“Just in time,” said Raffles, as he sat down and the Cambridge men emerged from the pavilion, capped and sashed in varying shades of light blue. The captain’s colours were bleached12 by service; but the wicket-keeper’s were the newest and the bluest of the lot, and as a male historian I shrink from saying how well they suited him.
“Teddy Garland looks as though nothing had happened,” was what I said at the time, as I peered through my binocular at the padded figure with the pink face and the gigantic gloves.
“That’s because he knows there’s a chance of nothing more happening,” was the reply. “I’ve seen him and his poor old governor up here since I saw Dan Levy13.”
I eagerly inquired as to the upshot of the earlier interview, but Raffles looked as though he had not heard. The Oxford captain had come out to open the innings with a player less known to fame; the first ball of the match hurtled down the pitch, and the Oxford captain left it severely14 alone. Teddy took it charmingly, and almost with the same movement the ball was back in the bowler15’s hands.
“He’s all right!” muttered Raffles with a long breath. “So is our Mr. Shylock, Bunny; we fixed16 things up in no time after all. But the worst of it is I shall only be able to stop —”
He broke off, mouth open as it might have been mine. A ball had been driven hard to extra cover, and quite well fielded; another had been taken by Teddy as competently as the first, but not returned to the bowler. The Oxford captain had played at it, and we heard something even in Block B.
“How’s that?” came almost simultaneously17 in Teddy’s ringing voice. Up went the umpire’s finger, and down came Raffles’s hand upon my thigh18.
“He’s caught him, Bunny!” he cried in my ear above the Cambridge cheers. “The best bat on either side, and Teddy’s outed him third ball!” He stopped to watch the defeated captain’s slow return, the demonstration19 on the pitch in Teddy’s honour; then he touched me on the arm and dropped his voice. “He’s forgotten all his troubles now, Bunny, if you like; nothing’s going to worry him till lunch, unless he misses a sitting chance. And he won’t, you’ll see; a good start means even more behind the sticks than in front of ’em.”
Raffles was quite right. Another wicket fell cheaply in another way; then came a long spell of plucky20 cricket, a stand not masterly but dogged and judicious21, in which many a ball outside the off-stump was allowed to pass unmolested, and a few were unfortunate in just beating the edge of the bat. On the tricky22 wicket Teddy’s work was cut out for him, and beautifully he did it. It was a treat to see his lithe23 form crouching24 behind the bails25, to rise next instant with the rising ball; his great gloves were always in the right place, always adhesive26. Once only he held them up prematurely27, and a fine ball brushed the wicket on its way for four byes; it was his sole error all the morning. Raffles sat enchanted28; so in truth did I; but between the overs I endeavoured to obtain particulars of his latest parley29 with Dan Levy, and once or twice extracted a stray detail.
“The old sinner has a place on the river, Bunny, though I have my suspicions of a second establishment nearer town. But I’m to find him at his lawful30 home all the next few nights, and sitting up for me till two in the morning.”
“Then you’re going to Gray’s Inn Square this week?”
“I’m going there this morning for a peep at the crib; there’s no time to be lost, but on the other hand there’s a devil of a lot to learn. I say, Bunny, there’s going to be another change of bowling31; the fast stuff, too, by Jove!”
A massive youth had taken the ball at the top end, and the wicket-keeper was retiring to a more respectful distance behind the stumps32.
“You’ll let me know when it’s to be?” I whispered, but Raffles only answered, “I wonder Jack33 Studley didn’t wait till there was more of a crust on the mud pie. That tripe’s no use without a fast wicket!”
The technical slang of the modern cricket-field is ever a weariness; at the moment it was something worse, and I resigned myself to the silent contemplation of as wild an over as ever was bowled at Lord’s. A shocking thing to the off was sent skipping past point for four. “Tripe!” muttered Raffles to himself. A very good one went over the bails and thud into Garland’s gloves like a round-shot. “Well bowled!” said Raffles with less reserve. Another delivery was merely ignored, both at the wicket and at my side, and then came a high full-pitch to leg which the batsman hit hard but very late. It was a hit that might have smashed the pavilion palings. But it never reached them; it stuck in Teddy’s left glove instead, and none of us knew it till we saw him staggering towards long-leg, and tossing up the ball as he recovered balance.
