The evening world. Newspaper, June 3, 1905, Page 12

yo eonld cut with a paper-knife, wed! doing it. f Rourse, 1 didn’t turn round to se “Why not?” “My dear Bunny, It’s the very worst thing you can do. As long as Jook unmmpecting theyll keep their distance, and so long as they keep thei wed and it’s filght or fight for all you're worth round; and mind you never do in the same hole, frlara and booked for High street, ‘Kensington, at the top of my voice, out T hopped and up all those ire like a lamplighter and round ip the studio by the back streets. fell, to be on ‘the safe side, I lay ‘ow there all the afternoon, hearing nothing in the least suspicious and )only wishing I had a window to look ‘through instead of that beastly sky- Mght. However, the coast seemed clear enough, and thus far it was my > Mere idea that he would follow me; ‘there was nothing to show he had. ~ Bo at last I marched out in my proper fig—almpst straight into old Baird's I never even I just hurried up to Black “What on earth did you do?” “Walked past him as though I Haw never set eyes on him in my, life. and didn't then; took a hansom tn the King’s Road and drove like the deuce to Clapham Junction; rushed ‘on to the nearest platform without a ticket, jumped into the first train I Baw, got out at Twickeuham, walked full tilt back to Richmond, took the District to Charing Cross, and here I am! Ready for a tub and a change and the best dinner the club can give us. T came to. you first because 1 thonght you might be getting anx- tous. Come round with me and I Won't keep you long. “You're certain you've given Yim the slip?” 1 said, as we put on our hats. “Certain enough; but we can wake assurance doubly sure,” said Rattles, and went to my window, Where he stood for a minute or two lpoking down into the street, “All right?" I asked him. “All right,” said he, and we went downstairs forthwith and so to the AYbany arm in arm, But we were both rather silent on the way. I, for my part, was won- deriag what Raffles would do about the studio in Chelkea, whither at all events he had been successfully dogged. To me the point seemed one of immediate importance, hut when I mentioned it he said there was time enough to think about that His one other remark was made after we had nodded (in Bond street) to a young blood of our acquaintance who happened to be getting himself a bad name, “Poor Jach Rutter!” said Retfles, with a sigh, ‘Nothing's sadder than t6 wee a fellow going to the Lad like that, He's about mad with drink and debt, poor devil! Did you see his eye? Odd that we shoud have met him to-night, vy the way; it's old Baird who's said to have skinned him, By God, but 1'4 like to shin old Baird!” And his tone (ook « sudden low fury, made the more noticeable by an- other long silence which lasted, indeed, throughout an admirable dinner at the club and for some time after we had gettled down in a quiet corner of the smoking-room with our coffee and cigars, Then at last I saw Raffles Jooking at me with his lazy smile and I knew that the morose fit was at au end. ‘I dare saw you wonder what I've been thinking about all this time?” gaid he, “I've been thinking what rot it Is to go doing things hy halves!” “Well,” said I, returning his smile, “that’s not a charge that you can bring agaist yourself, is it?” “I'm not so sure,” said Raifles, blowing a meditative puff; “as a matter of fact, | was thinking less of myself than of that poor devil of a Jack Ruiter, There’ fellow who does things by halves; he’s only half gone to the bad, and look wl the difference between him and us! He's under the thumb of a villainous money-lender; we are solvent citizens. He's taken to drink; we're as sober as we are solvent. His pals are beginning to cut him; our difficulty is to keep the pal from the door, Enfin, he begs or bor- rows, which is stealing by halves, and we steal outright and are done with {t, Obviously ours is the more honest course, Yet I’m not sure, Bunny but we're doing the thing py halves ourselves! “Why? Wha more could we do?" T exclaimed in soft derision, looking round, hewever, to make sure that we were not overheard “What more?” sald Raffles, ‘Well, wurder—-for one thing.” “Hot! “A matter of opinion, my dear Bunny; I don't mean it for rot, I've told you before that the biggest man alive is the man who's committed « murder and not yet been found out; at least he ought to be, but he so very seldom has the soul to appreciate himself, Just think of it! Think of coming in here «nd talking to the men, very likely about the murder itself, and knowing you've done it, and wondering how they'd look if they knew, Oh, it would be great, simply great! But, besides all that, when you were caught