' "Drink this," I heard him say, and when the other spoke again his voice was stronger.

' "Now I begin to feel alive."

' "Don't talk!"

' "It does me good. You don't know what it was, all those miles alone, one an hour at the outside! I never thought I should come through. You must let me tell you -- in case I don't!"

' "Well, have another sip."

' "Thank you.... I said bushrangers; of course there are no such things nowadays."

' "What were they, then?"

The Coburg branch of the National Bank

' "Bank thieves; the one that had the pot-shots was the very brute I drove out of the bank at Coburg,    with a bullet in him!" '

'I knew it!'

'Of course you did, Bunny, so did I, down in that strong-room but old Ewbank didn't, and I thought he was never going to speak again.

' "You're delirious," he says at last. "Who in blazes do you think you are?"

' "The new manager."

' "The new manager's in bed and asleep upstairs!"

' "When did he arrive?"

' "This evening."

' "Call himself Raffles?"

' "Yes."

' "Well, I'm damned!" whispered the real man. "I thought it was just revenge, but now I see what it was. My dear sir, the man upstairs is an imposter -- if he's upstairs still! He must be one of the gang. He's going to rob the bank -- if he hasn't done so already!"

' "If he hasn't done so already," muttered Ewbank after him; "if he's upstairs still! By God, if he is I'm sorry for him!"

'His tone was quiet enough, but about the nastiest I ever heard I tell you, Bunny, I was glad I'd brought that revolver. It looked as though it must be mine against his, muzzle to muzzle.

' "Better have a look down here, first," said the new manager.

' "While he gets through his window? No, no, he's not down here."

' "It's easy to have a look:"

'Bunny, if you ask me what was the most thrilling moment of my infamous career, I say it was that moment. There I stood at the bottom of those narrow stone stairs, inside the strong-room, with the door a good foot open, and I didn't know whether it would creak or not. The light was coming nearer -- and I didn't know! I had to chance it. And it didn't creak a bit; it was far too solid and well-hung; and I couldn't have banged it if I'd tried, it was too heavy; and it fitted so close that I felt and heard the air squeeze out in my face. Every shred of light went out, except the streak underneath, and it brightened. How I blessed that door!

' "No, he's not down there," I heard, as though through cotton-wool; then the streak went out too, and in a few seconds I ventured to open once more, and was in time to hear them creeping to my room.

'Well, now, there was not a fifth of a second to be lost; but I'm proud to say I came up those stairs on my toes and fingers, and out of that bank (they'd gone and left the door open) just as gingerly as though my time had been my own. I didn't even forget to put on the hat that the doctor's mare was eating her oats out of, as well as she could with a bit, or it alone would have landed me. I didn't even gallop away, but just jogged off quietly in the thick dust at the side of the road (though I own my heart was galloping), and thanked my stars the bank was at that end of the township, in which I really hadn't set foot. The very last thing I heard was the two managers raising Cain and the coachman. And now, Bunny--