“That’s the worst ball that ever took a wicket in this match!” vowed34 a reverend veteran as the din8 died down.
“And the best catch!” cried Raffles. “Come on, Bunny; that’s my nunc dimittis for the day. There would be nothing to compare with it if I could stop to see every ball bowled, and I mustn’t see another.”
“But why?” I asked, as I followed Raffles into the press behind the carriages.
“I’ve already told you why,” said he.
I got as close to him as one could in that crowd.
“You’re not thinking of doing it to-night, A.J.?”
“I don’t know.”
“But you’ll let me know?”
“Not if I can help it, Bunny; didn’t I promise not to drag you any further through this particular mire35?”
“But if I can help you?” I whispered, after a momentary36 separation in the throng37.
“Oh! if I can’t get on without you,” said Raffles, not nicely, “I’ll let you know fast enough. But do drop the subject now; here come old Garland and Camilla Belsize!”
They did not see us quite so soon as we saw them, and for a moment one felt a spy; but it was an interesting moment even to a person smarting from a snub. The ruined man looked haggard, ill, unfit to be about, the very embodiment of the newspaper report concerning him. But the spirit beamed through the shrinking flesh, the poor old fellow was alight with pride and love, exultant38 in spite of himself and his misfortunes. He had seen his boy’s great catch; he had heard the cheers, he would hear them till his dying hour. Camilla Belsize had also seen and heard, but not with the same exquisite39 appreciation40. Cricket was a game to her, it was not that quintessence and epitome41 of life it would seem to be to some of its devotees; and real life was pressing so heavily upon her that the trivial consolation42 which had banished43 her companion’s load could not lighten hers. So at least I thought as they approached, the man so worn and radiant, the girl so pensive44 for all her glorious youth and beauty: his was the old head bowed with sorrow, his also the simpler and the younger heart.
“That catch will console me for a lot,” I heard him say quite heartily45 to Raffles. But Camilla’s comment was altogether perfunctory; indeed, I wondered that so sophisticated a person did not affect some little enthusiasm. She seemed more interested, however, in the crowd than in the cricket. And that was usual enough.
Raffles was already saying he must go, with an explanatory murmur46 to Mr. Garland, who clasped his hand with a suddenly clouded countenance47. But Miss Belsize only bowed, and scarcely took her eyes off a couple of outwardly inferior men, who had attracted my attention through hers, until they also passed out of the ground.
Mr. Garland was on tip-toes watching the game again with mercurial48 ardour.
“Mr. Manders will look after me,” she said to him, “won’t you, Mr. Manders?” I made some suitable asseveration, and she added: “Mr. Garland’s a member, you know, and dying to go into the Pavilion.”
“Only just to hear what they think of Teddy,” the poor old boy confessed; and when we had arranged where to meet in the interval49, away he hurried with his keen, worn face.
Miss Belsize turned to me the moment he was gone.
“I want to speak to you, Mr. Manders,” she said quickly but without embarrassment50. “Where can we talk?”
“And watch as well?” I suggested, thinking of the young man at his best behind the sticks.
“I want to speak to you first,” she said, “where we shan’t be overheard. It’s about Mr. Raffles!” added Miss Belsize as she met my stare.
About Raffles again! About Raffles, after all that she had learnt the day before! I did not enjoy the prospect51 as I led the way past the ivy-mantled tennis-court of those days to the practice-ground, turned for the nonce into a tented lawn.
“And what about Raffles?” I asked as we struck out for ourselves across the grass.
“I’m afraid he’s in some danger,” replied Miss Belsize. And she stopped in her walk and confronted me as frankly52 as though we had the animated scene to ourselves.
“Danger!” I repeated, guiltily enough, no doubt. “What makes you think that, Miss Belsize?”
My companion hesitated for the first time.
“You won’t tell him I told you, Mr. Manders?”
“Not if you don’t want me to,” said I, taken aback more by her manner than by the request itself.
“You promise me that?”
“Certainly.”
“Then tell me, did you notice two men who passed close to us just after we had all met?”
“There are so many men to notice,” said I to gain time.
“But these were not the sort one expects to see here today.”
“Did they wear bowlers53 and short coats?”
