And this was all one knew of Reuben Rosenthall up to the time when the Old Bohemian Club, having fallen on evil days, found it worth its while to organize a great dinner in honor of so wealthy an exponent15 of the club's principles. I was not at the banquet myself, but a member took Raffles16, who told me all about it that very night.
"Most extraordinary show I ever went to in my life," said he. "As for the man himself—well, I was prepared for something grotesque17, but the fellow fairly took my breath away. To begin with, he's the most astounding18 brute19 to look at, well over six feet, with a chest like a barrel, and a great hook-nose, and the reddest hair and whiskers you ever saw. Drank like a fire-engine, but only got drunk enough to make us a speech that I wouldn't have missed for ten pounds. I'm only sorry you weren't there, too, Bunny, old chap."
I began to be sorry myself, for Raffles was anything but an excitable person, and never had I seen him so excited before. Had he been following Rosenthall's example? His coming to my rooms at midnight, merely to tell me about his dinner, was in itself enough to excuse a suspicion which was certainly at variance21 with my knowledge of A. J. Raffles.
"What did he say?" I inquired mechanically, divining some subtler explanation of this visit, and wondering what on earth it could be.
"Say?" cried Raffles. "What did he not say! He boasted of his rise, he bragged22 of his riches, and he blackguarded society for taking him up for his money and dropping him out of sheer pique24 and jealousy25 because he had so much. He mentioned names, too, with the most charming freedom, and swore he was as good a man as the Old Country had to show—PACE the Old Bohemians. To prove it he pointed26 to a great diamond in the middle of his shirt-front with a little finger loaded with another just like it: which of our bloated princes could show a pair like that? As a matter of fact, they seemed quite wonderful stones, with a curious purple gleam to them that must mean a pot of money. But old Rosenthall swore he wouldn't take fifty thousand pounds for the two, and wanted to know where the other man was who went about with twenty-five thousand in his shirt-front and another twenty-five on his little finger. He didn't exist. If he did, he wouldn't have the pluck to wear them. But he had—he'd tell us why. And before you could say Jack27 Robinson he had whipped out a whacking28 great revolver!"
"Not at the table?"
"At the table! In the middle of his speech! But it was nothing to what he wanted to do. He actually wanted us to let him write his name in bullets on the opposite wall, to show us why he wasn't afraid to go about in all his diamonds! That brute Purvis, the prize-fighter, who is his paid bully29, had to bully his master before he could be persuaded out of it. There was quite a panic for the moment; one fellow was saying his prayers under the table, and the waiters bolted to a man."
"What a grotesque scene!"
"Grotesque enough, but I rather wish they had let him go the whole hog30 and blaze away. He was as keen as knives to show us how he could take care of his purple diamonds; and, do you know, Bunny, I was as keen as knives to see."
And Raffles leaned towards me with a sly, slow smile that made the hidden meaning of his visit only too plain to me at last.
"So you think of having a try for his diamonds yourself?"
"It is horribly obvious, I admit. But—yes, I have set my heart upon them! To be quite frank, I have had them on my conscience for some time; one couldn't hear so much of the man, and his prize-fighter, and his diamonds, without feeling it a kind of duty to have a go for them; but when it comes to brandishing32 a revolver and practically challenging the world, the thing becomes inevitable33. It is simply thrust upon one. I was fated to hear that challenge, Bunny, and I, for one, must take it up. I was only sorry I couldn't get on my hind34 legs and say so then and there."
"Well," I said, "I don't see the necessity as things are with us; but, of course, I'm your man."
My tone may have been half-hearted. I did my best to make it otherwise. But it was barely a month since our Bond Street exploit, and we certainly could have afforded to behave ourselves for some time to come. We had been getting along so nicely: by his advice I had scribbled35 a thing or two; inspired by Raffles, I had even done an article on our own jewel robbery; and for the moment I was quite satisfied with this sort of adventure. 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 disposition36 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 vile37 catchword, but I confess it appeals to me. In this case my motives38 are absolutely pure, for I doubt if we shall ever be able to dispose of such peculiar39 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 scoop40 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 sordid41 affair, but it was necessary, and I think its strategy redeemed42 it to some extent. Now there's some credit, and more sport, in going where they boast they're on their guard against you. The Bank of England, for example, is the ideal crib; but that would need half a dozen of us with years to give to the job; and meanwhile Reuben Rosenthall is high enough game for you and me. We know he's armed. We know how Billy Purvis can fight. It'll be no soft thing, I grant you. But what of that, my good Bunny—what of that? A man's reach must exceed his grasp, dear boy, or what the dickens is a heaven for?"
