to make the best escape he
could. But the risk must have been enormous, and it filled my glowing
skin to think that he had not relied on me in vain.

As for his gleanings from such jewel-cases as were spending the Easter
recess in the strong-room of my bank, without going into rhapsodies or
even particulars on the point, I may mention that they realized
enough for me to join Raffles on his deferred holiday in Scotland,
besides enabling him to play more regularly for Middlesex in the
ensuing summer than had been the case for several seasons. In fine,
this particular exploit entirely justified itself in my eyes, in spite
of the superfluous (but invariable) secretiveness which I could seldom
help resenting in my heart. I never thought less of it than in the
present instance; and my one mild reproach was on the subject of the
phantom Crawshay.

"You let me think he was in the air again," I said. "But it wouldn't
surprise me to find that you had never heard of him since the day of
his escape through your window."

"I never even thought of him, Bunny, until you came to see me the day
before yesterday, and put him into my head with your first words. The
whole point was to make you as genuinely anxious about the plate as
you must have seemed all along the line."

"Of course I see your point," I rejoined; "but mine is that you
labored it. You needn't have written me a downright lie about the
fellow."

"Nor did I, Bunny."

"Not about the 'prince of professors' being 'in the offing' when you
left?"

"My dear Bunny, but so he was!" cried Raffles. "Time was when I was
none too pure an amateur. But after this I take leave to consider
myself a professor of the professors. And I should like to see one
more capable of skippering their side!"

The Rest Cure

I had not seen Raffles for a month or more, and I was sadly in need of
his advice. My life was being made a burden to me by a wretch who had
obtained a bill of sale over