Arthur J. Raffles is a character created in the 1890s by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, a deliberate inversion of Holmes - he is a ""gentleman thief,"" living at the Albany, a prestigious address in London, playing cricket 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 himself and the ""professors"" - professional criminals from the lower classes. As Holmes has Dr. Watson to chronicle his adventures, Raffles has Harry ""Bunny"" Manders - a former schoolmate saved from disgrace and suicide by Raffles, whom Raffles persuaded to accompany him on a burglary. While Raffles often takes advantage of Manders' relative innocence, and sometimes treats him with a certain amount of contempt, he knows that Manders' bravery and loyalty are to be relied on utterly.

Since his friend and partner in crime, A. J. Raffles, jumped into the Mediterranean, Bunny Manders has scraped along as best he can. At Raffles's side, he was witness to, and participant in, the most ingenious burglaries the underworld had ever seen. Without him, Bunny is a struggling ex-convict, so down on his luck that he answers an ad seeking a male nurse and companion for a notoriously rude invalid. But when he lights the old man's Sullivan cigarette and sees a perfect smoke ring float into the air, Bunny cries out in delight. Raffles is back, and ready for adventure. In the second installment in E. W. Hornung's crackerjack crime series, England's greatest jewel thief is up to all of his old tricks and many ingenious new ones-none so spectacular as turning Queen Victoria herself into an accomplice.

The square shall be nameless, but if you drive due west from Piccadilly the cab-man will eventually find it on his left, and he ought to thank you for two shillings. It is not a fashionable square, but there are few with a finer garden, while the studios on the south side lend distinction of another sort. The houses, however, are small and dingy, and about the last to attract the expert practitioner in search of a crib. Heaven knows it was with no such thought I trailed Raffles thither, one unlucky evening at the latter end of that same season, when Dr. Theobald had at last insisted upon the bath-chair which I had foreseen in the beginning. Trees whispered in the green garden aforesaid, and the cool, smooth lawns looked so inviting that I wondered whether some philanthropic resident could not be induced to lend us the key. But Raffles would not listen to the suggestion, when I stopped to make it, and what was worse, I found him looking wistfully at the little houses instead. "Such balconies, Bunny! A leg up, and there you would be!" I expressed a conviction that there would be nothing worth taking in the square, but took care to have him under way again as I spoke. "I daresay you're right," sighed Raffles. "Rings and watches, I suppose, but it would be hard luck to take them from people who live in houses like these. I don't know, though. Here's one with an extra story. Stop, Bunny; if you don't stop I'll hold on to the railings! This is a good house; look at the knocker and the electric bell. They've had that put in. There's some money here, my rabbit! I dare bet there's a silver-table in the drawing-room; and the windows are wide open. Electric light, too, by Jove!"...

Having served an eighteen-month prison sentence, Bunny returns to society with a disgraced reputation. Eager to build his good name back, the young thief responds to an advertisement requesting a male nurse to aid a sick and elderly man. Meanwhile, Bunny gets a surprise visit from an old friend. Presumed to have been killed during his travels, A.J Raffles reunites with his old accomplice, his eyes already set on valuable relics to steal. Now hardened criminals, Raffles and Bunny are no longer just suave robbers. After surveying the area, Raffles becomes determined to steal a treasured gold chalice, along with other golden trinkets, from the British Museum, aiming for a more challenging target than their usual elite victims. Though Bunny is unconvinced at first, he soon agrees to the plan. Posing as museum guests, the two men sneak into the gold room, prepared to stop anyone in their way. As the two thieves settle into their new identities as notorious criminals, they face challenges new and previously experienced, including blackmail, old flames, new recruits, heists, and the ambitious efforts of Inspector Mackenzie. First published in 1901, The Black Mask by E. W Hornung was written soon after its predecessor’s release. Earning as much acclaim at the previous novel in the series, this collection of short crime fiction has inspired film and television adaptations, and continues to delight audiences with its tales of adventure, revenge, romance, and crime. This edition of author E.W Hornung’s The Black Mask, features a new, eye-catching cover design and is reprinted in a modern and readable font. With these accommodations, contemporary readers are encouraged to revisit the dramatic reunion and classic adventures of the beloved partners in crime, Raffles and Bunny.

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Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman is the second collection of stories written by Ernest William Hornung in the A. J. Raffles series concerning a gentleman thief in late Victorian London. It was first published in 1901.