“You did notice them!”
“Only because I saw you watching them,” said I, recalling the whole scene.
“They wanted watching,” rejoined Miss Belsize dryly. “They followed Mr. Raffles out of the ground!”
“So they did!” I reflected aloud in my alarm.
“They were following you both when you met us.”
“The dickens they were! Was that the first you saw of them?”
“No; the first time was over there at the nets before play began. I noticed those two men behind Teddy’s net. They were not watching him; that called my attention to them. It’s my belief they were lying in wait for Mr. Raffles; at any rate, when he came they moved away. But they followed us afterwards across the ground.”
“You are sure of that?”
“I looked round to see,” said Miss Belsize, avoiding my eyes for the first time.
“Did you think the men — detectives?”
And I forced a laugh.
“I was afraid they might be, Mr. Manders, though I have never seen one off the stage.”
“Still,” I pursued, with painfully sustained amusement, “you were ready to find A.J. Raffles being shadowed here at Lord’s of all places in the world?”
“I was ready for anything, anywhere,” said Miss Belsize, “after all I heard yesterday afternoon.”
“You mean about poor Mr. Garland and his affairs?”
It was an ingenuously54 disingenuous55 suggestion; it brought my companion’s eyes back to mine, with something of the scorn that I deserved.
“No, Mr. Manders, I meant after what we all heard between Mr. Levy and Mr. Raffles; and you knew very well what I meant,” added Miss Belsize severely.
“But surely you didn’t take all that seriously?” said I, without denying the just impeachment56.
“How could I help it? The insinuation was serious enough, in all conscience!” exclaimed Camilla Belsize.
“That is,” said I, since she was not to be wilfully57 misunderstood, “that poor old Raffles had something to do with this jewel robbery at Carlsbad?”
“If it was a robbery.”
She winced58 at the word.
“Do you mean it might have been a trick?” said I, recalling the victim’s own make-believe at the Albany. And not only did Camilla appear to embrace that theory with open arms; she had the nerve to pretend that it really was what she had meant.
“Obviously!” says she, with an impromptu59 superiority worthy60 of Raffles himself. “I wonder you never thought of that, Mr. Manders, when you know what a trick you both played Mr. Levy only yesterday. Mr. Raffles himself told us all about that; and I’m very grateful to you both; you must know I am-for Teddy’s sake,” added Miss Belsize, with one quick remorseful61 glance towards the great arena62. “Still it only shows what Mr. Raffles is — and — and it’s what I meant when we were talking about him yesterday.”
“I don’t remember,” said I, remembering fast enough.
“In the rockery,” she reminded me. “When you asked what people said about him, and I said that about living on his wits.”
“And being a paid amateur!”
“But the other was the worst.”
“I’m not so sure,” said I. “But his wits wouldn’t carry him very far if he only took necklaces and put them back again.”
“But it was all a joke,” she reminded us both with a bit of a start. “It must have been a joke, if Mr. Raffles did it at all. And it would be dreadful if anything happened to him because of a wretched practical joke!”
There was no mistake about her feeling now; she really felt that it would be “dreadful if anything happened” to the man whom yesterday she had seemed both to dislike and to distrust. Her voice vibrated with anxiety. A bright film covered the fine eyes, and they were finer than ever as they continued to face me unashamed; but I was fool enough to speak my mind, and at that they flashed themselves dry.
“I thought you didn’t like him?” had been my remark, and “Who says I do?” was hers. “But he has done a lot for Teddy,” she went on, “and never more than yesterday,” with her hand for an instant on my arm, “when you helped him! I am dreadfully sorry for Mr. Garland, sorrier than I am for poor Teddy. But Mr. Raffles is more than sorry. I know he means to do what he can. He seems to think there must be something wrong; he spoke63 of bringing that brute64 to reason — if not to justice. It would be too dreadful if such a creature could turn the tables on Mr. Raffles by trumping65 up any charge against him!”
There was an absolute echo of my own tone in “trumping up any charge,” and I thought the echo sounded even more insincere. But at least it showed me where we were. Miss Belsize was not deceived; she only wanted me to think she was. Miss Belsize had divined what I knew, but neither of us would admit to the other that the charge against Raffles would be true enough.
