The Chest of Silver

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"The Chest of Silver"
The Chest of Silver by Cyrus Cuneo 1.jpg
1905 Pall Mall illustration by Cyrus Cuneo
Author E. W. Hornung
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Series A. J. Raffles
Genre(s) Crime fiction
Publisher Collier's Weekly
Media typePrint (Magazine)
Publication dateJanuary 1905
Preceded by"Out of Paradise"
Followed by"The Rest Cure"

"The Chest of Silver" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was published in January 1905 by Collier's Weekly in New York, [1] and in February 1905 by Pall Mall Magazine in London. [2] It was also included as the second story in the collection A Thief in the Night , published by Chatto & Windus in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1905. [3]

Contents

Plot

Raffles regarded me with that tantalizing smile of his which might mean nothing, yet which often meant so much; and in a flash I was convinced that our most jealous enemy and dangerous rival, the doyen of an older school, had paid him yet another visit.

— Bunny suspects Crawshay is after Raffles again [4]

Bunny visits the Albany to find Raffles packing his large pieces of silver into an enormous chest. Bunny assumes that Raffles is fleeing from Crawshay, the prince of thieves and their rival. Raffles doesn't deny it. He adds that Inspector Mackenzie suspects him, and Raffles wants to give him a chance to search his rooms. Therefore, he is leaving to Scotland. As an excuse for his absence, Raffles is having new paint, electric light, and a telephone added. Meanwhile, Bunny must take the chest to his own bank. Raffles pays Bunny money to deposit into his account, then quickly dismisses Bunny until their next meeting at the train station. Later, Bunny dines alone, feeling lonely but grateful for Raffles's generosity.

Bunny returns to take the chest from the Albany the next morning, but Raffles is already gone. Yesterday, Raffles had been too vague; Bunny had misunderstood Raffles's train to be in the morning, when it was actually last night. Dismayed, Bunny nonetheless takes the chest and deposits it at his bank, ostensibly for the Easter holiday.

That night, however, Bunny receives a troubling letter from Raffles warning him vaguely that the prince of thieves may be a threat. Next day, while at a Turkish bath at Northumberland Avenue, Bunny learns from a newspaper that his bank has been burgled. Worried, Bunny takes a cab to his bank, and finds it overrun by anxious customers. The clerk tells Bunny that his chest is untouched, though they suspect the chest must have caught a burglar's attention yesterday. Bunny has the chest removed and taken to his own rooms at Mount Street, exactly as Raffles had suggested in his vague letter.

In his rooms, Bunny is shocked when Raffles springs merrily from the chest: Raffles reveals that he had robbed the bank from the inside. He had left his other silver as lost luggage at a station. The only catch was that he had to knock out a watchman while committing the burglary. Though Raffles was prepared for a long stay, he had trusted Bunny to read his letter, play his part, and extract him. Bunny is both irritated and flattered. Bunny protests that Raffles lied about the prince of thieves being a threat. Raffles corrects him: after this stunt, it is Raffles who is the prince of thieves.

Adaptations

Television

The story was adapted as the fifth episode of the Raffles television series, with Anthony Valentine as A. J. Raffles and Christopher Strauli as Bunny Manders. The episode, titled "The Chest of Silver", first aired on 25 March 1977.

Radio

BBC Radio adapted the story into the sixth episode of its Raffles radio series, "The Chest of Silver", which first aired on 24 November 1985. [5] The drama features Jeremy Clyde as Raffles and Michael Cochrane as Bunny. The episode faithfully follows the plot of the original story, with minor changes:

An adaptation of the story aired on 17 October 2020 as part of Raffles, the Gentleman Thief , a series on the American radio show Imagination Theatre . [6]

Related Research Articles

Raffles stories and adaptations

A. J. Raffles is a British fictional character – a cricketer and gentleman thief – created by E. W. Hornung. Between 1898 and 1909, Hornung wrote a series of 26 short stories, two plays, and a novel about Raffles and his fictional chronicler, Harry "Bunny" Manders.

<i>Raffles</i> (TV series) 1977 British television series

Raffles is a 1977 television series adapted from the A. J. Raffles stories by E. W. Hornung. The stories were adapted by Philip Mackie.

<i>Mr. Justice Raffles</i>

Mr. Justice Raffles is a 1909 novel written by E.W. Hornung. It featured his popular character A. J. Raffles a well-known cricketer and gentleman thief. It was the fourth and last in his four Raffles books which had begun with The Amateur Cracksman in 1899. The novel was published in the UK by Smith, Elder & Co., London, and in the US by Scribner's, New York.

