n
in the way you describe."

"Well," said Raffles, "he deserved to catch me somehow, for he'd come
from Naples on purpose, ruler and all, and the ring-bolts were ready
fixed, and even this house taken furnished for nothing else! He meant
catching me before he'd done, and scoring me off in exactly the same
way that I scored off him, only going one better of course. He told me
so himself, sitting where I am sitting now, at three o'clock this
morning, and smoking a most abominable cigar that I've smelt ever
since. It appears he sat twenty-four hours when I left HIM trussed up,
but he said twelve would content him in my case, as there was certain
death at the end of them, and I mightn't have life enough left to
appreciate my end if he made it longer. But I wouldn't have trusted
him if he could have got the clock to go twice round without firing off
the pistol. He explained the whole mechanism of that to me; he had
thought it all out on the vineyard I told you about; and then he asked
if I remembered what he had promised me in the name of the Camorra. I
only remembered some vague threats, but he was good enough to give me
so many particulars of that institution that I could make a European
reputation by exposing the whole show if it wasn't for my unfortunate
resemblance to that infernal rascal Raffles. Do you think they would
know me at the Yard, Bunny, after all this time? Upon my soul I've a
good mind to risk it!"

I offered no opinion on the point. How could it interest me then? But
interested I was in Raffles, never more so in my life. He had been
tortured all night and half a day, yet he could sit and talk like this
the moment we cut him down; he had been within a minute of his death,
yet he was as full of life as ever; ill-treated and defeated at the
best, he could still smile through his blood as though the boot were on
the other leg. I had imagined that I knew my Raffles at last. I was
not likely so to flatter myself again.

"But what has happened to these villains?" I burst out, and my
indignation was not only against them for their cruelty, but also
against their victim for his phlegmatic attitude toward them. It was
difficult to believe that this was Raffles.

"Oh," said he, "they were to go off to Italy INSTANTER; they should be
crossing now. But do listen to what I am telling you; it's
interesting, my dear man. This old sinner Corbucci turns out to have
been no end of a boss in the Camor