after him!" they exclaimed as one.

"But I think he got over the wall--"

"Come on, you chaps, come on!"

And there was a soft stampede to the hall door.

"Don't all desert me, I say!" gasped the red-faced hero who held
Raffles prisoner.

"We must have them both, Beefy!"

"That's all very well--"

"Look here," I interposed, "I'll stay by you. I've a friend outside,
I'll get him too."

"Thanks awfully," said the valiant Beefy.

The hall was empty now. My heart beat high.

"How did you hear them?" I inquired, my eye running over him.

"We were down having drinks--game o' Nap--in there."

Beefy jerked his great head toward an open door, and the tail of my eye
caught the glint of glasses in the firelight, but the rest of it was
otherwise engaged.

"Let me relieve you," I said, trembling.

"No, I'm all right."

"Then I must insist."

And before he could answer I had him round the neck with such a will
that not a gurgle passed my fingers, for they were almost buried in his
hot, smooth flesh. Oh, I am not proud of it; the act was as vile as
act could be; but I was not going to see Raffles taken, my one desire
was to be the saving of him, and I tremble even now to think to what
lengths I might have gone for its fulfilment. As it was, I squeezed
and tugged until one strong hand gave way after the other and came
feeling round for me, but feebly because they had held on so long.
And what do you suppose was happening at the same moment? The pinched
white hand of Raffles, reddening with returning blood, and with a clot
of blood upon the wrist, was craning upward and turning the key in the
lock without a moment's loss.

"Steady on, Bunny!"

And I saw that Beefy's ears were blue; but Raffles was feeling in his
pockets as he spoke. "Now let him breathe," said he, clapping his
handkerchief over the poor youth's mouth. An empty vial was in his
other hand, and the first few stertorous breaths that the poor boy took
were the end of him for the time being. Oh, but it was villainous, my
part especially, for he must have been far gone to go the rest of the
way so readily. I began by saying I was not proud of this deed, but
its dastardly character has come home to me more than ever with the
penance of writing it out. I see in myself, at least my then self,
things that I never saw quite so clearly before. Yet let me be quite
sure that I would not do the same again. I had not the smallest
desire to throttl