Number Seventeen

by Louis Tracy, 1915

 CHAPTER I

 THE OUTCOME OF ARTISTIC CURIOSITY

"Taxi, sir? Yes, sir. No. 4 will be yours. "

A red-faced, loud-breathing commissionaire, engaged in the lucrativetask of pocketing sixpences as quickly as he could summon cabs, vanished in a swirl of macintoshes and umbrellas. 

People who had arrived at the theater in fine weather were emerginginto a drizzle of rain. "All London, " as the phrase goes, was flockingto see the latest musical comedy at Daly's, but all London, regardedthus collectively, is far from owning motor cars, or even affordingtaxicabs, so the majority of the play-goers were hurrying on foottowards tube railways and omnibus routes. 

Still, a popular light opera could hardly fail to draw many patronsfrom the upper ranks of society, and, in the crush at the main exit, Francis Berrold Theydon, hesitating whether to walk or wait the hazardof a cab, deemed himself fortunate when a panting commissionairepromised to secure a taxi "in half a minute. "

Automobiles of every known variety were snorting up to the curb andbustling off again as promptly as their users could enter and bestowthemselves in dim interiors. Being a considerate person-- wishful alsoto light a cigarette-- Theydon moved out of the way. In so doing, hewas cannoned against by an impetuous footman, whose cry, "Your car, sir, " led him to follow the man's alert eyes. 

He saw a tall, elderly gentleman, with clean-shaven, shrewd, andhighly intelligent features, of the type which finance, or the law, ora combination of both, seems to evolve only in big cities, escorting ayoung lady from the vestibule. Then Theydon remembered that he hadnoticed this self-same girl's remarkable beauty as she was silhouettedin white against the dark background of a first-tier box. He had evenspeculated idly as to her identity, and had come to the conclusion, oncatching her face in profile, that she must be the daughter of the manseated by her side but half-hidden behind a heavy curtain. 

The likeness was momentarily lost now while the two neared him, yetdiscovered anew when they halted for a second at his elbow. Oddlyenough, the man was carrying an umbrella, which he proceeded to open, and his daughter's astonished question put their relationship beyonddoubt. 

"Dad, " she said, with a charming smile in which there was just a hintof a pout, "aren't you coming home with me?"

"No. I must look in at the Constitutional Club. It's only a step. I'lltake no harm. This sleet looks worse than it is when every drop shinesin the glare of so many lamps. Now, in with you, Evelyn! Tell Downs tocome back, and don't forget which club. Anyhow, I'll tell him myself. "

"Shall I wait up for you?"

"Well-- er-- I shan't be late. I'll be free by the time Downsreturns. "

"No. 4 taxi!" came a voice, and Theydon saw his commissionaire perchedon the step of a cab swinging in deftly behind the waiting car. Thegirl, gazing at her father, happened to look for an instant atTheydon, who, fearful lest his candidly admiring glance might havebeen a trifle too sustained, pretended a hurried interest in anunlighted cigarette. That was all. The three crossed the pavementalmost simultaneously. 

The next moment the unknown goddess was gone, though Theydon snatcheda final glimpse of her, faintly visible, yet no less radiantly lovely, as she leaned forward from the depths of the limousine, and waved awhite-gloved hand to her father through a window jeweled withraindrops. 

There was nothing in the incident to provoke a second thought. Assuredly, Frank Theydon-- as his friends called him-- was not theonly man in the vestibule of Daly's Theater who had found the girlwell worth looking at, and it was the mere accident of propinquitywhich enabled him to overhear the quite commonplace remarks of fatherand daughter. 

A score of similar occurrences had probably taken place in the likecircumstances that night in London, and the maddest dreamer offantastic dreams would not have heard the fluttering wings of thespirit of romance in connection with any one of them. It was by nomeans marvelous, therefore, but rather in obedience to the acceptedlaw of things as they are when contrasted with things as they mightbe, if Theydon both failed to attach any importance to that chancemeeting and proceeded forthwith to think of something else. 

He did not forget it, of course. His artist's eyes had been far toointerested in a certain rare quality of delicate femininity in thegirl's face and figure, and his ear too quick to appreciate the musicof her cultured voice, that he should not be able to recall suchpleasant memories later. Indeed, during those fleeting moments on thethreshold of the theater, he had garnered quite a number of minorimpressions, not only of the girl, but of her father. 

In some respects they were singularly alike. Thus, each had the sameproud, self-reliant carriage, the same large, brilliant eyes, serenebrow and firm mouth, the same repose of manner, the same clear, incisive enunciation. Neither could move in any company, howevereclectic, without evoking comment. 

They held in common that air of refinement and good breeding which is, or should be, the best-marked attribute of an aristocracy. It wasimpossible to imagine either in rags, but, given such atransformation, each would be notable because of the amazingdifference that would exist between garb and mien. 

It must not be imagined that Theydon indulged in this close analysisof the physical characteristics of two complete strangers while hiscab was wheeling into the scurry of traffic in Cranbourn Street. Rather did he essay a third time to light the cigarette which he stillheld between his lips. And yet a third time was his intent balked. 

A policeman stopped the east-bound stream of vehicles somewhatsuddenly at the corner of Charing Cross road; owing to the mud, thetaxi skidded a few feet beyond the line; a lamp was torn off by aheavy wagon coming south; and a fierce argument between taxi driverand policeman resulted in "numbers" being demanded for futurevengeance. Then Theydon took a hand in the dispute, poured oil on thetroubled waters by tipping the policeman half a crown and the driverhalf a sovereign-- these sums being his private estimate of damages todignity and lamp-- and the journey was resumed, with a net loss, tothe person who had absolutely nothing to do with the affair, of twelveand sixpence in money and nearly ten minutes in time. 

Theydon was not rich, as shall be seen in due course, but he wasgenerous and impulsive. He hated the notion of any one suffering forhaving done him a service, and the taxi man might reasonably be deemeda real benefactor on that sloppy night. 

So far as he was concerned, the delay of ten minutes was of noconsequence. It only meant a slightly deferred snuggling down into aneasy chair in his flat with a book and a pipe. That is how be wouldhave expressed himself if questioned on the point. In reality itinfluenced and controlled his future in the most vital way, because, once the cab had crossed Oxford Street and turned into the quietthoroughfare on which the first block of Innesmore Mansions abutted, he passed into a new phase of existence. 

The cigarette, lighted at last after the altercation, had filled thecab with smoke to such an extent that Theydon lowered a window. Atthat moment the driver was slowing down to take the corner of the evenmore secluded road which contained Innesmore Mansions and the gardensappertaining thereto, and nothing else. Necessarily, Theydon waslooking out, and he was very greatly surprised at seeing the unknowngentleman of the theater walking rapidly round the same corner. 

He could not be mistaken. The stranger tilted back his umbrella andraised his eyes to ascertain the name of the street, as though he wasnot quite sure of his whereabouts, and the glare of a lamp felldirectly on his clean-cut, almost classical face. 

Being thus occupied, he did not glance at the passing cab, orrecognition might possibly have been mutual-- possibly, though notprobably, because, during that brief pause on the steps of thetheater, he stood beside Theydon; hence, he was half-turned toward hisdaughter while they were discussing the night's immediate program. 

In itself the fact that he had gone in the direction of InnesmoreMansions rather than toward the Constitutional Club was in nowiseremarkable. Nevertheless, he had deceived his daughter-- deceived herintentionally, and the knowledge came as a shock to his unsuspectedcritic in Theydon. 

He did not look the sort of man who would stoop to petty evasion ofthe truth. It was as though a statue of Praxiteles, miraculouslygifted with life, should express its emotions, not in Attic Greek, butin the up-to-date slang of the Strand. 

"Well, I'm dashed!" said Theydon, or words to that effect, and his cabsped on to the third doorway. Innesmore Mansions arranged its roomyflats in blocks of six, and he occupied No. 18. 

He held a florin in readiness; the rain, now falling heavily, did notencourage any loitering on the pavement. For all that, he saw out ofthe tail of his eye that the other man was approaching, though he hadpaused to examine the numbers blazoned on a lamp over the firstdoorway. 

"Good night, sir, and thank you!" said the taxi driver. 

The cab made off as Theydon ran up a short flight of steps. InnesmoreMansions did not boast elevators. The flats were comfortable, but notabsurdly expensive, and their inmates climbed stairs cheerfully; atmost, they had only to mount to a second storey. Each block owned auniformed porter, who, on a night like this, even in May, neededrousing from his lair by a bell if in demand. 

Theydon took the stairs two at a stride, opened the door of No. 18, which, with No. 17, occupied the top landing. He was valeted andcooked for by an ex-sergeant of the Army Service Corps and his wife, an admirable couple named Bates, and the male of the species appearedbefore Theydon had removed coat and opera hat in the tiny hall. 

"Bring my tray in fifteen minutes, Bates, and that will be all fortonight, " said Theydon. 

"Yes, sir, " said Bates. "Remarkable change in the weather, sir. "

"Rotten. Who would have expected this downpour after such a fine day?"

Bates took the coat and hat, and Theydon entered his sitting room, aspacious, square apartment which faced the gardens. He had purposelyprevented Bates from coming immediately with his nightly fare, whichconsisted of a glass of milk and a plate of bread and butter. 

Truth to tell, the artistic temperament contains a spice of curiosity, which is, in some sense, an exercise of the perceptive faculties. Theydon wanted to raise a window and look out, an unusual action, andone which, therefore, would induce Bates to wonder as to its cause. 

For once in his life a man who bothered his head very little aboutother people's business was puzzled, and meant to ascertain whether ornot the unknown was really calling on some resident in InnesmoreMansions. It was a harmless bit of espionage. Theydon scarcely knewthe names of the other dwellers in his own block, and his acquaintancedid not even go that far with any of the remaining tenants of 48fiats, all told. 

Still, to a writer, the vagaries of the tall stranger were decidedlyinteresting, so he did open a window, and did thrust his head out, andwas just in time to see the owner of the limousine which would call atthe Constitutional Club in a quarter of an hour mount the stepsleading to Nos. 13-18. Somehow, the discovery gave Theydon a veritablethrill. 

Could that pretty girl's father, by any chance, he coming to visithim? A wildly improbable development had been whittled down to afive-to-one chance. He closed the window and waited, yes, actuallywaited, for the bell to ring!

The sitting room door was open, and it faced the hall door. Footstepssounded sharply on the slate steps of the stairway; when Theydon heardsome one climbing to the topmost landing he was almost convinced that, as usual, the unexpected was about to happen. It did happen, but tookits own peculiar path. The unknown rang the bell of No. 17, and, aftera slight delay, was admitted. 

Theydon smiled at the anticlimax. A trivial mystery had developedalong strictly orthodox lines. A rather good-looking and distinctlywell-dressed lady, a Mrs. Lester, occupied No. 17. She lived alone, too, he believed. At any rate, he had never seen any other person, except an elderly servant, enter or leave the opposite flat, and hehad encountered the tenant herself so seldom that he was not quitecertain of recognizing her apart from the environment of the staircasewhich provided their occasional meeting place. 

Then he sighed. Romance evidently denied her magic presence to one whowooed her assiduously by his pen. He was yet to learn that thealluring sprite had not only favored him with her attentions duringthe past twenty minutes, but meant to stick to him like his own shadowfor many a day. And he frowned, too. 

He did not approve of that pretty girl's father visiting theattractive Mrs. Lester in conditions which savored of somethingunderhanded and clandestine. The man had deliberately misled hisdaughter. He left her with a lie on his lips; yet never wereappearances more deceptive, for the stranger had the outward aspect ofone whose word was his bond. 

"Oh, dash it all, what business is it of mine, anyhow?" growledTheydon, and he laughed sourly as he sat down to write a letter whichBates could take to the post, thus himself practicing a slight deceitintended solely to account for the deferred bringing of the tray. 

It was apparently an unimportant missive which could well have beenpostponed till the morning, being merely an announcement to a firm ofpublishers that he would pay a business call later in the week. Inless than five minutes it, and another, making an appointment forWednesday, this being the night of Monday, were written, sealed, directed and stamped. 

He rang. Bates came, with laden hands, thinking the tray was indemand. 

"Kindly post those for me, " said Theydon, glancing at the letters. "Better take an umbrella. It's raining cats and dogs. "

The man had found the door open, and left it so when he entered. Before he could answer, the door of No. 17 was opened and closed, withthe jingle inseparable from the presence of many small panes of glassin leaden casing, and footsteps sounded on the stairs. For somereason-- probably because of the unusual fact that any one should beleaving Mrs. Lester's flat at so late an hour, both men listened. 

Then Bates recollected himself. 

"Yes, sir, " he said. 

Oddly enough, the man's marked pause suggested a question to hisemployer. 

"Mrs. Lester's visitor didn't stop long, " was the comment. "He came upalmost on my heels. "

"I thought it must ha' bin a gentleman, " said Bates. 

"Why a 'gentleman'?" laughed Theydon. 

"I mean, sir, that the step didn't sound like a lady's. "

"Ah, I see. "

Vaguely aware that he had committed himself to a definite knowledge asto the sex of Mrs. Lester's visitor, Theydon added:

"I didn't actually see any one on the stairs, but I heard an arrival, and jumped to the same conclusion as you, Bates. "

Tacitly, master and man shared the same opinion-- it was satisfactoryto know that Mrs. Lester's male visitors who called at theunconventional hour of 11:30 p. M. Were shown out so speedily. Innesmore Mansions were intensely respectable. 

No lady could live there alone whose credentials had not satisfied asharp-eyed secretary. Further, Theydon was aware of a momentarydisloyalty of thought toward the distinguished-looking father of thatremarkably handsome girl, and it pleased him to find that he haderred. 

Bates went out, closing the door behind him: he donned an overcoat, secured an umbrella and presently descended to the street. Yieldingagain to impulse, Theydon reopened the window and peered down. Thestranger was walking away rapidly. A policeman, glistening in cape andoveralls, stood at the corner, near a pillar box. 

The tall man, who topped the burly constable by some inches, haltedfor a moment to post a letter. Whether by accident or design he heldhis umbrella so that the other could not see his face. Then hedisappeared. Bates came into view. He dropped Theydon's letters intothe box, but he and the policeman exchanged a few words, which, hisemployer guessed, must surely have dealt with the vagaries of theweather. 

For an author of repute Theydon's surmises had been wide of the markseveral times that night. The policeman had seen the unknown comingout from the doorway of Nos. 13-18, and had noted his stature andappearance. 

"Who's the toff who just left your lot?" he said, when Bates arrived. 

"Dunno, " said Bates. "Some one callin' on Mrs. Lester, I fancy. Why?"

"O, nothing. On'y, if I was togged up regardless on a night like thisI'd blue a cab fare. "

"I didn't see him meself, " commented Bates. "My boss 'eard him come, an' both of us 'eard him go. He didn't stay more'n five minnits. "

"Wish I was in his shoes. I've got to stick round here till six in themorning, " grinned the policeman. 

"Well, cheer-o, mate. "

"Cheer-o. "

Bates looked in on his master before retiring for the night. 

"What time shall I call you, sir?" he said. 

Theydon was in the pipe and book stage, having exchanged his dresscoat for a smoking jacket. He was reading a treatise on aeronautics, and, like every novice, had already formulated a flying scheme whichwould supersede all known inventions. 

"Not later than 8, " he said. "I must be out by 9. And, by the way, Imay as well tell you now. After lunch tomorrow I am going toBrooklands. I return to Waterloo at 6:40. As I have to dine in theWest End at 7:30, and my train may be a few minutes behind time, Iwant you to meet me with a suitcase at the hairdresser's place on themain platform. I'll dress there and go straight to my friend's house. It would be cutting things rather fine if I attempted to come here. "

"I'll have everything ready, sir. "

Bates was eminently reliable in such matters. He could be depended onto the last stud. 

The storm which had raged overnight must have cleared the skies forthe following day, because Theydon never enjoyed an outing more thanhis trip to the famous motor track. His business there, however, laywith aviation. A popular magazine had commissioned him to write anarticle summing up the progress and practical aims of the airmen andhe was devoting afternoon and evening to the quest of information. Acouple of experts and a photographer had given him plenty of rawmaterial in the open, but he looked forward with special zest to anundisturbed chat that night with Mr. James Creighton Forbes, millionaire and philanthropist, whose peculiar yet forcible theoriesas to the peaceful conquest of the air were for the hour engaging theattention of the world's press. 

He had never met Mr. Forbes. When on the point of writing for anappointment he had luckily remembered that the great man was alifelong friend of the professor of physics at his (Theydon's)university, and a delightfully cordial introductory note wasforthcoming in the course of a couple of posts. This brought theinvitation to dinner. "On Tuesday evening I am dining en famille, "wrote Mr. Forbes, "so, if you are free, join us at 7:30, and we cantalk uninterruptedly afterward. "

The train was not late. Bates, erect and soldierly, was standing atthe rendezvous. With him were two men whom Theydon had never beforeseen. One, a bulky, stalwart, florid-faced man of forty, had somethingof the military aspect; the other supplied his direct antithesis, being small, wizened and sallow. 

The big man had a round, bullet head, prominent bright blue eyes, andthe cheek bones, chin and physical development of a heavyweightpugilist. His companion, whose dark and recessed eyes were noticeablybright, too, could not be more than half his weight, and Theydon wouldnot have been surprised if told that this diminutive person was adancing master. Naturally he classed both as acquaintances of hisvalet, encountered by chance on the platform at Waterloo. 

He was slightly astonished, therefore, when the two faced him, together with Bates. A dramatic explanation of their presence was soonsupplied. 

"These gentlemen, sir, are Chief Inspector Winter and DetectiveInspector Furneaux of Scotland Yard, " said the ex-sergeant, in theawed tone which some people cannot help using when speaking of membersof the Criminal Investigation Department. 

Though daylight had not yet failed it was rather dark in that cornerof the station, and Theydon saw now what he had not perceived earlier, that the usually sedate Bates was pale and harassed looking. 

"Why, what's up?" he inquired, gazing blankly from one to the other ofthe ominous pair. 

"Haven't you seen the evening papers, Mr. Theydon?" said Winter, thegiant of the two. 

"No, I've been at Brooklands since two o'clock. But what is it?"

"You don't know, then, that a murder was committed in the InnesmoreMansions last night or early this morning?"

"Good Lord, no! Who was killed?"

"A Mrs. Lester, the lady--"

"Mrs. Lester, who lives in No. 17?"

"Yes. "

"What a horrible thing! Why, only the day before yesterday I met heron the stairs. "

It was a banal statement, and Theydon knew it, but he blurted out thefirst crazy words that would serve to cloak the monstrous thoughtwhich leaped into his brain. And a picture danced before his mind'seye, a picture, not of the fair and gracious woman who had been doneto death, but of a sweet-voiced girl in a white satin dress who wassaying to a fine-looking man standing by her side: "Dad, aren't youcoming home with me?"

His blurred senses were conscious of the strange medley produced bythe familiar noises of a railway station blending with the quietlyauthoritative voice of the chief inspector. 

"Mr. Furneaux and I have the inquiry in hand, Mr. Theydon, " thedetective was saying. "We called at your flat, and Bates told us ofthe sounds you both heard about 11:30 last night. I'm afraid we haverather upset you by coming here, but Bates was unable to say what timeyou would return home, so I thought you would not mind if weaccompanied him in order to find out the hour at which it would beconvenient for you to meet us at your flat-- this evening, of course. "

"You have certainly given me the shock of my life, " Theydon gasped. "That poor woman dead, murdered! It's too awful! How was she killed?"

"She was strangled. "

"O, this is dreadful! Shall I wire an apology to the man I'm diningwith?"

"No need for that, Mr. Theydon, " said Winter, sympathetically. "I'msorry now we blurted out our unpleasant news. But you had to be told, and it was essential that we should get your story some time tonight. Can you be home by eleven?"

"Yes, yes. I'll be there without fail. "

"Thank you. We have a good many inquiries to make in the meantime. Goodby, for the present. "

The two made off. Winter had done all the talking, but Theydon was fartoo disturbed to pay heed to the trivial fact that Furneaux, after oneswift glance, seemed to regard him as a negligible quantity. It wasborne in on him that the detective evidently believed he had somethingof importance to say, and meant to render it almost impossible that heshould escape questioning while his memory was still active withreference to events of the previous night. 

And he had so little, yet so much, to tell. On his testimony alone itwould be a comparatively easy matter to establish beyond doubt theidentity of Mrs. Lester's last known visitor. And what would be theoutcome? He dared hardly trust his own too lively imagination. Whetheror not his testimony gave a clew to the police, the one irrevocableissue was that somewhere in London there was a girl named Evelyn whowould regard a certain young man, Francis Berrold Theydon to wit, as aloathsome and despicable Paul Pry. 

Bates, somewhat relieved by the departure of the emissaries ofScotland Yard, recalled his master's scattered wits to the affairs ofthe moment. 

"It's getting on for seven, sir, " he said. "I've engaged a dressingroom. "

"Tell you what, Bates, " said Theydon abstractedly, "it is my fixedbelief that you and I could do with a brandy and soda apiece. "

"That would be a good idea, sir. "

The good idea was duly acted on. While Theydon was dressing Bates toldhim what little he knew of the tragedy, which was discovered by Mrs. Lester's maid when she brought a cup of tea to her mistress' bedroomat ten o'clock that morning. 

Bates himself was the first person appealed to by the distractedwoman, and he had the good sense to leave the body and itssurroundings untouched until a doctor and the police had been summonedby telephone. Thenceforth the day had passed in a whirl of excitement, active in respect to police inquiries and passive in its resistance tonewspaper interviewers. He saw no valid reason why his employer'splans should be disturbed, so made no effort to communicate with himat Brooklands. 

"Them 'tecs were very pressin', sir, " said Bates, rather indignantly, "very pressin', especially the little one. He almost wanted to knowwhat we had for breakfast. "

At that Theydon laughed dolefully, and, as it happened, Bates's grimhumor prevented him from ascertaining the exact nature of Furneaux'spertinacity. Moreover, the time was passing. At 7:15 Theydon called ataxi and was carried swiftly to Mr. Forbes's house in Belgravia, whileBates disposed himself and the dressing case on top of a northboundomnibus. 

The mere change of clothing, aided by the stimulant, had clearedTheydon's faculties. Though he would gladly have foregone the dinner, he realized that it was not a bad thing that he should be forced, asit were, to wrench his thoughts from the nightmare of a crime withwhich such a man as "Evelyn's" father might be associated, eveninnocently. 

At any rate, he was given some hours to marshal his forces for thediscussion with the representatives of Scotland Yard. He knew wellthat he must then face the dilemma boldly. Two courses were open. Hecould either share Bates's scanty knowledge, no more and no less, oravow his ampler observations. And why should he adopt the first ofthese alternatives? Was he not bringing himself practically within thelaw?

Why should any man be shielded, no matter what his social position orhow beautiful his daughter, who might possibly have caused the deathof the pleasant-mannered and ladylike woman fated now to remain forever a tragic ghost in the memory of one who had dwelt under the sameroof with her for five months?

It was a thorny problem, yet it permitted of only one solution. Dutymust be done though the heavens fell. 

This conviction grew on Theydon as his cab scurried across the Thamesand along Birdcage Walk. A pretty conceit could not be allowed tosweep aside the first principles of citizenship. Indeed, so reassuringwas this reasoned judgment that he felt a sense of relief as he paidoff the cab and rang the bell of the Forbes mansion. 

He gave his name to a footman, who disposed of his overcoat and hat, and led him to an upstairs drawing room. Even the most fleetingglances at hall and staircase revealed evidences of a highly trainedartistic taste gratified by great wealth. The furniture, the china, the pictures, were each and all rare and well chosen. 

"Mr. Theydon, " announced the man, throwing wide the door. 

A lady, bent over some prints spread on a distant table, turned at thewords, and hastened to greet the guest. 

"My father is expecting you, Mr. Theydon, " she said. "He was detainedrather late in the city, but will be here now at any moment. "

Theydon was no neurotic boy, whose surcharged nerves were liable tocrack in a crisis demanding some unusual measure of self-control. Yetthe room and its contents-- and, not least, the graceful girladvancing with outstretched hand-- swam before his eyes. 

Because this was "Evelyn, " and it was certain as the succession ofnight to day that Mrs. Lester's mysterious visitor must have been"Evelyn's" father, James Creighton Forbes. 

 CHAPTER II

 THE COMPACT

So petrified was Theydon by coming face to face with the last personbreathing whom he expected to meet in that room, that he stumbled overa small chair which lay directly between him and his hostess. At anyother time the gaucherie would have annoyed him exceedingly; in theexisting circumstances, no more fortunate incident could havehappened, since it brought Evelyn Forbes herself unwittingly to therescue. 

"I have spoken twenty times about chairs being left in that absurdposition, " she cried, as their hands met, "but you know howwooden-headed servants are. They will not learn to discriminate. People often sit in that very place of an afternoon, because any oneseated just there sees the Canaletto on the opposite wall in the bestlight. When the lamps are on, the reason for the chair simply ceasesto exist, and it becomes a trap for the unwary. You are by no meansthe first who has been caught in it. "

Theydon realized, with a species of irritation, that the girl wasdiscoursing volubly about the offending chair merely in order toextricate an apparently shy and tongue-tied young man from a morass ofhis own creation. 

That an author of some note should not only behave like a countrybumpkin, but actually seem to need encouragement so that he should"feel at home" in a London drawing room, was a fact so ridiculous thatit spurred his bemused wits into something approaching their normalactivity. 

"I have not the excuse of the Canaletto, " he said, compelling apleasant smile, "but may I plead an even more distracting vision? Icame here expecting to meet an elderly gentleman of the class whichflippant Americans describe as 'high-brow, ' and I am suddenly broughtface to face with a Romney 'portrait of a lady' in real life. Is itlikely that such an insignificant object as a chair, and a small oneat that, would succeed in catching my eye?"

Evelyn Forbes laughed, with a joyous mingling of surprise and relief. Most certainly, Mr. Theydon's manner of speech differed vastly fromthe disconcerting expression of positive bewilderment, if not actualfright, which marred his entrance. 

"Do I really resemble a Romney? Which one?" she cried. 

"An admitted masterpiece. "

"Ah, but people who pay compliments deserve to be put on the rack. Iinsist on a definition. "

"Lady Hamilton as Joan of Arc. "

He drew the bow at random, and was gratified to see that his hearerwas puzzled. 

"I don't know that particular picture, " she said, "but I cannotimagine any model less adapted to the subject. "

"Romney immortalized the best qualities of both, " he answeredpromptly. "Please, may I look at the Canaletto which indirectlywaylaid me?"

She turned to cross the room, but stopped and faced him again with asuddenness that argued an impulsive temperament. 

"Now, I remember, " she said. "Dad told me you had written novels andsome essays. Have you ever really seen Romney's portrait of LadyHamilton as Joan of Arc?"

Those fine eyes of hers pierced him with a glance of such candidinquiry that he cast pretence to the winds. 

"No, " he said. 

"Then you just invented the comparison as an excuse for colliding withthe chair?"

"Yes. At the same time I throw myself on the mercy of the court. "

"It was rather clever of you. "

He laughed, and their eyes met, at very close range. 

"May I share the joke?" said a voice, and Theydon knew, before heturned, that the man he had last seen disappearing around the cornerof Innesmore Mansions in a heavy rainstorm was in the room. 

"Why did you tell me that Mr. Theydon was a serious scientificperson?" cried the girl. "He is anything but that. He can talknonsense quite admirably. "

"So can a great many serious scientific persons, Evelyn. Glad to seeyou, Mr. Theydon. Professor Scarth's letter paved the way forsomething more than a formal meeting, so I thought you wouldn't mindgiving us an evening. My wife is not in town. She is a martyr to hayfever, and has to fly from London to the sea early in May to escape. If caught here in June nothing can save her. Tonight, as it happens, you're our only guest, but my daughter is going to a musicale at Ladyde Winton's after dinner, so you and I will be free to soar into theempyrean through a blaze of tobacco smoke. "

Standing there, in that delightful drawing room, made welcome by a manlike Forbes, and admitted to a degree of charming intimacy by a girllike Forbes's daughter, Theydon tried to believe that his meeting withthose ill-omened detectives at Waterloo Station was, in some sort, afigment of the imagination. 