there'd be a merciful and dramatic end of you. You'd fill the bill for a few weeks and then snait out with a flourish of extra specials; you wouldn't rust with a vile repose for seven or fourteen years, “Good old Raffles!” I chuskled, “I begin to forgive you for being in bad form at dinner, “But I was vever more earnest in my life,” “Go on! “I mean it.” “You know very well that you wouldn't commit a murder, whe you might do.” “T know very well [im going to commit one to-night!" He had been leaning buck in the saddlebag chair, watching me with Keen eyes sheathed by languid E he started forward, and his eyes Jeapt to mine Jike cold steel trom the scabbard, They struck home to my slow wits; their meaning was no longer in doubt, 1, who knew the man read murder in his clenched hauds, and murder in his locked lips, but a hundred murders in those hard blue eyes. “Baird?” I faltered, moistening my lips with my tongue, ‘Of course,” ‘But you said it didn't matter about the room in Chelsea?" T told a ile.” ‘Anyway, you gave him the slip after “Mhat was another. 1 didn’t, 1 thought 1 had when I came up to you thia evening; but when I looked out of your window—you remember? to make assurance doubly sure—there he was on the opposite pavement down “And you never said « word about it!” “{ wasn’t going to spoil your dinner, Bunny, and I wasn't going to let a spoil mine. But there he was as large as life, and, of course, he fol- b ua tothe Albany A fine game for him to play, a game after his mean A heart; blackmail from me, bribes from the police, the one bidding the other; but b wan't play it with me, he sha'n't lve to, and the @ will have an extortioner the less, Walter! Two Scotch whiskies and I'm off at 11, Bunn it's the only thing to he done,” “You know where he lives, then?” “Yous, out Willesden way, and alone; the fellow's a miser among other I long ago found out all about him,” T looked round the room: it was a young man's club, and young were laughing, chatting, smoking, drinking, on every hand, One to me through the smoke, Like a machine I nodded to him, and back to Raffles with a groan, arely you will give him a chance!" 1 urged, should bring him to terms,” it wouldn't make him keep them,” you might try the effect?’ ly ul, Here's a drink for you, Bunny, Wish me luck." went ever else “The very sight of your I did my best to get out of it— T had @ pal who was a real swell—)ut I saw very plainly that 1 had He paid my price as though he But I felt him following mo when I made tracks; though, iatance you stand a chance, Onco show that you know you're being fol- lee looked He drove the bargain in the Cockney dialect. THE WORLD: SATURDAY: EVENING, JUNE 3, 1905. T don't want you, “But I must comet" An ugly gleam shot from the steel-blue eyes, “To interfere?” said Raffles, “Not 1.” “You give me your word?” “T do." “Hunny, if you break it “You may shoot me too!" “IT most certainly should,” said Raffles, solemnly. ‘So you come at your own peril, my dear man; but, if you are coming—well, the sooner the better, for 1 must stop at my rooms on the way.” Hive minutes later | was waiting for him at the Piccadilly entrance to the Albany, 1 had a reason for remaining outside, I was the feeling—half hope, half fear—that Angus Baird might still be on our trail—that some more immediate and less cold-blood ed way of “if with him might re- sult from afsudden encounter be- tween the money-lender and myself. I would not warn him of his danger, but I would avert tragedy at all costs, And when no such encounter had taken ve, and Raffles and 1 were fairly On our way to Willesden, that, I think, wag still my honest resolve, T would not break my word if [ could help it, but it was a comfort to feel that I could break it if 1 Hked, on an understood penalty, Alas! 1 fear my good intentions were tainted with a devouring curiosity and overlald by the fasetnation which goes hand in hand with horror. I have a poignant recollection of the hour it took us to reach the house. We walked across St. James's Park (I can see the lights now, brigh: on the bridge and blurred in the water), and we had some minutes to wait for the last train to Willesden, It left at 11.21, | remember, and Raf- fles was put out to find ft did not go on to Kensal Rise. We had to get out at Willesden Junction and walk on through the streets into fairly open country that happened to be quite new to me, T could never find the house again. [ remember, how- ever, that we were’on a dark footpath between woods and flelds when the an striking twelve, 11, “we shall find him in bed and alseep?" “T hope we do," said Raffles grimly. “Then you mean to break in?” “What else Wd you think?" 