"I would rather we didn't exceed ours just yet," I answered laughing, for his spirit was irresistible43, and the plan was growing upon me, despite my qualms44.
"Trust me for that," was his reply; "I'll see you through. After all I expect to find that the difficulties are nearly all on the surface. These fellows both drink like the devil, and that should simplify matters considerably45. But we shall see, and we must take our time. There will probably turn out to be a dozen different ways in which the thing might be done, and we shall have to choose between them. It will mean watching the house for at least a week in any case; it may mean lots of other things that will take much longer; but give me a week and I will tell you more. That's to say, if you're really on?"
"Of course I am," I replied indignantly. "But why should I give you a week? Why shouldn't we watch the house together?"
"Because two eyes are as good as four and take up less room. Never hunt in couples unless you're obliged. But don't you look offended, Bunny; there'll be plenty for you to do when the time comes, that I promise you. You shall have your share of the fun, never fear, and a purple diamond all to yourself—if we're lucky."
On the whole, however, this conversation left me less than lukewarm, and I still remember the depression which came upon me when Raffles was gone. I saw the folly46 of the enterprise to which I had committed myself—the sheer, gratuitous47, unnecessary folly of it. And the paradoxes48 in which Raffles revelled, and the frivolous49 casuistry which was nevertheless half sincere, and which his mere20 personality rendered wholly plausible50 at the moment of utterance51, appealed very little to me when recalled in cold blood. I admired the spirit of pure mischief52 in which he seemed prepared to risk his liberty and his life, but I did not find it an infectious spirit on calm reflection. Yet the thought of withdrawal53 was not to be entertained for a moment. On the contrary, I was impatient of the delay ordained54 by Raffles; and, perhaps, no small part of my secret disaffection came of his galling55 determination to do without me until the last moment.
It made it no better that this was characteristic of the man and of his attitude towards me. For a month we had been, I suppose, the thickest thieves in all London, and yet our intimacy56 was curiously57 incomplete. With all his charming frankness, there was in Raffles a vein58 of capricious reserve which was perceptible enough to be very irritating. He had the instinctive59 secretiveness of the inveterate60 criminal. He would make mysteries of matters of common concern; for example, I never knew how or where he disposed of the Bond Street jewels, on the proceeds of which we were both still leading the outward lives of hundreds of other young fellows about town. He was consistently mysterious about that and other details, of which it seemed to me that I had already earned the right to know everything. I could not but remember how he had led me into my first felony, by means of a trick, while yet uncertain whether he could trust me or not.
That I could no longer afford to resent, but I did resent his want of confidence in me now. I said nothing about it, but it rankled61 every day, and never more than in the week that succeeded the Rosenthall dinner. When I met Raffles at the club he would tell me nothing; when I went to his rooms he was out, or pretended to be.
One day he told me he was getting on well, but slowly; it was a more ticklish62 game than he had thought; but when I began to ask questions he would say no more. Then and there, in my annoyance63, I took my own decision. Since he would tell me nothing of the result of his vigils, I determined64 to keep one on my own account, and that very evening found my way to the millionaire's front gates.
The house he was occupying is, I believe, quite the largest in the St. John's Wood district. It stands in the angle formed by two broad thoroughfares, neither of which, as it happens, is a 'bus route, and I doubt if many quieter spots exist within the four-mile radius65. Quiet also was the great square house, in its garden of grass-plots and shrubs66; the lights were low, the millionaire and his friends obviously spending their evening elsewhere. The garden walls were only a few feet high. In one there was a side door opening into a glass passage; in the other two five-barred, grained-and-varnished gates, one at either end of the little semi-circular drive, and both wide open. So still was the place that I had a great mind to walk boldly in and learn something of the premises67; in fact, I was on the point of doing so, when I heard a quick, shuffling68 step on the pavement behind me. I turned round and faced the dark scowl69 and the dirty clenched70 fists of a dilapidated tramp.