But he was instantly and effectually brought back to a dour sense ofreality by Evelyn Forbes's next words. She, by chance, looked atTheydon just as she had looked at him the previous night. 

"Were you at Daly's Theater last night?" she inquired suddenly. 

"Yes, " he said. Then, finding there was no help for it, he wenton:----

"You and I have hit on the same discovery, Miss Forbes. We three stoodtogether at the exit. I was waiting for a taxi, and saw you get intoyour car. Now you know just why I fell over the chair. "

Forbes glanced up quickly. 

"Don't tell me Tomlinson forgot to move that infernal chair again!" hecried. "Really, I must get rid either of our butler or the Canaletto, yet I prize both. "

"Don't blame Tomlinson, Dad, " laughed the girl. "If Mr. Theydon hadn'tmade an unconventional entry we would have talked about the weather, or something equally stupid. "

At that moment Tomlinson himself, imperturbable and portly, announcedthat dinner was served. The three descended the stairs, chattinglightly about the musical comedy witnessed overnight. It was no newrevelation to Theydon that truth should prove stranger than fiction, but the trite phrase was fast assuming a fresh and sinister personalsignificance. He believed, and not without good reason, that no manliving had ever undergone an experience comparable with his presentadventure. 

When he left that house he was going straight to two officers of thelaw whose bounden duty it would become to call upon Mr. Forbes for afull and true explanation of his visit to Mrs. Lester-- provided, thatis, he (Theydon) told them what he knew. Talk about a death's-headgrinning at a feast! At that bright dinner-table he was a prey tokeener emotion than ever shook a Borgia entertaining one whom he meantto poison. 

In sheer self-defense he talked with an animation he seldom displayed. Evelyn was evidently much taken by him, and, fired by her manifestinterest, he indulged in fantastic paradox and wild flights of fancy. Seemingly his exuberance stimulated Forbes, himself a well-informedand epigrammatic talker. 

An hour sped all too soon. The girl rose with a sigh. 

"It's too bad that I should have to go, " she said. "I shall be boredstiff at Lady de Winton's. But I can't get out of it except by tellinga positive fib over the telephone. Dad, next time you ask Mr. Theydonto dinner, please let me know in good time, and neither of you will berid of me so easily. "

She shook hands with Theydon. While she was giving her father aparting kiss the guest moved to the door and held it open. As shepassed out she smiled and her eyes said plainly:

"I like you. Come again soon. "

Then she was gone and the pleasant room lost some of its glow andcolor. 

"Don't sit down again, Theydon, " said Forbes, rising. "We'll havecoffee brought to my den. What is your favorite liqueur-- or shall wetell Tomlinson to send along that decanter of port? It's a first-ratewine. Another glass won't hurt you, or me, for that matter. "

Theydon had hardly dared to touch the champagne supplied during themeal. Abstemious at all times, because he found that wine or spiritsinterfered with his capacity for work, he felt that a clear head andsteady nerves were called for that night more than any other night inhis life. Following the lead given by his host, therefore, he electedfor the port. 

"You are right, too, " said Forbes. "You remember Dr. Johnson's dictum:'Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to bea hero must drink brandy'? Tonight, not aspiring to the heroic, we'llstick to port. "

"It is a curious fact that on my return from Brooklands today I took aglass of brandy, " confessed Theydon. "I seldom, if ever, drink anyintoxicant before dining, but I needed a stimulant of a sort, and someunknown tissue in me cried aloud for brandy. "

He hoped vaguely that the comment would lead to something moreexplicit, and thus bring him, without undue emphasis, so to speak, tothe one topic on which he was now resolved to obtain a decisivestatement from the man chiefly concerned before he faced therepresentatives of Scotland Yard. 

But Forbes, motioning to an easy chair in a well-appointed library, and flinging himself into another, gave heed only to the one word--Brooklands. 

"Did you fly?" he asked. 

"No. I was soaking in theory, not practice. "

"Ah, theory. It would, indeed, seem to be true that folded away insome convolution of our brain are the faculties of the fish and thebird. Those latent powers are expanding daily. The submarine hasalready gone far beyond the practical achievement of aerial craft. Butwhy, in the name of humanity, should every such development of man'salmost immeasurable resources be dedicated to warlike purposes? I amsick at heart when I hear the first question put in these days to eachinventor: 'Can you enable us to kill more of our fellowmen than we cankill with existing appliances?' Is it a new engine, a new amalgam ofmetals, a new explosive, a new field of electrical energy, one hearsthe same vulture's cry-- 'How many, how far, how safely can we slay?'I regard this lust for destruction as contemptible. It is a strangeand ignominious feature of modern life. Forgive me, Mr. Theydon, if Ispeak strongly on this matter. The men who spread the bounds ofscience today are, nominally, at any rate, Christians. They tell ofpeace and goodwill to all, yet prepare unceasingly for some awfulArmageddon. [*] We teach Christ's gospel in pulpit and schoolhouse, strive to express it in our laws, obey it in our lives and socialrelations, yet we are armed to the teeth and ever arming, addingstrength to the plates of our warships and distance to the range ofour guns, constantly riveting and welding and forging monsters whichshall shatter men and cities and States. "

[*This story was written before the outbreak of war in 1914. ]

It was not the younger man now who talked brilliantly and forcibly. Theydon, frankly abandoning the effort to twist the conversation tothat enigma which, the more he saw and heard of Forbes the moreincredible it became, listened enthralled to one who spoke with theconviction and earnestness of a prophet. 

"Don't imagine that I am framing an indictment against Christianity, "went on Forbes passionately. "The Sermon on the Mount inspires allthat is great and noble in our everyday existence, all that iseternally beautiful in our dreams of the future. But why this din ofwar, this smoke of arsenals, this marching and drilling of the world'syouth? Nature's law appears to have two simple clauses. It enforces aprinciple in the struggle for existence, a test in the survival of thefittest. Great heavens, are not these enough, without having our earsdeafened by powder and drumming? That is why I am devoting a good dealof time and no small amount of money to an international crusadeagainst the warlike idea, and I see no reason why a beginning shouldnot be made with the airship and the airplane. We are too late withthe submarine, but, before the golden hour passes, let us stop thenavigation of the air from forming part of the equipment of murder. Surely it can be done. England and the United States, Italy, Franceand the rest of Europe-- the founts of civilization-- can write theedict, with all the blazonry of their glorious histories to illuminatethe page-- There shall be no war in the air!'"

Theydon was carried away in spite of himself. 

"You believe that the airship might develop along the unemotionallines of the parcel post?" he inquired. 

Forbes laughed. 

"Exactly, " he said. "I like your simile. No one suggests that weBritons should endeavor to destroy our hated rivals by sending bombsthrough the mails. Why, then, in the name of common sense, should thefirst-- I might almost say the only use of which the airship iscommonly supposed capable-- be that of destruction? Don't you see theinstant result of a war-limiting ordinance of the kind I advocate?Suppose the peoples and the rulers declared in their wisdom thatsoldiers and war material should be contraband of the air-- andsuppose that airships do become vehicles of practical utility-- what afarce would soon be all the grim fortresses, the guns, the giant steelstructures now designed as floating hells! Humanity has yet time todeclare that the flying machine shall be as harmless and serviceableas the penny post. I believe it can be done. Come now, Mr. Theydon, Ithink you've caught on to my scheme-- will you help?"

Help! Here was a man expounding a new evangel, which might, indeed, bevisionary and impracticable, but was none the less essentially nobleand Christian in spirit, yet Theydon was debating whether or not heshould give testimony which would bring to that very room a couple ofdetectives whose first questions would make clear to Forbes that hewas suspected of blood-guiltiness!

The notion was so utterly repellent that Theydon sighed deeply; hishost not unnaturally looked surprised. 

"Of course, such a revolutionary idea strikes you as outside the paleof common sense, " he began, but the younger man stayed him with agesture. Here was an opportunity that must not be allowed to pass. Nomatter what the cost-- if he never saw Evelyn Forbes or her fatheragain-- he must dispel the waking nightmare which held him in such anabnormal condition of uncertainty and foreboding. 

"Now that your daughter is gone I may venture to speak plainly, " hesaid. "I told you that, I felt the need of a brandy and soda atWaterloo. As a matter of fact, I did not leave the Brooklands trackuntil six o'clock, and, as Innesmore Mansions, where I live, lienorth, and I was due here at 7:30, I had my man meet me at the stationwith a suitcase, meaning to change my clothes in the dressing roomthere, and come straight here. Guess my astonishment when I foundBates-- Bates is the name of my factotum-- in the company of twostrangers, whom he introduced as representing the CriminalInvestigation Department. "

He paused. He had brought in his own address skilfully enough, andkept his voice sufficiently under control that no tremor betrayed aknowledge of Forbes's vital interest in any mention of that one blockof flats among the multitude. 

Now, for the first time, Innesmore Mansions figured as his abode, thecorrespondence which led to the dinner having centered in his club. But not a flicker of eyelid nor twitch of mobile lips showed theslightest concern on Forbes's part. Rather did he display at once awell-bred astonishment on hearing Theydon's concluding words. 

"Do you mean detectives from Scotland Yard?" he cried. 

"Yes. "

Forbes smiled, and commenced filling a pipe. 

"Evidently they did not want you as a principal, " he said. 

His tone was genial, but slightly guarded. Theydon realized that thisman of great wealth and high social position had reminded himself thathis guest, though armed with the best of credentials, was quiteunknown to him otherwise, and that, perhaps, he had acted unwisely ininviting a stranger to his house without making some preliminaryinquiry. This reversal of their roles was a conceit so ludicrous thatTheydon smiled too. 

At any rate, he meant now to pursue an unpleasing task, and have donewith it. 

"No, " he said slowly. "It seems that I am the worst sort of witness ina murder case. I may have heard, I may even have seen, the personsuspected of committing the crime, or, if that is going too far, theperson whom the police have good reason to regard as the last who sawthe poor victim alive and in ordinary conditions. But my testimony, such as it is, is so slight and inconclusive that, of itself, no onecould hang a cat on it. "

"Good gracious! That sounds interesting, though you have my sympathy. It must be rather distressing to be mixed up in such an affair, evenindirectly. "

Forbes struck precisely the right note of friendly inquiry. He wishedto hear more, and was at the same time relieved to find that ProfessorScarth had not introduced a notorious malefactor in the guise of ayoung writer seeking material for an article on air-ships!

Theydon could have laughed aloud at this comedy of errors, but thefact that at any moment it might develop into a tragedy exercises awholesome restraint. 

"I happen to live at No. 18 Innesmore Mansions, " he said. "Opposite--on the same floor, I mean-- lives, or did live, a Mrs. Lester. I donot--"

"Are you telling me that a Mrs. Lester of No. 17 Innesmore Mansions isdead-- has been murdered?"

Forbes's voice rang out vibrant, incisive. His ordinarily pale facehad blanched, and his deep-set eyes blazed with the fire of somefierce emotion, but, beyond the slight elevation of tone and thechange of expression, he revealed to Theydon's quietly watchfulscrutiny no sign of the terror or distress which an evildoer might beexpected to show on learning that the law's vengeance was alreadyshadowing him, even in so remote a way as was indicated by thepresence under his roof of a witness regarded by the police as animportant one. 

"Yes!" stammered Theydon, quite taken aback by his companion'svehemence. "Do you-- know the lady? If so-- I am sorry-- I spoke sounguardedly--"

"Good heavens, man, don't apologize for that! I am not a child orweakling, that I should flinch in horror from one of life's dramaticsurprises! But, are you sure of what you are saying? Mrs. Lestermurdered! When?"

"About midnight last night, the doctor believes. That is what Batestold me. I was so shaken on hearing his news, which was confirmed bythe two detectives, that I really gave little heed to details. .. . Shewas strangled-- a peculiarly atrocious thing where an attractive andladylike woman is concerned. I have never spoken to her, but have mether at odd times on the stairs. I was immeasurably shocked, I assureyou. In fact, I was on the point of telegraphing an excuse to you forthis evening, but the Chief Inspector-- Winter, I think his name is--said it would suffice for his purpose if I met him at my flat abouteleven o'clock, as he was engaged on other inquiries which wouldoccupy the intervening hours. "

"But if the news of this dastardly crime only reached you tonight atWaterloo Station, and you have no personal acquaintance with Mrs. Lester, what evidence can you give that will assist the police?"

"Mrs. Lester received a visitor last night, an incident so unusualthat I, who heard him arrive, and Bates, who was in my sitting roomwhen we both heard him depart, commented on the strangeness of it. That, I suppose, is the reason why I am in request by Scotland Yard. "

"You say 'him. ' How did you know it was a man? Did you see him?"

"Er-- that was impossible. We were in my flat, behind its closed door. Bates and I deduced his sex from the sound of his footsteps. "

Again Theydon nearly stammered. Events had certainly turned in themost amazing way. Instead of carrying himself almost in the manner ofa judge, he was figuring rather as an unwilling witness in the handsof a skilled and merciless cross-examining counsel. 

"Did the police officers supply any theory of motive for the crime?Was this poor woman killed for the sake of her few trinkets?"

By this time Theydon was stung into a species of revolt. It was he, not Forbes, who should be snapping out searching questions. 

"I regret to say that my nerves were not sufficiently under control atWaterloo that I should listen carefully to each word, " he said, almoststiffly. "Bates had picked up such information as was available; buthe, though an ex-sergeant in the Army, was so upset as to be hardlycoherent. When I meet the detectives in the course of another hour Ishall probably gather something definite and reliable in the way ofdetails. "

Forbes laid the pipe which he had filled but not lighted on the table. He poured out a glass of port and drank it. 

"Try that, " he said, pushing the decanter toward Theydon. "They cannottrouble you greatly. You have so little to tell. "

"No, thanks. Nothing more for me tonight until the Scotland Yard menhave cleared out. "

Forbes rose as he spoke and strode the length of the room and backwith the air of a man debating some weighty and difficult point. 

"Mr. Theydon, " he said, at last, halting in front of the younger manand gazing down at him with a direct intensity that was highlyembarrassing to one who had good cause to connect him with the actualcrime. "I want you to do me a favor-- a great favor. It was in my mindat first to ask you to permit me to go with you to Innesmore Mansions, and to be present during the interview with the detectives. But a manin my position must be circumspect. It would, perhaps, be unwise toappear too openly interested. I don't mind telling you in confidencethat I have known Mrs. Lester many years. The shock of her death, severe as it must have been to you, is slight as compared with my ownsorrow and dismay. More than that I dare not say until betterinformed. I remember now hearing the newsboys shouting their ghoulishnews, and I saw contents bills making large type display of 'Murder ofa lady, ' but little did I imagine that the victim was one whom-- onewhose loss I shall deplore. .. . Are you on the telephone?"

"Yes, " said Theydon, thoroughly mystified anew by the announcementthat Forbes had even contemplated, or so much as hinted at, theastounding imprudence of visiting Innesmore Mansions that night. 

"Ring me up when the detectives have gone. I shall esteem yourassistance during this crisis as a real service. "

For the life of him, Theydon could not frame the protest which oughtto have been made without delay and without hesitation. 

"Yes, " he said. "I'll do that. You can trust me absolutely. "

Thus was he committed to secrecy. That promise sealed his lips. 

 CHAPTER III

 IN THE TOILS

Theydon, though blessed, or cursed, with an active imagination-- whichmust surely be the prime equipment of a novelist-- was shrewd andlevel-headed in dealing with everyday affairs. 

It was no small achievement that the son of a country rector, aidedonly by a stout heart, a university education and an excellentphysique-- good recommendations, each and all, but forming thestock-in-trade of many a man on whose subsequent career "failure" iswrit large-- should have forced himself to the front rank of the mostovercrowded among the professions before attaining his twenty-sixthyear. 

It may be taken for granted, therefore, that he was not lacking in thequalities of close observation and critical analysis. He would, forinstance, be readier than the majority of his fellows to note thesmall beginnings of events destined to become important. 

Often, of course, his deductions would prove erroneous, but the merefact that he habitually exercised his wits in such a way rendered itequally certain that his judgment would be accurate sometimes. Onesuch occasion presented itself a few seconds after he had left theForbes mansion. 

A taxi, summoned by a footman, was in waiting, and Theydon wascrossing the pavement when he noticed a gray landaulet car at restbeneath the trees at some distance. Mr. Forbes's house stood in asquare, and the gray car had been drawn up on the quiet side of theroadway, being stationed there, apparently, to await its owner'sbehest. Gray cars are common enough in London, but they are usually ofthe touring class. 

Not often does one see a gray-painted landaulet; hence, the odd thoughhardly remarkable fact occurred to Theydon that a precisely similargray automobile had occupied the center of the station yard atWaterloo when he took a taxi from the rank. 

Admittedly he was in a nervous and excited state. It could hardly beotherwise after the strain of that astounding conversation withForbes, and there was no prospect of the tension being relaxed untilthe close of the interview with the detectives, which he now regardedas the worse ordeal of the two. 

But this subconscious neurasthenia in no wise affected the reflexaction of his ordinary faculties. When, on leaving the square, andwhile his cab was rattling along an aristocratic thoroughfare leadingto Knightsbridge, he peered through a tiny observation window in theback of the vehicle, and ascertained that the gray car was stealingalong quietly about a hundred yards in the rear, he began to believethat its presence both at Waterloo and outside Mr. Forbes's residencecould not be wholly accidental. When he had watched its persistenttreading on his heels along Piccadilly its intent became almostunmistakable. 

The route to Innesmore Mansions traversed some of London's mainarteries, but, despite the rush of traffic due to the first flight ofhomewardbound playgoers, the gray car kept steadily on his track. Amused at first, be became angry because of a notion which grew out ofthe wonderment of finding himself the object of this persistentespionage. 

To make sure, and at the same time discover the sort of person who wasspying on him, he adopted a ruse. Leaning out, when about to crossOxford Street into Tottenham Court Road, he said to his driver: "Turnsharp to the right in Store Street, and pull up. I'll tell you when togo on again. "

The man obeyed. Theydon posted himself at the outer window, and in aspace of time so short that the excellence of the gray car'saccelerator was amply demonstrated, the pursuer swung into sight. Astolid-faced chauffeur at the wheel did not appear discomfited atcoming on his quarry thus unexpectedly. He whirled past, seeminglyquite oblivious of Theydon's fixed stare. Though the weather was mildhe wore an overcoat with upturned collar, so that between itsprotecting flaps and a low-peaked cap his face was well hidden. Still, Theydon received an impression of a curiously wooden physiognomy. 

The man might have been an automaton for all the heed he gave to thetaxi or its inquisitive occupant. But his aspect was almost forgottenin the far stranger discovery that the car was empty. Both windowswere open, and the bright lights of a corner shop flashed into theinterior, yet not a soul was visible. Moreover, the car sped onunhesitatingly, stopping some two hundred yards ahead. 

So far as Theydon could tell, no one alighted. He jotted down thenumber-- XY 1314-- on his shirt cuff. 

"Did you happen to see that car waiting near the house I came from?"he said to the taxi man, who, of course, provided an interestedaudience of one. 

"Yes, sir, " was the ready answer. "It's not a London car. I've neverseen them letters afore. "

"In other words, it may be a faked number. "

"Likely enough, sir, but rather risky. The police are quick atspotting that sort of thing. "

"Can you take a hand in the game? I want to know where that car goesto. "

The man grinned. 

"I wouldn't like to humbug you, sir. That there machine can lose mequicker'n a Derby winner could pass a keb horse. Didn't you hear thehum of the engine as it went by?"

"Thanks. Now go ahead to Innesmore Mansions. "

He was paying the driver when the gray car stole quietly past the endof the street, and that was the last he saw of it. 

"There it goes again, sir, " said the man. "Tell you wot, gimme yourname an' address. I'll make a few inquiries, an' keep me eyes open aswell. Then, if I hear anythink, I'll let you know. "

Theydon scribbled the number of his flat on a card. 

"There you are, " he said. "Even if I happen to be out, I'll leaveinstructions that you are to be paid half a crown for your trouble ifyou call. By the way, what is your name?"

"Evans, sir. "

There was really little doubt in Theydon's mind as to the reason whyhe had been followed. He was fuming about it when Bates met him in thehall of No. 18 with the whisper:

"Them two are waiting here now, sir. "

Theydon glanced at his watch. The hour was ten minutes past eleven. 

"Sorry I'm late, gentlemen, " he said, on entering the sitting room andfinding the detectives seated at his table, seemingly comparing notes, because the Chief Inspector was talking, while Furneaux, thediminutive, was glancing at a notebook. 

"We have no reason to complain of being kept waiting a few minutes insuch comfortable quarters, " said Winter pleasantly. 

"O, I fancy I was detained by some zealous assistant of yours, " saidTheydon, determined to carry the war into the enemy's territory. 

At that Furneaux looked up quickly. 

"Will you kindly tell me just what you mean, Mr. Theydon?" saidWinter. 

"Why? Is it news to you that a gray limousine car stalked me fromWaterloo to-- to my friend's house, waited there three hours or more, and has carefully escorted me home? I dislike that sort of thing. Moreover, it strikes me as stupid. I didn't kill Mrs. Lester. It willsave you and me a good deal of time and worry if you accept that plainstatement as a fact. "

"Won't you sit down?" said Winter quietly. "And-- may I smoke? Ididn't like to ask Bates for permission to light up in your absence. "

Theydon was not to be outdone in coolness. He opened a corner cupboardand produced various boxes. 

"The cigars are genuine Havanas, " he said. "A birthday present from amaiden aunt, who is wise enough to judge the quality of tobacco by theprice. Here, too, are Virginian, Turkish and Egyptian cigarettes. "

Winter inspected the cigars gravely. 

"By Jove!" he cried, his big eyes bulging in joyous surprise. "Lastyear's crop from the Don Juan y Guerrero plantation. Treasure thataunt of yours, Mr. Theydon. None but herself can be her equal. "

Theydon saw that the little man did not follow his chief's example. 

"Don't you smoke?" he said. 

"No, but if you'll not be horrified, I would like to smell one ofthose Turks. "

"Smell it?"

"Yes. That is the only way to enjoy the aroma and avoid nicotinepoisoning. My worthy chief dulls a sound intellect by the cigar habit. What is worse, he excites a nervous system which is normally somewhatbovine. You, also, I take it, are a confirmed smoker, so both of youare at cross-purposes already. "

Furneaux's voice was pitched in the curious piping note usuallyassociated with comic relief in a melodrama, but his wizened face wassolemn as a red Indian's. It was Theydon who smiled. His preconceivedideas as to the appearance and demeanor of the London detective wereshattered. Really, there was no need to take these two seriously. 

Winter, while lighting the cigar, grinned amiably at his colleague. Furneaux passed a cigarette to and fro under his nostrils and sniffed. Theydon reached for a pipe and tobacco jar and drew up a chair. 

"Well, " he said, "it is not my business to criticise your methods. Ihave very little to tell you. I suppose Bates--"

"The really important thing is this car which followed you tonight, "broke in Winter. "The details are fresh in your memory. What type ofcar was it? Did you see the driver and occupants? What's its number?"

Theydon had not expected these questions. He looked his astonishment. 

"Ha!" cackled Furneaux. "What did I tell you?"

"O, shut up!" growled Winter. "I am asking just what you yourself areitching to know. "

"May I take it that the car has not been dogging me by yourinstructions?" said Theydon. He was inclined to be skeptical, yet theChief Inspector seemed to have spoken quite candidly. 

"Yes, " said Winter, meeting the other's glance squarely. "We have noreason on earth to doubt the truth of anything you have said, or maysay, with regard to this inquiry. The car is not ours. This is thefirst we have heard of it. We accepted your word, Mr. Theydon, thatyou were dining with a friend. Perhaps you will tell us now what hisname is and where he lives. "

Theydon hesitated the fraction of a second. That, he knew instantly, was a blunder, so he proceeded to rectify it. 

"I was dining with Mr. James Creighton Forbes, of No. 11, FortescueSquare, " be said. "Probably you are acquainted with his name, so youwill realize that if my evidence proves of the slightest value I wouldnot like any reference to be made to the fact that I was his guesttonight. "

"I don't see how that can possibly enter into the matter, except inits bearing on this mysterious car. "

Though Winter was taking the lead, Theydon was aware that Furneaux, who had given him scant attention hitherto, was now looking at himfixedly. He imagined that the queer little man was all agog to learnsomething about the automobile which had thrust itself so abruptlyinto the affair. 

"Exactly, " he agreed. "I visited Mr. Forbes tonight for the firsttime. We are mutually interested in aviation. That is why I went toBrooklands today, and the invitation to dinner was the outcome of aletter of introduction given me by Professor Scarth. "

Then, thinking he had said enough on that point, he described the graycar and its stolid-faced chauffeur to the best of his ability. He toldof the brief chat with the taxi driver and its result. 

"Good!" nodded Winter. "I'm glad you did that. It may help. I amdoubtful of any information turning up, but you never can tell. Thenumber plate, at any rate, is certainly misleading. Now, about lastnight? Try and be as accurate as possible with regard to time. Can yougive us the exact hour when you returned home?"

"I happened to note by the clock on the mantelpiece that I came in at11:35. "

Winter compared the clock's time with his watch. 

"You had been to a theater?" he said. 

"Yes-- Daly's. "

"It was raining heavily. Did you take a cab?"

"Yes. "

"Were you delayed? The piece ended at 11:05. "

"My cab met with a slight accident. "

"What sort of accident?"

Theydon explained. 

"In all likelihood you can discover the driver, " he smiled, "and hewill establish my alibi. "

His tone seemed to annoy Furneaux, who broke in:

"Don't you write novels?"

"Yes. "

"Sensational?"

"Occasionally. "

"Then you ought to be tickled to death, as the Americans say, at beingmixed up in a first-rate murder. This is no ordinary crime. Severalpeople will be older and wiser before the culprit is found andhanged. "

"What Mr. Furneaux has in mind, " purred Winter cheerfully, "is thecurious habit of some witnesses when questioned by the police. Theyarm themselves against attack, as it were. You see, Mr. Theydon, wesuspect nobody. We try to ascertain facts, and hope to deduce a theoryfrom them. Over and over again we are mistaken. We are no more astutethan other men. Our sole advantage is a wide experience of criminalmethods. The detective of romance-- if you'll forgive the allusion--simply doesn't exist in real life. "

"I accept the rebuke, " said Theydon. "I suppose the gray car was stillrankling in my mind. From this moment I start afresh. At any rate, theman who brought me from the theater might check my recollection of thetime. "

Winter nodded. He was evidently pleased that Theydon was inclined toshare his view of the difficulties Scotland Yard encountered in itsfight against malefactors. 

"Did you see or meet any one in particular while your car approachedthese mansions, or when you ascended the stairs?"

"No, " said Theydon. 

He perceived intuitively that if the detectives found the driver ofthe taxi which brought him from the theater it was possible the manmight have noticed Forbes, who had certainly been scrutinized a fewminutes later by a policeman, so he hastened to add:

"You said 'any one in particular. ' I did see a tall, well-dressedgentleman at the corner of the street, but there is nothing remarkablein that. "

"Which way was he heading?"

"In this direction. "

"Then it is conceivable that he might be the man who called on Mrs. Lester?"

"Yes. "

"Aren't you pretty sure he was the man?"

Theydon permitted himself to look astonished. 

"I?" he said. "How can I be sure? If you mean that, judging from theinterval of time between my seeing him at the corner and the sound offootsteps on the stairs, followed by the opening of the door at No. 17, it could be he, I accept that. "

Winter nodded again. Apparently he was content with Theydon'scorrection. 

