Raffles watched me under lowered lids. Not a word had
we had together; not a word did we have until we had left the
others at Paddington, and were skimming through the streets in a
hansom with noiseless tires and a tinkling bell.
"Well, Bunny," said Raffles, "so the professors have it, eh?"
"Yes," said I. "And I'm jolly glad!"
"That poor Mackenzie has a ball in his chest?"
"That you and I have been on the decent side for once."
He shrugged his shoulders.
"You're hopeless, Bunny, quite hopeless! I take it you wouldn't
have refused your share if the boodle had fallen to us? Yet you
positively enjoy coming off second best--for the second time
running! I confess, however, that the professors' methods were
full of interest to me. I, for one, have probably gained as much
in experience as I have lost in other things. That lowering the
jewel-case out of the window was a very simple and effective
expedient; two of them had been waiting below for it for hours."
"How do you know?" I asked.
"I saw them from my own window, which was just above the dear old
lady's. I was fretting for that necklace in particular, when I
went up to turn in for our last night--and I happened to look out
of my window. In point of fact, I wanted to see whether the one
below was open, and whether there was the slightest chance of
working the oracle with my sheet for a rope.
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