but because we were
taking a midnight airing on the roof, after a whole day of June in the
little flat below. The stars shone overhead, the lights of London
underneath, and between the lips of Raffles a cigarette of the old and
only brand. I had sent in secret for a box of the best; the boon had
arrived that night; and the foregoing speech was the first result. I
could afford to ignore the insolent asides, however, where the apparent
contention was so manifestly unsound.

"And how are you going to get rid of your gold?" said I, pertinently.

"Nothing easier, my dear rabbit."

"Is your Room of Gold a roomful of sovereigns?"

Raffles laughed softly at my scorn.

"No, Bunny, it's principally in the shape of archaic ornaments, whose
value, I admit, is largely extrinsic. But gold is gold, from
Phoenicia to Klondike, and if we cleared the room we should eventually
do very well."

"How?"

"I should melt it down into a nugget, and bring it home from the U.S.A.
to-morrow."

"And then?"

"Make them pay up in hard cash across the counter of the Bank of
England. And you CAN make them."

That I knew, and so said nothing for a time, remaining a hostile though
a silent critic, while we paced the cool black leads with our bare
feet, softly as cats.

"And how do you propose to get enough away," at length I asked, "to
make it worth while?"

"Ah, there you have it," said Raffles. "I only propose to reconnoitre
the ground, to see what we can see. We might find some hiding-place
for a night; that, I am afraid, would be our only chance."

"Have you ever been there before?"

"Not since they got the one good, portable piece which I believe that
they exhibit now. It's a long time since I read of it--I can't
remember where--but I know they have got a gold cup of sorts worth
several thousands. A number of the immorally rich clubbed together
and presented it to the nation; and two of the richly immoral intend to
snaffle it for themselves. At any rate we might go and have a look at
it, Bunny, don't you think?"

Think! I seized his arm.

"When? When? When?" I asked, like a quick-firing gun.

"The sooner the better, while old Theobald's away on his honeymoon."

Our medico had married the week before, nor was any fellow-practitioner
taking his work--at least not that considerable branch of it which
consisted of Raffles--during his brief absence from town. There were
reasons, delightfully obvious to us, why