"You fool!" said he. "You utter idiot!"
"Raffles!"
"That's it," he whispered savagely71; "tell all the neighborhood—give me away at the top of your voice!"
With that he turned his back upon me, and shambled down the road, shrugging his shoulders and muttering to himself as though I had refused him alms. A few moments I stood astounded72, indignant, at a loss; then I followed him. His feet trailed, his knees gave, his back was bowed, his head kept nodding; it was the gait of a man eighty years of age. Presently he waited for me midway between two lamp-posts. As I came up he was lighting73 rank tobacco, in a cutty pipe, with an evil-smelling match, and the flame showed me the suspicion of a smile.
"You must forgive my heat, Bunny, but it really was very foolish of you. Here am I trying every dodge—begging at the door one night—hiding in the shrubs the next—doing every mortal thing but stand and stare at the house as you went and did. It's a costume piece, and in you rush in your ordinary clothes. I tell you they're on the lookout74 for us night and day. It's the toughest nut I ever tackled!"
"Well," said I, "if you had told me so before I shouldn't have come. You told me nothing."
"You're right," he said at length. "I've been too close. It's become second nature with me when I've anything on. But here's an end of it, Bunny, so far as you're concerned. I'm going home now, and I want you to follow me; but for heaven's sake keep your distance, and don't speak to me again till I speak to you. There—give me a start." And he was off again, a decrepit76 vagabond, with his hands in his pockets, his elbows squared, and frayed77 coat-tails swinging raggedly78 from side to side.
I followed him to the Finchley Road. There he took an Atlas79 omnibus, and I sat some rows behind him on the top, but not far enough to escape the pest of his vile tobacco. That he could carry his character-sketch to such a pitch—he who would only smoke one brand of cigarette! It was the last, least touch of the insatiable artist, and it charmed away what mortification80 there still remained in me. Once more I felt the fascination81 of a comrade who was forever dazzling one with a fresh and unsuspected facet82 of his character.
As we neared Piccadilly I wondered what he would do. Surely he was not going into the Albany like that? No, he took another omnibus to Sloane Street, I sitting behind him as before. At Sloane Street we changed again, and were presently in the long lean artery83 of the King's Road. I was now all agog84 to know our destination, nor was I kept many more minutes in doubt. Raffles got down. I followed. He crossed the road and disappeared up a dark turning. I pressed after him, and was in time to see his coat-tails as he plunged85 into a still darker flagged alley86 to the right. He was holding himself up and stepping out like a young man once more; also, in some subtle way, he already looked less disreputable. But I alone was there to see him, the alley was absolutely deserted87, and desperately88 dark. At the further end he opened a door with a latch-key, and it was darker yet within.
"All right, Bunny! There's no hanky-panky this time. These are studios, my friend, and I'm one of the lawful91 tenants93."
Indeed, in another minute we were in a lofty room with skylight, easels, dressing-cupboard, platform, and every other adjunct save the signs of actual labor94. The first thing I saw, as Raffles lit the gas, was its reflection in his silk hat on the pegs95 beside the rest of his normal garments.
"Looking for the works of art?" continued Raffles, lighting a cigarette and beginning to divest96 himself of his rags. "I'm afraid you won't find any, but there's the canvas I'm always going to make a start upon. I tell them I'm looking high and low for my ideal model. I have the stove lit on principle twice a week, and look in and leave a newspaper and a smell of Sullivans—how good they are after shag! Meanwhile I pay my rent and am a good tenant92 in every way; and it's a very useful little pied-a-terre—there's no saying how useful it might be at a pinch. As it is, the billy-cock comes in and the topper goes out, and nobody takes the slightest notice of either; at this time of night the chances are that there's not a soul in the building except ourselves."