1 had not thought about it at all the vitimate crime had monopolized my mind, Beside it burglary was a haget He, but one to deprecate none the less. I saw obvious objections; tho man was au fait with cracksmen and their ways; he wou'd certainly have firearms and might be the first to use them. “T could wish nothing better,” said Raffles, “Then it would be mun to man, and devil take the worst shot. You don't suppose I prefer foul play to fair, do you? But die he must, by one or the other, or it’s a long stretch for you and me.” “Better that than this!” “Then stay where you are, my goo! fellow, I told you T didn’t want you; and this is the house, So, good- night.” IT could see no house at all, only the angle of a high wall rising solitary in the night, with the starlight glittering on battlements of broken glass; and in the wall a tall green gate, bristling with spikes, and sowing a front for battering-rams in the feeble rays an outlying lamp-post cast across the nade road, It seemed to me a road of building sites, with but this one » built, all by itself, at one end; but the night was too aark for more than a mere imp: Raffles, however, had seen the place by daylight, and hed come pre- pared for the special obstacles; already he was reaching up and putting champagne corks on the spikes, and in another moment he had his folded covert coat across the corks. I stepped back as he raised himself, and saw a little pyramid of slates snip the sky above the gate; as he squirmed over I ran forward, and had my own weight on the spikes and corks and covert cout when he gave the latter a tug. Posey ay xv REE PERPTSSION ORT LER 8 “He's gone to bed!” é don't think so, Bunny. I believe he's seen us,” Why?” “I saw a light.” “Where?” “Downstairs, for an instant, when L’—~ His whisper died away: he had seen the light again and so had I. It lay like a golden rod under the front door—-and vanished, It reap- peared like a gold thread under the lintel nd vanished for gooa, We heard the stairs creak, creak, and cease, also for good, nor heard any more, though we stood waiting on the grass till our feet were soaked with the dew, “Dm going in,” said Raffles at last. wish he had. This way.” We trod gingerly on the path, but the gravel stuck to our wet soles and grated horribly in u ttle tiled ver- ande with a glass dwor leading with- in. It was through this glass that Raffles had first seen the light; and he now proceeded to take out a pane with the diamond, the pot of treacl> and the sheet of brown paper which were seldom omitted from his imped- imenta,, Nor did he dispense with my own assistance, though he may have accepted it as {nstinctively as it « |} was progered, In any case, it was these fingers that helped to spread the treacle on the brown paper and pressed the latter to the glass until the diamond had completed its ctr- cult and the pane fell gently back into our hangs. Raffles now tnserted his hand, turned the key in the lock, and by making «& long arm succeeded in drawing the bol! at the bottom of the “I don't believe he saw us at all, door, It proved to be the only one, and the door opened, though not very wide, “What's that?” said Raffles, as something crunched beneath his feet on the very threshold. “A pair of spectacles,” I whis- pered, picking them up, I was still fiugering the broken lenses and the bent rims when Raffles tripped and almost fell, with a gasping cry that he made no effort to restrain. “Hush, man!—hush!" Peptreated under my breath. “He'll hear you!" Vor answer his teeth chattered— even his—and I heard him fumbling with his matches. "No, Bunny; hg won't hear us,’ whispered Raffles, presently; and he rose from his knees and lit a gas as the match burned down, Angus Baird was floor, dead, with his gray hairs glued together by his blood; near him a poker with qhe black end glistening: in a corner his desk, ransacked, lHt- tered. A clock ticked noisily on the chininey piece: for perhaps a hundre | seconds there was no other sound. Raffles stood yery still, staring down at the dead, as a man might stare into an abyss after striding j Mindly to its brink, His breath eame + audibly through wide nostrils; he made no other sign, and his’ lips seemed sealed, “That light!" said 1 hoarsely; “the light we saw under the door!" With a start he turned to me, “It's true! 1 had forgotten it. Tt was la here E saw it first!” “He must be upstairs still!” “If he is we'll soon rout him out Come on!" Instead I had laid a hand npon his arm, imploring him to reflect—tha: his enemy was dead now never was our own time to escape. He shook me off in a sudden fury of impeUence, @ reckless contempt in his eyes, and, bidding me save my own skin ff I liked, ‘he once more turned his back upon me, and this