I
thought we ought to know when we were well off, and could see no
point in our running fresh risks before we were obliged. On the
other hand, I was anxious not to show the least disposition to
break the pledge that I had given a month ago. But it was not on
my manifest disinclination that Raffles fastened.
"Necessity, my dear Bunny? Does the writer only write when the
wolf is at the door? Does the painter paint for bread alone?
Must you and I be DRIVEN to crime like Tom of Bow and Dick of
Whitechapel? You pain me, my dear chap; you needn't laugh,
because you do. Art for art's sake is a vile catchword, but I
confess it appeals to me. In this case my motives are absolutely
pure, for I doubt if we shall ever be able to dispose of such
peculiar stones. But if I don't have a try for them--after
to-night--I shall never be able to hold up my head again."
His eye twinkled, but it glittered, too.
"We shall have our work cut out," was all I said.
"And do you suppose I should be keen on it if we hadn't?" cried
Raffles. "My dear fellow, I would rob St. Paul's Cathedral if I
could, but I could no more scoop a till when the shopwalker
wasn't looking than I could bag the apples out of an old woman's
basket. Even that little business last month was a sordid
affair, but it was necessary, and I think its strategy redeemed
it to some extent.
Pages:
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54