"As the weather was bad, you probably hurried in when your cabstopped?" he said. 

"That is equivalent to saying you credit me with sense enough to getin out of the wet, " smiled Theydon. 

"Just so. And you wore an overcoat, which you removed on entering yourhall?"

"Yes, " and Theydon's tone showed a certain bewilderment at thesetrivialities. 

"Then if you paid no special heed to the movements of the tallgentleman you have mentioned, why did you open one of these windowsand look out soon after Bates went to the post?"

Theydon flushed like a schoolboy caught by a master undercircumstances which youth generally describes as "a clean cop. "

"How on earth do you know I looked out?" he almost gasped. 

"I'll tell you willingly. The discovery was Mr. Furneaux's, not mine. When we came here this morning, and ascertained that you had been outat a late hour last night, we asked your man if he could enlighten usas to your movements. He did so. To the best of his belief you dinedat a club, and occupied a stall at Daly's Theater subsequently. He wassure, too, you had not walked home through the rain, so it was easy todraw the conclusion that you returned in a covered vehicle. Mr. Furneaux requested Bates to produce the clothes you had worn, which, owing to the uproar created by the news of the murder, had not beenbrushed and put away. As a consequence the silk collar and part of theback of your dress-coat bore the marks of raindrops. How had they gotthere? The only logical deduction was that you had thrust your headand shoulders through a window, and the time of the action isestablished almost beyond doubt, because you had changed the coat whenBates came from the pillar-box. It was either directly after you camein, or while Bates was absent. Of course you may have looked outtwice. Did you? Whether once or twice, why did you do it?"

Theydon's feelings changed rapidly while Winter was delivering thisvery convincing analysis of a few simple facts. He had passed at abound from the detected schoolboy stage to that of a man forcing hisway through a thicket who finds himself on the very lip of aprecipice. 

He remembered hazily that Bates had said something at Waterloo withregard to the manner in which the detectives, especially Furneaux, hadquestioned him. But it was too late to apply the warning thusconveyed. If he faltered now he was forever discredited. These menwould read his perplexed face as if it were a printed page. In hisdistress be was prepared to hear Winter or that little satyr, Furneaux, say mockingly:

"Why are you trying to screen James Creighton Forbes? What is he toyou? What matter his fame or social rank? We are here to see thatjustice is done. Out with the truth, let who may suffer. "

But neither of the pair said anything of the sort. Furneaux onlyinterjected a sarcastic comment. 

"You will observe, Mr. Theydon, that even in a minor instance ofdeductive reasoning, such as this, the man who smells rather than theman who smokes tobacco solves the problem promptly. "

Theydon threw out his hands in token of surrender. He thought he saw ameans of escape, and took it unhesitatingly. 

"I'm vanquished, " he said. "You force me to admit that I do know alittle, a very little, more than I have confessed hitherto about theman who visited Mrs. Lester's flat last night. I have said nothingabout the matter thus far because I didn't want to be convicted of apiece of idle curiosity worthy of a gossip-loving housemaid. I noticedthe man I have described staring at the name tablet of the street asmy cab turned the corner. I did not know him. I had never seen himbefore last night, but he was of such distinguished appearance and hisface was of so rare a type that I was interested and wished toascertain, if possible, on whom he meant calling if, as it seemed, hewas searching for an address in these flats. Therefore, I did lookout, and saw him enter the doorway beneath. In due course I heard himarrive at Mrs. Lester's door-- that is, I assume it was he. Fiveminutes later Bates and I heard him depart. To make sure, I looked outa second time. If you ask me why I behaved in that way I cannot tellyou. I have occupied this flat during the past five months, and I havenever previously, within my recollection, lifted a window and gazedout to watch anybody's comings and goings. The thing is inexplicable. All I can say is that it just happened. "

"Would you recognize him if you saw him again?"

"Yes. "

Theydon gave the assurance readily. It was beyond credence that eitherdetective should put the one question to which he was now firmlyresolved to give a misleading answer, and in this belief he wasjustified, since not even Furneaux's uncanny intelligence couldsuggest the fantastic notion that the man who walked through the rainthe previous night and the man with whom Theydon had dined thatevening were one and the same person. 

"I don't blame you for adopting a policy of partial concealment, " saidthe Chief Inspector, spryly. "You are not the first, and you certainlywill not be the last witness from whom the police have to drag thefacts. Now that we have reached more intimate terms, can you help bydescribing this stranger?"

Theydon complied at once. He drew just such a general sketch of Forbesas a skilled observer of men might be expected to formulate after onedirect glance close at hand, supplemented by a view into a lamp-litstreet from a second-storey window on a rainy night. 

"So far, so good, " said Winter. "You have contrived to fill in severaldetails lacking in the description supplied by a policeman who chancedto be standing at the corner when Mrs. Lester's visitor posted aletter. Did you notice that?"

"Yes. Indeed, I believed that, whether intentionally or not, he heldan open umbrella at an angle which prevented the constable from seeinghis face. "

"In fact, it's marvellous what you really do know when your memory isjogged, " snapped Furneaux. 

Theydon did not resent the sarcasm. He smiled candidly into the littledetective's eyes. 

"I suppose I deserve that, " he said meekly. 

"Why did you hide your knowledge of Mrs. Lester's visitor from yourman Bates?"

"I was rather ashamed of the subterfuge adopted in order to get himout of the room while I opened the window the first time. "

"That was understandable last night, but I fail to follow yourreasoning for a policy of silence when we told you at Waterloo thatMrs. Lester had been killed. "

"I was utterly taken aback by your news. I wanted time to think. Inever meant to hide any material fact at this interview. "

"You have contrived to delay and hamper our inquiry for twelve hours--twenty-four in reality. I can't make you out, Mr. Theydon. You wouldnever have said a word about your very accurate acquaintance with thismysterious stranger's appearance had not last night's rainstorm leftits legible record on your clothes. Do you now vouch for it that theman was completely unknown to you?"

"You are pleased to be severe, Mr. Furneaux, but, having placed myselfin a false position, I must accept your strictures. I assure you, onmy honor, that the man I saw was an absolute stranger. "

Happily, Theydon was under no compulsion to choose his words. He metthe detective's searching gaze unflinchingly. Fate, after terrifyinghim, had been kind. If Furneaux had expressed himself differently--if, for instance, he had said: "Had you ever before seen the man?" or"Have you now any reason for believing that you know his name?"-- hewould have forced Theydon's hand in a way he was far from suspecting. 

"It may surprise you to hear, " piped the shrill, cracked voice, "thatthere are dozens of policemen walking about London who would arrestyou on suspicion had you treated them as you have treated us. "

"Then I can only say that I am fortunate in my inquisitors, " smiledTheydon. 

Winter held up a massive fist in deprecation of these acerbities. 

"You have nothing more to tell us?" he queried. 

"Nothing!"

"Then we need not trouble you further tonight. Of course, if luckfavors us and we find the gentleman with the classical features-- themost unlikely person to commit a murder I have ever heard of-- weshall want you to identify him. "

"I am at your service at any time. But before you go won't youenlighten me somewhat? What did really happen? I have not even seen anewspaper account of the crime. "

"Would you care to examine No. 17?"

It was Furneaux who put the question, and Theydon was genuinelyastonished. 

"Do you mean--" he began, but Furneaux laughed, almost savagely. 

"I mean Mrs. Lester's flat, " he said. "The poor woman's body is at themortuary. If you come with us we can reconstruct the crime. Itoccurred about this very hour if the doctor's calculations are wellfounded. "

Theydon rose. 

"I shall be most-- interested, " he said. "By the way, Mr. Furneaux, yours is a French name. Are you a Frenchman, may I ask?"

"A Jersey man. You think I am adopting some of the methods of theFrench juge d'instruction, eh?"

"No. I cannot bring myself to believe that you regard me as amurderer. "

The three passed out into the hall. Mr. And Mrs. Bates immediatelyshowed scared faces at the kitchen door. 

"It's all right, Bates, " said Theydon airily. "I'm not a prisoner. I'll be with you again in a few minutes. "

But Bates was profoundly disturbed. 

"Wot beats me, " he said to his wife when they were alone, "is why thatlittle ferret wanted to see the guv'nor's clothes. I looked 'em overcarefully afterwards, an' there wasn't a speck on 'em except somespots of rain on the coat collar. It's a queer business, no matter howyou look at it. Mr. Theydon's manner was strange when he kem in lastnight. He seemed to be list'nin' for something. I don't know wot tomake of it, Eliza. I reely don't. "

In effect, since no man is a hero to his valet, what would Tomlinson, butler at No. 11 Fortescue Square, have thought of his master if toldthat Mrs. Lester's last known visitor was James Creighton Forbes?

 CHAPTER IV

 A TELEPHONIC TALK AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

Theydon's journalistic experiences had been, for the most part, thoseof the "special correspondent, " or descriptive writer. He had neverentered one of those fetid slums of a great city in which, too often, murder is done, never sickened with the physical nausea of death inits most revolting aspect, when some unhappy wretch's foul body servesonly to further pollute air already vile. 

It was passing strange, therefore, that Winter had no sooner openedthe door of No. 17 than the novice of the party became aware of aheavy, pungent scent which he associated with some affrighting andunclean thing. At first he swept aside the phantasy. Strong as he was, his nervous system had been subjected to severe strain that evening. He knew well that the mind can create its own specters, that the fivesenses can be subjugated by forces which science has not as yet eithermeasured or defined. 

Moreover, he was standing in a hall furnished with a taste and quietelegance that must surely indicate similar features in each room of asuite which, in other respects, bore an almost exact resemblance ofhis own apartments. In sheer protest against the riot of anoverwrought imagination he brushed a hand across his eyes. 

The chief inspector noted the action. 

"You will find nothing grewsome here, I assure you, " he said, quietly. "Beyond a few signs of hurried rummaging of drawers and boxes there isabsolutely no indication of a crime having been committed. "

"Mr. Theydon came prepared to see ghosts, " squeaked Furneaux. "Evidently he is not acquainted with the peculiar smell of a jossstick. "

Theydon turned troubled eyes on the wizened little man who seemed tohave the power of reading his secret thought. 

"A joss stick, " he repeated. "Isn't that some sort of incense used byChinese in their temples?"

"Yes, " said Furneaux. 

"Lots of ladies burn them in their boudoirs nowadays, " explainedWinter offhandedly. 

"The Chinese burn them to propitiate evil spirits, " murmured Furneaux. "The Taou gods are mostly deities of a very unpleasant frame of mind. The mere scowl of one of them from a painted fan suggests novel andpainful forms of torture. I've seen Shang Ti grinning at me from aporcelain vase, otherwise exquisite, and felt my hair rising. "

"I do wish you wouldn't talk nonsense, Charles, " said Winter, frowningheavily. 

"Am I talking nonsense, Mr. Theydon?" demanded Furneaux. "Didn't yourflesh creep when that queer perfume assailed your nostrils, which arenot yet altogether atrophied by the reek of thousands of rank cigars?"

"Stop it!" commanded Winter, throwing open a door. 

"And they christened him Leander-- Leander, who swam the Hellespontfor love of a woman!" muttered Furneaux. 

Theydon began to believe that both detectives were cranks of the firstorder. Furneaux, whose extraordinary insight he actually feared, wasobviously an excellent example of the alliance between insanity andgenius. In a word, he failed, and not unreasonably, to understand thatwhen the Jersey man was mouthing a strange jargon of knowledge andincoherence, and Winter was inclined to be snappy with hissubordinate, and each was more than rude to the other, they were thengiving tongue like hounds hot on the trail. 

Winter's Christian names were James Leander, the latter beingconferred for no more classical reason than his father's associationwith a famous boating club, but the fact supplied Furneaux withmaterial for many a quip. These things Theydon learnt later. Atpresent he was giving all his attention to Winter, who led the wayinto a dainty furnished bedroom. The electric lights were governed bytwo switches. A pair of lamps occupied the usual place in front of adressing table; a third was suspended from a canopy over the bed, andwas controlled also by an alternate switch behind the bolster. Winterturned on all three lights, so the room was brilliantly illuminated. 

Any place less likely to become the scene of a brutal crime couldhardly be imagined. It looked exactly what it was, the bedchamber of arefined and well-bred woman, whose trained sense of color and designwas shown by the harmony of carpet, rugs, wall paper and furniture. 

Winter pointed to a slight depression on the side of the bed. A whitelinen coverlet was rumpled as though some one had sat there. 

"That is where Ann Rogers, the maid, found her mistress at ten o'clockthis morning, " he said. "As you see, the bed had not been slept in. Indeed, Mrs. Lester was fully dressed. My belief is that she waspounced on the instant she entered the room-- probably to retire forthe night-- strangled before she could utter a sound, and flung herewhen dead. "

Again Theydon was aware of the subtle, penetrating, and not whollyunpleasing scent which Furneaux had attributed to the burning of ajoss stick, but his mind was focused on the detective's words, whichsuggested a queer discrepancy between certain vague possibilitiesalready flitting through his brain and the terrible drama as itpresented itself to a skilled criminologist. 

"But, " he said, almost protestingly, "from what I have seen of Mrs. Lester she was a strong and active woman. It is inconceivable that theman who came here last night could have murdered her while I waswriting two brief notes. I am positive he did not remain five minutes, and Bates or I, or both of us, must have heard some trampling of feet, some indications of a struggle. Moreover, you think she was about toretire. Doesn't that opinion conflict with the known facts?"

"What known facts?"

"Well-- or-- those I have mentioned. The brief visit, the open natureof the arrival and departure, the posting of a letter, which, by theway, may have been written in his presence. "

"It was. "

Theydon positively jumped. He would not be surprised now if Forbes'sname came out. 

"How do you know that?" he asked. 

"Mrs. Lester wrote to an aunt in Oxfordshire, a lady who lives in thevillage of Iffley, near the first lock on the Thames below Oxford. Asit happened, this aunt, a Miss Beale, was lunching with a friend inOxford today, and some one showed her an early edition of a Londonevening newspaper containing an account of the murder. Instead ofyielding to hysteria, and passing from one fainting fit into another, Miss Beale had the rare good sense to go straight to the policestation. One of our men has interviewed her this evening, and she iscoming here tomorrow, but in the meantime the Oxford police telephonedthe gist of the letter, which is headed 'Monday, 11:30 p. M. ' The houris not quite accurate, but near enough, since the context shows that a'friend' had just called and given certain information which haddetermined the writer to leave London 'to-morrow'-- meaning today--'or Wednesday at latest. ' So you see, Mr. Theydon, if the unknown isan honest man, he will soon hear of the hue and cry raised by themurder, and declare himself to the police. Indeed, for all I know, hemay have reported himself to the Yard already. In that event you willprobably meet him again quite soon. "

An electric bell jarred at the end of the main passage. It smote ontheir ears with the loud emphasis of a pistol shot. Even thedetectives were startled, and Winter said, in a tone of distinctannoyance:

"Go and see who the deuce that is, Furneaux. "

Furneaux returned promptly with Bates, pallid and apologetic. 

"Beg pardon, sir, " said the intruder, addressing Theydon, but allowinghis eyes to roam furtively about the room as though he expected to seesomething ghoul-like and sinister, "Mr. Forbes has rung up--"

Theydon's voice literally quavered. For the first time in his life heknew why a woman shrieks in the stress of sudden excitement. 

"Tell Mr. Forbes I am still engaged with the gentlemen from ScotlandYard, " he gasped. "I'll give him a call the moment I'm free. He willunderstand. Anyhow, I can't explain further now. "

"Yes, sir, " and Bates disappeared. 

"Mr. Forbes? The gentleman you were dining with?" inquired Winter. 

"Yes, " said Theydon. He knew he ought to add something by way ofexplanation, but his heart was thumping madly, and he dared not trusthis voice. 

"You told him, I suppose, that Scotland Yard was worrying you, and hewants to know the result?"

Then Theydon saw an avenue of escape, and took it eagerly. 

"I spoke of the murder, of course, " he said, "but Mr. Forbes washardly interested. He had seen the newspaper placards, and that wasall he knew of it. The truth is, he is wholly wrapped up in a schemefor reforming mankind by excluding airships and aeroplanes fromwarlike operations, and found me a somewhat preoccupied listener. Hewants my help, such as it is, and I have no doubt the present call isa preliminary to another meeting tomorrow. "

"Why not go to him? We'll wait. We can do nothing more tonight afterleaving here. "

"Speaking candidly, I am not in a mood to discuss such visionaryprojects. I shall be glad if Mr. Forbes has gone to bed when I do ringhim up. "

Winter shook his head. 

"Excuse me, Mr. Theydon, but I am older than you, and may 'venture onadvice, '" he said. "A writer who has his way to make in the worldcannot afford to slight a man of Mr. Forbes's standing. Go to him atonce. It will please him. Don't hurry. "

Theydon realized that a continued refusal would certainly setFurneaux's wits at work, and he dreaded the outcome. He went withoutanother word. When the outer door had closed behind him Winter turnedto Furneaux. 

"Well?" he said. 

For answer Furneaux waved a hand and tiptoed into the hall. Waitinguntil he heard the door of No. 18 slam he opened the latch of No. 17so cautiously that no sound was forthcoming. Soon he had an ear toTheydon's letter box and was following attentively a one-sidedconversation. 

Now, Theydon had thought hard during the few strides from one flat tothe other. His telephone was fixed close to the party wall dividingthe two sets of apartments and he was not certain that, in theabsolute quietude prevailing in Innesmore Mansions at that late hour, a voice could not be overheard. True, he did not count on Furneauxplaying the eavesdropper at the slit of the letter box, but heresolved to take no risks and say nothing that any one could makecapital of. 

So, when he had asked the exchange to reconnect him with the callerwho had just rung up, and he was put through, this is what Furneauxheard:

"That you, Mr. Forbes. Sorry I sent my man just now with a messagethat must leave sounded rather curt, but the Scotland Yard peoplekindly excused me, so I can give you a minute or two. .. . No, I'msorry, but I cannot come to luncheon tomorrow, nor go to Brooklandsagain this week. You see, this dreadful murder which I spoke of willnecessitate my presence at an inquest, and the police seem to attachmuch significance to the visit to Mrs. Lester last night of a man whomI saw in the street, and whom Bates and I heard entering and leavingthe poor lady's flat. .. . Bates? O, he is my general factotum. He andhis wife keep house for me. . . . Yes, I'll gladly let you know theearliest date when I'll be free. Then you and I can go into the flyingproposition thoroughly. .. . No. The detectives have apparently not gotany clew to the murderer, nor even discovered any motive for thecrime. They have taken me into No. 17. In fact, I was there when yourcall was made. .. . The murderer ransacked the place thoroughly, but didnot touch money or jewelry, I understand. The only peculiar thing, ifI may so describe it, about the place, is the scent of a burnt jossstick. It clings to the passage and the bedroom in which the body wasfound. . . . Ah, by the way, Mrs. Lester wrote a letter, which hervisitor posted, and the addressee, her aunt, is in communication withthe police. The text tends to clear the man of suspicion. .. . Yes, if, by chance, I find myself at liberty tomorrow, I'll 'phone you at yourcity office. I'll find the number in the directory, of course?. .. O, thanks-- I'll jot it down-- 00400 Bank. .. . Goodnight! Too bad thatthis wretched affair should interfere with our crusade, which, themore I think of it, the stronger it appeals. Au revoir, then. "

In reality, Forbes had not said one word about his peace propaganda, but he had evidently been quick to realize that Theydon was purposelygiving their talk a twist in that direction. A muttered "Iunderstand-- perfectly, " showed this, and he did not strive to concealthe alarm which possessed him when Theydon spoke of the joss stick. Hemurmured distinctly, "Great Heavens! Then I was not mistaken, " andagain voiced his distress on hearing of the letter. 

But he made matters easy by pressing Theydon to come and see him onthe morrow, either at his office in Old Broad Street or at hisresidence. On the whole, Theydon did not care who heard what he hadsaid, but it was a relief to find that he had to ring for readmissionto No. 17. 

Furneaux opened the door. 

"You soon got rid of your friend, then?" said the detective, whilethey were on the way to rejoin Winter. 

"Yes. It was just what I imagined-- a pressing invitation to plungeforthwith into Mr. Forbes's project for the regeneration of mankind. Ihad to tell him frankly that you gentlemen had first claim on me. Isuppose I shall be wanted at the inquest?"

"Not tomorrow. The coroner will hear the medical evidence, and that ofAnn Rogers, if she is in a condition to appear, and there will be anadjournment for a week. "

"Ah, that reminds me. Didn't Mrs. Lester's servant admit the visitorlast night?"

Theydon put the question advisedly. He was calmer now, and had made uphis mind as to the course he should pursue. Although he had assuredWinter that he would recognize the stranger if confronted with him, and, if Forbes was brought into the inquiry, the admission might proveawkward, he meant to say that he had, indeed, noticed a remarkableresemblance in the millionaire to the man he had seen looking up atthe name tablet on the corner, but felt that the likeness was only oneof those singular coincidences which abound in a cosmopolitan city. 

The smartest cross-examiner at the bar could not shake him if he tookthat stand. The sheer improbability of Forbes being the mysteriousvisitor would justify his attitude, and the notion was so consolingthat he faced the two detectives with new confidence and aself-possession that was exceedingly pleasant when compared, with hisearlier embarrassment. 

"No, " said Winter. "By a most remarkable chance, Ann Rogers was givenleave to spend the night with her father, who lives in Camden Town. Heis an old man and was taken ill last evening. He believes he askedsome one to telegraph to his daughter, asking her to come to him. Shecertainly received a telegram and as certainly did visit him. Ofcourse, that phase of the affair will be cleared up thoroughly, butthe main facts are indisputable. Ann Rogers has her own latchkey. AsMrs. Lester usually sat up late, being a lover of books, and seldomstirred before ten o'clock, the maid waited until that hour beforebringing her mistress's cup of tea. That stain on the carpet near thedoor shows where the tray fell from her hands. "

Sometimes an artist obtains the strongest effect by one deft sweep ofthe brush. Winter, though he would have blushed if described as anartist in words, had achieved a similar result by his concludingsentence. Theydon pictured the scene. He saw the limp form thrownacross the bed, the distorted face, the hands and arms posedgrotesquely. 

He heard the shrill scream of the terrified servant, an elderly womanwhom Bates described as "a quiet body, " and could imagine the clatterof the laden tray as it dropped from nerveless fingers. A sort of furyrose within him. Mrs. Lester had been done to death in a horrible andinsensate way, and no matter who suffered, be he millionaire orpauper, the wretch who committed the crime should be made to pay thepenalty of the law. 

In that moment he forgot Evelyn Forbes, and thought only of the fairand gracious woman whose agonized spirit had taken flight under thecompulsion of the tiger grip of some human brute now moving among hisfellow-creatures unknown and unsuspected. It was inconceivable thatForbes should be guilty, but why should he not avow his acquaintancewith the victim, and thus aid the police in their quest?

He glowered savagely at the telltale stain, and vowed to rid hisconscience of an incubus. He would wait till the morrow and forceForbes to come out into the open. Otherwise--

"You wish you had the murderer here now?"

Furneaux spoke softly, and with no trace of his wonted irony, butTheydon was aware that once more the little detective had peered intohis very soul. 

"Yes, " he said, and there was a new gravity in his tone. "I do wishthat. I have never before been brought in contact with a crime of thismagnitude. It conveys a sort of personal responsibility. To think thatI was in my room, reading about aviation, while a woman's life wasbeing choked out of her within a few feet of where I was seated! O, itis monstrous! Let me tell you two, here and now, that if I can doanything to bring Mrs. Lester's slayer to justice, you can count onme, no matter what the cost. "

"I'm sure you mean what you say, Mr. Theydon, " said Winter soothingly. "Well, I suppose we can do no more tonight. I have little else to tellyou--"

"The skull-- the ivory skull!" put in Furneaux. 

For an instant an expression of annoyance flitted across the chiefinspector's good-humored face. Theydon did not see it, becauseFurneaux's odd-sounding words caused him to look with astonishment atthe man who uttered them. 

"An ivory skull!" he cried. "What has an ivory skull to do with themurder of Mrs. Lester?"

"We cannot even begin to guess at its meaning yet, " said Winter, who, after one fierce glance at his colleague, had recovered his poise. "That is why I did not mention it. I hate the introduction of bizarrefeatures into an inquiry of this sort. But, now that the thing hasbeen spoken of, I may as well state that when the medical examinationwas being made at the mortuary a tiny skull, not bigger than a pea, and made of ivory, was found inside Mrs. Lester's underbodice. Thecurious fact is that it was loose. Had it been attached to a cord, orsecured in some way, one might regard it as a charm or amulet, becausesome women, even in the London of today, are not beyond the reach ofsuperstition in such matters. But, as I say, it was not safeguarded atall, so we may reasonably assume that it was not carried habitually. Of course, Furneaux readily evolved a far-fetched theory that it is asign, or symbol, and was thrust out of sight among the clothing on thedead woman's breast by the man who killed her. But that is idleguesswork. We of the Yard seldom pay heed to theatrical notions ofthat kind. Here is the article. I don't mind letting you see it, butkindly remember that its existence must not be made known. I must haveyour promise not to mention it to a living creature. "

Furneaux chuckled derisively. 

"That is precisely the sort of thing anybody would say who attached noimportance to the exhibit, " he piped. 

Winter so nearly lost his temper that he repressed the retort on hislips. He contented himself, however, with producing a small whiteobject from his waistcoat pocket, and handed it to Theydon. It was abit of ivory, hollow, and very light, and fashioned as a skull. 

Yet, it was by no means an ordinary creation. The artist who fashionedit had gratified a morbid taste by imparting to the eyeless socketsand close-set rows of teeth a malign and threatening grin. Wickedness, not death, was suggested, but the craftsmanship was faultless. Acollector would have paid a large sum for it, while the averagecitizen would refuse to have it in his house. 

"What an extraordinary thing, " said Theydon, turning the curio roundand round in his fingers. 

"It's wonderfully well carved, " agreed Winter. 

"From that point of view it's a masterpiece, but what I meant was theastounding fact that it should have been discovered on the deadwoman's body. Was it placed over her heart?"

"Why do you ask that?" came the sharp demand. 

"Because-- if it is a token of some vendetta-- if the murderer wishedto signify that he had glutted his vengeance--"

"O, you're as bad as Furneaux, " cried Winter impatiently. "Give it tome. I must be off. The hour is long past midnight and I have a busyday before me tomorrow. "

Back in the seclusion of his own rooms, Theydon debated the questionwhether or not he should endeavor to communicate with Forbes againthat night. Somehow it seemed to him that Forbes would be mostconcerned at hearing of the gray car. And what of the ivory skull?

Suppose he knew of that! But a certain revulsion of feeling had comeover Theydon since the sheer brutality of the murder had beenrevealed. He failed to see now why he should be so solicitous forForbes's welfare. No matter what private purpose the man might serveby concealing his visit to Mrs. Lester, it ought to give way beforethe paramount importance of tracking a pitiless and callous criminal. 

So Theydon hardened his heart and went to bed, and, being sound inmind and constitution, slept like a just man wearied. Nevertheless, the last thing he saw before the curtain fell on his tired brain wasan ivory skull dancing in the darkness. 

Greatly as the many problems attached to Mrs. Lester's deathbewildered him, he would have been even more perplexed if he hadoverheard the conversation between Winter and Furneaux when theyentered a taxi and gave Scotland Yard as their destination. 

"Look here, Charles, " began Winter firmly; but the other stayed himwith a clutch of thin, nervous fingers on an arm strong enough to fellan ox. 

