midnight
Of the latter I saw only the huge white moustache , like a flying gull , as Raffles had described it ; for at a glance I divined that this was his arch-enemy , the Count Corbucci himself . I did not stop to consider the subtleties of the system by which the real hunter lagged behind while his subordinate pointed the quarry like a sporting dog . I left the Count shuffling onward faster than before , and I jumped into some clothes as though the flats were on fire . If the Count was going to follow Raffles in his turn , then I would follow the Count in mine , and there would be a midnight procession of us through the town . But I found no sign of him in the empty street , and no sign in the Earl 's Court Road , that looked as empty for all its length , save for a natural enemy standing like a waxwork figure with a glimmer at his belt . `` Officer , '' I gasped , `` have you seen anything of an old gentleman with a big white mustache ? '' The unlicked cub of a common constable seemed to eye me the more suspiciously for the flattering form of my address .