This month, I have finished reading the Raffles trilogy of short stories by E.W. Hornung (though I haven't gotten to the novel 'Mr. Justice Raffles' yet) and I have so many thoughts, mostly unsubstantiated and badly-expressed, about these two gentlemen/criminals/friends/etc. Also, I miss writing essays (never thought I'd say that) so I'll attempt to organise my thoughts in a facsimile of one, I guess? It won't be very formal, I'm afraid to say.

Firstly, Raffles is such a gentleman. Rather at odds with the whole stealing thing, yes, but I feel like you can see his underlying kindness throughout the stories. In The Last Word, it is especially clear (and obliterated my heart like OH MY GOD); Raffles goes back to the house of the lady they attempted to rob to confess and try to absolve Bunny of any blame. And that's after he tricked Bunny into divulging details about the house by pretending the lady (who Bunny was involved with) no longer lived there. Like, that is a move I'd expect from a thief but the fact that he risked himself to try to salvage Bunny's relationship afterwards? Then never told Bunny what he'd done? I can't do this that's so sweet of him! Also, it's typical that he doesn't tell Bunny because Raffles really doesn't like to tell people things, I've noticed.

Which brings me to my second point: Raffles trusts Bunny a lot, even though he keeps secrets from him habitually. I can't remember which case this was said, but Bunny suggests that Raffles is unwilling to share details about the crime with Bunny because it's the instinct of a criminal to be secretive. I agree with him, because there isn't any other reason he wouldn't tell Bunny about his plans; clearly Raffles trusts him a lot, even putting his life in his hands multiple times and having faith that Bunny will ensure his safety. In The Raffles Relics, he tells Bunny 'I relied on you, Bunny, and you never more completely justified my confidence'. Of course, this is in the later years, and in the beginning Raffles shows a lack of faith in Bunny many times—and, I might say, it was justified. But he recognises Bunny's own merits and skills in time, and becomes more trusting. It's less in what he tells Bunny and more in what he lets Bunny do without interference; can you imagine Raffles letting Bunny cover for him in front of a police officer in the earlier cases? Without coaching, too! Absolutely not.

On to Bunny; he's so obviously devoted to Raffles. It starts as admiration & hero worship and just— never changes. Not that that's bad, though. It earns him Raffles' trust, because he knows Bunny will always do his best to ensure they are safe, and Bunny's instincts aren't actually that bad, despite what he says about himself. I especially like the third book because—even when Bunny says he's showing the worst of Raffles—it's clear that he's forgiven Raffles for most of what he'd done, and Raffles always tries to make it clear that he didn't intend to upset Bunny. And again, The Last Word. It's such a fitting end to everything, in my opinion. The idea that, for all Raffles has done, he is at heart a kind person.

Anyway, in conclusion: I thoroughly enjoyed the Raffles short stories. It was a great series to start now that I have more free time. Raffles and Bunny are really engaging and multi-faceted characters and Bunny is such a fun narrator that adds a lot to the stories with his internal conflict. While reading these books, I frequently told my sister about the stories and this somehow spawned an inside joke between us. She's pointed out that certain plot points are predictable (ie. stranger that appears = Raffles) but I think, while that is true, the story as a whole isn't that predictable. I like that these small elements recur because it feels like we're looking at Raffles' 'tools of the trade', to speak.

Thank you for reading this chunk of text, or thank you for scrolling down in any case. Have a good day! (Bonus update: I'm working on adding a button to this site, but I'll have to properly decide on a site theme so it matches!)

— PX.