"Listen first, James-- lecture me afterward, " pleaded Furneaux. "Ican't help yielding to impulse. And why should I strive to help it, anyhow? How often has impulse led me to the goal when by every knownrule of evidence I was completely beaten? That is my plea. That is whyI brought that young fellow into No. 17, and watched the story of thetragedy reshaping itself in his imagination. That is why, too, I spokeof the ivory skull. Think what it means to one with the writer'stemperament. The skull will never leave his mind's eye. It will focusand control his thoughts and actions. And I feel it in my bones thatonly by keeping in touch with Mr. Francis Theydon shall we solve theInnesmore Mansions mystery. I can't explain why I think this, no morethan the receiver of a wireless message can account for the waves ofenergy it picks up from the void and transmutes into the orderedsequences of the Morse code. All I know is that when I am near him Iam, as the children say, 'warm, ' and when away from him, 'cold. ' Whilehe was examining the skull I was positively 'hot, ' and was halfinclined to treat him as a thought transference medium and order himsternly to speak. .. . No. Be calm! I even bid you be honest. When haveyou, ever before, admitted an outsider to your councils? And, if youmake an exception of Theydon, why are you doing it?"

Winter bit the end off a cigar with a vicious jerk of his round head. He struck a match and created such a volume of smoke that Furneauxcoughed affectedly. 

"The real clew, " he said at last, "rests with the gray car. What didyou make of that?"

"That, my bulky friend, will figure in my memory as a reproach formany a year. When, if ever, I am tempted to preen myself on somepeculiarly close piece of ratiocinative reasoning, I shall say:'Little man, pigmy, remember the gray car. '"

"You think that some one had the impudence to follow us, watch us inWaterloo, and take up Theydon's trail when we had revealed it?"

"A-ha. It touched you, too, did it?"

"But why?"

"The some one in question wants to know that. "

"You mean they are anxious to find out what we are doing?"

"Exactly. "

Winter laughed cheerfully. 

"Before long I shall begin to enjoy this hunt, Charles. I like to findoriginality in a felon. It varies the routine. At any rate, it issomething new that you and I should be shadowed by the very people weare in pursuit of-- O, I was nearly forgetting. Anything fresh in thattelephone talk?"

"It seemed all right. "

"Seemed?"

"Well, it was too straightforward. Theydon puzzles me. I admit itfrankly. He also worries me. But let me handle him in my own way. Haveno fear that he will use our material for newspaper purposes. Withregard to the Innesmore Mansions affair, Theydon will lie close as afish. Why? No use asking you, of course. You despise intuition. Whenyou die some one should begin your epitaph: 'From informationreceived. ' But I'll stick to Theydon. See if I don't, even if I haveto go up with him in one of Forbes's airships. "

 CHAPTER V

 A LEAP IN THE DARK

With the morning Theydon brought a mature and impartial judgment tobear on his perplexities. The average man, if asked to form an opinionon any difficult point, will probably arrive at a saner decisionduring the first pipe after breakfast than at any other given hour ofthe day. Excellent physiological reasons account for this truism. Thesound mind in a sound body is then working under the most favorableconditions. 

It is free from the strain of affairs. The cold, clear morning lightdivests problems of the undue importance, or, it may be, the glamourof novelty, which they possessed overnight. At any rate, FrankTheydon, clenching a pipe between his teeth, and gazing thoughtfullythrough an open window at the trees in Innesmore Gardens, reviewedyesterday's happenings calmly and critically, and arrived at thesettled conviction that his proper course was to visit Scotland Yardand make known to the authorities the one vital fact he had withheldfrom their ken thus far. 

It was not for him to assess the significance of Mr. Forbes's desireto remain in the background. If the millionaire's excuse, orexplanation, of his failure to communicate at once with the CriminalInvestigation Department was a sufficiently valid one, Scotland Yardwould be satisfied and might agree to keep his name out of theinquiry. 

On the other hand, he, Theydon, might be balking the course of justiceby holding his tongue. There was yet a third possibility, one fraughtwith personal discredit. Mr. Forbes himself might realize that apolicy of candor offered the only dignified course. 

Suppose he was minded to tell the detectives that he was the man whovisited Mrs. Lester shortly before midnight, what would Winter andFurneaux think of the young gentleman who had actually dined withForbes before they took him into their confidence-- who heard withsuch righteous indignation how Mrs. Lester met her death-- yetbrazenly concealed the fact that he had just left the house of onewhom they were so anxious to meet and question?

Of course, the radiant vision of Evelyn Forbes intruded on thiswell-considered and unemotional analysis; but Theydon resolutely shookhis head. 

"No, by Jove!" he communed. "You mustn't make an ass of yourself, myboy, because a pretty girl was gracious for an hour or so. Be honestwith yourself, old chap! If there were no Evelyn, or if Evelyn wereharelipped and squinted, you wouldn't hesitate a second-- now, wouldyou?"

Yet he had given a promise. How reconcile an immediate call onScotland Yard with the guarantee of secrecy demanded by Forbes? Well, he must put himself right with Forbes without delay-- tell himstraightforwardly that the bond could not hold. Theydon was no lawyer, but he was assured that an agreement founded on positive wrong was nottenable, legally or morally. 

He would be adamant with Forbes, and decline to countenance any pleain support of continued silence. If Forbes's demand was reasonable, Scotland Yard would grant it. If justice compelled Forbes to come outinto the open, no private citizen should attempt to defeat the ends ofjustice. 

"So that settles it, " announced Theydon rmly if not cheerfully. "I'llring up Forbes, and get the thing over and done with. I'll never seehis daughter again, I suppose, but that can't be helped. 'tis betterto have seen and lost than never to have seen at all. "

He turned from the window, walked to the fireplace, tapped his pipefirmly on the grate, and was about to go into the hall and call up thetelephone exchange, when the door-bell rang. He was aware of a muffledconversation between Bates and a visitor. Then the valet appeared, obviously ill at ease. 

"If you please, sir, " he announced, "a lady, a Miss Beale, of Oxford, who says she is Mrs. Lester's aunt, wishes to see you. "

Theydon was immensely surprised, as well he might be. But there wasonly one thing to be done. 

"Show her in, " he said. 

Miss Beale entered. She was slight of figure, middle-aged andgray-haired. The wanness of her thin features was accentuated by anattire of deep mourning, but the pallor in her cheeks fled for aninstant when she set eyes on Theydon. 

"Pray forgive the intrusion, " she faltered. "I-- I expected to meet anolder man. "

It was a curious utterance, and Theydon tried to relieve her evidentnervousness by being mildly humorous. 

"I hope to correct my juvenile appearance in course of time, " he said, smiling. "Meanwhile, won't you be seated? You are not quite unknown tome, Miss Beale. That is-- I heard of you last night from the ScotlandYard people. "

She sat down at once, but seemed to be at a loss for words. Her lipstrembled, and Theydon thought she was going to cry. 

"Have you traveled from Oxford this morning?" he said, simulating acourteous nonchalance he was far from feeling. "If so, you must havestarted from home at an ungodly hour. Let me have some breakfastprepared for you. "

"No-- no, " she stammered. 

"Well, a cup of tea, then? Come, now, no woman ever refuses a cup oftea. "

"You are very kind. "

He rang the bell. 

"I would not have ventured to call on you if I had not seen your namein the newspaper, " she went on. 

Miss Beale certainly had the knack of saying unexpected things. It wasnothing new that Theydon should find his own name in print, but onthis occasion he could not choose but associate the distinction withthe cringe in No. 17; that he should be mentioned in connection withit was neither anticipated nor pleasing. At the same time he realizedthe astounding fact that he had not even glanced at a newspaper duringtwenty-four hours. 

"What in the world have the newspapers to say about me?" he cried. 

"It-- it said-- that Mr. Francis Berrold Theydon, the well-knownauthor, lived in No. 18, the flat exactly opposite that which myunhappy niece occupied. I-- I have read some of your books, Mr. Theydon, and I pictured you quite a serious-looking person of my ownage. "

He laughed. Bates entered, and was almost shocked at finding hismaster in such lively mood. 

"Oh, this lady has traveled from Oxford this morning; a cup of tea andsome nice toast, please, Bates, " said Theydon. Then when the two werealone together again, he brushed aside the question of his age asirrelevant. 

"I assure you that since this time yesterday I have lost some of thecareless buoyancy of youth, " he said. "I had not the honor of Mrs. Lester's acquaintance, but I knew her well by sight, and I receivedthe shock of my life last evening when I heard of her terrible end. Itis an extraordinary thing, seeing that we were such close neighbors, but I believe you got the news long before I did, because I left homeearly and heard nothing of what had happened till my man met me atWaterloo in the evening. "

"You have seen the-- the detectives in the meantime?"

"Yes. "

"Then you will be able to tell me something definite. I have promisedto call at Scotland Yard at eleven o'clock, and the only scraps ofintelligence I have gathered are those in the papers. I would havecome to London last night, but was afraid to travel, lest I shouldfaint in the train. Moreover, some one in London promised to send adetective to see me. He came, but could give no information. Indeed, he wanted to learn certain things from me. So, after a weary night, Icaught the first train, and it occurred to me, as you lived so near, that you might be kind enough to-- to--"

The long speech was too much for her, and her lips quivered pitifullya second time. 

"I fully understand, " said Theydon sympathetically. "Now, I'm positiveyou have eaten hardly anything today. Won't you let me order an egg?"

"No, please. I'll be glad of the tea, but I cannot make a meal-- yet. Is it true that my niece was absolutely alone in her flat on Mondaynight?"

Seeing that Miss Beale was consumed with anxiety to hear anintelligible version of the tragedy, Theydon at once recited all, ornearly all, that was known to him. The only points he suppressed werethose with reference to the gray car and the ivory skull. The ladylistened attentively and with more self-control than he gave hercredit for. 

Bates came in with a laden tray, on which a boiled egg appeared. Mrs. Bates had used her discretion, and decided that any one who had setout from Oxford so early in the day must be in need of more solidrefreshment than tea and toast. Thus cozened, as it were, into eating, Miss Beale tackled the egg, and Theydon was glad to note that she madea fairly good meal, being probably unaware of her hunger until themeans of sating it presented itself. 

But she missed no word of his story, and when he made an end, put someshrewd questions. 

"I take it, " she said, "that the strange gentleman who visited myniece on Monday night posted the very letter which I received by thesecond delivery yesterday?"

"That is what the police believe, " replied Theydon. 

"Then it would seem that she resolved to come to me at Iffley as theresult of something he told her?"

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I heard from her only last Saturday, and she not only saidnothing about coming to Oxfordshire, but asked me to arrange to spenda fortnight in London before we both went to Cornwall for the Summer. "

"Ah! That is rather important, I should imagine, " said Theydonthoughtfully. 

"It is odd, too, that you and the detectives should have noticed thesmell of a joss stick in the flat, " went on Miss Beale. "Edith-- myniece, you know-- could not bear the smell of joss sticks. Theyreminded her of Shanghai, where she lost her husband. "

Theydon looked more startled than such a seemingly simple statementwarranted. He had realized already that the ivory skull was the workof an Oriental artist, and the mention of Shanghai brought thatsinister symbol very vividly to his mind's eye. 

"Mrs. Lester had lived in China, then?" he said. 

"Yes. She was out there nearly six years. Her husband died suddenlylast October-- he was poisoned, she firmly believed-- and, of course, she came home at once. "

"What was Mr. Lester's business, or profession?"

"He was a barrister. I do not mean that he practised in the Consularcourts. He was making his way in England, but was offered some sort ofappointment in Shanghai. The post was so lucrative that herelinquished a growing connection at the bar. I have never reallyunderstood what he did. I fancy he had to report on commercial mattersto some firm of bankers in London, but he supplied very littlepositive information before Edith and he sailed. Indeed, I took itthat his mission was highly confidential, and about that time therewas a lot in the newspapers about rival negotiators for a big Chineseloan, so I formed the opinion that he was sent out in connection withsomething of the sort. Neither he nor Edith meant to remain long inthe Far East. At first their letters always spoke of an early return. Then, when the years dragged on, and I asked for definite news oftheir homecoming, Edith said that Arthur could not get away until thecountry's political affairs were in a more settled state. Finally camea cablegram from Edith: 'Arthur dead; sailing immediately, ' and myniece was with me within a few weeks. The supposed cause of herhusband's death was some virulent type of fever, but, as I said, Edithwas convinced that he had been poisoned. "

"Why?"

"That I never understood. She never willingly talked about Shanghai, or her life there. Indeed, she was always most anxious that no oneshould know she had ever lived in China. Yet she had plenty of friendsout there. I gathered that Arthur had left her well provided forfinancially, and they were a most devoted couple. Edith was the onlyrelative I possessed. It is very dreadful, Mr. Theydon, that sheshould be taken from me in such a way. "

Her hearer was almost thankful that she yielded to the inevitable rushof emotion. It gave him time to collect his wits, which had lost theirpoise when that wicked-looking little skull was, so to speak, thrustforcibly into his recollection. 

"In a word, " he said, at last, "you are Mrs. Lester's next-of-kin andprobably her heiress?"

"Yes, I suppose so, though I was not thinking of that, " came thetearful answer. 

"Yet the relationship entails certain responsibilities, " said Theydonfirmly. "You should be legally represented at the inquest. Are youraffairs in the hands of any firm of solicitors?"

"Yes-- at Oxford. I contrived to call at their office yesterday andthey recommended me to consult these people, " and Miss Beale produceda card from a handbag. Theydon read the name and address of awell-known West End firm. 

"Good, " he said. "I recommend you to go there at once. By the way, wasany one looking after Mrs. Lester's interests? Surely she had dealingswith a bank or an agency?"

"Y-- yes. I do happen to know the source from which her income came. She-- made a secret of it-- in a measure. "

"Pray don't tell me anything of that sort. Your legal adviser mightnot approve. "

"But what does it matter now? Poor Edith is dead. Her affairs cannothelp being dragged into the light of day. She had some railway sharesand bonds, some of which were left to her by her father, and otherswhich came under a marriage settlement, but the greater part of herrevenue was derived from a monthly payment made by the bank of whichMr. James Creighton Forbes is the head. "

Miss Beale naturally misinterpreted the blank stare with which Theydonreceived this remarkable statement. 

"I don't see why any one should wish to conceal a simple matter ofbusiness like that, " she said nervously. "May I explain that I have animpression, not founded on anything quite tangible, that Mr. Forbeswas largely interested in the syndicate which sent Arthur Lester toChina, so it is very likely that the payment of an annuity, orpension, to Arthur's widow would be left in his care. I do not know. Iam only guessing. But that matter, and others, can hardly fail to becleared up by the police inquiry. "

Theydon recovered his self-control as rapidly as he had lost it. Heglanced at the clock-- 10:15. Within half an hour, or less, Miss Bealewould be on her way to Scotland Yard. He must act promptly anddecisively, or he would find himself in a distinctly unfavorableposition in his relations with the Criminal Investigation Department. 

"I happen to be acquainted with Mr. Forbes, " he said, strivingdesperately to appear cool and methodical when his brain was seething. "Would you mind if I just rang him up on the telephone? A few wordsnow might enlighten us materially. "

"O, you are most helpful, " said the lady, blushing again with timidgratitude. "I am so glad I summoned up courage to call on you. I wasterrified at the idea of going to the Police Headquarters, but I shallnot mind it at all now. "

Soon Theydon was asking for "00400, Bank. " He had left the door of hissitting room open purposely. No matter what the outcome, he no longerdared keep the compact of silence into which he had entered withForbes. But the millionaire was not at his office. In response to avery determined request for a word with some one in authority, "on amatter of real urgency, " the clerk who had answered the call brought"Mr. Forbes's secretary, " a Mr. Macdonald, to the telephone. 

"It is important, vitally important, that I should speak with Mr. Forbes within the next few minutes, " said Theydon, after giving hisname and address. "Do you expect him to arrive soon? Or shall I tryand reach him at Fortescue Square?"

"Mr. Forbes will not be here till midday, " came a voice with apronounced Scottish intonation. "I'm doubtful, too, if ye'll catch himat home. Can I give him a message?"

"Do you know where he is?"

"Well, I cannot say. "

"But do you know?"

"I'll be glad to give him a message. "

"It will be too late, then. Please understand, Mr. Macdonald, that Iam making this call at Mr. Forbes's express wish. It is, as I havesaid, vitally important that I should get in touch with him withoutdelay. "

Scottish caution was not to be overcome by an appeal of that sort. 

"I cannot go beyond what I have said, " was the reply. "If you like toask at his house--"

"O, ring off!" cried Theydon, who pictured the secretary as a lankyhollow-cheeked Scot, a model of discretion and trustworthiness, nodoubt, but utterly unequal to a crisis demanding some measure ofself-confident initiative. In reality, Mr. Macdonald was short andstout, and quite a jovial little man. 

After an exasperating delay, he got into communication with the Forbesmansion in Fortescue Square. 

"I'm Mr. Frank Theydon, " he said, striving to speak unconcernedly. "IsMr. Forbes in?"

"No, sir. "

"Is that you, Tomlinson?"

"Yes, sir. "

"Can you tell me where I can find Mr. Forbes at once?"

"Isn't he at his office, sir?"

"No. He will not be there till 12 o'clock. "

A pause of indecision on Tomlinson's part. Then, a possible solutionof the difficulty. 

"Would you care to have a word with Miss Evelyn, sir?"

"O, yes, yes. "

Theydon blurted out this emphatic acceptance of the butler'ssuggestion without a thought as to its possible consequences. He wasracking his brain in a frenzy of uncertainty as to how he should framehis words when he heard quite clearly a woman's footsteps on theparquet flooring, and caught Evelyn Forbes's voice saying toTomlinson: "How fortunate! Mr. Theydon is the very person I wished tospeak to, but I simply dared not ring him up. "

The slight incident only provided Theydon with a new source ofwonderment. Why should Evelyn Forbes want speech with him at thatearly hour? Perhaps she would explain. He could only hope so, andtrust to luck in the choice of his own phrases. 

"That you, Mr. Theydon?" came the girl's voice, sweet in its cadenceyet ominously eager. "How nice of you to anticipate my unspokenthought! I have been horribly anxious ever since I read of that awfulaffair at Innesmore Mansions. That poor lady's flat is next door toyours, is it not?"

"Yes, but--"

"O, you cannot choke off a woman's curiosity quite so easily. You see, I happen to know that Mrs. Lester's sad death affects my father insome way, and I realize now that you two were just on pins and needlesto get rid of me last night so that you might talk freely. "

"Miss Forbes, I assure you--"

"Wait till I've finished, and you will not be under the necessity oftelling me any polite fibs. You men are all alike. You think the giddyfeminine brain is not fitted to cope with mysteries, and that is whereyou are utterly mistaken. A woman's intuition often peers deeper thana man's logic. I--"

"Do forgive me, " broke in Theydon despairingly, "but I am really mostanxious to know how and where I can get a word with your father. Iwould not be so rude as to interrupt you if I hadn't the best ofexcuses. Tell me where to find him now, and I promise to give you acall immediately afterward. "

"He's at the Home Office. "

"At the Home Office!"

Some hint of utter bewilderment in Theydon's tone must have reachedthe girl's alert ear. 

"Ah! Touché!" she cried. "Now will you be good and tell me why Dadshould receive a little ivory skull by this morning's post?"

Theydon knew that he paled. His very scalp tingled with anapprehension of some shadowy yet none the less affrighting evil. Buthe schooled himself to say, with a semblance of calm interest:

"What exactly do you mean, Miss Forbes?"

She laughed lightly. Theydon was so flurried that he did not realizethe possibility of Evelyn Forbes being as quick to mask her realfeelings as he himself was. 

"Dad and I make a point of breakfasting together at nine o'clock everymorning, " she said. "We were talking about you, and he told me of thedreadful thing that happened to Mrs. Lester. I was reading the accountof the tragedy in a newspaper, when I happened to glance at him. Hewas going through his letters, and I was just a trifle curious to knowwhat was in a flat box which came by registered post. He opened itcarelessly and something fell out and rolled across the table. Ipicked it up and saw that it was a small piece of ivory, carved withextraordinary skill to represent a skull. Indeed, it was so clever asto be decidedly repulsive. I was going to say something when I sawthat the letter which was in the same box had alarmed him so greatlythat, for a second or two, I thought he would faint. But he can bevery strong and stern at times, and he recovered himself instantly, was quite vexed with me because I had examined the ivory skull, andforbade my going out until he had returned from the Home Office. Tomlinson and the other men have orders not to admit any one to thehouse, no matter on what pretext, and I'm sure the letter and itsnasty little token are bound up in some way with Mrs. Lester's death. Won't you let me into the secret? I shan't scream or do anythingfoolish, but I do think I am entitled to know what you know if itaffects my father. "

A sudden change in the girl's voice warned Theydon of a restraint ofwhich he had been unconscious hitherto. He tried to temporize, towhittle away her fears. That was a duty he owed to Forbes, who wasclearly resolved not to take his daughter into his confidence-- forthe present, at any rate. 

"I really fail to see why you should assume some connection betweenthe crime which was committed here on Monday night and the arrival ofa somewhat singular package at your house this morning, " he saidreassuringly. 

"Like every other woman, I jump at conclusions, " she answered. "Whyshould this crime, in particular, have worried my father?Unfortunately, the newspapers are full of such horrid things, yet hehardly ever pays them any attention. No, Mr. Theydon, I am notmistaken. He either knew Mrs. Lester, and was shocked at her death, orsaw in it some personal menace. Then comes the letter, with itsobvious threat, and I am ordered to remain at home, under a strongguard, while he hurries off to Whitehall. You have met my father, Mr. Theydon. Do you regard him as the sort of man who would rush off in apanic to consult the Home Secretary without very grave and weightyreasons?"

"But you can hardly be certain that a wretched crime in thiscomparatively insignificant quarter of London supplies the actualmotive of Mr. Forbes's action, " urged Theydon. 

The girl stamped an impatient foot. He heard it distinctly. 

"Of course I am certain, " she cried. "Why won't you be candid? Youknow I am right-- I can tell it from your voice, and your guarded wayof talking--"

An inspiration came to Theydon's relief in that instant. 

"Pardon the interruption, " he said, "but I must point out that both ofus are acting unwisely in discussing such matters over the telephone. Really, neither must say another word, except this-- when I have foundyour father I'll ask his permission to come and see you. Perhaps wethree can arrange to meet somewhere for luncheon. That is absolutelythe farthest limit to which I dare go at this moment. "

"O, very well!"

The receiver was hung up in a temper, and the prompt ring-off jarreddisagreeably in Theydon's ear. If he was puzzled before, he wasthoroughly at sea now. But he took a bold course, and cared not a jotwhether or not it was a prudent one. 

The mere sound of Evelyn Forbes's voice had steeled his heart andconscience against the dictates of common sense. Let the detectivesthink what they might, the girl's father must be allowed to carrythrough his plans without let or hindrance. 

"Miss Beale, " said Theydon, gazing fixedly into the sorrow-laden eyesof the quiet little lady whom he found seated where he had left her, "I'm going to tell you something very important, very serious, something so far-reaching and momentous that neither you nor I canmeasure its effect. You heard the conversation on the telephone?"

"I heard what you were saying, but could not understand much of it, "said his visitor in a scared way. 

"I have been trying to communicate with Mr. Forbes, but his daughtertells me that the murder of your niece seems to have affected him in amanner which is incomprehensible to her, and even more so to me, though I am acquainted with facts which her father and I havepurposely kept from her knowledge. Mr. Forbes has gone hurriedly tothe Home Office. I suppose you know what that means? He is about togive the Home Secretary certain information, and it is not for you orme to interfere with his discretion. Now, if you tell the ScotlandYard people what you have told me, namely, that Mr. Forbes was theintermediary through whom Mrs. Lester received the greater part of herincome, he will be brought prominently into the inquiry. You see that, don't you?"

"Yes. I suppose that something of the sort must happen. "

"Well, I want you to suppress that vital fact until we know more aboutthis affair. It will not be for long. Each of us must tell our storywithout reservation at some future date-- whether this afternoon, ortomorrow, or a week hence, I cannot say now. But I do ask you to keepyour knowledge to yourself until I have had an opportunity ofconsulting Mr. Forbes. I undertake to tell you the exact position ofmatters without delay, and I accept all responsibility for my presentadvice. "

"I know little of the world, Mr. Theydon, " said Miss Beale, rising, and beginning to draw on her gloves, "but I shall be very greatlysurprised if you are advising me to act otherwise than honorably. Ishall certainly not utter a word about Mr. Forbes at Scotland Yard. When all is said and done, my statement to you was largely guesswork. You must remember that I have never seen Mr. Forbes, nor hardly everheard his name except in connection with public matters in the Press. O, yes. I make that promise readily. I trust you implicitly!"

 CHAPTER VI

 CLOSE QUARTERS

Theydon escorted Miss Beale downstairs. As they passed the closed doorof No. 17, the lady shivered. 

"To think that within the next few days I would have been stayingthere with Edith, and planning evenings at the theater before going toNewquay!" she murmured; there was a pitiful catch in her voice thattold better than words how the remainder of her existence would bedarkened by the tragedy. 

At best she was a shrinking, timid little woman, for whom lifeprobably held but narrow interests. Such as they were, their placidcontent was forever shattered. The death of her niece had closed theone chief avenue leading to the outer world. She would retire to thequiet back-water of Iffley, to become more faded, more insignificant, more lonely each year. 

Theydon commiserated with her deeply and did not hesitate to utter histhoughts while putting her into a cab. 

"Have you no friends in London?" he inquired. "I don't like the notionof sending you off alone into this wilderness. London is the worstplace in the world for any one in distress. The heedless multitudeseems to be callous and unsympathetic. It isn't, in reality. It simplydoesn't know, and doesn't bother. "

"I used to claim some acquaintances here, but I have lost track ofthem for years, " she said. "In any event, I shall have more thanenough to occupy my mind today. The inquest opens at three o'clock, and I must face the ordeal of identifying Edith's body. The detectivetold me that this should be done by a relation, while the only otherperson who could act-- Ann Rogers-- has been nearly out of her mindsince yesterday morning. "

"Where are you staying?"

She mentioned a small hotel in the West End. 

"I used to go there with my people when I was a girl, " she added, sadly. 

"Then I'll get my sister to call. You'll like her. She's a jolly goodsort, and a chat with another woman will be far more beneficial thanthe society of detectives and lawyers and such-like strange fowl. Keepyour spirits up, Miss Beale. Nothing that you can say or do now willrestore the life so cruelly taken, but you and I, each in our own way, can strive to bring the murderer to justice. I am convinced that adistinct step in that direction will be taken this very day. You cancount on seeing or hearing from me as soon as possible after I havediscussed matters with Mr. Forbes. Meanwhile, don't forget to have alawyer representing you at the inquest. "

They parted as though they were friends of long standing. Theydon wasgenuinely sorry for this gray-haired woman's plight, and she evidentlyregarded him as a kind-hearted and eminently trustworthy young man. Hestood and watched the cab as it bore her off swiftly into themaelstrom of London. He could not help thinking that seldom had he metone less fitted for the notoriety thrust upon all connected with amuch-talked-of crime. 

When the press interviewers, the photographers, the hundred and oneofficials with whom she must be brought in contact, were done withher, poor Miss Beale would retire to her Oxfordshire nook in a stateof mental bewilderment that would baffle description. In one of hisbooks Theydon had endeavored to depict just such a middle-agedspinster confronted with a situation not wholly unlike that which nowfaced Miss Beale. 

He smiled grimly when he realized how far fiction had wandered fromfact. The woman of his imagination had acted with a strength ofcharacter, a decisiveness, that outwitted and confounded certainscheming personages in the story. How different was the reality! MissBeale, rushing across London in a taxi, reminded him of nothing moremasterful than a cage-bird turned loose in a tempest. 

He was about to reenter the mansions, meaning to telephone to both theFortescue Square house and the Old Broad Street offices, and ask forinstant news of Mr. Forbes in either locality. He was so preoccupiedthat he failed to notice an approaching taxicab, though the driver wassignaling, and even tooted a motor horn loudly in the endeavor toattract his attention. 

He did, however, catch his own name, and halted. 

