"An Old Flame" is a short story by E. W. Hornung, and features the gentleman thief

A. J. Raffles Arthur J. Raffles (usually called A. J. Raffles) is a fictional character created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, an inversion of Holmeshe is a "gentle ...

, and his companion and biographer,

Bunny Manders Harry Manders (almost exclusively known as Bunny Manders) is a fictional character in the popular series of Raffles stories by E. W. Hornung. He is the companion of A. J. Raffles, a cricketer and gentleman thief, who makes a living robbing the ...

. The story was first published in ''

Scribner's Magazine ''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ' ...

'' in June 1901. The story was also included as the sixth story in the collection ''

The Black Mask ''The Black Mask'' is a 1901 short story collection by E. W. Hornung. It was published in the UK by Grant Richards, London, and in the US by Scribner's, New York under the title ''Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman''.Rowland, ...

'', published by Grant Richards in London, and

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan R ...

in New York, both in 1901.

Plot Summary

Part one

Bunny pulls Raffles, disguised as the ailing Mr. Maturin, in a wheelchair through a relatively low-class residential area, when Raffles demands they stop near one peculiarly large, well-furnished house. They observe a couple dining inside. Raffles dashes away burgle the house. Bunny, unhappily, prepares himself to extricate Raffles, but Raffles climbs up to the house's balcony and enters without incident. Bunny is able to watch both the dining couple and Raffles. The woman discovers Raffles, and recognizes him. Both disappear from sight. Bunny waits around the corner, unseen, until Raffles returns and urges them home. At home, Raffles admits that the woman was Jacques Saillard, a famous painter, who once cheated on her husband with Raffles. Raffles had ended the relationship, and now fears that Saillard will blackmail him into reuniting with her. He has tried to lose her. Shortly, however, Saillard arrives at the flat, furious.

Part two

Saillard visits Raffles frequently for weeks, driving him ragged. Raffles tells Bunny that, because of the intolerability of both Saillard and Dr. Theobald, Bunny must leave and find them a new place to live. Raffles promises he will contact Bunny in ten days, or never at all. Bunny stays at a hotel until he find a cottage for rent in Ham Common for him and Raffles. After a full ten days have passed without any sign from Raffles, Bunny impatiently returns to Earl's Court, where he finds Dr. Theobald, lamenting the death of Mr. Maturin, from typhoid. Bunny is devastated. He attends Raffles's funeral. There, a Scotland Yard official quietly arrests Bunny, and takes him away in a hansom. However, to Bunny's joy, the official quickly reveals himself to be Raffles. He has paid off Dr. Theobald and faked his death to throw off Saillard. Together, Raffles and Bunny continue to Ham Common.

Adaptations

Television

The story was adapted into the last episode of the '' Raffles'' television series, with Anthony Valentine as A. J. Raffles and

Christopher Strauli Christopher Strauli (born 13 April 1946) is an English film, television and theatre actor. He is known for appearing as Norman Binns in the British Yorkshire Television sitcom '' Only When I Laugh''. Early life and education Strauli was born ...

as Bunny Manders. The episode, titled "An Old Flame", first aired on 20 May 1977.

Radio

BBC Radio adapted the story into the fifteenth episode of its Raffles radio drama, "An Old Flame", which first aired on 15 August 1992. The drama features Jeremy Clyde as Raffles and Michael Cochrane as Bunny. The plot of the episode largely follows that of the original story, with some changes: * At the start of the episode, Bunny himself has the flu. * In the drama, Saillard was not married when Raffles knew her previously.

References

;Notes ;Sources * *

External links

*
Free online annotated version of "An Old Flame"

BBC Radio adaptation of "An Old Flame"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Flame 1901 short stories A. J. Raffles short stories Works originally published in Scribner's Magazine