"You never told me you went in for disguises," said I, watching him as he cleansed97 the grime from his face and hands.
"No, Bunny, I've treated you very shabbily all round. There was really no reason why I shouldn't have shown you this place a month ago, and yet there was no point in my doing so, and circumstances are just conceivable in which it would have suited us both for you to be in genuine ignorance of my whereabouts. I have something to sleep on, as you perceive, in case of need, and, of course, my name is not Raffles in the King's Road. So you will see that one might bolt further and fare worse."
"Meanwhile you use the place as a dressing-room?"
"It is my private pavilion," said Raffles. "Disguises? In some cases they're half the battle, and it's always pleasant to feel that, if the worst comes to the worst, you needn't necessarily be convicted under your own name. Then they're indispensable in dealing98 with the fences. I drive all my bargains in the tongue and raiment of Shoreditch. If I didn't there'd be the very devil to pay in blackmail99. Now, this cupboard's full of all sorts of toggery. I tell the woman who cleans the room that it's for my models when I find 'em. By the way, I only hope I've got something that'll fit you, for you'll want a rig for to-morrow night."
"To-morrow night!" I exclaimed. "Why, what do you mean to do?"
"The trick," said Raffles. "I intended writing to you as soon as I got back to my rooms, to ask you to look me up to-morrow afternoon; then I was going to unfold my plan of campaign, and take you straight into action then and there. There's nothing like putting the nervous players in first; it's the sitting with their pads on that upsets their applecart; that was another of my reasons for being so confoundedly close. You must try to forgive me. I couldn't help remembering how well you played up last trip, without any time to weaken on it beforehand. All I want is for you to be as cool and smart to-morrow night as you were then; though, by Jove, there's no comparison between the two cases!"
"I thought you would find it so."
"You were right. I have. Mind you, I don't say this will be the tougher job all round; we shall probably get in without any difficulty at all; it's the getting out again that may flummox us. That's the worst of an irregular household!" cried Raffles, with quite a burst of virtuous100 indignation. "I assure you, Bunny, I spent the whole of Monday night in the shrubbery of the garden next door, looking over the wall, and, if you'll believe me, somebody was about all night long! I don't mean the Kaffirs. I don't believe they ever get to bed at all—poor devils! No, I mean Rosenthall himself, and that pasty-faced beast Purvis. They were up and drinking from midnight, when they came in, to broad daylight, when I cleared out. Even then I left them sober enough to slang each other. By the way, they very nearly came to blows in the garden, within a few yards of me, and I heard something that might come in useful and make Rosenthall shoot crooked101 at a critical moment. You know what an I. D. B. is?"
"Exactly. Well, it seems that Rosenthall was one. He must have let it out to Purvis in his cups. Anyhow, I heard Purvis taunting103 him with it, and threatening him with the breakwater at Capetown; and I begin to think our friends are friend and foe104. But about to-morrow night: there's nothing subtle in my plan. It's simply to get in while these fellows are out on the loose, and to lie low till they come back, and longer. If possible, we must doctor the whiskey. That would simplify the whole thing, though it's not a very sporting game to play; still, we must remember Rosenthall's revolver; we don't want him to sign his name on us. With all those Kaffirs about, however, it's ten to one on the whiskey, and a hundred to one against us if we go looking for it. A brush with the heathen would spoil everything, if it did no more. Besides, there are the ladies—"
"The deuce there are!"
"Ladies with an I, and the very voices for raising Cain. I fear, I fear the clamor! It would be fatal to us. Au contraire, if we can manage to stow ourselves away unbeknownst, half the battle will be won. If Rosenthall turns in drunk, it's a purple diamond apiece. If he sits up sober, it may be a bullet instead. We will hope not, Bunny; and all the firing wouldn't be on one side; but it's on the knees of the gods."
And so we left it when we shook hands in Picadilly—not by any means as much later as I could have wished. Raffles would not ask me to his rooms that night. He said he made it a rule to have a long night before playing cricket and—other games. His final word to me was framed on the same principle.
"Mind, only one drink to-night, Bunny. Two at the outside—as you value your life—and mine!"