"Beg pardon, sir, but you are Mr. Theydon, aren't you?" said the man. 

Then Theydon recognized Evans, the taxidriver, who had brought himfrom Fortescue Square. 

"Hullo!" he cried. "Any news of the gray car?"

"Yes, sir, I think so, " was the somewhat surprising answer. "When Idropped you last night I got a fare to Euston. Then I took a gentlemanto the Langham, an', as I felt like a snack, I pulled into the nearestcab rank. I was having some corfee an' a sandwich when I 'appened tospeak about the gray car to one of ahr chaps. 'That's odd, ' he said. 'Quarter of an hour ago I had a theater job to Langham Plice, an' agray landaulette stopped in front of the Chinese Embassy. It kem alongfrom the east side, too. ' He didn't notice the number, sir, so theremay be nothink in it, after all, but I thought you might like to hearwot my pal said. "

"Was the car empty? Did it call for some one at the Embassy?"

"That's the queer part of it, sir. I axed pertic'ler. This gray carbrought a gentleman, a small, youngish man, 'oo skipped up the Embassysteps like a lamplighter, and went in afore you could s'y 'knife. 'Somebody might ha' bin watchin' for him through the keyhole, the doorwas opened that quick. Then the car went off. My friend wouldn't ha'given a second thought to it if the gentleman hadn't vanished like ajack-in-the-box. That's w'y he remembered the color of the car. "

Theydon tried to look as though Evans's statement merely puzzled him, whereas his mind was already busy with the extraordinary coincidenceswhich the haphazard events of a few hours had produced. Was the FarEast bound up in some mysterious way with Mrs. Lester's death? Did thecrime possess a political significance? If so, an explanation byForbes was more than ever demanded. 

"Your informant was not mistaken about the Chinese Embassy, Isuppose?" he said. 

"No, sir. He's always in that district. His garage is at the back ofGreat Portland Street. He knows most of them there Chinks by sight. "

"Then that gray car can hardly have been our gray car, " commentedTheydon, deeming it wise to prevent the sharp-witted taxi-driver fromjumping at conclusions. 

"I'm afraid not, sir. Still, I just took the liberty--"

"I'm very much obliged to you, of course. I said half-a-crown, didn'tI? Here you are. Keep an eye open for XY 1314 and let me know if youhear or see anything of it. "

"Thank you, sir. " Then Evans lifted his eyes to the block ofbuildings. "A nasty business this murder which was done 'ere the othernight, sir, " he went on. "One 'ud hardly b'lieve it possible for suchthings to tike plice in London nowadays. "

Much as he was disinclined for gossip of the sort at the moment, Theydon saw that he must endeavor to dissociate the gray car and thecrime from their dangerous juxtaposition in the man's mind, so hespoke about Mrs. Lester's attractive appearance, harped on theapparent aimlessness of the deed, hinted darkly at clews in thepossession of the police, and finally got rid of the well-meaningchauffeur. Back he went to his telephone, and having ascertained thatMr. Forbes was fully expected to put in an appearance at the cityoffice before noon, settled down to read the newspapers. 

They contained sensational but fairly accurate accounts of thetragedy. One enterprising journal had published an interview withBates, whom the reporter described as "a typical British man-servant, "which was amusing, since Bates had "retired noncommissioned officer"written all over his square frame and soldierly features. 

The same journalist spoke of Theydon himself, and had even ferretedout the fact that Mrs. Lester was the widow of an English barristerwho had died at Shanghai. On reaction, Theydon saw that there wasnothing unusual in this statement. The connection between themetropolitan press and the bar is old and intimate, and scores ofjunior barristers must remember Arthur Lester's beginnings. 

Resolved to possess his soul in patience till twelve o'clock, the hourbeing yet barely 11:30 a. M. , Theydon tackled a page of reviews, sincethere is always consolation for a writer in learning at second handwhat sheer drivel others can produce. 

He was growling at the discovery that some hapless essayist hadappropriated a title which he himself had marked down for his nextbook, when the door-bell rang. He did not give much heed, because somany tradesmen called during the course of each morning, so he wassurprised and startled when Bates announced:

"Mr. Forbes to see you, sir. "

Had a powerful spring concealed in the seat of his chair been releasedsuddenly, Theydon could not have bounced to his feet with greaterspeed. Forbes came in. He was pale, but self-contained and clear-eyed. 

"Forgive an unceremonious visit, " he said. "I'm glad to find you athome. I meant to arrive here sooner, but I was detained on business ofsome importance. "

By this time Bates had closed the door; Theydon explained his presencein the flat by saying that within a few minutes he would have beentelephoning again to Old Broad Street. 

"Ah! Did you speak to Macdonald?" said Forbes, dropping into a chairwith a curious lassitude of manner which did not escape Theydon. 

"Yes. I have been most anxious to have a word with you--"

Forbes broke in with a short laugh. 

"You would get nothing out of Macdonald, " he said. "He knows that myvisits to the Chinese Embassy are few and far between and generallyhave to do with-- but what is it now? Why should you be so perturbedwhen I mention the Chinese Embassy?"

Theydon was literally astounded, and did not strive to hide hisagitation. But he was by no means tongue-tied. Now, most emphatically, was he determined to have done with pretense. Whether by accident ordesign, Forbes had placed himself with his back to the window. 

The younger man deliberately crossed the room, pulled up the blind, thus admitting the flood of light which comes only from the upperthird of a window, and sat down in such a position that Forbes wascompelled to turn in order to face him. 

"Before you utter another word, Mr. Forbes, " he said gravely, "let metell you that in my efforts to trace your whereabouts I also called upFortescue Square. Miss Forbes came to the telephone. She said you hadgone to the Home Office. By some feminine necromancy, too, she divinedthe link which binds you with the death of Mrs. Lester. She wasdistressed on your account, and I was hard put to it to extricatemyself from the risk of saying something which I might regret. I--"

"What do you imply by that remark?" interrupted Forbes, piercing theother with a look that was strangely reminiscent of his daughter'scandid scrutiny. 

"I imply the serious fact that I know who visited Mrs. Lester beforeshe met her death. I not only heard her visitor's arrival anddeparture, but saw him at the corner of these mansions while on my wayhome from Daly's Theater, and again when he posted a letter in thepillar box on the same corner. If such unwonted interest on my part inthe movements of one who was then a complete stranger surprises you, let me remind you that only a few minutes earlier I had stood by hisside at the door of the theater and heard him telling his daughterthat he intended to walk to the Constitutional Club. "

Forbes smiled, but uttered no word. His expression was inscrutable. His pallor reminded Theydon of the tint of ivory, of that waxen-whiteDutch grisaille beloved of fifteenth century illuminators ofmanuscripts. His silence was disturbing, almost irritating, his mannersingularly calm. 

These negative indications conveyed absolutely nothing to Theydon, whofor the second time in their brief acquaintance found himself in theridiculous position of one explaining a fault rather than, as heimagined, arraigning a man under suspicion. 

"So we had better dispense with ambiguities, Mr. Forbes, " he went on, speaking with a precision that sounded oddly in his own ears. "It wasyou who called on Mrs. Lester on Monday night, you who posted theletter she wrote to Miss Beale at Iffley, Oxfordshire, you for whomthe police are now searching. I have contrived thus far to keep yoursecret, but the situation is passing out of my control. I would helpyou if I could--"

"Why?"

The monosyllable, sharp and insistent, was disconcerting as theunexpected crack of a whip, but Theydon answered valiantly:

"Because of the monstrous absurdities with which Fate has plagued meduring the past two days, I appeal now for outspokenness, so I set anexample. Had it not been for your daughter's remarkably attractiveappearance I should not, in all likelihood, have given a second glanceat my neighbors on the steps of the theater. But I cannot forget thatI did see both her and you-- indeed, Miss Forbes herself recalled theincident-- and the close questioning of the Scotland Yard men who werehere last night showed me the folly of imagining that I could deny allknowledge of you. I recognize now that some impish contriving ofcircumstances forced this knowledge upon me. The sudden downpour ofrain, and the fact that I was delayed by a slight accident to my cab, conspired with the apparently simple chance which led me to overhearthe conversation between Miss Forbes and yourself. I tried hard tobaffle the detectives--"

"Again I ask 'Why?'"

Theydon was rapidly being wound up to a pitch of excited resentment. 

"Why?" he cried. "Was I not your guest? How could I come from a housewhere I had been admitted to a delightful intimacy and tell therepresentatives of the law that my host was the man they were lookingfor?"

During some seconds Forbes bent his eyes on the floor, seemingly indeep thought. 

"Theydon, " he said at last, looking up in his direct way, "I am yoursenior by a good many years-- am old enough, as the saying goes, to beyour father. I may venture, therefore, to give you a piece of soundadvice. Pack a kit-bag, catch the afternoon boat train for Boulogne, and go for a walking tour in Normandy and Brittany. When I was yourage and a junior in a bank I had to take my holidays in May; each yearI tramped that corner of France. I recommend it as a playground. Itwill appeal to your literary instincts, and it has the immeasurableadvantage just now of being practically as remote from London as theSahara. "

It must not be forgotten that Theydon was a romancer, an idealist. The"lounge suit" of the modern tailor hampers the play of such qualitiesno more than the beaten armor of the age of chivalry. 

"If my departure for France will relieve Miss Forbes of anxiety onyour behalf, I'll go, " he vowed. 

Forbes regarded him with a new interest. 

"I believe you mean that, " he said. 

"I do. "

"But I cannot send you out of the country on a false pretense. It wasyour safety and well-being, not my daughter's, that I was thinkingof. "

"What have I to fear?"

"I do not know. I am like a man wandering by night in a jungle alivewith fearsome beasts and reptiles. "

"Yet you had some reason for suggesting my prompt departure. "

"Yes. It is an absurd thing to say, but I believe I am putting you indanger of your life by coming here this morning. "

"Can't you speak plainly, Mr. Forbes? What good purpose do you serveby holding forth these vague terrors? If, as Miss Forbes told me, youhave visited the Home Office, I take it you made yourself clear to theauthorities-- assuming, that is, you went there in connection with theamazing conditions which seem to be bound up with this crime. "

"There is a certain class of knowledge which is in itself dangerous tothose who possess it, no matter whether or not it affects them in anyparticular. I recommend you, in good faith, to leave London today. "

"If my own safety is the only consideration I refuse as readily as Iagreed before. "

Theydon's tone grew somewhat impatient. He really fancied that Forbeswas trifling with him. Indeed, a queer doubt of the man's completesanity now peeped up in him. Forbes was regarded as a crank by a largesection of the public on account of his peace propaganda; if thatopinion were justified why should he not be eccentric in otherrespects?

It was fantastic, almost stupid, to look upon him as responsible forMrs. Lester's murder, but there was always a possibility that he mightbe utilizing the chance which led him to her apartments shortly beforethe crime was committed to cover himself and his movements with a veilof spurious mystery. In a word, though Theydon had likened hisvisitor's face to a mask of ivory he had momentarily forgotten theominous token found on Mrs. Lester's body and duplicated in Forbes'sown house by the morning's post. 

Forbes spread wide his hands with the air of one who heard, but wasallowing his thoughts to wander. When next he spoke it was only toincrease the crazy inconsequence of their talk. 

"Later-- perhaps today-- perhaps it may never be necessary-- I mayexplain myself to your heart's content, " he said slowly. "At present Iam here to ask a favor. In the first place, is Mrs. Lester's flat incharge of the police?"

"I suppose so, " said Theydon. 

"Is there a detective or constable on duty there now?"

"I am not sure. I imagine there is not. When the Scotland Yard men andI came out after midnight they locked the door and took away the key. The-- er-- body is at the mortuary, awaiting the opening of theinquest at three o'clock. "

"Ah! I hoped that would be so. Can you ascertain for certain?"

"But why?"

"Because I wish to go in there. And that brings me to the favor Iseek. The secretary of these flats, even the hall porter, should havea master key. Borrow it on some pretext. They will give it to you. "

"Really, Mr. Forbes--" gasped Theydon, voicing his surprise as apreliminary to a decided refusal. He was interrupted by the insistentclang of the telephone-- that curt herald which brooks no delay inanswering its demand for an audience. 

"Pardon me one moment, " be said. "I'll just see who that is. "

The inquirer was Evelyn Forbes. 

"I've waited patiently--" she began, but he stopped her instantly bysaying that her father was with him. 

"Please ask him to come to the phone, " she said. 

Forbes rose at once. He merely assured the girl that he was engaged inimportant business and would be home soon after the luncheon hour. Meanwhile, she was not to go out, and his orders must be obeyed to theletter. 

"Now, Theydon, " he said, coming back to the sitting room, "what aboutthat key?"

The most extraordinary feature of an extraordinary case was the way inwhich the mere sound of Evelyn Forbes's voice stilled any qualms ofconscience in Theydon's breast. He knew he was acting foolishly inconducting a blind inquiry on his own account, an inquiry which mightwell arouse the anger and active resentment of the police, but heoffered a sop to his better judgment by consulting Bates. 

Then came a veritable surprise. 

"The fact is, sir, " admitted Bates nervously, "we have Ann Rogers'skey in the kitchen. When she went away on Monday she left it here, bein' afraid of losin' it. Of course, she took it on Tuesday mornin', and after goin' from one fit of hysterics into another she gev it tous again. "

Theydon's face was eloquent of the serious view of this avowal. 

"Did you tell the police?" he said. 

"No, sir. My missus an' me clean forgot all about it. "

"So, while Mrs. Lester was being killed, the key of her flat wasactually in your possession?"

"I suppose it might be put that way, sir. "

By this time Theydon was becoming exasperated at the veritableconspiracy which fate had engineered for the express purpose, apparently, of entangling him in an abominable crime. 

"Why on earth didn't you mention such an important fact to thedetectives?" he almost shouted, "Don't you see they are bound tothink--"

"O, a plague on the detectives and on what they think!" broke inForbes imperiously. "It doesn't matter a straw what they think, andvery little what they do. This affair goes a long way beyond thefour-mile radius, Theydon. The vital point is that your man has thekey. Where is it? Let us go in there at once!"

"You offered me some advice, Mr. Forbes, " said Theydon firmly. "Let menow return it in kind. If you wish to examine Mrs. Lester's flat whynot seek the permission of Scotland Yard?"

"My good fellow, I have spent a valuable hour this morning inpersuading the Home Secretary that the less Scotland Yard interferesin my behalf the more effectually shall I be protected. I don't wantany detective within a mile of my house or office. But, as I have toldyou already, explanations must wait-- You, Bates, look a man who canhold his tongue. Do so, and with Mr. Theydon's permission I'll make itworth your while when this storm has blown over-- Now, give me thatkey. "

Theydon was silenced, if not convinced. He realized, of course, thathe must make a full confession to the Criminal InvestigationDepartment before the sun went down, but argued that he might as wellsee the present adventure through. 

Soon he and Forbes were standing at the door of No. 17. Forbes curbedhis impatience sufficiently to permit of any one who happened to be inthe interior answering the summons of the electric bell. Of course, noone came. The police had no reason to remain in charge of the place, and Ann Rogers would have become a raving lunatic if left alone therefor one half-hour. 

The aromatic odor of the burnt joss stick still clung to the suite ofapartments, and Forbes noticed it at once. 

"Where was the body found?" he asked. 

Theydon led the way to the bedroom. He related Winter's theory of thecrime, and pointed out its seeming aimlessness. So far as the policecould ascertain from the half-crazy servant, none of Mrs. Lester'sjewels was missing. Even her gold purse, containing a fair sum ofmoney, was found on the dressing-table. 

He did not know that the detectives had taken away a few scraps oftorn paper thrown carelessly into the grate and had carefully gatheredup a tiny snake-like curl of white ash from the tiled hearth, which, on analysis, would probably prove to be the remains of the joss stick. 

Forbes gazed at the impression on the side of the bed as though thebody of the woman whom he had last seen in full possession of hergrace and beauty were still lying there. The vision seemed to affecthim profoundly. He did not speak for fully a minute, and, when speechcame, his voice was low and strained. 

"Tell me everything you know, " he said. "The Scotland Yard men took anunusual step in admitting you to their conclave. They must have hadsome motive. Tell me what they said, their very words, if you canrecall them. "

Theydon was uncomfortably aware of a strange compulsion to obey. Hiscommonplace, everyday senses cried out in revolt, and warned him thathe was tampering dangerously with matters which should be left to thecold scrutiny of the law, but some subconscious instinct overpoweredthese prudent monitors, and he gave an almost exact account of histalk with Winter and Furneaux. 

Then followed questions, eager, searching, almost uncanny in theirprescience. 

"The little one-- who strikes me as having more brains than I creditthe ordinary London policeman with-- spoke of the evil deities ofChina. How did such an extraordinary topic crop up?"

"In connection with the joss stick. "

"Yes, yes. But I don't see the inference. "

"Mr. Winter alluded to the habit some ladies have of burning suchincense in their houses, whereupon Furneaux remarked that the Chineseuse them to propitiate harmful spirits. "

"Was that all?"

Theydon felt insensibly that his companion was hinting at somethingmore definite, but he was bound in honor to respect the confidencereposed in him. 

"I don't quite understand, " he temporized. 

"Was nothing said as to the finding of some object, such as a smallarticle obviously Chinese in origin, which might turn an inquirer'sthought into that channel?"

"The conversation I am relating took place the moment after we hadentered the flat. We were standing in the hall. It was wholly theoutcome of the strange smell which was immediately perceptible. "

Forbes passed a hand over his eyes. 

"I wonder, " he breathed. 

Then, turning quickly on Theydon, he repeats the question. 

"Are you quite sure they did not mention the discovery in this room ofany object which could be regarded, even remotely, as a sign or symbolleft by the murderer to show that his crime was an act of vengeance, or retaliation?"

Theydon hesitated. Unquestionably he was in a position of no ordinarydifficulty. But his doubts were solved by an interruption that broughthis heart into his mouth, because a thin, high-pitched voice camethrough the half-open door:

"Are you thinking of a small ivory skull, Mr. Forbes?"

 CHAPTER VII

 WHEREIN MR. FORBES EXPLAINS HIMSELF

Even the boldest may flinch when confronted with that which isapparently a manifestation of the supernatural. Theydon and Forbeswere standing in a chamber of death. To the best of their belief theywere alone in an otherwise empty flat, and those ominous words comingfrom some one unknown and unseen blanched their faces with terror. 

But Theydon was a healthy and athletic young Englishman, and Forbeswas of the rare order which combines a frame of exceptional physiquewith a mind accustomed to think imperially; two such men might betrusted to display real grit if surrounded by a horde of veritablespooks. 

The door was thrown wide as they turned at the sound of the words, andTheydon recognized in a strange little figure-- wearing a blue sergesuit, a straw hat and brown boots-- Furneaux, the man whom he hadlooked on as somewhat of a crank and visionary during their talk ofthe previous night. 

"You?" he gasped, and the note of recognition was sharpened by asudden sense of dismay, almost of alarm, because of the overwhelmingknowledge that now all his scheming had collapsed, while therepresentatives of Scotland Yard would regard him as nothing more thana poor sort of trickster. 

But Forbes was not in the habit of yielding to any man, no matter whathis status, or howsoever awe-inspiring might be the department ofstate which he represented. 

"Who the devil are you, at any rate?" he cried angrily. "And whatright have you to spy on gentlemen in this manner, listening to theirconversation, and breaking in with a cheap stage effect obviouslyintended to startle?"

Furneaux remained motionless, his feet set well apart and his handsthrust into his trousers pockets. The trim, natty figure, the spruceand Summer-like attire, the small, wizened face with its cynicallyhumorous and wide-awake aspect-- above all, a certain jauntiness ofair and cocksure expression-- certainly did not suggest a comedianfresh from the boards. 

"You tell, " he said, nodding to Theydon. 

"This is Mr. Furneaux of Scotland Yard, " said the latter nervously. Heimagined he could detect in Furneaux's glance a mixture of amusementand contempt, amusement at the notion that any amateur should harborthe belief that the two best men in the "Yard" could be egregiouslyhoodwinked, and contempt of one who so far forgot himself as even todare attempt such a thing in relation to a police inquiry into amurder. 

"I don't know, and care less, who Mr. Furneaux of Scotland Yard maybe, " went on Forbes hotly. "I resent his intrusion, and wish to berelieved of his presence. "

"Why?" said Furneaux. 

"I have given my reasons to the Home Secretary. That mere statementmust suffice for you. "

"Really, I must ask you to be more explicit. "

"I visited the Home Office this morning, and placed such evidence inthe hands of the Home Secretary that Scotland Yard will be requestedto suspend all further investigation into the death of Mrs. Lester. "

"Do you mean that the Home Secretary has sanctioned the breaking offof this inquiry. "

"In the conditions--"

"Because, if that is what your words imply, Mr. Forbes, I may tell youat once that I don't believe you. It is more than any Home Secretarydare do, and if you harbor any lingering doubts on the point, go toMr. Theydon's telephone, ring up the Home Office, and tell thegentleman at the other end of the wire exactly what I have said. Ofcourse you really don't mean anything of the sort. By virtue of somespecial and inside knowledge of certain facts communicated to the HomeSecretary, you may have persuaded him to promise that, provided theends of justice are not defeated thereby, every precaution will betaken to keep the main lines of the inquiry secret until the wholeposition can be laid before the law officers of the Crown. The HomeSecretary may have gone that far, Mr. Forbes, but not one inchfarther, and you know it. "

The two antagonists, so singularly disproportionate in size, were yetso perfectly matched in the vastly more important qualities of brainand nerve that the contest lost all sense of inequality. Theydon felthimself of no account in this duel. He was like an urchin watchingopen-mouthed a combat of gladiators. 

Forbes, not without a perceptible effort, choked down his wrath andrecovered his poise. 

"You have gaged the state of affairs accurately enough, " he said, speaking more calmly. "May I, then, recommend you to consult yourdirect superiors before carrying your investigations any furthur, Mr. --"

"Furneaux-- Charles Francois Furneaux. "

"Just so, Mr. Charles Francois Furneaux. "

"I give you my full name, because one of the peculiar features of thiscase is the inability of some persons mixed up in it to recall names, or even the mere salient facts, " and the detective's glance dwelt foran instant on Theydon, who, again, in his own estimation, shrank intothe boots of a fourth-form boy detected by a master in an overt breachof college rules. 

But the little man was speaking impressively, and, Theydon compelledhis wandering wits to pay attention. 

"It will clear the air, perhaps, " went on Furneaux, "if I point outthat if any one here is playing the spy-- carrying on some underhandedgame, that is-- it is not I. These apartments are in charge of thepolice. The manager of the whole block of flats and the porter of thisparticular section have been warned that no one can be allowed toenter No. 17, on any pretext, until our inquiry is closed. Now, Mr. Forbes, kindly explain how you contrived to get possession of a key. "

An experienced man of the world like Forbes could hardly fail to seethat he was in a false position, and that any persistent attempt tobrowbeat the detective would not only meet with utter failure butmight possibly compromise him gravely. 

"That was a simple matter, " he said. "Mrs. Lester's servant left herkey in Mr. Theydon's establishment. Bates surprised both his masterand me by producing it when I expressed a wish to examine the place. "

"But why adopt such a clandestine method?"

Forbes's face, usually so classic in outline, assumed a certainrigidity, and his firm chin grew markedly aggressive. 

"I don't answer questions put in that way, " he said. 

Furneaux laughed sardonically. 

"You meet with greater respect in Capel Court, I have no doubt, " hesnapped. "There you stand on a pedestal, with one hand flourishing acheck-book and the other resting gracefully on the neck of a goldencalf. Here, you are simply an ordinary citizen behaving in asuspicious manner. If the uniformed policeman on the neighboring beatknew what I know of your recent movements he would arrest you withoutceremony, and charge you with being concerned in the murder of Mrs. Lester. Between you and Mr. Theydon, the work of my department hasbeen hindered and burked most scandalously. Don't glare at me likethat! I don't care tuppence for your millions and your socialposition. What I do care about is the horrible risk you and eachmember of your family are incurring. You know why, and while you arestill alive I mean to force you to speak. Tell me now why Mrs. Lesterwas killed. Tell me, too, why the same hand which thrust a littleivory skull into the dead woman's underbodice caused a similar tokento be delivered to you by this morning's post. Ah, that touches you, does it? Now, my worthy financier and philanthropist, step down fromyour pedestal and behave like a being of flesh and blood!"

Forbes positively wilted under that extraordinary attack. His whiteface grew wan, and his eyes dilated with surprise and terror. Thedetective's words seemed to have the effect of a paralytic shock. Thenceforth he was under dog in the fight. 

"How do you know, " he gasped, "that I received an ivory skull thismorning? Have you been to my house? Did my daughter tell you?"

Furneaux chuckled. 

"You're ready to listen, eh? Well, I don't mind telling you that Ihave not stirred out of this flat since seven o'clock this morning, and I question if your letters were delivered in Fortescue Square atthat hour. "

"I give in, " said Forbes curtly. "Need we remain here? The smell ofthat cursed joss stick oppresses me. "

Then Theydon found his tongue. 

"If Mr. Furneaux cares to abandon his vigil, my flat is entirely atyour disposal, " he said. 

"My vigil, as you accurately describe it, has ended for the timebeing, " said Furneaux, apparently mollified by the millionaire'ssurrender. "I was sure that if I remained here long enough I wouldclear away some of the fog attached to a case which promises to be oneof the most remarkable I have ever investigated. Come, gentlemen, letus be amiable to one another. I'm sorry if I lost my temper just now, but I regard myself as being the only detective in existence who usesother sections of his brain than those governed by statutes made andprovided, and it riles me when men of superior intelligence likeyourselves treat me as though my mission in life was to direct thetraffic and keep a sharp eye on mischievous juveniles. .. . Mr. Theydon, can that soldier-servant of yours make coffee?"

"His wife can, " said Theydon. 

"Will you be good enough, then, to set her to work? Thus far, sincethe sun rose, I have stayed the pangs of hunger with an apple and aglass of water. "

By this time, Theydon had thoroughly revised his first estimate of thediminutive detective. Indeed, he was beginning to look on him as aquite noteworthy person, a man whose mental equipment it was mostunwise to assess at any lower valuation than the somewhat exalted onewhich Furneaux himself had set forth with such refreshing candor. 

As for Forbes, the millionaire seemed to have sunk into a species ofstupor since Furneaux spoke of the ivory skull. He uttered no worduntil the three were seated in Theydon's room, and his expression wasso woebegone that it stirred even the mercurial Jerseyite to pity. 

"I imagine that a cup of coffee will do you also a world of good, " hesaid. Then, whirling round on Theydon, he stuck a question into him asif each word was a stiletto. 

"Where do you get your coffee?"

"At the grocer's, " was the surprised answer. 

"Is that all you know about it?"

"Yes. "

"Singular thing, isn't it?" mused the detective aloud, "how idioticmen and women can be in their attitude to the supreme things of life. What is of greater importance than the food we eat and the liquors wedrink? Through them the body reconstitutes itself hourly and daily. Providence gives us a perfect engine, yet we clog and choke its shaftsand cylinders by supplying it haphazard with any sort of fuel andlubricant, no matter how unsuited either may be to its purpose. Takecoffee, for instance. The physiological action of coffee depends onthe presence of the alkaloid caffeine, which varies from 0. 6 percentin the Arabian berry to 2 percent in that of Sierra Leone. Again, thearomatic oil, caffeine, which is developed by roasting, increases inquantity the longer the seeds are kept. Unfortunately, coffee beanslose weight during storage, so you have a clear commercial reason whygrocers should not sell the best coffee, unless under compulsion of anenlightened public opinion. Now you, Mr. Forbes, would never dream ofputting your money into a investment without full and careful inquiryinto the history and scope of the proposed undertaking, while ouryoung friend here would snort furiously at a split infinitive or afalse rhyme, yet, when I submit the vital problem of the sort ofcoffee you imbibe-- the very essence and nutriment of your brains andbodies-- you hear the kind of answer I receive. "

All this, of course, was excellent fooling, intended to dispel thebrooding horror which had suddenly descended upon Forbes since it wasborne in on him that the demoniac wrath wreaked on Mrs. Lester was nowdirected with equal ferocity against his family and himself. 

