The Rest Cure (short story)

"The Rest Cure"
1905 Pall Mall illustration by Cyrus Cuneo
Author	E. W. Hornung
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	A. J. Raffles
Genre(s)	Crime fiction
Publisher	Collier's Weekly
Media type	Print (Magazine)
Publication date	February 1905
Preceded by	"The Chest of Silver"
Followed by	"The Criminologists' Club"

"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.

Bunny is short of funds, but is unable to find Raffles anywhere, until a tramp outside the Albany gives Bunny a message from Raffles arranging a rendezvous at Holland Park at night. At Holland Park, Bunny is approached by the tramp again, who is Raffles in disguise. To avoid Inspector Mackenzie, Raffles has grown a beard and taken the house of a prison warden, Colonel Crutchley, who is in Switzerland with his wife. At the house, Raffles is taking his own version of the Rest Cure: he is keeping no servants, running after hansoms to be paid for helping travellers move luggage, and reading the rest of the time. When Bunny tells Raffles of his money troubles, Raffles invites Bunny to join him in Campden Hill.

Raffles gives Bunny a tour of the house, and Bunny realizes that, rather than renting honestly, Raffles is living in the house illegally. On Bunny's first night, they celebrate, but thereafter Raffles spends half his time alone, and Bunny feels neglected. When Raffles takes solitary excursions out of the house in his tramp disguise, Bunny decides to disguise himself and follow Raffles outside.

Once, while Raffles is away, Bunny dresses in the clothing of Crutchley's wife. Yet her clothing is too out of season; when he hears Raffles return, Bunny decides to simply frighten Raffles. He goes downstairs, but is horrified to encounter an armed Colonel Crutchley.

— Crutchley accosts, and horrifies, Bunny

Crutchley, who had come home early for his letters, is taken in by Bunny's disguise, until Bunny knocks out the telephone. Yet before Crutchley can attack Bunny, Raffles appears and grabs Crutchley from behind. Crutchley breaks an empty wine bottle on Raffles's shin, and Raffles and Bunny struggle to bind and gag him in a chair. Raffles is maddened by his wound, which may be used to identify him later. He resolves to abandon Crutchley and the house. Bunny changes, Raffles cleans himself, and they leave.