“But why should these men follow him?” said I, really wondering why they should. “If there were anything definite against old Raffles, don’t you think he would be arrested?”
“Oh! I don’t know,” was the slightly irritable66 answer. “I only think he should be warned that he is being followed.”
“Whatever he has done?” I ventured.
“Yes!” said she. “Whatever he has done — after what he did for Teddy yesterday!”
“You want me to warn him?”
“Yes — but not from me!”
“And suppose he really did take Mrs. Levy’s necklace?”
“That’s just what we are supposing.”
“But suppose it wasn’t for a joke at all?”
I spoke as one playfully plumbing67 the abysmally68 absurd; what I did desire to sound was the loyalty69 of this new, unexpected, and still captious70 ally. And I thought myself strangely successful at the first cast; for Miss Belsize looked me in the face as I was looking her, and I trusted her before she spoke.
“Well, after yesterday,” she said, “I should warn him all the same!”
“You would back your Raffles right or wrong?” I murmured, perceiving that Camilla Belsize was, after all, like all the rest of us.
“Against a vulgar extortioner, most decidedly!” she returned, without repudiating71 the possessive pronoun. “It doesn’t follow that I think anything of him — apart from what you did between you for Teddy yesterday.”
We had continued our stroll some time ago, and now it was I who stood still. I looked at my watch. It still wanted some minutes to the luncheon72 interval.
“If Raffles took a cab to his rooms,” I said, “he must be nearly there and I must telephone to him.”
“Is there a call-office on the ground?”
“Only in the pavilion, I believe, for the use of the members.”
“Then you must go to the nearest one outside.”
“And what about you?”
Miss Belsize brightened with her smile of perfect and unconscious independence.
“Oh, I shall be all right,” she said. “I know where to find Mr. Garland, even if I don’t pick up an escort on the way.”
But it was she who escorted me to the tall turnstile nearest Wellington Road.
“And you do see why I want to put Mr. Raffles on his guard?” she said pointedly73 as we shook hands. “It’s only because you and he have done so much for Teddy!”
And because she did not end by reminding me of my promise, I was all the more reluctantly determined74 to keep it to the letter, even though Raffles should think as ill as ever of one who was at least beginning to think better of him.
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1
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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knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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smuggle
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| vt.私运；vi.走私 | |
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disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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hawking
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| 利用鹰行猎 | |
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lyric
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| n.抒情诗，歌词；adj.抒情的 | |
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Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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bleached
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| 漂白的，晒白的，颜色变浅的 | |
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levy
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| n.征收税或其他款项，征收额 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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bowler
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| n.打保龄球的人，（板球的）投（球）手 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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plucky
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| adj.勇敢的 | |
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judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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bails
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| （法庭命令缴付的）保释金( bail的名词复数 )； 三柱门上的横木 | |
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adhesive
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| n.粘合剂；adj.可粘着的，粘性的 | |
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prematurely
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| adv.过早地，贸然地 | |
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enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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parley
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| n.谈判 | |
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lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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bowling
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| n.保龄球运动 | |
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stumps
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| （被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分 | |
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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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vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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exultant
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| adj.欢腾的，狂欢的，大喜的 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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epitome
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| n.典型，梗概 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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mercurial
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| adj.善变的，活泼的 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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bowlers
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| n.（板球）投球手( bowler的名词复数 )；圆顶高帽 | |
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ingenuously
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| adv.率直地，正直地 | |
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disingenuous
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| adj.不诚恳的，虚伪的 | |
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impeachment
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| n.弹劾；控告；怀疑 | |
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wilfully
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| adv.任性固执地；蓄意地 | |
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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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impromptu
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| adj.即席的，即兴的；adv.即兴的(地)，无准备的(地) | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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remorseful
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| adj.悔恨的 | |
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arena
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| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
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63
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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64
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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65
trumping
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| v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的现在分词 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造 | |
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66
irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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67
plumbing
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| n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究 | |
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68
abysmally
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| adv.极糟地；可怕地；完全地；极端地 | |
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69
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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70
captious
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| adj.难讨好的，吹毛求疵的 | |
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71
repudiating
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| v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的现在分词 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务） | |
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72
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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73
pointedly
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| adv.尖地，明显地 | |
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74
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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