time left me half resolved to take him at his word, Had he forgotten on what errand he himself was here? Was he determined that this night should end tp black disaster? As I asked myself these questions his match flared in the hall; in another moment the stairs were creaking under his feet, even as they had creaked under those of the murderer; and the humane instinct lying on his Posep BY KYRLE BELLEW, PERMISSION OF LIEBLER. & CO. (Posed by Kyrle Bellew, Arrangemons of Liebler Co.) The cowering figure rose gradually erect. ' “Coming, after all?” “Rather!” “Take care, then; the place ts all bell-wires and springs, thing, this! ‘There—stand still while I take off the corks,” The garden was very small and new, with a grass-plot still in separate sods, but a quantity of full-grown laurels siuck into the raw clay beds, “Bells in themselves,’ as Raffles whispered; “there's nothing else rusties so—cunning old beast!” And we gave them a wide berth as we crept across the grass, e It's no soft that Inspired him in defiance of his risk was borne in also upon’imy slower sensibilities. Could we let the murderer go? My answer was to bound up the creaking stairs and to oyerhaul Raffles on the landing. But three doors presented themselves; the first opened into a bedroom with the bed turned down but undisturbed; the second room was empty in every sense; the third door was locked, Raffles lit the landing gas, “He's in there,” sald he, cocking his revolver, “Do you remember how we used to break Into the studies at achool? Here goes!” == g_ ‘a We neither saw — succeeded in drawing the bolt. Vs ‘het we should certainly be inyolyed—that now or his d - His flat foot crashed over the keyhole, the lock gave, the door Hew open, and in the sudden draught the landing gas heeled over like a cobvle in a squall; as the flame righted itself I saw a fixed bath, two bath towels Knotted together—an open window—a cowering figure—and Raffles struck aghast on the threshold, “Jack=-Rutter?” The words came thick and slow with horror, and in horror 1 heard ee Teens 808) while the cowering figure by the bathroom window — ' “It's you!" he whispered, in amazement no less than ot (GU) ‘ baat . aman PSs ir own; “it yo! two! What's it mean, Raffles? I saw you got over the gate; a bell Tang the place {s full of them. Then you broke in, What's it all mean’! We may tell you that when yee us what in God's name you've d&me, Rutter!” “Done? What have I done?” The unhappy wretch came oyt into the i Nght with bloodshot, blinking eyes and © bloody shirt front you've seen—but I'll tell u like, I've killed a robber; that's all I've killed a robbe A oust Jackal, a blackmailer, the cleverest and the eraellest villain nnhung, I'm y to hang for him, Ud kill him aint" And he looked us flereely’ in the face, a fine defiance in his dissipated eyes, his breast heaving, his jaw Mke aroek, ‘Shall T tell you how it happened?” ‘You know he went passionately on, “He's made my life a hell these weeks and hionths past, You may know that, A perfect hell! Well, to-night T met him in Bond street. Do you remem- . ber when I met you felloy He Vt twenty yards behind you; he was on your tracks, Raffles; he saw me nod to you, and stopped me and asked me who you were, I! omed as keen as knives ta know, | couldn't think why, and didn't care either, for Isaw my chance. | said I'd tell him all about you if he'd give mo a prix vate interview, He sald he wouldn't, 1 said he should, and held him by the coat; by the time [let him go you were out of sight, and | waited where 1 was till he came back in despair, 1 had the whip hand of him eee | ‘ could dictate where the interview should be, and | made hin teke 1 home with him, still swearing te tell him all about you when we'd had our talk, Well, when we got here I made him give me something to eat, put ting Nim oft and off; and about 10 o'clock TE heard the’ gate shut, 1 ited a Dit, and then asked him if he lived alone “Not at all,” says he; ‘did you not eo the servant? Is Vd seen her, but 1 thoveht pard her gai if T was mistaken called; and T yelled three times tthe top of my voles, Of course t me, | knew that eo him one lat last week, and he interviewed ino himself through the gate, Int wouldn't open it. Well, when 1 hart done yelling, and nota son) had come near us, he was as white as that cell- ing. Then I told him we could have our ehat at last; and T picked the poker out of the fender, and told him how he'd robbed me, but by God he shouldn't rob me any more. him three minutes to write a settlement of all his Claims against me, or aten out over his owr hought © minute, and th t In two seconds he was round like lightning with a revolver and 1 went f hit \d-headed, He fired