A Thief in the Night | Page 5

to
keep track of all the peers created in your time. Your other question is
not worth answering. How do you suppose that I know these things?
It's my business to get to know them, and that's all there is to it. As a
matter of fact, Lady Lochmaben has just as good diamonds as Mrs.
Carruthers ever had; and the chances are that she keeps them where
Mrs. Carruthers kept hers, if you could enlighten me on that point."
As it happened, I could, since I knew from his niece that it was one on
which Mr. Carruthers had been a faddist in his time. He had made quite
a study of the cracksman's craft, in a resolve to circumvent it with his
own. I remembered myself how the ground-floor windows were
elaborately bolted and shuttered, and how the doors of all the rooms
opening upon the square inner hall were fitted with extra Yale locks, at
an unlikely height, not to be discovered by one within the room. It had
been the butler's business to turn and to collect all these keys before
retiring for the night. But the key of the safe in the study was supposed
to be in the jealous keeping of the master of the house himself. That
safe was in its turn so ingeniously hidden that I never should have
found it for myself. I well remember how one who showed it to me (in
the innocence of her heart) laughed as she assured me that even her
little trinkets were solemnly locked up in it every night. It had been let
into the wall behind one end of the book-case, expressly to preserve the
barbaric splendor of Mrs. Carruthers; without a doubt these
Lochmabens would use it for the same purpose; and in the altered
circumstances I had no hesitation in giving Raffles all the information
he desired. I even drew him a rough plan of the ground-floor on the
back of my menu-card.
"It was rather clever of you to notice the kind of locks on the inner
doors," he remarked as he put it in his pocket. "I suppose you don't
remember if it was a Yale on the front door as well?"
"It was not," I was able to answer quite promptly. "I happen to know
because I once had the key when - when we went to a theatre together."
"Thank you, old chap," said Raffles sympathetically. "That's all I shall
want from you, Bunny, my boy. There's no night like to-night!"
It was one of his sayings when bent upon his worst. I looked at him
aghast. Our cigars were just in blast, yet already he was signalling for

his bill. It was impossible to remonstrate with him until we were both
outside in the street.
"I'm coming with you," said I, running my arm through his.
"Nonsense, Bunny!"
"Why is it nonsense? I know every inch of the ground, and since the
house has changed hands I have no compunction. Besides, 'I have been
there' in the other sense as well: once a thief, you know! In for a penny,
in for a pound!"
It was ever my mood when the blood was up. But my old friend failed
to appreciate the characteristic as he usually did. We crossed Regent
Street in silence. I had to catch his sleeve to keep a hand in his
inhospitable arm.
"I really think you had better stay away," said Raffles as we reached the
other curb. "I've no use for you this time."
"Yet I thought I had been so useful up to now?"
"That may be, Bunny, but I tell you frankly I don't want you to-night."
"Yet I know the ground and you don't! I tell you what," said I: "I'll
come just to show you the ropes, and I won't take a pennyweight of the
swag."
Such was the teasing fashion in which he invariably prevailed upon me;
it was delightful to note how it caused him to yield in his turn. But
Raffles had the grace to give in with a laugh, whereas I too often lost
my temper with my point.
"You little rabbit!" he chuckled. "You shall have your share, whether
you come or not; but, seriously, don't you think you might remember
the girl?"
"What's the use?" I groaned. "You agree there is nothing for it but to
give her up. I am glad to say that for myself before I asked you, and
wrote to tell her so on Sunday. Now it's Wednesday, and she hasn't
answered by line or sign. It's waiting for one word from her that's
driving me mad."
"Perhaps you wrote to Palace Gardens?"
"No, I sent it to the country. There's been time for an answer, wherever