Mr. Justice Raffles | Page 5

this mushroom intimacy. So I followed up, feeling that the
evening was spoilt for me--and God knows I was right! Not till my
dying day shall I forget the tableau that awaited me in those familiar
rooms. I see it now as plainly as I see the problem picture of the year,
which lies in wait for one in all the illustrated papers; indeed, it was a
problem picture itself in flesh and blood.
Raffles had opened his door as only Raffles could open doors, with the
boyish thought of giving the other boy a fright; and young Garland had
very naturally started up from the bureau, where he was writing, at the
sudden clap of his own name behind him. But that was the last of his
natural actions. He did not advance to grasp Raffles by the hand; there
was no answering smile of welcome on the fresh young face which
used to remind me of the Phoebus in Guido's Aurora, with its healthy
pink and bronze, and its hazel eye like clear amber. The pink faded
before our gaze, the bronze turned a sickly sallow; and there stood
Teddy Garland as if glued to the bureau behind him, clutching its edge
with all his might. I can see his knuckles gleaming like ivory under the
back of each sunburnt hand.
"What is it? What are you hiding?" demanded Raffles. His love for the
lad had rung out in his first greeting; his puzzled voice was still jocular
and genial, but the other's attitude soon strangled that. All this time I
had been standing in vague horror on the threshold; now Raffles
beckoned me in and switched on more light. It fell full upon a ghastly
and a guilty face, that yet stared bravely in the glare. Raffles locked the
door behind us, put the key in his pocket, and strode over to the desk.
No need to report their first broken syllables: enough that it was no
note young Garland was writing, but a cheque which he was
laboriously copying into Raffles's cheque-book, from an old cheque
abstracted from a pass-book with A. J. RAFFLES in gilt capitals upon
its brown leather back. Raffles had only that year opened a banking
account, and I remembered his telling me how thoroughly he meant to
disregard the instructions on his cheque-book by always leaving it

about to advertise the fact. And this was the result. A glance convicted
his friend of criminal intent: a sheet of notepaper lay covered with trial
signatures. Yet Raffles could turn and look with infinite pity upon the
miserable youth who was still looking defiantly on him.
"My poor chap!" was all he said.
And at that the broken boy found the tongue of a hoarse and quavering
old man.
"Won't you hand me over and be done with it?" he croaked. "Must you
torture me yourself?"
It was all I could do to refrain from putting in my word, and telling the
fellow it was not for him to ask questions. Raffles merely inquired
whether he had thought it all out before.
"God knows I hadn't, A. J.! I came up to write you a note, I swear I
did," said Garland with a sudden sob.
"No need to swear it," returned Raffles, actually smiling. "Your word's
quite good enough for me."
"God bless you for that, after this!" the other choked, in terrible
disorder now.
"It was pretty obvious," said Raffles reassuringly.
"Was it? Are you sure? You do remember offering me a cheque last
month, and my refusing it?"
"Why, of course I do!" cried Raffles, with such spontaneous heartiness
that I could see he had never thought of it since mentioning the matter
to me at our meal. What I could not see was any reason for such
conspicuous relief, or the extenuating quality of a circumstance which
seemed to me rather to aggravate the offence.
"I have regretted that refusal ever since," young Garland continued very
simply. "It was a mistake at the time, but this week of all weeks it's

been a tragedy. Money I must have; I'll tell you why directly. When I
got your wire last night it seemed as though my wretched prayers had
been answered. I was going to someone else this morning, but I made
up my mind to wait for you instead. You were the one I really could
turn to, and yet I refused your great offer a month ago. But you said
you would be back to-night; and you weren't here when I came. I
telephoned and found that the train had come in all right, and that there
wasn't another until the morning. Tomorrow morning's my limit, and
to-morrow's the match." He stopped as he saw what Raffles was doing.
"Don't,