To an extent, Furneaux's scheme succeeded. A gleam of interest shotfrom the millionaire's eyes. They lost their introspective look. Heeven smiled wistfully. 

"You are a man after my own heart, Mr. Furneaux, " he said. "I had noidea that the Criminal Investigation Department employed philosophersof your caliber. I suppose that you and I are about to swallow coffeecontaining indeterminate percentages of the chief constituents younamed. "

"One does not look at gift coffee in the cup, " grinned the little man, obviously well pleased with himself. "But, if ever you two gentlemenfavor my obscure dwelling with a visit, and partake of a meal, youwill have a strict analysis with every bite and sup. There is a grocerin Battersea who used to tremble at sight of me. Now he has learnedwisdom, and has quadrupled his trade by publishing learneddisquisitions on the nature and quality of each principal article hesells. You ought to read his treatise on butter. He is an authority onthe dietetic value of jam. The nutritive properties of his cheese areruining the local butchers. "

Furneaux's efforts were rewarded when the really excellent beverageprovided by Mrs. Rates was disposed of. Forbes seemingly atoned forhis earlier secretiveness by placing every fact in his possessionfully and fairly before his auditors. 

"Nearly seven years ago, " he said, "I made a very large sum of moneyby amalgamating certain shipping interests at a favorable moment. Thus, as it happened, I had at command practically unlimited resourceswhen I was asked to finance the cause of reform in China. The wretchedlot of the Chinese Nation had always appealed to my sympathies. Somehundreds of millions of the most industrious and peace-loving peoplein the world have been exploited for centuries by a predatory caste. Given a chance to expand, freed from the shackles of the Manchus, theChinese, in my opinion, contain the elements which go to form a greatrace. But the Manchus held them in bondage, body and soul, and, sopowerful is self-interest, there has never been an Emperor orstatesman who strove to elevate the masses who was not mercilesslyassassinated as soon as he allowed his intent to become known. Theonly path to freedom lay through revolution, and I had reason tobelieve that the ruling faction could be overthrown by awell-organized and properly financed movement without the appallingbloodshed which often accompanies such dynastic changes. At any rate, I entered the conspiracy, heart and soul. But I met with twodifficulties at the outset. I could not exercise efficient financialcontrol in London, and I could neither go and live in the Far East nortransact my business through ordinary banking channels. So I had tofind a substitute, and my choice fell on a rising young barristernamed Arthur Lester, whom I had known since he was a boy who hadmarried the daughter of an old friend. He had a taste for adventure, and was alive to the magnificent career which lay before one whohelped materially in the rebirth of China. In a word, he went toShanghai as my agent, and the outcome of his work there is the presentChinese constitution. Of course, as holds good in all human affairs, events did not follow the precise track mapped out for them. But, onthe whole, he and I were satisfied. China is awake at last. The gianthas stirred, and, if his first uncertain steps have deviated from theopen road of reform, he will never again sink into the torpor of thepast centuries. Manchu arrogance and domination, at any rate, areshadows of the past, but unhappily, the conquerors who have been soeffectually thrust aside have now embarked on a secret campaign ofvengeance and reaction. A society which calls itself the 'YoungManchus' is inspired by one principle, and one only, and that is'death to the reformers. ' I don't suppose you gentlemen follow closelythe trend of affairs in China, but you must have read of theassassinations of prominent men reported occasionally in thenewspapers. "

Furneaux clicked his tongue so loudly that Forbes stopped speaking andlooked at him, thinking, apparently, that the little detective meantto say something. He did, but it was Theydon whom he addressed. 

"I'd give a week's pay if Winter was here now, and I could see thosebig eyes of his bulging out of his head, " he cackled. 

Theydon nodded. He understood perfectly. Then he caught Forbes'sinquiring glance, and explained matters. 

"Mr. Furneaux hinted last night at some such development as that whichyour present statement conveys, and his colleague, Mr. Winter, pretended to scout it, " he said. 

"Pretended!" shrieked Furneaux, instantly in a rage. 

"That was how it struck me, " said Theydon coolly. 

"Didn't I drag the Chinese aspect of the crime out of him withpincers?" came the indignant demand. 

"Unquestionably. I only remark that your large-sized friend had ittucked away all the time at the back of his head. "

Furneaux pounded the table so viciously that the cups rattled. 

"Of course, he has a nose to smell joss sticks, and eyes to see anivory skull, but didn't he say I was talking nonsense when I spokeabout Shang Ti scowling from a porcelain vase?" he shrilled. 

"Yes. For all that, I don't think he missed the least hint of yourmeaning. "

Furneaux gazed at Theydon fixedly. 

"Sorry, " he said, with an acid tone that was almost malicious. "Iimagined you were so busy throwing dust in our eyes that you wouldn'thave noticed such fine shades of perception on Winter's part. "

But Theydon was now able to measure this strange little man with somedegree of accuracy; he only smiled. 

"As a thrower of dust I was a most abject failure, " he said. 

Furneaux smiled and turned to the millionaire. 

"Pardon the interruption, " he said. "Like every artist, I am painedwhen my best efforts are scoffed at by heedless mediocrity. You, atleast, will understand what a big thing it was to deduce even thevaguest outline of the truth from the facts at my command. "

"I certainly do, " agreed Forbes. "Until this morning I was convincedthat Mrs. Lester's death removed the one person in England who knew ofmy connection with the revolution in China. To revert to the YoungManchus-- they have secured far more victims than the world at largeis aware of. I am sure that they poisoned Arthur Lester, and his wifeheld the same view. They aim at nothing less than the extinction ofthe democratic cause by the murder of every prominent man connectedwith it. But they never yet have been able to obtain a full andauthentic list of the reform leaders. They suspected poor Lester ofcomplicity in the movement, and killed him. It was through Mrs. Lesterthat I first became aware of their existence as an activeorganization, and I hoped that when she had returned to England, andwas living quietly in London, she would be lost sight of-- ignored, infact. Nevertheless, both she and I thought it prudent that ouracquaintance should cease until the turmoil in China had subsided. Forthat reason I never visited her, nor did I permit the growth offriendship between her and my wife and daughter-- a friendship which, in happier conditions, would have been natural and inevitable. But wewere woefully mistaken. An Oriental vendetta neither slackens nordies. By some means wholly unknown to me, the Young Manchus must havediscovered, or guessed, that in leaving Lester's widow out of theirreckoning they had lost a promising clew. Be that as it may, theyfollowed her to London, and, by a singular fatality, I was the firstto know of it. Last Monday, while driving home from the city, my carwas held up in Piccadilly for a few seconds. Looking idly out at thepassing crowd, I saw a Chinaman in European clothes. He was waiting tocross the road, so I was able to scrutinize him carefully, and, owingto a scar on the left side of his face, recognized him. His name isWong Li Fu, a Manchu of the Manchus, a mandarin of almost imperiallineage. Some years ago he was a young attaché at the Chinese Embassyhere. Suddenly, while on the way to my house, I recollected thatcertain members of the Revolutionary Committee had spoken of this veryman as being one of the ablest and most unscrupulous adherents of theManchu faction in Pekin. Somehow, his presence in London wasdisconcerting and menacing. Who more likely than he, I argued, to be aleading spirit among the Young Manchus? In any event, London was notbig enough to hold both Mrs. Lester and him, and I decided to visither that very night, tell her I had seen Wong Li Fu, and advise her togo away into the country, leaving no record of her whereabouts. Ihappened to be taking my daughter to Daly's Theater, and contrived toslip away on some pretext after the performance. I found Mrs. Lesteralone in her flat, and she fell in with my views at once, because she, too, had heard of this very man, and the mere sound of his nameterrified her. I was half inclined to urge that she should go to anhotel for the night, but the lateness of the hour and the seeming factthat if danger threatened she was safe at least till the morrow, prevented me. "

Furneaux, sitting on the edge of a chair, his head bent forward, hispiercing black eyes intent as those of a hawk, a hand resting on eachknee, his attitude curiously suggestive of a readiness to springforward at any instant, now leaned over and tapped the millionairedecisively on the shoulder. 

"You couldn't have saved her, Mr. Forbes, " he said gravely. "She wasmarked down as the first warning. Didn't the letter you received thismorning tell you something of the sort?"

Agitation gave place to utter astonishment in Forbes's face. 

"In Heaven's name, how do you know anything of any letter?" he cried. 

"I will tell you later. But am I not right?"

"Yes, you are. "

"Where is it? May I see it?"

Forbes took a creased and soiled document from a small, flat cardboardbox which he carried in the breast pocket of his coat. But first hewithdrew from the box a little object, and placed it on the table. Itwas an ivory skull, and the very presence of such a sinister tokenbrought some hint of the charnel-house into the cozy and sunlit room. 

Furneaux, a creature oddly constituted either of all nerves or of nonerves, disregarded the skull. He had eyes only for the few wordstyped on a single sheet of note-paper. They ran:

"James Creighton Forbes: If you are willing to come to terms, announcethe fact by advertisement in Thursday's Times. Address your reply toY. M. , and sign it 'J. C. F. ' Yield, and you will hear further. Refuse, and no other warning will be given. "

 CHAPTER VIII

 THE FIRST COUNTER-STROKE

Furneaux apparently made up his mind with reference to the contents ofa somewhat enigmatic message after one quick, unerring perusal. 

"The man who wrote that took a great many things for granted, " hesaid. "He assumed, firstly, that you knew of Mrs. Lester's death andunderstood its significance; secondly, that you are aware of thenature of the 'terms' he will offer; thirdly, that you may hesitatebetween compliance and threatened death. 'Y. M. , ' of course, can beread as 'Young Manchus. ' Even there, the writer exhibits artisticreticence. .. . Frankly, Mr. Forbes, I wish you had come straight toScotland Yard on Monday evening instead of wasting those precioushours at Daly's Theater. "

Forbes was moved to energetic protest. 

"How was I to deduce the true nature of these hell hounds' missionfrom a casual glance vouchsafed of one who may or may not be theirleader?" he cried. 

"Yet you treated your discovery as serious enough to warrant a promptvisit to the woman with whom association was dangerous?"

"Yes; I wanted to act secretly. "

"Just so. You were afraid the police would bungle the job. Between youand Mr. Theydon, you have exhibited remarkable skill in heading us offthe scent. Fortunately, we were able to dispense with your assistance, having other matters to occupy our brains. You two were ripe nutswaiting to be cracked and have the contents extracted at leisure. There were a few freshly broken shells lying about which invitedimmediate attention. For instance, some four months ago, a well-knownand reputable firm of private inquiry agents was instructed fromCanton to secure all possible information about Mrs. Lester and you--yes, you, Mr. Forbes-- your household, friends, methods of living, servants, tradesmen, -- every sort of fact, indeed, which might beuseful to a thoroughgoing and well-organized society of cutthroatslike the Young Manchus. The inquiry agents did their work well, andwere handsomely paid for it. I haven't the least doubt that Wong Li Fuknows what brand of cigars you favor, and what you eat for breakfast. His informants sent us a copy of their notes an hour after the murderwas announced in the newspapers. Mr. Lester is 'removed' in Shanghai. His widow comes home. The inquiry agents receive instructions. Theyforward their report to Canton, and Wong Li Fu turns up in London. Theprogram is a tribute to the excellence and regularity of the mailservice between England and the Far East. "

While the detective was speaking, Forbes's face, already haggard, hadgrown desperate. 

"I care little for my own life, " he said, "but I shall stop short ofno measures to protect my wife and daughter. "

"I certainly recommend that an armed guard should be on duty day andnight in any house where you may happen to be living at the moment, "replied Furneaux airily. "I really think that if your safety alonewere at stake I would do you a good turn by arresting you onsuspicion. "

"On suspicion of what crime?"

"Of killing Mrs. Lester, to be sure. "

"I regard you as a clever man, Mr. Furneaux, so may I remind you thatthis is neither the time nor the place for a display of gross humor?"

Theydon expected that Furneaux would flare into anger at thiswell-deserved rebuke; but, much to his surprise, the detective treatedthe matter argumentatively. 

"Personally, I have looked on you from the outset as an innocent man, "he said placidly. "But, just to show how circumstantial evidence maybe twisted into plausible error, let me point out that nearly all theknown facts conspire against you. Have you considered how dexterouslya prosecuting counsel would treat your admission that Mrs. Lester wasthe one person in England who knew of your connection with therevolutionary party in China? And how would you set about convincing astolid British jury that you were acting in the interests of law andorder in concealing your visit to No. 17 on the night of the murder?These fine-drawn speculations, however, are a sheer waste of breath. Suppose we concoct an advertisement for the Times?"

"Do you mean that I am to parley with these ruffians?"

"Of course you are. "

"But the Home Secretary agreed with me that no action should be takenuntil the Chinese Legation had considered the matter. "

"And, pray, what can the Legation do?"

"They have their own sources of information. When all is said anddone, Orientals are best fitted to deal with Orientals. "

Furneaux laughed sarcastically. 

"If I remember rightly, the way in which the Chinese Embassy dealtwith one of your pet reformers some years ago did not win generalapproval. No, Mr. Forbes, we must try and circumvent the wily Chineseby other methods than torture and imprisonment. Of what avail will itbe if this fellow, Wong Li Fu, is laid by the heels? Isn't it morethan certain that he has plenty of determined helpers? Do you imaginethat he killed Mrs. Lester? Not a bit of it. He will be able toproduce the clearest proof that he was miles away from InnesmoreMansions on Monday night. Now, let's see how we can get him to showhis hand a little more openly. How would this be? 'Y. M. -- Terms canbe arranged. J. C. F. ' The terms are, of course, that the whole gangbe hanged or sent to penal servitude and deported. "

"One moment, " struck in Theydon. "I have something to say before youdecide on any definite action. I need hardly inflict on you, Mr. Furneaux, an explanation of my silence hitherto. I don't evenapologize for it. Faced by a similar dilemma tomorrow I shouldprobably take the same line. But, to adopt your own simile, now thatMr. Forbes has come out of his shell, and admits his presence here onMonday night, my self-imposed restrictions cease. In the first place, then, Miss Beale came here this morning--"

"Excellent! I wondered who the lady was, " put in Furneaux. 

"And, secondly, the gray car which pursued me on Monday seems to havebeen partly identified later. A car resembling it in every detaildeposited some one at the Chinese Legation in Portland Place, at anhour which corresponds closely with its presence here. "

"Ah, that is important! I like that! I wasn't far wrong when I sensedyou as an absolute carrier of clew-germs in this affair, " criedFurneaux. 

"The Chinese Embassy!" gasped Forbes. "What car? And why should anycar pursue you? Do you mean that you were followed on leaving myhouse?"

It was lamentable to watch the inroad which each successive shock wasmaking on Forbes's physical resources, but Theydon affected to ignorethe new fright in his eyes, and told him what had happened. Althoughhe could see that Furneaux was in a fever of impatience to learn thelater news, he thought that Forbes should know the facts in view ofthe remarkable statement that he had visited the Chinese Embassy thatmorning. 

In one respect, the recital was a test of the millionaire's professedreadiness to deal candidly with the police. Theydon was half inclinedto believe that the other was still wishful to conceal that part ofthe day's doings. But he was mistaken. When he had finished his ownstory, and given the taxi-man's version of the gray car's appearancein Portland Place, Forbes threw out his hands in a gesture of despair. 

"If the Embassy people are playing me false I do not know whom totrust, " he said brokenly; "I have just come from there, and theyassure me that if Wong Li Fu and his gang are in London they areabsolutely ignorant of the fact. "

"Pooh!" cried Furneaux, snapping a thumb and forefinger. "Don't worryabout that! Put yourself in the position of the Chinese Ambassador. Hecan't even guess who may be the ruler of China from one day toanother. Yesterday it was an old woman, today a dictator, tomorrow themob; who can foretell what shape the lava erupted from a volcano willtake? Bet you a new hat, Mr. Forbes, that the minute the embassy heardof Mrs. Lester's murder they put two and two together and kept a sharpeye on these mansions and on your house. That gray car is nothing morenor less than a red herring accidentally drawn across the trail. Somecute Chinaman said 'Hallo! that murdered woman is the wife of Forbes'sagent in Shanghai. Now, let's see what Forbes is doing, and who visitshim, and perhaps we'll learn something. ' Want a bet?"

Forbes could not help but recover some of his shattered nerve in viewof the detective's airy optimism. Still, he was shaken and dubious. 

"Don't forget that the Chinese Ambassador has no knowledge whatsoeverof my share in the revolution, " he said. 

"And don't forget that for ways which are dark and tricks which arevain the heathen Chinee is peculiar, " retorted Furneaux. "How can yoube sure that there is not in the Embassy at this moment a fullstatement of your payments into the reformers' funds, as well as thelist of conspirators which our friend Wong Li Fu is in search of?"

"I think that such a thing is almost impossible. "

"Is there anything really impossible? We used to believe that once aman was dead he could not be brought to life again. A Frenchman hasjust demonstrated that by a judicious application of galvanism to theheart and salt water to the veins any average corpse can be revived. "

Evidently Furneaux was enjoying himself. He sat there, absorbing newimpressions and irradiating scraps of irrelevant knowledge in a waythat would have been full of significance to Winter had he beenpresent. Furneaux was never so mercurial, never so ready to jump fromone subject to another, as when his subtle brain was working at highpressure. 

He actually reveled in a crime which lay on the borderland of theexotic and the grotesque. Like the French philosopher in Poe's "Talesof Mystery and Imagination, " the savant who read his newspaper in adingy Paris room, and solved by sheer force of intellect extraordinarycriminal problems which baffled the shrewdest official minds, he feltin relation to this particular tragedy that he required only to bebrought in touch with certain contingent forces bound up with it--Forbes, for instance, and, in a minor degree, Theydon-- and in duecourse he would be able to go forth and find the master wrongdoer. 

Suddenly the millionaire seemed to cast off the cloak of despair whichclogged his energies and impaired his brilliant intellect. He rose tohis feet and involuntarily squared his shoulders. 

"Surely we are wasting valuable hours which should be given toaction, " he cried. "I am going to the city and shall arrange for aprolonged absence from my office. Then I'll hurry home, perfect mydefenses, and defy these murderous curs. My wife must come to London. In a crisis like this I must have my loved ones under my own personalsupervision. I can still shoot straight and quick, and woe betide anyman, white or yellow, who enters my house unbidden. As for thisinfernal symbol-- !"

He raised a clenched fist, and would have pounded into fragments thethin fabric of the ivory skull still lying where he had placed it onthe table had not Furneaux snatched it into safety. 

"No, no!" protested the detective. "I want that for purposes ofcomparison. Kindly give me that typed note, too, Mr. Forbes. It maybear finger-marks. You never can tell. The cardboard box in which itwas posted also. Thank you. Now, a few more questions before you go. How much money did you provide for the revolutionaries?"

"Two millions sterling. "

"As a gift or a loan?"

"If they failed, I lost every farthing, of course. If they succeeded, I was to recoup myself by financing the new government. "

"But I gather that they have neither failed nor succeeded. China has aconstitution, but the Presidential election was conducted on linessuspiciously akin to those recently adopted in Mexico. "

"Nevertheless negotiations are now on foot for a big loan. "

"If you died, what would become of the two millions?"

"They would be lost irretrievably. "

Furneaux sat back in his chair. 

"That gives one furiously to think, " he said. "The gray car comes backinto the picture. "

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. But I'll tell you what-- the man who first spoke of aChinese puzzle as a metaphor for something downright bewildering knewwhat he was talking about. "

Forbes put a hand to his forehead in an unconscious gesture ofhopelessness. 

"My brain is reeling, " he muttered. "To think that in the London oftoday we should live in abject terror of a band of Mongolian ruffians!Why do you remain here, man? You vaunt the prowess of yourdepartment-- why are you not scouring every haunt of Chinamen in theEast End? Spread your net widely enough, and you will surely get holdof some minor scoundrel who will talk for fear or money. Bribe him tothe point where he cannot refuse to speak. Wong Li Fu is the only manI fear. Put him where he can accomplish no mischief, and the rest ofhis crew will be powerless!"

"When you come to count up the achievements of my friend Winter andmyself-- in the face of stupid but none the less dishearteningobstacles-- we have not done so badly in two days, " said Furneauxcomplacently. 

"Can I drive you anywhere? My car is waiting. "

"No, thanks. The truth is, Mr. Forbes, I look on you as a disturbinginfluence. A man who can talk as calmly as you about dropping twomillions on a crazy project to introduce Western methods into China isnot fitted for the phlegmatic and judicial atmosphere of ScotlandYard. If I want any money I'll come to you. If not, and all goes wellat No. 11 Fortescue Square, the next time I'll trouble you will bewhen you are asked to identify Wong Li Fu, dead or alive. "

Forbes seemed hardly to be aware of Furneaux's words. He went out. Theydon accompanied him, and, as they descended the stairs together, the older man said brokenly:

"It is my wife and daughter for whom I fear. I can hardly control mysenses when I think of these yellow fiends contemplating vengeance onme through them. Theydon-- do you believe in that detective? He iseither a vain fool or a genius. By the way, I forgot to ask him how hefound out that I had received the warning delivered by this morning'spost. "

"I'll try and worm an explanation out of him. If he tells me I'lltelephone you later. He is an extraordinary creature, but abnormallyclever at his work, I am sure. For my own part, I feel disposed totrust him implicitly. I wish you had met his colleague, ChiefInspector Winter. He is the sort of man whose mere presence inspiresconfidence. "

Forbes halted on the step of the automobile and glanced at his watch. 

"I shall be home in an hour, " he said. "After that I shall not stirout all day. Telephone me if you have any news. Why not dine with ustonight?"

Theydon's eyes sparkled. He was longing to meet Evelyn Forbes oncemore, but a wretched doubt diminished the glow of gratification whichthe prospect brought. Should he, or should he not, tell the girl'sfather of the rather indiscreet admissions she had made during theirbrief talk that morning?

That minor worry, however, was banished suddenly and forever. Furneaux, taking the three steps which led from entrance hall topavement with a flying leap, cannoned right into Forbes, whom hegrasped with both hands, quite as much by way of emphasis as to checkthe impetus of his diminutive body. 

"In with you!" he piped. "Tell your chauffeur to obey my orders, nomatter what they are!"

Action, determination, were as the breath of the millionaire'snostrils. He aroused himself instantly. 

"You hear, Downs!" he said to the chauffeur. 

Downs was one of those strange beings who have been evolved by the ageof petrol, an automaton compounded, seemingly, of steel springs andleather. He had long ago lost the art of speech, having cultivateddelicacy of hearing and quickness of sight at the expense of all otherhuman faculties. The old-time coachman possessed a certain fluentjargon, which enabled him to chide or encourage his horses andexchange suitable comments with the drivers of brewers' drays andmarket carts, but the modern chauffeur is all an ear for the rhythm ofmachinery, all an eye for the nice calculation of the hazards of theroad fifty yards ahead. 

At any rate, Downs mumbled something which resembled "Yes, sir, "Forbes sprang in and slammed the door, Furneaux raced round the frontof the car and perched himself beside Downs, and the heavy automobilewas almost into its normal stride before it had traveled twice its ownlength. 

Theydon was left gaping on the pavement. He saw that the car turnedwest, and caught a glimpse of Furneaux's outstretched hand withforefinger pointing like the barrel of a pistol. 

"Fool!" he cried, in bitter self-apostrophe. "Why didn't I jump inafter Forbes? Now I am out of the hunt! I wonder what the deuceFurneaux saw or heard?"

That concluding thought sent him back to the flat, two steps at atime. 

"Bates!" he shouted. "Has Mr. Furneaux used the telephone, or did anyone ring up?"

"No, sir, " said Bates, coming hurriedly at that urgent call. "Fustthing I knew was he was tearin' out, an' runnin' downstairs like mad. "

"O, double-distilled idiot that I am!" growled Theydon again. "Whydidn't I go with them!"

As though the gods heard his plaint and meant to crush him with theiranswer, the telephone bell sounded at his elbow. Mechanically, helifted the receiver off its hook, and immediately became aware ofTomlinson's voice, with some element of flurry and distress in itsunctuous accents. 

"That you, Mr. Theydon?" said the butler. 

"Yes. "

"Have you had any news of Mr. Forbes, sir?"

"Yes. He has just left me. "

"Ah, if only I had known, and had given you a call before ringing upthe city!"

"What is it? Can I do anything?"

"It's Miss Evelyn, sir. "

"Yes, what of her?"

"She's gone, sir. "

Theydon's heart apparently stopped for a second, and then raced madlyinto tumultuous action again. 

"Gone! Good Lord, man, what do you mean?" he almost groaned. 

"A telegram came from Mrs. Forbes, at Eastbourne, saying she was illand wanted Miss Evelyn. I tried all I knew to persuade Miss Evelyn towait until she had spoken to her father, but she wouldn't listen-- shejust threw on a hat and a wrap, and took a taxi to Victoria. "

Some membrane or film of tissue which might have served hitherto toshut off from Frank Theydon's cheery temperament any real knowledge ofthe pitfalls which may beset the path of the unwary seemed in thatinstant to shrivel as though it had been devoured by flame. 

He knew, how or why he could never tell, that the girl had been drawninto the plot which had already claimed so many victims and sought somany more. All doubt vanished. He spoke and acted with the swiftcertainty of a man tackling an emergency for which he had preparedduring a long period of training and expectation. 

"Mr. Forbes may arrive at any moment, Tomlinson, " he said. "Tell hisoffice people to let you know if he goes first to the city. When youhear from or see him, say that I have either accompanied or followedMiss Evelyn to Eastbourne. If I do not catch the same train I shalltake prompt measures in other respects. Got that?"

"Yes, sir. "

It was easy to distinguish the relief in Tomlinson's utterance, reliefmingled, doubtless, with astonishment that a comparative strangershould display such an authoritative and prompt interest in the familyaffairs. 

"That is all. Write down my message, lest you omit any part of it. "

Theydon rang off. 

"Come!" he said to Bates, who had not retired to his den, but waslistening, discreet yet rabbit-eared, to these queer proceedings. Followed by the manservant, he darted into the sitting room and didseveral things at once. 

He unlocked a drawer and took from it a considerable sum of moneywhich he kept there for emergency journeys, also pocketing anautomatic pistol. Pouncing on an A B C time table, be looked up thetrains for East-bourne. A fast train left Victoria at 1:25 p. M. Thehour was now 1:05. 

Meanwhile he was talking. 

"Bates, " he said, "I promised Miss Beale, the lady who came here thismorning, that my sister, Mrs. Paxton, would visit her this evening, say about six. Miss Beale is staying at Smith's Hotel, Jermyn Street. Go to Mrs. Paxton, and see her, waiting at her house if she happens tobe out. Tell everything you know about Mrs. Lester's death, and askher to take care of Miss Beale this evening. She will understand. I'llwire her at Smith's Hotel before the dinner hour, if possible. Ifanybody calls here, I leave it to your discretion and your wife'swhether or not they should be informed of my movements. Mr. Forbes orthe police, of course, must be told everything. Miss Forbes isprobably in the 1:25 p. M. Train for Eastbourne, and I am going withher. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. "

"I'll wire or 'phone you later. "

Grabbing a straw hat and a bundle of telegraph forms, Theydonvanished, not even waiting to slam the outer door. Bates, who had seenservice, knew that men in time of stress and danger acted just likethe detective and his own employer. 

"By Jingo!" he muttered, beginning to assemble the empty coffee-cupson a tray. "Things is wakin' up here, an' no mistake!"

Theydon was fortunate in finding a taxicab depositing a fare at aneighboring block. Just before he reached the vehicle a gentlemanhurried out of the building and forestalled him. Theydon dashed up, and caught the other man by the arm. 

