w
two things in one glance. Raffles had stepped a few inches backward,
and stood poised upon the ball of each foot, his arms half raised, a
light in his eyes. And another kind of light was breaking over the
crass features of our friend the constable.

"Then shall I tell you what I'LL do?" he cried, with a sudden clutch at
the whistle-chain on his chest. The whistle flew out, but it never
reached his lips. There were a couple of sharp smacks, like double
barrels discharged all but simultaneously, and the man reeled against
me so that I could not help catching him as he fell.

"Well done, Bunny! I've knocked him out--I've knocked him out! Run you
to the door and see if the attendants have heard anything, and take
them on if they have."

Mechanically I did as I was told. There was no time for thought, still
less for remonstrance or reproach, though my surprise must have been
even more complete than that of the constable before Raffles knocked
the sense out of him. Even in my utter bewilderment, however, the
instinctive caution of the real criminal did not desert me. I ran to
the door, but I sauntered through it, to plant myself before a
Pompeiian fresco in the corridor; and there were the two attendants
still gossiping outside the further door; nor did they hear the dull
crash which I heard even as I watched them out of the corner of each
eye.

It was hot weather, as I have said, but the perspiration on my body
seemed already to have turned into a skin of ice. Then I caught the
faint reflection of my own face in the casing of the fresco, and it
frightened me into some semblance of myself as Raffles joined me with
his hands in his pockets. But my fear and indignation were redoubled
at the sight of him, when a single glance convinced me that his
pockets were as empty as his hands, and his mad outrage the most wanton
and reckless of his whole career.

"Ah, very interesting, very interesting, but nothing to what they have
in the museum at Naples or in Pompeii itself. You must go there some
day, Bunny. I've a good mind to take you myself. Meanwhile--slow
march! The beggar hasn't moved an eyelid. We may swing for him if you
show indecent haste!"

"We!" I whispered. "We!"

And my knees knocked together as we came up to the chatting attendants.
But Raffles must needs interrupt them to ask the way to the Prehistoric
Saloon.

"At the top of the stairs."

"Thank you. Then we'll work round that way