Book Description

Mr. Justice Raffles is a 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. After an absence of three weeks, Raffles tells Bunny he has been taking the cure at Carlsbad as an excuse to try to steal jewelry from the wife of moneylender Dan Levy (whom Bunny calls Mr. Shylock), but returned early to watch his young cricket protégé, Teddy Garland, play at Lord's. At the Albany, however, they catch Teddy writing himself a check from Raffles's checkbook. Raffles easily forgives the distraught Teddy, who is seriously in debt to Levy, due to Levy's unfairly high interest. Raffles sends Teddy to sleep, then discusses Levy with Bunny. Next morning, Raffles and Bunny trick Levy into accepting money that Levy had loaned to Raffles as payment for Teddy's debts. Back at the Albany, however, Teddy has disappeared. Teddy's father, Mr. Garland, arrives, looking for him. Raffles suggests they check Mr. Garland's home for Teddy, but Teddy isn't there, either. While Raffles goes to search at Lord's, Bunny distracts Teddy's fiancée, Camilla Belsize, who seems jealous of Raffles's friendship with Teddy. Raffles returns without Teddy, and lies about him to Belsize. Abruptly, Levy and Mr. Garland enter the room. Levy and Raffles do verbal battle with veiled threats. Teddy finally returns, and dismisses Levy from the house. Levy retorts that he owns the house: Mr. Garland has lost it through debt to him. Later, Levy visits Raffles and Bunny at the Albany. Levy suspects it was Raffles who stole (and then gave back) his wife's jewelry. He offers to forgive Raffles if Raffles will steal a document from an enemy lawyer. Raffles agrees to, on the additional condition that Levy forgive Mr. Garland's remaining interest payments. Next day, Raffles and Bunny watch Teddy play at Lord's. Bunny talks to Belsize, while Raffles leaves to prepare the burglary. At night, Bunny joins Raffles in the lawyer's house, where Raffles swaps Levy's document with a fake. They escape the house, while avoiding two bruisers who are chasing them under orders of Levy. They return to Levy, but Levy hurls a whiskey decanter at Raffles's face and throws the document into the fire. Bunny knocks Levy to the floor, rendering him unconscious.