E. W. Hornung_A J Raffles 03 (13 page)

"Through these windows?" I whispered, when the clock over the piano
had had matters its own way long enough to make our minds quite easy.

"How else?" whispered Raffles, as he opened the one on whose ledge
our letters used to await us of a morning.

"And then through the quad - "

"And over the gates at the end. No talking, Bunny; there's a
dormitory just overhead; but ours was in front, you remember, and
if they had ever seen me I should have nipped back this way while
they were watching the other."

His finger was on his lips as we got out softly into the starlight.
I remember how the gravel hurt as we left the smooth flagged margin
of the house for the open quad; but the nearer of two long green
seats (whereon you prepared your construe for the second-school in
the summer term) was mercifully handy; and once in our rubber soles
we had no difficulty in scaling the gates beyond the fives-courts.
Moreover, we dropped into a very desert of a country road, nor saw
a soul when we doubled back beneath the outer study windows, nor
heard a footfall in the main street of the slumbering town. Our
own fell like the night-dews and the petals of the poet; but
Raffles ran his arm through mine, and would chatter in whispers as
we went.

"So you and Nipper had a word - or was it words? I saw you out of
the tail of my eye when I was dancing, and I heard you out of the
tail of my ear. It sounded like words, Bunny, and I thought I
caught my name. He's the most consistent man I know, and the least
altered from a boy. But he'll subscribe all. right, you'll see, and
be very glad I made him."

I whispered back that I did not believe it for a moment. Raffles
had not heard all. Nasmyth had said of him. And neither would he
listen to the little I meant to repeat to him; he would but reiterate
a conviction so chimerical to my mind that I interrupted in my turn
to ask him what ground he had for it.

"I've told you already," said Raffles. "I mean to make him."

"But how?" I asked. "And when, and where?"

"At Philippi, Bunny, where I said I'd see him. What a rabbit you
are at a quotation!

"'And I think that the field of Philippi
Was where Caesar came to an end;
But who gave old Brutus the tip, I
Can't comprehend!'

"You may have forgotten your Shakespeare, Bunny, but you ought to
remember that."

And I did, vaguely, but had no idea what it or Raffles meant, as
I plainly told him.

"The theatre of war," he answered - "and here we are at the stage
door!"

Raffles had stopped suddenly in his walk. It was the last dark
hour of the summer night, but the light from a neighboring lamppost
showed me the look on his face as he turned.

"I think you also inquired when," he continued. "Well, then, this
minute - if you will give me a leg up!"

And behind him, scarcely higher than his head, and not even barred,
was a wide window with a wire blind, and the name of Nasmyth among
others lettered in gold upon the wire.

"You're never going to break in?"

"This instant, if you'll, help me; in five or ten minutes, if you
won't."

"Surely you didn't bring the - the tools?"

He jingled them gently in his pocket.

"Not the whole outfit, Bunny. But you never know when you mayn't
want one or two. I'm only thankful I didn't leave the lot behind
this time. I very nearly did."

"I must say I thought you would, coming down here," I said
reproachfully.

"But you ought to be glad I didn't," he rejoined with a smile.
"It's going to mean old Nasmyth's subscription to the Founder's
Fund, and that's to be a big one, I promise you! The lucky thing
is that I went so far as to bring my bunch of safekeys. Now, are
you going to help me use them, or are you not? If so, now's your
minute; if not, clear out and be - "

"Not so fast, Raffles," said I testily. "You must have planned
this before you came down, or you would never have brought all.
those things with you."

"My dear Bunny, they're a part of my kit! I take them wherever I
take my evening-clothes. As to this potty bank, I never even
thought of it, much less that it would become a public duty to
draw a hundred or so without signing for it. That's all. I shall
touch, Bunny - I'm not on the make to-night. There's no risk in
it either. If I am caught I shall simply sham champagne and stand
the racket; it would be an obvious frolic after what happened at
that meeting. And they will catch me, if I stand talking here: you
run away back to bed - unless you're quite determined to 'give old
Brutus the tip!'

