Levy chuckled consumedly—ventriloquously—behind his three gold buttons and his one diamond stud.
"P'r'aps I'm not such a bad sort as you think," said he. "An' p'r'aps you two gentlemen are not such bad sorts as I thought."
"Gentlemen once more, eh?" said Raffles. "Isn't that rather a quick recovery for swell magsmen, or whatever we were a minute ago?"
"P'r'aps I never really thought you quite so bad as all that, Mr. Raffles."
"Perhaps you never really thought I took the necklace, Mr. Levy?"
"I know you took it," returned Levy, his new tone of crafty conciliation softening to a semblance of downright apology. "But I believe you did put it back where you knew it'd be found. And I begin to think you only took it for a bit o' fun!"
"If he took it at all," said I. "Which is absurd."
"I only wish I had!" exclaimed Raffles, with gratuitous audacity. "I agree with you, Mr. Levy, it would have been more like a bit of fun than anything that came my way on the human rubbish-heap we were both inhabiting for our sins."
"The kind of fun that appeals to you?" suggested Levy, with a very shrewd glance.
"It would," said Raffles, "I feel sure."