"My need is urgent, " he said. "Let, me have this cab. "

The stranger smiled good-humoredly. He was an American and had not theleast objection to being hustled by a Britisher; indeed he ratherappreciated this exhibition of haste as a novel experience. 

"I'm on a hair-trigger myself, " he said, pleasantly. "I want to makeVictoria pretty quick. Can I give you a lift?"

"In with you!" cried Theydon. "Now, cabby, half a sovereign if you getus to Victoria, Brighton line, in 15 minutes. I'll pay all fines. "

Then they were off, and the Trans-Atlantic cousins were banged againstone another as the cab whirled round in a sharp semicircle. 

"Say!" cried the American, "this reminds one of home. I've been here aweek, an' had a kind of notion that London air was half fog, halfdope. But you're awake all right. Bet you a five spot you're after agirl!"

"I pay, " said Theydon, his eyes glistening. "And such a girl! Herportrait on the paper wrap of a 50-cent novel would sell it inmillions!"

"Gee whiz! Is it like that? Go right ahead, Augustus! Never mind me. Take this old bus all the way to Paris. I'll find the fares and holdyour hat. But kindly shift that gun into your opposite pocket. You'vedug it into my thigh quite often enough. If you want to get first dropon the other fellow, shove it up your sleeve!"

 CHAPTER IX

 SHARP WORK

The American's easy-going badinage provided the best sort of tonic. Theydon laughed as be transferred the pistol from one pocket to theother. 

"My motto is 'Defense, not Defiance, '" he said. "I hope sincerely thatI shall not be called on to shoot, or even threaten any one. Usingfirearms, although for self-protection, is a very serious matter inthis country. May I ask your name? Mine's Theydon. I live in thosemansions we have just quitted. "

"And I'm George T. Handyside, 21, 097 Park Avenue, Chicago, " was theanswer. 

"Is that your telephone number?"

"No, sir. It's my home address. "

"Well, Mr. Handyside, if ever I come to Chicago, I'll travel alongPark Avenue and give you a call. How many days' journey are you fromthe center of the city?"

"Say, Mr. Theydon, I'm real glad to make your acquaintance. I haven'tbeen joshed in that way since I left the steamer. This little islandof yours is all right as a beauty spot, but I do wish your peoplewouldn't carry such a grouch agin' life generally. Great Scott! It'lldo 'em a heap of good to try a real chesty laugh occasionally. "

"Tell me where I can drop across you in London later in the week, andI'll see if we can't find a smile somewhere. "

The American scribbled the name of a Strand hotel on a card, whichTheydon disposed in his pocketbook, at the same time producing one ofhis own cards. 

"You'll hear from me, " he said. "Now, Mr. Handyside, pardon me for thenext few minutes. I have to write telegrams. "

The first was to Forbes, addressed in duplicate to Old Broad Streetand Fortescue Square. It ran:

"If this message is not qualified by another within a few minutes I amin the 1:25 train for Eastbourne. "

Then to Winter:

"Young lady summoned to Eastbourne by telegram stating that her motheris ill. Suspect the message as bogus and emanating from Y. M. SeeFurneaux. He will explain. Am hoping to travel by same train. Ifdisappointed will wire again immediately. -- Theydon. "

He read each slip carefully, to make sure that the phraseology wasclear. The speed at which the cab was traveling rendered hishandwriting somewhat illegible, but he thought he saw a means ofcircumventing that difficulty. 

"Which place are you going?" he inquired of his unexpected companion. 

"To a place called Sutton. "

"What time does your train leave?"

"Guess it's about 1:30. "

"You have five more minutes at your disposal than I have. Will youhand in these three messages at the telegraph office? I'll read themto you, in case the counter clerk is doubtful about any of my words. "

"Sure thing, Mr. Theydon. You've interested me. I don't care a row ofbeans if I drop out Sutton altogether. "

"I'm greatly obliged, but that is not necessary. You'll have loads oftime. We're in the Park already, and our driver has a clear run toVictoria. Now, listen!"

Mr. Handyside did listen, and pricked his ears at the mention ofScotland Yard. 

"Gosh!" he exclaimed, "this is better'n a life-line movie! For thelove of Millie, let me in by the early door! Now, how's this for aproposition? You send those telegrams, and I'll fix the cab an' buythe transportation to Eastbourne for the pair of us. I'm not heeled, but I may be useful, an' I'll jab any fellow in the solar plexus atcall. "

Theydon gazed at this self-avowed knight-errant in surprise. Handysidewas a man of forty, whose dark hair was flecked with gray. He wasquietly dressed, a wide-brimmed high-crowned hat of finely-plaitedwhite straw providing the solo note of markedly American origin in hisattire. The expression of his well-moulded features was shrewd butpleasing, and the poise of a spare but sinewy frame gave evidence ofactive habit and some considerable degree of physical strength. 

"Pon my honor, " said the Englishman. "I'm half inclined to take you atyour word, except in the matter of expenses, which, of course, I mustbear. You see, if my services are called for, and prove effective, Imay need help. "

"Go right ahead, " said the other calmly. "Tell me as much or as littleas you like. Where's this place, Eastbourne? On the south coast, Iguess. "

"Yes. "

"I thought it would be. A man on the steamer asked me to come and seehim at Westgate, which is about as far east as you can go in Englandwithout wetting your feet. I'm getting the hang of things here bydegrees. Southport, of course, is away up north, and Northamptonshirein the midlands. "

Theydon grinned, but the taxi was passing Buckingham Palace, and thehour was 1:17 p. M. 

"I cannot give you any sort of an explanation now, Mr. Handyside, " hesaid. "Later in the week, perhaps, I may have a big story for yourprivate ear. All I can say at the moment is this-- I have reason tobelieve that a young lady, a daughter of Mr. James Creighton Forbes, awell-known man in the city of London, is being decoyed to Eastbournein the belief that her mother is ill. Now, I may be wholly mistaken. Her mother may be ill. If that is so, I am making this trip under adelusion. At any rate, my notion is to try and fall in with MissForbes accidentally, as it were, and watch over her until I am quitesure that she is with her mother. You follow me?"

"Seems to me, " said the American imperturbably, "it's the most naturalthing in the world that Mr. Theydon should want to show his friend, Mr. Handyside of Chicago, England's most bracing and attractiveseaside resort, if that's the right way to describe Eastbourne. "

"Both the plan and the description are admirable. "

"The plan sounds all right. As for the description I have been lookingup a selection of posters, and those seven words apply to everyhalf-mile strip of beach in the island. When it comes to a realshow-down, your poster artists have got our real estate men skinned amile. How much did you promise the taxi-man?"

"Half a sovereign. "

"Two-fifty. Gee! That's the nearest thing to New York I've struck yet. And the railway tickets-- first-class, of course?"

"Yes. "

The cab stopped. Theydon sprang out and raced to the telegraph office, where, as he anticipated, there was a slight delay. Handyside awaitedhim at the correct barrier, and together they walked down a longplatform, Theydon peering into every carriage, though convinced thatEvelyn Forbes would not travel other than first class. Thus, not beinga detective, but only a very anxious and perplexed young man, he hadeyes only for such ladies as were already seated in the train, andfailed to note the immediate interest his appearance aroused in a manwho occupied a window seat, and who was watching unobtrusively everyone who passed. Oddly enough, after the first wondering glance, thisobserver was more closely taken up with Handyside. It was as though hesaid to himself:

"Theydon I know, but who in the world is his companion, and why arethey traveling by an Eastbourne express-- today of all days?"

The train was well filled; there were only a few seconds to spare whenTheydon came across Evelyn Forbes in a compartment which held twoother passengers-- a lady and a gentleman. 

Recognition was mutual, and Theydon flattered himself that he betrayedjust the right amount of pleasurable astonishment. 

"Miss Forbes!" he cried, raising his hat. "Well, of all the unexpectedmeetings! Don't say you are going to Eastbourne!"

"But I am, " she said, and, though she smiled, her eyes were heavy withunshed tears. She was deeply attached to her mother, and the thoughtthat the loved one was too ill even to communicate with her bytelephone was distressing beyond measure. 

"Just imagine that!" went on Theydon, determined to rush his fencesand travel with her unless openly forbidden. "I'm taking an Americanfriend there for the afternoon. May we come in your carriage? Is thereroom for two?"

Now, although Evelyn Forbes had been attracted to Theydon during theirvivacious conversation overnight, she would vastly have preferred thecomparative solitude of a journey with strangers. 

Still, she could hardly refuse such a request, and common sense toldher that a pleasant chat with a man who could talk as well as Theydonoffered a better means of whiling away two and a half hours thanbrooding over the nature and extent of her mother's unknown illness. 

"There's plenty of room, " she said. 

Without further ado, Theydon entered and Handyside followed. Thecompartment held six seats, while a door led to a side corridorrunning the length of the coach. The two remaining occupants wereworthy Britons who neither invited nor received any special attention. 

Mr. Handyside was introduced, and promptly said the right thing. 

"I guess I knew what I was doing when I forced Mr. Theydon to take meout of London today, " he said, with a smile which left the girl in nodoubt as to the nature of the implied compliment. 

"But it is hardly an hour since I spoke to my father at Mr. Theydon'sflat, " she said. "Were you there, too, Mr. Handyside?"

"No, in the next block. That was the nearest I got to Mr. Theydonbefore we met and took a cab for Victoria. "

Theydon was pleased with his ally. No diplomat, trained during longyears to conceal material facts, could have headed the girl off moredeftly, while every word was literally true. 

"Ah!" she said, glancing meaningly at Theydon, "we are all the sportof fortune, then. How strange! Of course, Mr. Theydon, you don't knowwhy I am here. I have had a telegram from my mother, or one sent inher name. She has been taken ill suddenly. "

"That is bad news, " was the sympathetic answer. "If the message hasnot come direct from Mrs. Forbes may it not be rather exaggerated intone? Some people can never write telegrams. The knowledge that eachword costs a halfpenny weighs on them like a nightmare. "

As he hoped and anticipated, she produced the message itself from herhandbag. 

"This is what it says, " she said, and read: "'Mrs. Forbes ill andunable communicate by telephone. Come at once. Manager RoyalDevonshire Hotel. '" Then she added, with a suspicious break in hervoice: "That sounds serious enough, in all conscience. "

"Is it addressed to you personally?" said Theydon, racking his witsfor some means of lessening the girl's foreboding without tickling theears of the other people in the compartment by suggesting that shemight have been brought from her home by some cruel ruse of herfather's enemies. 

"Yes. "

"But isn't that somewhat singular in itself? One would imagine thatsuch a significant message would have been sent to your father. "

"Why?"

"Well, men are better fitted to withstand these shocks, for one thing. It was heartless, or, to say the least, thoughtless, to give you suchnews with the brutal frankness of a telegram. "

"I cannot understand it at all. Mother wrote this morning telling methat she was going to Beachy Head this afternoon with a picnic party, "

"I am convinced, " said Theydon gravely, "that some one has blundered. It may be the act of some stupid foreigner. I shall not be contentnow, Miss Forbes, until I have gone with you to the Royal Devonshire, and learnt what the extent of the trouble really is. Then, if Mrs. Forbes needs your presence, perhaps you will allow me to telephone toyour father, as he will be greatly disturbed when he returns home andlearns the cause of your journey. "

"But I can't think of allowing you two to break up your afternoon onmy account. I'm sure, when we reach Eastbourne, I shall see an arrayof golf clubs among your luggage. "

"No, " smiled Theydon. "My friend here refuses to play until he hasseen something of the country. He knows that the golfer's vision isbounded by the nearest bunker. "

Handyside took the cue. 

"That's the exact position, Miss Forbes, " he said. "I was warned bythe horrible experience of a friend of mine. He left Newark, N. J. , ona sightseeing tour of Europe, but unfortunately took his clubs withhim. Now, if you ask him what he thought of Westminster Abbey or theWye Valley he tells you he hadn't time to look 'em up, but that thefifth hole at Sandwich is a corker, while the thirteenth at St. Andrews has been known to restore the faculty of speech to a dumb man. You see, some poor mute had either to express his feelings or bust. "

Evidently Miss Evelyn Forbes would not be allowed to mope during therun to Eastbourne. 

As between Theydon and herself, the situation was curiously mixed. Onthe one hand, Theydon had now a remarkably close insight into theperil which threatened Forbes and each member of his family; the girl, on the other, knew well that her father was bound up in some way withthe tragedy at No. 17 Innesmore Mansions. 

Nevertheless, an open discussion was out of the question, and the twoaccepted cheerfully the limitations imposed by circumstances, so thatthe strangers in the compartment little suspected what grave issueslay behind an apparently casual meeting between a pretty girl and twomen that summer's afternoon in the Eastbourne express. 

The American played his part admirably. When not passing somecaustically humorous comment on British ways and manners he was beingeven more critical of his fellow-countrymen. 

As he himself put it, he guessed New York society was mighty likeLondon society with the head cut off, and proved his contention withmany wise saws and modern instances. 

Thus the journey south passed pleasantly enough. When they alightedthe girl reverted to the topic uppermost in her mind. 

"You gentlemen will have to look after your luggage, " she said. "I'msure you will forgive me if I hurry to the hotel. If you come there, Mr. Theydon, I'll take care that I see you at once. It is exceedinglykind of you to bother with my affairs. "

But Theydon had a scheme ready, having foreseen this very difficulty. 

"Mr. Handyside will attend to everything, " he said glibly. "Please letme come with you. I shan't have a moment's peace until assured thatMrs. Forbes is suffering from little more than a slightindisposition. "

Evelyn looked puzzled, but was willing to agree to anything so long asshe reached her mother quickly. Handyside, too, made matters easy bylifting his hat and walking off in the direction of the luggage van. 

"Well, " she said, "I really don't care what happens if only I lose notime. "

Suiting the action to the word, she hurried toward the exit, and wasmurmuring something that sounded like an apology for her seemingbrusqueness as they passed the ticket collector. Here a momentarydifficulty arose. Theydon had forgotten to ask Handyside for histicket. The girl, of course, had her own ticket, but her companion wasnot allowed to pass the barrier. He began an explanation to which abusy official paid no heed. In desperation, he produced a sovereign, and his card. 

"Here, " be said, "you can hold this as a guarantee that my ticket willbe given up. This lady has been called to the bedside of her mother, who is said to be dangerously ill, and I simply must be allowed totake her to the Royal Devonshire Hotel. "

Luckily, the railwayman had the wit to see. That this earnest-eyedpassenger was speaking the truth. 

"That's all right, sir, " he said. "We have to be very particular abouttickets, you know. "

Evelyn Forbes was a few yards in advance, and impatiently awaiting herescort, when a gentleman approached and spoke to her. 

"Miss Forbes, I believe, " he said, raising his hat. 

"Yes, " she answered breathlessly, because the man's garb suggested, before he uttered another syllable, that be was a doctor. He had acuriously foreign aspect, and spoke with a pronounced lisp. 

"I am assistant to Dr. Sinnett, " he said, "and he has sent me to takeyou to the hotel. This is his car. Will you come, quick?"

He pointed to a smart limousine drawn up near the exit, and, in hiseagerness to be polite, almost pushed the girl toward the open door. Insensibly, she resisted, and turned to explain matters to Theydon, who had just placated the Cerberus at the gate, and was running alterher. 

"Mr. Theydon--" she began. 

"There ith no time to wathe, I athure you, " said Dr. Sinnett'sassistant imperatively. At that instant Theydon came up. His temperwas ruffled, and he did not scrutinize the doctor's appearance asclosely as might be looked for in one who was actually on his guardagainst foul play. 

"What is it now?" he asked. 

"This gentleman has been sent by Dr. Sinnett to take me to the hotel, "said Evelyn. "Now, Mr. Theydon, perhaps it will be better that youwait for Mr. Handyside and come on at your leisure. "

"I'm a stiff-necked person, " said Theydon, trying to smileunconcernedly. "I've made up my mind to see you safely to yourdestination, and I refuse to leave you on any account. I am sure thedoctor will let me sit beside the chauffeur. "

Then, for the first time, he glanced at the newcomer, and was almoststupefied to discover that the man, despite his faultless professionalattire, was a Chinaman. Moreover, this Chinaman bore a livid scar downthe left side of his face, and his eyes were set horizontally, a suresign of Manchu descent, because all Southern Chinese have the obliqueMongolian eye. Though prepared for treachery of some kind, the verysimplicity of this scheme almost disconcerted him, and he blurted outthe first words that rose to his lips. 

"Is your name Wong Li Fu?"

Half unconsciously, a hand dropped to the pocket containing therevolver. For answer, he was struck a violent blow in the throat andsent sprawling. The attack was so sudden that he was nearly unpreparedfor it-- nearly, not quite, because a flicker of baffled spite in thedark eyes gave him the ghost of a warning. 

It was fortunate that he saved himself by a slight backward flinching, since he learnt subsequently that his assailant was a master of jiujitsu, and that vicious blow was intended to paralyze the nerves whichcluster around the cricoid cartilage. Had he received the punch in itsfull force he would at least have been disabled for the remainder ofthe day, while there was some chance of the injury proving fatal. 

The Chinaman instantly seized the terrified girl in an irresistiblegrip, and was about to thrust her into the automobile when a big, burly man flung himself into the fray and collared the desperado byneck and arm. 

"Stop that!" he said authoritatively. "Let go that young lady or I'llshake the life out of you!"

By this time Theydon was on his feet again, and rushing to theassistance of Chief Inspector Winter, who seemed to have miraculouslydropped from the skies at the right moment. The Chinaman, seeing thathe was in imminent danger of capture, released Evelyn, wrenchedhimself free by another jiu jitsu trick, swung the girl into Winter'sarms, thus impeding him, and leaped into the car, which made off witha rapidity that showed how thoroughly the chauffeur was in league withhis principal. 

Naturally, the people coming out from the station, reinforced by themob of semi-loafers always in evidence in such localities, gathered inscores around Evelyn Forbes and her two protectors. Such anextraordinary scuffle was bound to attract a crowd; few had seen thecommencement of the fray, because nothing could be more usual andcommonplace in a fashionable place like Eastbourne than the sight of afrock-coated and top-hatted gentleman handing a well-dressed lady intoa motor car. 

The first general intimation of something bizarre and sensational wasprovided by Theydon's fall. After that, events traveled rapidly, andthe majority of the onlookers imagined that it was Winter who hadknocked Theydon off his balance, while the rush made by the latter tointercept Wong Li Fu was actually stopped by a well-intentionedrailway porter. 

Worst of all, Theydon was quite unable to speak. He indulged invaliant pantomime, and Winter fully understood that the Chinaman'sescape should be prevented at all hazards. But the chief inspectoraccepted the inevitable. 

The limousine was equipped with a powerful engine, and the onlyvehicles available for pursuit were some ancient horse-drawn cabs. Henoted the number on the identification plate, and that was the limitof his resources for the moment. 

Moreover, Evelyn Forbes, finding herself clutched tightly by a tall, stout man whom she had never seen before, was rather more indignantthan hurt. 

Disengaging herself from the detective's hands, she looked to Theydonfor an explanation. 

"Has everybody suddenly gone mad?" she said vehemently. "What is themeaning of this? Did you know who that man was? And why did he try toforce me into the car?"

Theydon, slowly regaining his breath, stammered brokenly that he wouldmake things clear in a minute or so. Then he gasped to Winter:

"That is Wong Li Fu-- the man wanted-- at No. 17!"

"We'll get him all right, " was the grimly curt answer. "Meanwhile, areyou and Miss Forbes going to the hotel?"

Hardly less surprising than Winter's appearance on the scene was hisseeming knowledge of the purpose of their journey. 

"We must get out of this, " he went on, gazing around wrathfully at thering of curious faces. "Here, you!" he cried, singling out a policemanwho was forcing a passage through the crowd, "clear away this mob andget us a cab!"

The policeman seemed inclined to resent the masterful directions, buta word whispered in his ear when he reached Winter acted like magic, and he soon had the gapers scattered. 

A cab was called, and Evelyn Forbes was already inside when Theydonremembered the American. He looked around, but could see nothing ofhim. 

"Where is-- Mr. Handyside?" he said, still finding a good deal ofdifficulty in articulating his words. 

"Is that the man who came with you from London?" inquired Winter. 

"Yes. He's-- an American. "

"Well, he may have been scared, and made a bee-line for the States. Heis not anywhere in sight. "

"O, please, Mr. Theydon, do let us go to the hotel, " pleaded Evelyn. She was pale, and yielding to reaction after the excitement of thefracas. 

Unwillingly, since he was certain now that there was absolutely noground for the girl's alarm on her mother's account-- at any rate, sofar as illness was concerned-- Theydon entered the cab, and Winterfollowed. 

"The first thing to do, " said the chief inspector, when they were enroute, "is to assure this young lady, whom I take to be Miss Forbes, that she has probably been brought to Eastbourne by a lying telegram, and that her mother is quite well in health. Secondly, why should WongLi Fu be described as the man wanted in the Innesmore Mansionsinquiry; and, thirdly, how does Mr. Handyside come into the picture?"

"I can't-- talk-- just yet, " wheezed Theydon hoarsely. "In a fewminutes-- I'll-- tell you everything. "

Evelyn had not realized earlier that her self-appointed champion hadbeen seriously hurt. She was deeply concerned, and wanted to take himstraight to the nearest doctor. 

But he smiled and essayed to calm her fears by whispering that hewould soon be fully recovered. It was pleasant to know that he hadsucceeded in rescuing her from some indefinable though none the lessdeadly peril, yet the insistent question in his subconscious mind wasnot connected with Evelyn's escape, or the flight of her assailant, orthe mysterious presence of the chief inspector, but with the vanishingof Mr. Handyside. 

What had become of him? It was the maddest of fantasies to imaginethat he could be bound up in some way with the Young Manchus. Yet whydid he fail to turn up at the station?

Theydon could not even guess at a plausible explanation. He leanedback in the cab and closed his eyes. Really, there were times in lifewhen it would be a relief to faint!

 CHAPTER X

 CAPTURES ON BOTH SIDES

Though Theydon was in first-rate athletic trim, that blow on thethroat had nearly stunned him. The effort to rise promptly and bear ahand in the imminent capture of one whom he regarded as something akinto a homicidal maniac had imposed a further strain on his resources, and it was possible that he did actually lose his senses during acouple of seconds. 

In all likelihood, too, he changed color slightly, because the nextthing he was aware of was the note of alarm in Evelyn's voice when shecried excitedly:

"Mr. Theydon is really very ill. I'm sure we ought to try and revivehim. "

At that he reopened his eyes and looked at her whimsically. Nature, infact, had put forth a supreme effort; from that moment he recoveredrapidly. 

Winter took a calmly professional view of the younger man's collapse. 

"There's nothing to worry about, Miss Forbes, " he assured the agitatedgirl. "Our friend has just escaped being knocked insensible, if notkilled. He was hardly prepared for such a vicious attack, I fancy. Most certainly that scoundrel took me by surprise, or he would nothave slipped through my fingers like an eel. Next time, either Mr. Theydon or I may be trusted to balance matters. "

Theydon grinned and nodded. He signaled with his eyes that Winter wasto make Evelyn Forbes understand that she had just escaped being thevictim of an extraordinary outrage. Muddled as his thoughts were, hegrasped the essential fact that Scotland Yard was better posted in thesecret history of the Innesmore Mansions crime than he had given thedepartment credit for before the dramatic meeting with Furneaux thatmorning. 

And, indeed, the chief inspector lost no time in justifying thatbelief. 

"You must have imagined that the world had suddenly turnedtopsy-turvy, " he said, smiling at the mystified and distraught Evelyn, as though the whirl of events outside the station were part and parcelof the humdrum routine of life. "When Mr. Theydon regains his speechhe will tell us how he came to suspect that an attempt would be madeto kidnap you today. In my own case, intervention was the outcome ofsheer and simple logical deduction. You see, I represent the CriminalInvestigation Department-- or Scotland Yard, as it is familiarlydescribed-- and I have reason to believe that your father is, and hasbeen for some time, the object of unpleasant attentions by a politicalsociety in China, whose members are nothing more nor less thancriminal fanatics. Probably this is the first you have heard of thematter, Miss Forbes. Your father would wish, no doubt, to keep anysuch disquieting knowledge from you and your mother. But the policy ofconcealment must cease now. Today's daring attack is a warning. Otherefforts may be forthcoming. If you are to be protected efficiently thepolice must have your loyal cooperation. I admit candidly that Imyself, with all my experience, was taken off my guard a few minutesago. If Mr. Theydon had not delayed that Chinaman-- whose name he hasgot hold of from Mr. Forbes, I expect-- I don't think I could havereached you in time. "

"Is that the meaning of the little ivory skull which my fatherreceived at breakfast this morning?" said Evelyn, breathlessly. 

Winter's eyes twinkled. No question could have thrown a more vividlight into the somber depths of a crime which promised to transcend ininterest and importance any similar occurrence in Great Britain duringthe previous decade. 

"Doubtless, " he said. "Of course, I have not yet seen Mr. Forbes, butwe have a mine of information here, " and he laid a friendly hand onTheydon's arm. "So far as I am concerned, I have had your houseunobtrusively watched-- for the protection of the inmates, I hope youunderstand-- and I arranged also that anything unusual in the shape oftelegrams or telephonic messages"-- here he glanced amusedly atTheydon-- "should be communicated to the Yard. I heard, therefore, ofMrs. Forbes's sudden illness almost as soon as you did, and traveledwith you to Eastbourne, intending to reach the hotel at the same timeas you, and ascertain whether or not your mother was really ill. I sawyou on the platform at Victoria and guessed your identity. But, in myprofession, we never take anything for granted, so I left that matteruntil I could interview the hotel manager. And here we are. I adviseyou not to say a word about Mrs. Forbes being ill. If, as I firmlybelieve, you find that she is in the best of health, you can explainyour sudden visit by saying that Mr. Theydon and I have something ofimportance to communicate, which will be perfectly accurate, as I meanto urge strongly that we all return to London by the next train. "

The cab stopped. To show that "Richard was himself again" Theydon, nearest the door, opened it, got out, and helped Evelyn to alight. 

Reassured on his account, the girl smiled, and a wave of color leapedto her cheeks. Any one happening to watch their arrival would put themdown as ordinary visitors. Evelyn Forbes was just a charming youngwoman, plainly but expensively dressed; Theydon an attentive cavalier, and Winter a prosperous city man, probably with a taste for coursingand pheasant shooting. 

Subtly observant, indeed, would be the theorist who gathered fromtheir demeanor that they had just emerged practically unscathed from asituation rife with the elements of tragedy. 

Nevertheless, Winter kept a sharp eye on Theydon after Evelyn Forbeshad run up the steps of the hotel, and was relieved at seeing that hecould walk without assistance. 

"Keep nothing back, " he said under his breath as they followed thegirl with sedater pace. "These women must be frightened into completeobedience. Did Furneaux get hold of Forbes?"

Theydon nodded. 

"That's right. Don't talk. I can pretty well guess what took place. But, look here. Who's Handyside-- a mere acquaintance?"

Another nod. 

"You just contrived to pick him up, and used him as an excuse forcoming to Eastbourne? I see. That removes a troublesome pawn off thechessboard. "

"But it doesn't, " wheezed Theydon. "He ought to be here. Can't makeout-- what has become of him. "

"He will turn up-- an American, isn't he? I thought so. Theindications were slight but certain-- features, walk, figure. You canbuy clothes, but the genuine citizen of God's own country is asdistinct a type as a Highlander-- all wool and a yard wide. "

Inside the hotel they came on Evelyn Forbes talking to the manager. She hailed them at once. 

"Mother has gone to Beachy Head, " she cried. "She and her friends areexpected home about six o'clock. Shall we have some tea? There is nouse in following her. She will be starting back before we could getthere. "

"Mrs. Forbes is quite well, I hope?" put in Winter, casually. 