Bunny Manders

Harry Manders is a fictional character in the popular series of Raffles stories by E. W. Hornung. He is the faithful companion of A. J. Raffles, a cricketer and gentleman thief, who makes a living robbing the rich in late Victorian British High Society.

<i>A Thief in the Night</i> (short story collection)

A Thief in the Night is a 1905 collection of short stories by E. W. Hornung. It was published in the UK by Chatto & Windus, London, and in the US by Scribner's, New York.

A Trap to Catch a Cracksman

"A Trap to Catch a Cracksman" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was published in July 1905 by Pall Mall Magazine in London. The story was also included as the seventh story in the collection A Thief in the Night, published by Chatto & Windus in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1905.

The Raffles Relics

"The Raffles Relics" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was published in September 1905 by Pall Mall Magazine in London. The story was also included as the eighth story in the collection A Thief in the Night, published by Chatto & Windus in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1905.

The Criminologists Club

"The Criminologists' Club" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was published in March 1905 by Collier's Weekly in New York, and in April 1905 by Pall Mall Magazine in London. It was also included as the fourth story in the collection A Thief in the Night, published by Chatto & Windus in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1905.

A. J. Raffles (character) Character in the works of E. W. Hornung

Arthur J. Raffles is a fictional character created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, an inversion of Holmes – he is a "gentleman thief", living at the Albany, a prestigious address in London, playing cricket as a gentleman for the Gentlemen of England and supporting himself by carrying out ingenious burglaries. He is called the "Amateur Cracksman" and often, at first, differentiates between him and the "professors" – professional criminals from the lower classes.

A Costume Piece

"A Costume Piece" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in July 1898 by Cassell's Magazine. The story was also included in the collection The Amateur Cracksman, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1899.

Gentlemen and Players (short story)

"Gentlemen and Players" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in August 1898 by Cassell's Magazine. The story was also included in the collection The Amateur Cracksman, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1899.

Wilful Murder (short story)

"Wilful Murder" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published as the fifth part of the collection The Amateur Cracksman, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1899. This and "Le Premier Pas" were the two stories in the collection not published previously in magazine format.

The Return Match

"The Return Match" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in October 1898 by Cassell's Magazine. The story was also included as the seventh story in the collection The Amateur Cracksman, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1899.

To Catch a Thief (short story)

"To Catch a Thief" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in Scribner's Magazine in May 1901. The story was also included as the fifth story in the collection The Black Mask, published by Grant Richards in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1901.

Out of Paradise

"Out of Paradise" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was first published in December 1904 by Collier's Weekly in New York, and in January 1905 by Pall Mall Magazine in London. The story was also included as the first story in the collection A Thief in the Night, published by Chatto & Windus in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1905.

The Rest Cure (short story)

"The Rest Cure" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was published in February 1905 by Collier's Weekly in New York and in March 1905 by Pall Mall Magazine in London. The story was also included as the third story in the collection A Thief in the Night, published by Chatto & Windus in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1905.

The Field of Philippi

"The Field of Philippi" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was published in April 1905 by Collier's Weekly in New York and in May 1905 by Pall Mall Magazine in London. The story was also included as the fifth story in the collection A Thief in the Night, published by Chatto & Windus in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1905.

A Bad Night

"A Bad Night" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was published in June 1905 by Pall Mall Magazine in London. The story was also included as the sixth story in the collection A Thief in the Night, published by Chatto & Windus in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1905.

The Spoils of Sacrilege

"A Trap to Catch a Cracksman" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, and his companion and biographer, Bunny Manders. The story was published in August 1905 by Pall Mall Magazine in London. The story was also included as the seventh story in the collection A Thief in the Night, published by Chatto & Windus in London, and Charles Scribner's Sons in New York, both in 1905.

<i>Raffles</i> (radio series)

Raffles is a British radio programme including eighteen episodes that first aired on BBC Radio 4 from 1985 to 1992, and an additional radio play that aired in 1993 on the BBC World Service. The series was directed by Gordon House and was based on the A. J. Raffles stories by author E. W. Hornung.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Passage, William G. (12 August 2017). "Series List". The FictionMags Index. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  2. ↑ Rowland, page 282
  3. ↑ Rowland, page 280.
  4. ↑ Hornung, page 37.
  5. ↑ Passage, Frank M. (20 May 2004). "Raffles". Old-Time Radio. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  6. ↑ "Jim French's Imagination Theatre". KIXI. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
Sources
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