Though I must confess I could not see them at the time, there were excellent reasons for not stating there and then the delicious plight in which we had really left Levy's myrmidons. I myself would have driven home our triumph and his treachery by throwing our winning cards upon the table and simultaneously exposing his false play. But Raffles was right, and I should have been wrong, as I was soon enough to see for myself. "And you came away, I suppose," suggested the money-lender, ironically, "with my original letter in your pocket?" "Oh, no, I didn't," replied Raffles, with a reproving shake of the head. "I thought not!" cried Levy in a gust of exultation. "I came away," said Raffles, "if you'll pardon the correction, with the letter you never dreamt of writing, Mr. Levy!" The Jew turned a deeper shade of yellow; but he had the wisdom and the self-control otherwise to ignore the point against him. "You'd better let me see it," said he, and flung out his open hand with a gesture of authority which it took a Raffles to resist. Levy was still standing with his back to the fire, and I was at his feet in a saddle-bag chair, with my yellow beaker on the table at my elbow. But Raffles remained aloof upon his legs, and he withdrew still further from the fire as he unfolded a large sheet of office paper, stamped with the notorious address in Jermyn Street, and displayed it on high like a phylactery. "You may see, by all means, Mr. Levy," said Raffles, with a slight but sufficient emphasis on his verb. "But I'm not to touch--is that it?" "I'm afraid I must ask you to look first," said Raffles, smiling. "I should suggest, however, that you exercise the same caution in showing me that part of your _quid pro quo_ which you have doubtless in readiness; the other part is in my pocket ready for you to sign; and after that, the three little papers can change hands simultaneously." Nothing could have excelled the firmness of this intimation, except the exggravating delicacy with which it was conveyed. I saw Levy clench and unclench his great fists, and his canine jaw working protuberantly as he ground his teeth. But not a word escaped him, and I was admiring the monster's self-control when of a sudden he swooped upon the table at my side, completely filled his empty glass with neat whiskey, and, spluttering and blinking from an enormous gulp, made a lurch for Raffles with his drink in one hand and his plated pistol in the other. "Now I'll have a look," he hiccoughed, "an' a good look, unless you want a lump of lead in your liver!" Raffles awaited his uncertain advance with a contemptuous smile.