"
I swung my legs over the side of my berth and sat forward, as he
was sitting, all attention. The inner door, a grating, was shut
and bolted, and curtained like the open porthole.
"We shall be at Genoa before sunset," continued Raffles. "It's
the place where the deed's got to be done."
"So you still mean to do it?"
"Did I ever say I didn't?"
"You have said so little either way."
"Advisedly so, my dear Bunny; why spoil a pleasure trip by
talking unnecessary shop? But now the time has come. It must be
done at Genoa or not at all."
"On land?"
"No, on board, to-morrow night. To-night would do, but to-morrow
is better, in case of mishap. If we were forced to use violence
we could get away by the earliest train, and nothing be known
till the ship was sailing and von Heumann found dead or
drugged--"
"Not dead!" I exclaimed.
"Of course not," assented Raffles, "or there would be no need for
us to bolt; but if we should have to bolt, Tuesday morning is our
time, when this ship has got to sail, whatever happens. But I
don't anticipate any violence. Violence is a confession of
terrible incompetence. In all these years how many blows have
you known me to strike? Not one, I believe; but I have been
quite ready to kill my man every time, if the worst came to the
worst."
I asked him how he proposed to enter von Heumann's state-room
unobserved, and even through the curtained gloom of ours his face
lighted up.
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