I remember my abject105 obedience106; and the endless, sleepless107 night it gave me; and the roofs of the houses opposite standing108 out at last against the blue-gray London dawn. I wondered whether I should ever see another, and was very hard on myself for that little expedition which I had made on my own wilful109 account.
It was between eight and nine o'clock in the evening when we took up our position in the garden adjoining that of Reuben Rosenthall; the house itself was shut up, thanks to the outrageous110 libertine111 next door, who, by driving away the neighbors, had gone far towards delivering himself into our hands. Practically secure from surprise on that side, we could watch our house under cover of a wall just high enough to see over, while a fair margin112 of shrubs in either garden afforded us additional protection. Thus entrenched113, we had stood an hour, watching a pair of lighted bow-windows with vague shadows flitting continually across the blinds, and listening to the drawing of corks114, the clink of glasses, and a gradual crescendo115 of coarse voices within. Our luck seemed to have deserted us: the owner of the purple diamonds was dining at home and dining at undue116 length. I thought it was a dinner-party. Raffles differed; in the end he proved right. Wheels grated in the drive, a carriage and pair stood at the steps; there was a stampede from the dining-room, and the loud voices died away, to burst forth117 presently from the porch.
Let me make our position perfectly118 clear. We were over the wall, at the side of the house, but a few feet from the dining-room windows. On our right, one angle of the building cut the back lawn in two diagonally; on our left, another angle just permitted us to see the jutting119 steps and the waiting carriage. We saw Rosenthall come out—saw the glimmer120 of his diamonds before anything. Then came the pugilist; then a lady with a head of hair like a bath sponge; then another, and the party was complete.
Raffles ducked and pulled me down in great excitement.
"The ladies are going with them," he whispered. "This is great!"
"That's better still."
"And that's best of all," said Raffles, standing upright as hoofs123 and wheels crunched124 through the gates and rattled126 off at a fine speed.
"Now what?" I whispered, trembling with excitement.
"They'll be clearing away. Yes, here come their shadows. The drawing-room windows open on the lawn. Bunny, it's the psychological moment. Where's that mask?"
I produced it with a hand whose trembling I tried in vain to still, and could have died for Raffles when he made no comment on what he could not fail to notice. His own hands were firm and cool as he adjusted my mask for me, and then his own.
"By Jove, old boy," he whispered cheerily, "you look about the greatest ruffian I ever saw! These masks alone will down a nigger, if we meet one. But I'm glad I remembered to tell you not to shave. You'll pass for Whitechapel if the worst comes to the worst and you don't forget to talk the lingo127. Better sulk like a mule128 if you're not sure of it, and leave the dialogue to me; but, please our stars, there will be no need. Now, are you ready?"
"Quite."
"Got your gag?"
"Yes."
"Shooter?"
"Yes."
"Then follow me."
In an instant we were over the wall, in another on the lawn behind the house. There was no moon. The very stars in their courses had veiled themselves for our benefit. I crept at my leader's heels to some French windows opening upon a shallow veranda129. He pushed. They yielded.
"Luck again," he whispered; "nothing BUT luck! Now for a light."
And the light came!
A good score of electric burners glowed red for the fraction of a second, then rained merciless white beams into our blinded eyes. When we found our sight four revolvers covered us, and between two of them the colossal130 frame of Reuben Rosenthall shook with a wheezy laughter from head to foot.
"Good-evening, boys," he hiccoughed. "Glad to see ye at last. Shift foot or finger, you on the left, though, and you're a dead boy. I mean you, you greaser!" he roared out at Raffles. "I know you. I've been waitin' for you. I've been watchin' you all this week! Plucky131 smart you thought yerself, didn't you? One day beggin', next time shammin' tight, and next one o' them old pals132 from Kimberley what never come when I'm in. But you left the same tracks every day, you buggins, an' the same tracks every night, all round the blessed premises."
"All right, guv'nor," drawled Raffles; "don't excite. It's a fair cop. We don't sweat to know 'ow you brung it orf. On'y don't you go for to shoot, 'cos we 'int awmed, s'help me Gord!"
