The Gift of the Emperor
Encyclopedia
The Gift of the Emperor is a short story
by Ernest William Hornung
featuring his popular creation A. J. Raffles
. It is included in the original collection of Raffles stories The Amateur Cracksman
, first published in 1899.
The events in the story lead to the eventual exposure of Raffles as a thief and contribute significantly to his cynicism about British High Society
.
, though the plot was changed significantly. An envoy of the German Emperor Wilhelm II arrives in London
, on his way to the South Sea. He is carrying a precious pearl
which he is due to present as a gift to a local King. This is regarded with horror in London, by those who regard it as a German attempt to interfere in a British sphere of influence
.
Eager to avert this potentially embarrassing situation, a Foreign Office official approaches Gentleman thief
A. J. Raffles to steal it back from him while he is in England
, staying at a country house. Raffles agrees provided he is permitted to keep the pearl, valued at an estimated £100,000. He travels out to stay at the house with his companion Bunny Manders
and waits for a chance to steal the pearl.
He is assisted by Inspector Mackenzie
, his long-term rival, who has been ordered by his superiors to aid Raffles. Shunning his help, Raffles successfully manages to steal the pearl by climbing down a chimney and evades an attempt by the Germans to recover it. Raffles ultimately is betrayed by the foreign office official who has Raffles has arrested for the theft, and the pearls are sent back to Germany in exchange for an agreement that they will not be given to the Pacific King. The story ends with Raffles not being exposed as a criminal to the public. He continues to live as a member of High Society.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Ernest William Hornung
Ernest William Hornung
Ernest William Hornung , known as Willie, was an English author, most famous for writing the Raffles series of novels about a gentleman thief in late Victorian London....
featuring his popular creation A. J. Raffles
A. J. Raffles
Arthur J. Raffles is a character created in the 1890s by E. W. Hornung, a brother-in-law to Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, a deliberate inversion of Holmes — he is a "gentleman thief," living in the Albany, a prestigious address in London, playing...
. It is included in the original collection of Raffles stories The Amateur Cracksman
The Amateur Cracksman
The Amateur Cracksman was the original short story collection by Ernest William Hornung featuring his most famous character A. J. Raffles a gentleman thief in late Victorian Great Britain. It was first published in 1899...
, first published in 1899.
The events in the story lead to the eventual exposure of Raffles as a thief and contribute significantly to his cynicism about British High Society
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
.
Adaptation
The story was adapted for the 1977 Raffles (TV series)Raffles (TV series)
Raffles was a 1977 television adaptation of the A. J. Raffles stories by Ernest William Hornung. The series was produced by Yorkshire Television and written by Phillip Mackie...
, though the plot was changed significantly. An envoy of the German Emperor Wilhelm II arrives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on his way to the South Sea. He is carrying a precious pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
which he is due to present as a gift to a local King. This is regarded with horror in London, by those who regard it as a German attempt to interfere in a British sphere of influence
Sphere of influence
In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence is a spatial region or conceptual division over which a state or organization has significant cultural, economic, military or political influence....
.
Eager to avert this potentially embarrassing situation, a Foreign Office official approaches Gentleman thief
Gentleman thief
In the Victorian vernacular, a gentleman thief is a particularly well-behaving and apparently well bred thief. A "gentleman" is usually, but not always, a man with an inherited title of nobility and inherited wealth, who need not work for a living. Such a man steals not in order to gain material...
A. J. Raffles to steal it back from him while he is in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, staying at a country house. Raffles agrees provided he is permitted to keep the pearl, valued at an estimated £100,000. He travels out to stay at the house with his companion Bunny Manders
Bunny Manders
Harry Manders is a character in the popular series of Raffles novels by E.W. Hornung. He is the faithful companion of Raffles, a cricketer and gentleman thief, who makes a living robbing the rich in late Victorian British High Society.Whereas Raffles is sharp-witted and cynical, the younger Bunny...
and waits for a chance to steal the pearl.
He is assisted by Inspector Mackenzie
Inspector Mackenzie
Inspector Mackenzie is a fictional Scottish police officer. He is a recurring character in the Raffles stories written by Ernest William Hornung...
, his long-term rival, who has been ordered by his superiors to aid Raffles. Shunning his help, Raffles successfully manages to steal the pearl by climbing down a chimney and evades an attempt by the Germans to recover it. Raffles ultimately is betrayed by the foreign office official who has Raffles has arrested for the theft, and the pearls are sent back to Germany in exchange for an agreement that they will not be given to the Pacific King. The story ends with Raffles not being exposed as a criminal to the public. He continues to live as a member of High Society.