Now we had barely been a minute whispering where we stood, and the
whole street was still as silent as the tomb. To me there seemed
least danger in discussing the matter quietly on the spot. But
even as he gave me my dismissal Raffles turned and caught the sill
above him, first with one hand and then with the other. His legs
swung like a pendulum as he drew himself up with one arm, then
shifted the position of the other hand, and very gradually worked
himself waist-high with the sill. But the sill was too narrow for
him; that was as far as he could get unaided; and it was as much as
I could bear to see of a feat which in itself might have hardened
my conscience and softened my heart. But I had identified his
doggerel verse at last. I am ashamed to say that it was part of a
set of my very own writing in the school magazine of my time. So
Raffles knew the stuff better than I did myself, and yet scorned to
press his flattery to win me over! He had won me: in a second my
rounded shoulders were a pedestal for those dangling feet. And
before many more I heard the old metallic snap, followed by the
raising of a sash so slowly and gently as to be almost inaudible
to me listening just below.

Raffles went through hands first, disappeared for an instant, then
leaned out, lowering his hands for me.

"Come on, Bunny! You're safer in than out. Hang on to the sill
and let me get you under the arms. Now all. together - quietly does
it - and over you come!"

No need to dwell on our proceedings in the bank. I myself had small
part in the scene, being posted rather in the wings, at the foot of
the stairs leading to the private premises in which the manager had
his domestic being. But I made my mind easy about him, for in the
silence of my watch I soon detected a nasal note overhead, and it
was resonant and aggressive as the man himself. Of Raffles, on the
contrary, I heard nothing, for he had shut the door between us, and
I was to warn him if a single sound came through. I need scarcely
add that no warning was necessary during the twenty minutes we
remained in the bank. Raffles afterward assured me that nineteen
of them had been spent in filing one key; but one of his latest
inventions was a little thick velvet bag in which he carried the
keys; and this bag had two elastic mouths, which closed so tightly
about either wrist that he could file away, inside, and scarcely
hear it himself. As for these keys, they were clever counterfeits
of typical patterns by two great safe-making firms. And Raffles
had come by them in a manner all. his own, which the criminal world
may discover for itself.

When he opened the door and beckoned to me, I knew by his face that
he had succeeded to his satisfaction, and by experience better than
to question him on the point. Indeed, the first thing was to get
out of the bank; for the stars were drowning in a sky of ink and
water, and it was a comfort to feel that we could fly straight to
our beds. I said so in whispers as Raffles cautiously opened our
window and peeped out. In an instant his head was in, and for
another I feared the worst.

"What was that, Bunny? No, you don't, my son! There's not a soul
in sight that I can see, but you never know, and we may as well lay
a scent while we're about it. Ready? Then follow me, and never
mind the window."

With that he dropped softly into the street, and I after him,
turning to the right instead of the left, and that at a brisk trot
instead of the innocent walk which had brought us to the bank.
Like mice we scampered past the great schoolroom, with its gable
snipping a paler sky than ever, and the shadows melting even in the
colonnade underneath. Masters' houses flitted by on the left,
lesser landmarks on either side, and presently we were running our
heads into the dawn, one under either hedge of the Stockley road.

"Did you see that light in Nab's just now?" cried Raffles as he led.

"No; why?" I panted, nearly spent.

"It was in Nab's dressing - room.

"Yes?"

"I've seen it there before," continued Raffles. "He never was a
good sleeper, and his ears reach to the street. I wouldn't like
to say how often I was chased by him in the small hours! I believe
he knew who it was toward the end, but Nab was not the man to
accuse you of what he couldn't prove."

I had no breath for comment. And on sped Raffles like a yacht
before the wind, and on I blundered like a wherry at sea, making
heavy weather all. the way, and nearer foundering at every stride.
Suddenly, to my deep relief, Raffles halted, but only to tell me
to stop my pipes while he listened.

"It's all. right, Bunny," he resumed, showing me a glowing face in
the dawn. "History's on its own tracks once more, and I'll bet
you it's dear old Nab on ours! Come on, Bunny; run to the last
gasp, and leave the rest to me."