"Ah, you're a knowin' one," said Rosenthall, fingering his triggers. "But you've struck a knowin'er."
"Ho, yuss, we know all abaht thet! Set a thief to ketch a thief—ho, yuss."
My eyes had torn themselves from the round black muzzles133, from the accursed diamonds that had been our snare134, the pasty pig-face of the over-fed pugilist, and the flaming cheeks and hook nose of Rosenthall himself. I was looking beyond them at the doorway135 filled with quivering silk and plush, black faces, white eyeballs, woolly pates136. But a sudden silence recalled my attention to the millionaire. And only his nose retained its color.
"What d'ye mean?" he whispered with a hoarse137 oath. "Spit it out, or, by Christmas, I'll drill you!"
"Whort price thet brikewater?" drawled Raffles coolly.
"Eh?"
Rosenthall's revolvers were describing widening orbits.
"Whort price thet brikewater—old I.D.B.?"
"Where in hell did you get hold o' that?" asked Rosenthall, with a rattle125 in his thick neck, meant for mirth.
"You may well arst," says Raffles. "It's all over the plice w'ere I come from."
"Who can have spread such rot?"
"I dunno," says Raffles; "arst the gen'leman on yer left; p'r'aps 'E knows."
The gentleman on his left had turned livid with emotion. Guilty conscience never declared itself in plainer terms. For a moment his small eyes bulged138 like currants in the suet of his face; the next, he had pocketed his pistols on a professional instinct, and was upon us with his fists.
He was too late. No sooner had the burly pugilist obstructed140 his fire than Raffles was through the window at a bound; while I, for standing still and saying nothing, was scientifically felled to the floor.
I cannot have been many moments without my senses. When I recovered them there was a great to-do in the garden, but I had the drawing-room to myself. I sat up. Rosenthall and Purvis were rushing about outside, cursing the Kaffirs and nagging141 at each other.
"Over that wall, I tell yer!"
"I tell you it was this one. Can't you whistle for the police?"
"Police be damned! I've had enough of the blessed police."
"Then we'd better get back and make sure of the other rotter."
"Oh, make sure o' yer skin. That's what you'd better do. Jala, you black hog, if I catch YOU skulkin'...."
I never heard the threat. I was creeping from the drawing-room on my hands and knees, my own revolver swinging by its steel ring from my teeth.
For an instant I thought that the hall also was deserted. I was wrong, and I crept upon a Kaffir on all fours. Poor devil, I could not bring myself to deal him a base blow, but I threatened him most hideously142 with my revolver, and left the white teeth chattering143 in his black head as I took the stairs three at a time. Why I went upstairs in that decisive fashion, as though it were my only course, I cannot explain. But garden and ground floor seemed alive with men, and I might have done worse.
I turned into the first room I came to. It was a bedroom—empty, though lit up; and never shall I forget how I started as I entered, on encountering the awful villain144 that was myself at full length in a pier-glass! Masked, armed, and ragged23, I was indeed fit carrion145 for a bullet or the hangman, and to one or the other I made up my mind. Nevertheless, I hid myself in the wardrobe behind the mirror; and there I stood shivering and cursing my fate, my folly, and Raffles most of all—Raffles first and last—for I daresay half an hour. Then the wardrobe door was flung suddenly open; they had stolen into the room without a sound; and I was hauled downstairs, an ignominious146 captive.
Gross scenes followed in the hall; the ladies were now upon the stage, and at sight of the desperate criminal they screamed with one accord. In truth I must have given them fair cause, though my mask was now torn away and hid nothing but my left ear. Rosenthall answered their shrieks147 with a roar for silence; the woman with the bath-sponge hair swore at him shrilly148 in return; the place became a Babel impossible to describe. I remember wondering how long it would be before the police appeared. Purvis and the ladies were for calling them in and giving me in charge without delay. Rosenthall would not hear of it. He swore that he would shoot man or woman who left his sight. He had had enough of the police. He was not going to have them coming there to spoil sport; he was going to deal with me in his own way. With that he dragged me from all other hands, flung me against a door, and sent a bullet crashing through the wood within an inch of my ear.
