"
You may figure me as gazing on Raffles all. this time in mute and
rapt amazement. But I had long been past that pitch. If he had
told me now that he had broken into the Bank of England, or the
Tower, I should not have disbelieved him for a moment. I was
prepared to go home with him to the Albany and find the regalia
under his bed. And I took down my overcoat as he put on his. But
Raffles would not hear of my accompanying him that night.
"No, my dear Bunny, I am short of sleep and fed up with excitement.
You mayn't believe it - you may look upon me as a plaster devil -
but those five minutes you wot of were rather too crowded even for
my taste. The dinner was nominally at a quarter to eight, and I
don't mind telling you now that I counted on twice as long as I had.
But no one came until twelve minutes to, and so our host took his
time. I didn't want to be the last to arrive, and I was in the
drawing-room five minutes before the hour. But it was a quicker
thing than I care about, when all. is said."
And his last word on the matter, as he nodded and went his way, may
well be mine; for one need be no criminologist, much less a member
of the Criminologists' Club, to remember what Raffles did with the
robes and coronet of the Right Hon.
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