two or threo times and missed; you can fine the holes if you like; but I hit him every time— fod! 1 was lhe a savage till the thing was done. And then I didn't care, T went through his desk looking for my own bills, and was coming away when you turned vp. I said I didn't care, nor dot; bat, was going to give myself up to-night, and shall si; so you see L shan't for pen and paper, give you fellows much trouble He was done; and there we stood on the landing of the lonely house. the low, thick, eager voice still racing and ringing through our ears; the dea! min below, and in front of his impenitent slayer, [knew to whom the impenitence would appeal when he had heard the story, and 1 was not mistaken, “That's all r * said Raffles, speaking after a pause; you give yourself up.” “You shan't stop me! What would be the good? The woman saw me; it would only be a questien of (ime; and 1 can't face waiting to be taken, Think of it; waiting for them to touch you on the shoulder! No, no, vo. I'll give myself up and get it ov His speech was changed; he faltered, floundered, It was as thouga # clearer perception of his position had come with the bare idea of escape from it, “Dut listen to me “we shan't vet "urged Raffles; “we're here at our peril ourselves, We broke in like thieves to enforce redress for a grievance very like your Put don'tsycu see? We took out a pane—did the thing like regular lars, Regular burglars will get the credit of all the rest!” ‘Yoo mean that | shun't be suspected?” “I do," “But I don't want to get off scot free,” cried Rutter hysterically. “I've ied lim 1 know that, But it was in self-defense; it wasn't murder. J nust OWn up and take the consequences. I shall go mad if I don’t!” His hands twitche his lips quivered; the tears were in hils eyos Raffles took him roughly by the shoulder, ‘Look here, you fool! It ihe three of us were caught here now, do you know what tose consequences would t We should swing in a row at i Newgate in six weeks’ time! You talk as though we were sitting in @ clap: don’t you know it's 1 o'clock in the morning, and the lights on, and a dead man down below? For God's sake pull yourself together, and do what I tell you, or you're a dead man yoprself,” ‘Lo owish to owas one.” Hutter @obbed. "TL blow my own brains out. It's lying under him, O my God, my God!” His hices knocked together; the frenzy of reaction was at Its ‘height, We had te take him downstairs beiween us, and so through the front door out into the open alr, All was still ontside—all but the smothered weeping of the unstrung wretch upon our hands.’ Raffles returned for a moment to the house; then all was dark as well, The gaté opened from within; we closed {it care- fully behind us; and go left the starlight shining on broken glass and pol- ished spikes one and all as we had found them, Woe escaped; no need to dwell on our ape, Our murde seemed set upon the seaffold—drunk with his deed, he was more trouble than six mer drunk with wine, Again and again we threatened to leave him to his fate, to wash our hands of him, But inerediile and uninevited luck was with the three of us. Not a soul did we meet between that and Willesden; and of those who saw us later, did one think of the two young men with crooked white tles, supporting a third in a seemingly unmistakable condition, when the evening papers apprised the town of a terrible tragedy at Kensal Riset , We walked to Maida Vale d thence drove openly to my rooms, But I alone went upscairs; the other two proceeded to the Albany, and L saw ng more of Raffles for forty-eight hours, He was not at his rooms when ] called in the morning; he lad left no word, When he reappeared the papers were full of the murder; and the man who had conmitted tt was on the wide Atlantic, a steerage senger from Liverpool to New York. “There was no arguing wit! him,” s0 Raffles told me; “elther he must f make a clean breast of it or flee the country, 80 1 rigged him up at the studio, and we tcok the/irst train to Liverpeol, Nothing would -induce him to sit tight and enjoy the situation as { should have endeavored to do in bl¢ place; and it’s just as well! I went to his diggings to destroy some papers, and what do you think I found? ‘The police in possession; there's a warrant out against him already! The idiots think that window ‘wasn't genultie, and the warrant's out, It won't be my fault if it's ever served! , Nor, after all these years, can I think it will be mine, | (THE END.) Next Saturday— “NINE POINTS OF THE LAw,” the Fifth Adventure of **Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman’’ ‘There will. be Thirteen Adventures in this new. series, * | story every Sat nip wish | had his revolver to a complete