"You drunken fool! It'll be murder!" shouted Purvis, getting in the way a second time.
"Wha' do I care? He's armed, isn't he? I shot him in self-defence. It'll be a warning to others. Will you stand aside, or d'ye want it yourself?"
"You're drunk," said Purvis, still between us. "I saw you take a neat tumblerful since you come in, and it's made you drunk as a fool. Pull yourself together, old man. You ain't a-going to do what you'll be sorry for."
"Then I won't shoot at him, I'll only shoot roun' an' roun' the beggar. You're quite right, ole feller. Wouldn't hurt him. Great mishtake. Roun' an' roun'. There—like that!"
His freckled149 paw shot up over Purvis's shoulder, mauve lightning came from his ring, a red flash from his revolver, and shrieks from the women as the reverberations died away. Some splinters lodged150 in my hair.
Next instant the prize-fighter disarmed151 him; and I was safe from the devil, but finally doomed152 to the deep sea. A policeman was in our midst. He had entered through the drawing-room window; he was an officer of few words and creditable promptitude. In a twinkling he had the handcuffs on my wrists, while the pugilist explained the situation, and his patron reviled153 the force and its representative with impotent malignity154. A fine watch they kept; a lot of good they did; coming in when all was over and the whole household might have been murdered in their sleep. The officer only deigned155 to notice him as he marched me off.
"We know all about YOU, sir," said he contemptuously, and he refused the sovereign Purvis proffered156. "You will be seeing me again, sir, at Marylebone."
"Shall I come now?"
"As you please, sir. I rather think the other gentleman requires you more, and I don't fancy this young man means to give much trouble."
"Oh, I'm coming quietly," I said.
And I went.
In silence we traversed perhaps a hundred yards. It must have been midnight. We did not meet a soul. At last I whispered:
"How on earth did you manage it?"
"Purely157 by luck," said Raffles. "I had the luck to get clear away through knowing every brick of those back-garden walls, and the double luck to have these togs with the rest over at Chelsea. The helmet is one of a collection I made up at Oxford158; here it goes over this wall, and we'd better carry the coat and belt before we meet a real officer. I got them once for a fancy ball—ostensibly—and thereby159 hangs a yarn160. I always thought they might come in useful a second time. My chief crux161 to-night was getting rid of the hansom that brought me back. I sent him off to Scotland Yard with ten bob and a special message to good old Mackenzie. The whole detective department will be at Rosenthall's in about half an hour. Of course, I speculated on our gentleman's hatred162 of the police—another huge slice of luck. If you'd got away, well and good; if not, I felt he was the man to play with his mouse as long as possible. Yes, Bunny, it's been more of a costume piece than I intended, and we've come out of it with a good deal less credit. But, by Jove, we're jolly lucky to have come out of it at all!"
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收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
revelled
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| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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2
anecdotes
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| n.掌故，趣闻，轶事( anecdote的名词复数 ) | |
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3
indigence
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| n.贫穷 | |
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4
prodigality
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| n.浪费，挥霍 | |
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5
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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6
retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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7
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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8
convoy
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| vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队 | |
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9
heinous
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| adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的 | |
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10
melange
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| n.混合物；大杂烩 | |
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11
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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12
magisterial
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| adj.威风的，有权威的；adv.威严地 | |
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13
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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14
justifiable
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| adj.有理由的，无可非议的 | |
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15
exponent
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| n.倡导者，拥护者；代表人物；指数，幂 | |
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16
raffles
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| n.抽彩售物( raffle的名词复数 )v.以抽彩方式售（物）( raffle的第三人称单数 ) | |
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17
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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18
astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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19
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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20
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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21
variance
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| n.矛盾，不同 | |
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22
bragged
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| v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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24
pique
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| v.伤害…的自尊心，使生气 n.不满，生气 | |
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25
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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26
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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27
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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28
whacking
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| adj.（用于强调）巨大的v.重击，使劲打( whack的现在分词 ) | |
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29
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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30
hog
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| n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占 | |
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31
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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32
brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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33
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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34
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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35
scribbled
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| v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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36
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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37
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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38
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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39
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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40
scoop
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| n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出 | |
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41
sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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42
redeemed
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| adj. 可赎回的，可救赎的 动词redeem的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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43
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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44
qualms
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| n.不安；内疚 | |
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45
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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46
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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47
gratuitous
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| adj.无偿的，免费的；无缘无故的，不必要的 | |
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48
paradoxes
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| n.似非而是的隽语，看似矛盾而实际却可能正确的说法( paradox的名词复数 )；用于语言文学中的上述隽语；有矛盾特点的人[事物，情况] | |
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49
frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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50
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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51
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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52
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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53
withdrawal
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| n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销 | |
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54
ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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55
galling
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| adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的 | |
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56
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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57
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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58
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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59
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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60
inveterate
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| adj.积习已深的，根深蒂固的 | |
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61
rankled
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| v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
ticklish
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| adj.怕痒的；问题棘手的；adv.怕痒地；n.怕痒，小心处理 | |
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63
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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64
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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65
radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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66
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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67
premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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68
shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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69
scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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70
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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72
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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73
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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74
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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75
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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76
decrepit
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| adj.衰老的，破旧的 | |
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77
frayed
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| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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78
raggedly
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| 破烂地，粗糙地 | |
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79
atlas
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| n.地图册，图表集 | |
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80
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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81
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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82
facet
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| n.(问题等的)一个方面；(多面体的)面 | |
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83
artery
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| n.干线，要道；动脉 | |
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84
agog
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| adj.兴奋的，有强烈兴趣的； adv.渴望地 | |
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85
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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86
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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87
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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88
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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89
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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90
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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91
lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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92
tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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93
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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94
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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95
pegs
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| n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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96
divest
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| v.脱去，剥除 | |
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97
cleansed
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| 弄干净，清洗( cleanse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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99
blackmail
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| n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓 | |
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100
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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101
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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102
illicit
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| adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的 | |
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103
taunting
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| 嘲讽( taunt的现在分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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104
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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105
abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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106
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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107
sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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108
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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109
wilful
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| adj.任性的，故意的 | |
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110
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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111
libertine
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| n.淫荡者；adj.放荡的，自由思想的 | |
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112
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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113
entrenched
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| adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯) | |
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114
corks
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| n.脐梅衣；软木( cork的名词复数 )；软木塞 | |
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115
crescendo
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| n.(音乐)渐强，高潮 | |
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116
undue
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| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
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117
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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118
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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119
jutting
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| v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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120
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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121
gardenia
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| n.栀子花 | |
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122
bawled
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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123
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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124
crunched
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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125
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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126
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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127
lingo
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| n.语言不知所云，外国话，隐语 | |
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128
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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129
veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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130
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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131
plucky
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| adj.勇敢的 | |
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132
pals
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| n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙 | |
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133
muzzles
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| 枪口( muzzle的名词复数 )； （防止动物咬人的）口套； （四足动物的）鼻口部； （狗）等凸出的鼻子和口 | |
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134
snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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135
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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136
pates
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| n.头顶，（尤指）秃顶，光顶( pate的名词复数 ) | |
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137
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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138
bulged
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| 凸出( bulge的过去式和过去分词 )； 充满； 塞满（某物） | |
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139
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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140
obstructed
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| 阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止 | |
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141
nagging
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| adj.唠叨的，挑剔的；使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的现在分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责 | |
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142
hideously
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| adv.可怕地，非常讨厌地 | |
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143
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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144
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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carrion
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| n.腐肉 | |
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146
ignominious
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| adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的 | |
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147
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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148
shrilly
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| 尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的 | |
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149
freckled
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| adj.雀斑；斑点；晒斑；（使）生雀斑v.雀斑，斑点( freckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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150
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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151
disarmed
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| v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒 | |
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152
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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153
reviled
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| v.辱骂，痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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154
malignity
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| n.极度的恶意，恶毒；（病的）恶性 | |
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155
deigned
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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157
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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158
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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159
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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160
yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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161
crux
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| adj.十字形；难事，关键，最重要点 | |
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162
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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