I was past arguing, and away he went. There was no help for it
but to follow as best I could. Yet I had vastly preferred to
collapse on the spot, and trust to Raffles's resource, as before
very long I must. I had never enjoyed long wind and the hours that
we kept in town may well have aggravated the deficiency. Raffles,
however, was in first-class training from first-class cricket, and
he had no mercy on Nab or me. But the master himself was an old
Oxford miler, who could still bear it better than I; nay, as I
flagged and stumbled, I heard him pounding steadily behind.

"Come on, come on, or he'll do us!" cried Raffles shrilly over his
shoulder; and a gruff sardonic laugh came back over mine. It was
pearly morning now, but we had run into a shallow mist that took me
by the throat and stabbed me to the lungs. I coughed and coughed,
and stumbled in my stride, until down I went, less by accident than
to get it over, and so lay headlong in my tracks. And old Nab dealt
me a verbal kick as he passed.

"You beast!" he growled, as I have known him growl it in form.

But Raffles himself had abandoned the flight on hearing my downfall,
and I was on hands and knees just in time to see the meeting between
him and old Nab. And there stood Raffles in the silvery mist,
laughing with his whole light heart, leaning back to get the full
flavor of his mirth; and, nearer me, sturdy old Nab, dour and grim,
with beads of dew on the hoary beard that had been lamp-black in our
time.

"So I've caught you at last!" said he. "After more years than I
mean to count!"

"Then you're luckier than we are, sir," answered Raffles, "for I
fear our man has given us the slip."

"Your man!" echoed Nab. His bushy eyebrows had shot up: it was as
much as I could do to keep my own in their place.

"We were indulging in the chase ourselves," explained Raffles, "and
one of us has suffered for his zeal, as you can see. It is even
possible that we, too, have been chasing a perfectly innocent man."

"Not to say a reformed character," said our pursuer dryly. "
suppose you don't mean a member of the school?" he added, pinking
his man suddenly as of yore, with all. the old barbed acumen. But
Raffles was now his match.

"That would be carrying reformation rather far, sir. No, as I say,
I may have been mistaken in the first instance; but I had put out
my light and was looking out of the window when I saw a fellow
behaving quite suspiciously. He was carrying his boots and creeping
along in his socks - which must be why you never heard him, sir.
They make less noise than rubber soles even - that is, they must,
you know! Well, Bunny had just left me, so I hauled him out and
we both crept down to play detective. No sign of the fellow! We
had a look in the colonnade - I thought I heard him - and that gave
us no end of a hunt for nothing. But just as we were leaving he
came padding past under our noses, and that's where we took up the
chase. Where he'd been in the meantime I have no idea; very likely
he'd done no harm; but it seemed worth while finding out. He had
too good a start, though, and poor Bunny had too bad a wind."

"You should have gone on and let me rip," said I, climbing to my
feet at last.

"As it is, however, we will all. let the other fellow do so," said
old Nab in a genial growl. "And you two had better turn into my
house and have something to keep the morning cold out."

You may imagine with what alacrity we complied; and yet I am bound
to confess that I had never liked Nab at school. I still remember
my term in his form. He had a caustic tongue and fine assortment
of damaging epithets, most of which were levelled at my devoted
skull during those three months. I now discovered that he also
kept a particularly mellow Scotch whiskey, an excellent cigar, and
a fund of anecdote of which a mordant wit was the worthy bursar.
Enough to add that he kept us laughing in his study until the
chapel bells rang him out.

As for Raffles, he appeared to me to feel far more compunction for
the fable which he had been compelled to foist upon one of the old
masters than for the immeasurably graver offence against society
and another Old Boy. This, indeed, did not worry him at all.; and
the story was received next day with absolute credulity on all.
sides. Nasmyth himself was the first to thank us both for our
spirited effort on his behalf; and the incident had the ironic
effect of establishing an immediate entente cordiale between Raffles
and his very latest victim. I must confess, however, that for my
own part I was thoroughly uneasy during the Old Boys' second innings,
when Raffles made a selfish score, instead of standing by me to tell
his own story in his own way. There was never any knowing with what
new detail he was about to embellish it: and I have still to receive
full credit for the tact that it required to follow his erratic lead
convincingly. Seldom have I been more thankful than when our train
started next morning, and the poor, unsuspecting Nasmyth himself
waved us a last farewell from the platform.