Soapy - such an amiable man and the pivotal element of many good bad characters in the con and flimflam world. An expert in human nature, taking in the needy and training them as his successors. We don't know why Heyes and Curry decided to work in the more rough thieving business but Soapy doesn't hold it against them. After all, they turned out to be the best in this line of work. Soapy is able to see the talents in his pupils, in the boys as well as in Ruby. And sometimes, there is more truth behind a con than you are aware of. I like the comparison in a figurative way between the boys and Ruby. Heyes and Curry can look through Ruby's incantations - recognizing it as the exaggerated fraud it possibly is - Heyes showing his despise by mimicking her accent. In contrast to that, it is enjoyable to see when realization dawns, there might be more behind it than visible at first sight. The seed is there - in all three of them. Not perfect, just think of the fact that not all of Heyes' plans were ingenious during their active outlaw days. I could almost see the twinkle in Soapy's eyes noticing his two former, favorite pupils tangled with the wrong folk. This part, in addition being robbed, is close to the series, we know they are not invincible. The reason they got into this mess is lovely and reveals their big sympathy with their old tutor. Beautiful the pun with 'ruby'. For Soapy, they all are rubies, close to be family, valuable as a ruby.

Dan Ker: September 2022