y, Bunny," said he. "But what none of
them do justice to is my dear cup. Look at it; only look at it, man!
Was ever anything so rich and yet so chaste? St. Agnes must have had a
pretty bad time, but it would be almost worth it to go down to
posterity in such enamel upon such gold. And then the history of the
thing. Do you realize that it's five hundred years old and has
belonged to Henry the Eighth and to Elizabeth among others? Bunny,
when you have me cremated, you can put my ashes in yonder cup, and lay
us in the deep-delved earth together!"

"And meanwhile?"

"It is the joy of my heart, the light of my life, the delight of mine
eye."

"And suppose other eyes catch sight of it?"

"They never must; they never shall."

Raffles would have been too absurd had he not been thoroughly alive to
his own absurdity; there was nevertheless an underlying sincerity in
his appreciation of any and every form of beauty, which all his
nonsense could not conceal. And his infatuation for the cup was, as he
declared, a very pure passion, since the circum-stances debarred him
from the chief joy of the average collector, that of showing his
treasure to his friends. At last, however, and at the height of his
craze, Raffles and reason seemed to come together again as suddenly as
they had parted company in the Room of Gold.

"Bunny," he cried, flinging his newspaper across the room, "I've got an
idea after your own heart. I know where I can place it after all!"

"Do you mean the cup?"

"I do."

"Then I congratulate you."

"Thanks."

"Upon the recovery of your senses."

"Thanks galore. But you've been confoundedly unsympathetic about this
thing, Bunny, and I don't think I shall tell you my scheme till I've
carried it out."

"Quite time enough," said I.

"It will mean your letting me loose for an hour or two under cloud of
this very night. To-morrow's Sunday, the Jubilee's on Tuesday, and old
Theobald's coming back for it."

"It doesn't much matter whether he's back or not if you go late enough."

"I mustn't be late. They don't keep open. No, it's no use your asking
any questions. Go out and buy me a big box of Huntley & Palmer's
biscuits; any sort you like, only they must be theirs, and absolutely
the biggest box they sell."

"My dear man!"

"No questions, Bunny; you do your part and I'll do mine."

Subtlety and success were in his face. It was enough for me, and I had
done his extraordinary biddin