"Yes, sir, in the best of health, " said the manager, indicating, witha flourish of both hands, that nothing else was to be expected as tothe condition of any among the numerous patrons of the RoyalDevonshire Hotel. 

Evelyn asked that tea should be served in her mother's sitting room. When they were screened by the closed door Winter examined Theydon'sthroat. Beyond a slight swelling and external soreness, the cricoidcartilage-- known to the multitude as Adam's apple-- was seeminglyuninjured, while Theydon himself now made light of the blow, though acertain hoarseness was perceptible in his voice, and he deemed itadvisable to speak in a low-pitched tone. 

Evelyn Forbes listened with ill-repressed bewilderment while herelated the day's doings. At first, she hardly grasped thesignificance of the story, but Winter's occasional questions andcomments, and a parenthetical sentence or two introduced by Theydonfor her benefit, quickly revealed the astounding nature of the plot ofwhich her father was the chief object. 

At this crisis she displayed a self-control and reticence which wereadmirable. She seemed to realize intuitively that any gaps in therecital could be filled in later, whereas it was all-important thatthe detective should be made acquainted as speedily as possible withthe developments brought about by the morning's fuller disclosures. 

As for Winter, he was keenly interested in Furneaux's behavior at themoment of Forbes's departure from Innesmore Mansions. Glancing at hiswatch, he rose when Theydon's revelations came to an end. 

"I'll just go and ring up the Yard, " he said. "There may be news. WhenFurneaux starts off in full cry it is a wary fox that escapes him. Ionly wish you and I had traveled from Victoria in company, Mr. Theydon; Wong Li Fu would now have been in custody. However, we'll gethim. If, as I imagine, he is making for London in that car, there iseven a chance of intercepting him in the suburbs. I'll see to it. "

Left alone with Evelyn Forbes, Theydon suddenly grew tongue-tied. Thisman who could invent all manner of glib conversation for thecharacters in his novels now cudgeled his brains vainly for somethingto say that would dwell in her memory when they parted. And he knewwhy a cloud was thus effectually befogging his wits. He had only seenEvelyn three times in as many days, had spoken to her but twice, yetwas hopelessly and irrevocably in love with her. 

He, who had so often and so thrillingly described the grand passion ofa man's life, had now fallen a victim to it, only to feel howunutterably ridiculous and impossible was the wild longing that hadsprung up in his heart. Here, by his side, wistfully sympathetic andfriendly in manner, sat the "one woman in the world, " yet he feltawkward and constrained, and took refuge in a vague expression ofanxiety on behalf of Handyside, a man who at least might be trusted toextricate himself safely from the labyrinth of Eastbourne!

The girl, of course, attributed these disjointed remarks to physicalsuffering. In reality, he was contrasting her wealth and his owncomparative poverty, and bidding himself fiercely not to be a vainfool!

"Don't you think you ought to call in a doctor?" she inquired, tenderly. 

"No, no, " he hastened to assure her. "The effects of the blow arepassing rapidly. In another hour I shall hardly feel it at all. I'mafraid, Miss Forbes, " he ventured to add, "that when this piraticalgang is broken up, as certainly will be the case now that the Englishpolice are tackling it, you will associate our brief acquaintance withthe only dark days in your existence. "

"Why do you say that?" she demanded. 

"Because I am bound to admit that if I had not dined at your house onMonday evening, many, if not all, of the amazing events of the pastthirty-six hours could not have happened. "

"I don't agree with you-- not one little bit, " she protestedemphatically. "Why, the detective-man himself said that the YoungManchus have been searching ever since the beginning of the year forproof of Dad's connection with the revolutionaries, and he was candidenough to tell us that if it hadn't been for you that horrid Wong LiFu would have got me into the car. No, Mr. Theydon, our meeting hasproved most fortunate for me. Suppose I had really been captured!Would he have gagged me and taken me away to some lonely place, whereI would be kept a prisoner, or even killed?"

Theydon had no desire that her mind should dwell on such a harrowingtopic. He shuddered to think of her fate if ever she fell into thehands of the miscreants who had not scrupled to murder Mrs. Lester. She evidently regarded the crime in No. 17 Innesmore Mansions as thesequel to some political disturbance in far-off Shanghai. It had notoccurred to her that a hapless woman had been done to death merely asa warning to her father of the fate in store for him and his if he didnot yield to the demand of the reactionary party in China, and deliverover to their vengeance some hundreds of the leading men in thatdistressed country. 

"I doubt whether Wong Li Fu and his associates would have dared tooffer you any real violence, " he said. "At the worst, I suppose, theymight have retained you as a hostage. "

"A hostage for what?"

"For their claim against Mr. Forbes. "

"But what has he done? He has never been in China. "

"He is a power in the financial world. If the reform party cannotborrow money the movement will collapse. At any rate that is what theManchus believe, and they will strain every nerve to effect theirpurpose. "

"But why did they kill poor Mrs. Lester?"

Theydon felt that he was getting into deep water. This clear-sightedgirl would soon have the various threads of the enigma in her hands, and then she could not fail but discover the true meaning of EdithLester's death. 

"That phase of the problem has yet to be solved, " was his noncommittalreply. 

Winter rejoined them somewhat hurriedly. He looked puzzled and ratherirritated. 

"Furneaux has made an arrest, " he said. "A Chinaman, described as LenShi, is lodged in the cells at Bow Street, on a charge of beingconcerned in the Innesmore Mansions murder. Furneaux is out, and thatis all they know at the Yard. What I cannot understand is why noinquiry has been made by telephone or otherwise concerning MissForbes's flight to Eastbourne. "

The words had hardly left his mouth when the bell of a telephone onthe table jangled. The coincidence was so peculiar that Winterlaughed. 

"Some other person shares my opinion, I fancy, " he said. "May Ianswer, Miss Forbes?"

"Please do, " said the girl, and the chief inspector lifted thereceiver from its hook. 

"Trunk call from London; you're through, " announced the hoteloperator. After a slight pause, an agitated voice said: "Is that you, Evelyn?""Miss Forbes is here, " said Winter. "Who is speaking?"

"Her father, " was the reply. 

"Oh, I'm Chief Inspector Winter of Scotland Yard. Your daughter isquite safe, Mr. Forbes. Mr. Theydon and I accompanied her from London. She will speak to you in an instant. Would you mind telling me whathappened at one o'clock, when my colleague, Mr. Furneaux, jumped on toyour car and went in pursuit of some one?"

"First, is Mrs. Forbes there, too?"

"She is out with a picnic party on Beachy Head. We expect her backbefore six o'clock. I propose bringing her and Miss Forbes to Londontonight. They will be safer in your house than in Eastbourne, as youwill probably agree when you hear what a narrow escape your daughterhad this afternoon from being kidnaped by Wong Li Fu. "

"Great Heavens! Evelyn in danger from that scoundrel!"

"Yes. But all is well, believe me. Owing to Mr. Theydon's promptitudeand pertinacity, Wong Li Fu's scheme was defeated. Your daughter willmake everything clear. Give me the barest summary of events after yourdeparture from Innesmore Mansions, and I'll get out of the way. "

"We pursued a car which led us a pretty dance nearly as far as St. Albans. It seems that Mr. Furneaux, looking out of the window of Mr. Theydon's flat while Theydon and I were going downstairs, saw aChinaman watching us from a closed car standing in the cross street atthe end of the garden. He gave chase instantly, but as soon as the manrealized that he had attracted notice he tried to escape. At least, that was Mr. Furneaux's first impression. Later, he convinced himselfthat the supposed spy was little more than a red herring drawn acrossthe trail, and that the man's real motive was to take me out ofLondon, or waylay or detain me in some fashion, since it wasmanifestly impossible that my presence in the Mansions should be knownto any one. I see now, of course, what the project was. If, as Igather from you, an attempt was to be made to capture my daughter onarriving at Eastbourne, it was all-important for the conspirators thatI should not know of her absence from home until after the arrival ofthe train, so that I could not communicate with the hotel and takemeasures to protect her. But that explanation was hidden from Mr. Furneaux, and the first glimpse of it vouchsafed to me was when Ireached my office and was horrified to learn that she had gone awaywithout my knowledge. However, in a desperate matter like this, I mustnot waste time by describing my agony and foreboding. As I have said, by some phenomenal method of reasoning beyond my comprehension, Mr. Furneaux did arrive at a sound conclusion. I suppose he was alive tothe ridiculous aimlessness of the race across country. My car ispowerful and speedy, but the Chinaman had a thoroughly up-to-dateconveyance, too, and drove without paying the least heed to trafficconditions. "

"There was only one man, then?"

"Yes. Didn't I make that clear? Perhaps not. But there can hardly beany doubt that this fellow was alone, and acting as a sort of scout orvedette. We had the utmost difficulty in following him along OxfordStreet, and I am sure that my chauffeur has been reported by a scoreof constables on point duty for exceeding the speed limit anddisregarding signals to halt. To come to the material facts, the chasetook us up the Edgware road. We tore along at a tremendous rate afterpassing the Welsh Harp. Overhaul the fellow we could not, until on theoutskirts of St. Albans, when he deliberately slowed up, as though toallow us to pass. Mr. Furneaux flew at him like a terrier grappling arat, but the man made no resistance. He is undoubtedly a Chinaman, though attired in a chauffeur's livery, and he could handle a car infirst-rate style, too. His pidgin English was difficult to understand, and Mr. Furneaux shared my view that he did not try to render himselfintelligible. We gathered that he was obeying his master's orders intrying the car, a new one, before purchase, but Furneaux bundled himoff to the nearest police station, borrowed handcuffs and brought himback to London, leaving the car in a garage at St. Albans. That is abald but accurate summary of the facts. I dropped Mr. Furneaux and hisprisoner at Bow Street and was on the way to my city office, when Isuddenly felt faint for want of food, as I ate hardly any breakfastthis morning, and only drank a cup of coffee in Mr. Theydon's place. So I returned to the Carlton, where I met a friend, a businessassociate, who remained for a chat while I had a meal. This trivialaccident prevented me from telephoning to my house, though, naturally, I had no misgivings as to my daughter's well-being. Even then I wasdetained unduly, because my friend and I went to another office in thecity, and two more hours elapsed before I reached my own place. Then, and not until then, did I hear of Evelyn's journey and its cause. "

"Thank you, Mr. Forbes, " said Winter quietly. "We seem to have made aforward move today. Before calling Miss Evelyn to the phone I want totell you that in disobeying your orders to remain at home she did mydepartment a good turn. Wong Li Fu and I were brought face to face. Heis not a myth. "

"My word might be regarded as sufficient proof of that fact. "

"Certainly, Mr. Forbes, if given earlier, " was the inevitable retort. "But here is your daughter. She can plead her cause far better thanI. "

Evelyn took the woman's way. To defend she attacked. 

"Dad, dear, " she complained, "why didn't you give me your confidence?If I had had the least notion of the dreadful things that were goingon I should certainly have telephoned to Eastbourne before starting. But don't you see the diabolical cleverness of the scheme? Thetelegram arrived just in time to allow me to catch the 1:25 p. M. Train, and rendering it idle to think of making a trunk call if Iwould obey an urgent message from my mother. Then again, when Ireached Eastbourne, why should I suspect a foreign-looking gentlemanwho said Dr. Sinnett had sent his car to take me to the hotel? Thereisn't a Dr. Sinnett in Eastbourne at this date, but how was I to knowthat? Of course, both you and I have suffered a good deal, each in adifferent way, but all is well that ends well, and I shall have such alot to tell you when we meet tonight. .. . What time? I don't know yet. I'll wire or phone when mother returns and we settle about the train. Goodby, darling! See you don't go anywhere alone until I come back. "

For some reason Winter's manner was not so placid as usual. He lookedso obviously perplexed and troubled that Theydon, searching for acause, suddenly remembered that the chief inspector was a greatsmoker. 

"Won't you have a cigar?" he said; "that is, unless Miss Forbes hasany objection?"

"Me!" cried the girl. "I don't object in the least. "

But the Royal Devonshire Hotel's best Havana did not wholly banish thefrown from Winter's forehead. More than once he glanced at his watchand consulted a time table. At last he voiced one of his anxieties. 

"What can have become of that American?" he said. "He knew what hotelyou were making for?"

"Oh, yes, " cried the others in chorus. 

They laughed. Quite a cheerful air possessed two members of the littleparty, at any rate. 

"Perhaps he has forgotten the name?" went on Evelyn. 

"Americans never forget the names of hotels, or railway stations, orsteamers, " said Winter. "The average Englishman can tell you what willwin the Derby, but the average American will be a good deal moreaccurate concerning next Saturday's mail steamer. .. . So, I franklyconfess it-- that man's prolonged absence supplies a riddle which Ican't answer. What do you say if we give a look along the front? Hemay be shy, though I told the hall porter that any inquirer was to beshown up at once. "

No; Mr. Handyside was not to be seen on Eastbourne's spacious marinepromenade. A couple of well-dressed men caught sight of Winter, anddecided that they had instant and urgent business elsewhere, But heonly smiled. His quarry that day was not the swell mobsman, but muchmore dangerous game. 

Lightning darted from a summer sky when the picnic party returned fromBeachy Head in three cars, but without Mrs. Forbes. 

Evelyn was hardly anxious at first. The hall porter informed her whothe occupants of the cars were, and she watched the lively andchattering groups forming on the pavement and breaking up again toenter the hotel and dress for dinner. 

At last, realizing that her mother was not among them, she singled outa lady whom she knew, and asked for an explanation. The lady, a Mrs. Montagu, was very much surprised. 

"But, my dear Evelyn, " she said, "didn't you yourself send for yourmother?"

The girl blanched. Some premonition of evil gripped her very heart. 

"What do you mean?" she said, and the other woman could not helpnoting the distress in her voice. 

"If you didn't send, who did?" came the immediate response. "We werejust going to have tea when a gentleman, a stranger, came and askedfor Mrs. Forbes. We saw him arrive in a car which halted at the footof the path-- nearly a quarter of a mile away. Your mother answered, and he said that you were in Eastbourne, and had sent him to bring youto the hotel. He said the car belonged to a Doctor Somebody, but hehimself looked like a foreigner. "

A few others had gathered around, attracted by Evelyn Forbes's pallorand distress; Winter, too, had drawn near, and it was he who said:

"Did you see this stranger who brought the message?"

"O yes, plainly, " said Mrs. Montagu. 

"Had he a scar down the left side of his face?"

"Yes. "

Then Evelyn Forbes, for the first time in her vigorous young life, fainted. Her mother was in the power of Wong Li Fu. All the terrorswhich imagination had painted in her own behalf were redoubled as toher mother's fate. Her brain reeled. Merciful oblivion came. Theydonand Winter were just able to catch her before she fell like a log. 

 CHAPTER XI

 THE REAPPEARANCE OF HANDYSIDE

Consternation reigned for a while at the entrance to the RoyalDevonshire. Men craned their necks and women uttered nervous littleshrieks. But Evelyn Forbes was endowed with a vigorous frame and asplendidly vital spirit, and she recovered her senses before she couldbe carried into the vestibule. 

The fact that she had fainted, too, brought to the aid of her wakingsenses the innate horror of her race and class for anythingapproaching a "scene, " and she was almost unnaturally collected inspeech and demeanor within a few seconds after her eyes had reopened. 

"Did I give way like that?" she said, with a valiant smile, first atTheydon, and then at the ring of faces, each with its varyingexpression of curiosity or concern. "How stupid of me! How excessivelystupid! That sort of behavior doesn't help at all-- does it?

Thank you, I can walk quite well. . I'll just go to mother's room andtelephone home. .. . There has been some silly mistake. By this time itwill be rectified, I'm sure. .. . Come, Mr. Theydon. Where is Mr. Winter?"

"Here, " said the detective. "I'll follow in a minute or so. Pleasedon't communicate with London till I arrive. "

His quietly insistent tone was meant rather for Theydon than for thehalf-demented girl, who was stumbling anywhere but in the rightdirection until Theydon caught her arm and led her to the lift. Shecontrived to remain outwardly calm until she reached the seclusion ofthe sitting room, when she broke into a flood of tears, while indisjointed and hysterical words she blamed her own rashness for thefate which had overtaken her mother. 

If only she had used better judgment when the telegram came-- if onlyshe had hired an automobile and driven straight to Beachy Head-- ifonly she had done a dozen other things which no one would possiblyhave dreamed of doing-- she might have safeguarded her darling mother!

Theydon, meanwhile, was nearly frantic with the indecision ofignorance. Never had he felt so helpless, so utterly childish andunhinged in the face of disaster. He had heard that it was good for awoman to be allowed to cry when overwhelmed with misery. Again, heremembered reading somewhere that the feminine temperament should notbe allowed to yield to a too-tempestuous grief, or the delicate andfinely-balanced female organism might suffer irreparable injury. Should she be given water or a stimulant? Should one leave her aloneor endeavor to soothe her?

Heaven only knew-- he didn't-- so he did exactly what any devout anddespairing lover might be expected to do-- put an arm around hershoulders, and murmured a frenzied assurance of his willingness to dieseveral times, and vanquish a horde of Young Manchus in the process, ere she could be allowed to endure one needless hour of distress onher mother's account. 

Somehow, this sort of nonsense was helpful. The girl raised herswimming eyes to his. She placed two appealing hands on his shoulders, and said brokenly:

"Mr. Theydon-- I am ready to trust you-- next to-- my own father. .. . Where shall we go? What can we do? I'll come with you-- anywhere--only-- my dear one must be rescued. "

He believed afterwards that he answered her by a kiss! He was notcertain. The delirium of the moment was such that he could neverrecall its words or acts with that precision which a well-regulatedmind should display even under the stress of intense emotion. In anyevent, the crisis was interrupted by the clamor of the telephone bell. 

Withdrawing from what was perilously near an embrace-- so colorable animitation of the real thing that Winter, entering at that instant, could make no distinction, and was secretly amazed at these strenuousmethods of consoling the lady-- Theydon lifted the receiver, and heardas one in a trance the telephone operator's conventional announcement:

"Trunk call from Croydon; you're through. "

"Who is it?" demanded the chief inspector gruffly. 

Even he, veteran fighter in the unceasing battle between the law andthe malefactor, was feeling the strain of the Homeric struggle usheredin by the death of Edith Lester. 

"I don't know yet, " Theydon managed to say collectedly. "Some one fromCroydon. Bend close. You'll hear. "

A quiet, drawling voice reached them, the vibrating wire lending itsmeasured accents a metallic accuracy. 

"That you, Mr. Theydon?"

"Why, it's Mr. Handyside! Yes, I'm here. Where are you speaking from?Croydon?"

"That's so. "

"Well, I don't understand, but I'm sure you'll pardon me. We are in adeuce of a fix at this end, so, if you'll arrange to call tomorrow--"

"You've lost Mrs. Forbes, I guess. Is that the lady's name? If it is, I've kept track of her. I--"

Theydon was so astounded that he looked at Winter in blank amazement, the pressure of his fingers on the circuit key relaxed, and theAmerican's voice trailed abruptly away into silence. He put mattersright at once and heard the continuation of a new sentence, whereuponhe broke in excitedly:

"One second, Mr. Handyside. Miss Forbes is here. I must tell her yournews!"

He turned to Evelyn. 

"Hooray!" he almost yelled. "Your mother is all right. She is with Mr. Handyside. Some sort of miracle has happened. Come and listen. "

Aroused from a stupor of grief as though she had received a galvanicshock, Evelyn sprang up. Naturally, she had to place an arm onTheydon's back to permit of her head approaching near enough to thetelephone. Thus, the three heads were almost touching each other; ifan artist had been present he would have obtained a study in facialexpressions worthy of Phil May or Guerrido. 

Handyside, of course, had heard Theydon's gleeful exclamation. Hechuckled pleasantly:

"Your digest goes a little too far, Mr. Theydon, " he said, "butcompared with the newspaper placard facts in your possession, my storyis a full-sized novel. Anyhow, I'll condense it, so here goes. I wasback of the crowd when the circus started outside the Eastbournedepot. As I ante'd up your ticket and collected your deposit of asovereign, I saw what took place, and sized up the result prettyaccurately. The kidnaping proposition had failed, but the guy in thesilk hat had got clear away in a bully good car-- how good I know now. It seemed to me that, next to rescuing that charming young lady, itwas important something should be known about the thug who wanted tocarry her off, and, when my eyes lit on a workmanlike motor bicyclewith a side-car rig standing close to the curb, and well clear of thearena, said I to myself: 'George T. Handyside, this is where you takea flier, and maybe Illinois will score one. ' The man who owned theoutfit was watching the commotion when I dug him in the ribs. 'Take meafter that car, ' I said, 'and I'll pay you a shilling a mile with fivepounds on account if it's only a 100 yards. ' I pressed a note into hishand-- and, say, you Britishers wake up all right when you see realmoney! We were doing thirty per in less than ten seconds. No car onfour wheels can lose any decent motorcycle on a switchback track, andJackson, the owner of this one, says it's good enough for sixty on afair stretch of road. Anyhow, we held the thug dead easy, but didn'tpress him any, as I had no call to butt in, had I?"

"Mr. Handyside, " said Theydon. "I won't waste time now by telling youhow grateful we all are. Get on with the knitting!"

"Sir, I've had the time of my life-- a rip-snorting movie, with GeorgeT. On the film from A to Z. .. No! Go away, exchange. I'm renting thisline for the next quarter of an hour. Well, we made a bee-line forBeachy Head-- so Jackson told me-- and, when the automobile pulled up, we got under a hedge and I did a bit of scout work on my feet. I sawSilk Hat pick out a lady from a bunch of people, who seemed to betaking the view with sandwiches, and it was simple as falling off alog to follow the position of affairs-- Silk Hat urging lady to comewith him, lady astonished, not able to size up exact bearings of theyarn, but finally yielding. Now, if Miss Forbes hadn't told us thather mother had written saying she was going to Beachy Head with apicnic party this afternoon I would have gotten off at the wrongaddress, because I could hardly have failed to believe that Silk Hatwas picking up a female accomplice. But, as things stood, Isuspicioned that, failing the daughter, he was putting up a bunco talefor the mother-- a situation new, I believe, in the realm of romanticfiction. I thought it was up to me to play a strong hand, so I threw afew facts on the screen for Jackson's benefit, and he straightway hitthe pike in pursuit. Where the country was open we kept well in therear, but crept closer in villages and towns. We had to stop atTunbridge Wells for petrol, but that didn't cut any ice, becauseJackson knew the country like a book, and we sighted the automobilewithin five minutes, though the milestones were pretty numerous duringthat run. After that, nothing particularly happened, except to a henand a dog, until we came near Croydon-- that is, I knew it was Croydonbecause Jackson said so, and I have considerable faith in him. Inbetween whiles, where there was nothing doing, he and I fixed up anautomobile tour. Well, outside Croydon, there's a new road, with ahalf-built villa at the near end and a way-back farmhouse at the otherend. That villa was the one thing needed when the thug made a bee-linefor the farm. I jumped out, told Jackson to find something to do tohis machine at the corner of the next block, and hurried into theAlpine chalet. From a top back room I watched Silk Hat carrying a ladyinto the farm. Eh, what's that? Yes, he was carrying her. I guess he'dgiven her a dope so as to stop any cry for help. It made me feelpretty mean to be standing there without taking a hand in the deal, but I forced myself to believe that another hour or two couldn't makesuch a heap of difference to the lady, while it would be better toleave things to the police. I waited just twenty minutes-- I have allthe times scheduled-- until the car came back. By hurrying downstairsI was able to look inside as it passed, and Silk Hat was alone. Hetook the London road. I strolled out-- didn't dare to hurry, you know, in case any one might be watching from the farm-- and put in some hardthinking while walking to Jackson's stand. There were two coursesopen, either to send Jackson after the auto and try myself to get intouch with you and the police, or put Jackson on guard near the farm. Whether I decided rightly or not I haven't a notion, but I let the cargo, and for this reason: We know where the lady is, and so does thethug; if the police put up a hard game they can rescue her without hisknowledge and spread a web for the fly to walk into later. But theymust get a move on. This phone is nearly a mile from the farm, andJackson is tightening nuts outside the villa I spoke of. Now, what'sthe next item on the program?"

Winter grabbed the receiver unceremoniously. 

"I am a representative of Scotland Yard, Mr. Handyside, " he said. "Ifever you want work come to me, J. L. Winter, and I'll find you some. Miss Forbes is vexed with me because I have stopped her from thankingyou, but compliments must wait. Will you go as quickly as possible tothe chief police station at Croydon? By the time you get there I'll bein touch with the inspector in charge, and he will do the rest. Youunderstand? Goodby!"

Winter rang off. He smiled blandly at Evelyn. 

"There's no opportunity now for sentiment, " he explained. "OurAmerican friend will appreciate quick action far more than talk. "

Then he tackled the telephone again and asked to be put through to theCroydon police station. 

"There must be no delay, " he added. "This is an official call. "

He was in touch with Croydon in a remarkably short space of time, andsoon was in communication with a police inspector. 

"What's your name?" he demanded. 

"Inspector Wilkins, " came the surprised answer. 

"Were you a sergeant at the time of the Surrey Bank robbery?"

"Yes; but what the--"

"I am Winter of Scotland Yard. Do you recognize my voice?"

"Well-- er--"

"Do you remember that nip of old brandy I gave you while we werefreezing in a drafty warehouse at three o'clock in the morning waitingfor the Smasher to come for his plant?"

"Yes. You're Mr. Winter right enough, sir. "

"Good! I want you to believe what I'm going to tell you, as there is abig job ahead. A gang of Chinese cutthroats have kidnaped a lady, wifeof the London banker, Mr. James Creighton Forbes. In a few minutes anAmerican, a Mr. Handyside, will be with you. He will point out thehouse near Croydon to which the lady has been taken in a motor car. Collect half a dozen plain-clothes men and two in uniform and go withMr. Handyside-- without attracting attention, of course. Surround thehouse and arrest any one, especially any Chinaman, who attempts toleave. Release the lady, and ask Mr. Handyside to escort her to herhome, 11 Fortescue Square, Belgravia. If she is very ill, which isimprobable, she should be taken to a hospital. In that event Mr. Handyside should telephone Mr. Forbes. Occupy the farm and arrest anyone who comes there, no matter what the pretext, until Mr. Furneaux orI arrive. I'll be with you in two hours. Tell Mrs. Forbes that herdaughter will set out from Eastbourne by the next train leaving after6:30. Got all that?"

"Yes, sir! Are these Chinamen likely to show fight?"

"Better be prepared. But, after posting your sentries, I advise youand the uniformed constables to rush the place. By the way, it willsave me some trouble if you phone the Yard and tell them exactly whatI have told you. Ask for Furneaux. If he is not in, instruct them toleave a written record for him. "

"I'll see to it, sir. Is that all?"

"Yes. Goodby! Meet you in two hours. "

He whirled round on Theydon. 

"Tell the manager to supply at once the best car to be had inEastbourne for love or money, " he said. "I want something that is sureto go and go fast. "

The chief inspector, with full steam up, was energy personified. Hisbulging eyes, his firm chin, his round fists, one clenching thetelephone instrument, the other resting on the table, were eloquent ofthe man of action. 

His pride had been sore stricken by the escape of Wong Li Fu when thatmaster scoundrel was actually in his grasp. But those powerful handsof his were far-reaching, and it would go hard with the jiu-jitsuexpert when next they gripped his lithe frame. 

Almost before Theydon had quitted the room Winter snapped-- there isno other word for it-- literally snapped a question at Evelyn. 

"What's your telephone number?"

She told him, and again the Eastbourne exchange was bidden exertitself. 

"That you, Mr. Forbes?" said the chief inspector, after a short wait. 

"Yes. "

"I am Winter, of Scotland Yard. I want to assure you that your wifeand daughter will be under your roof within the next three hours. Mrs. Forbes will probably be escorted by a gentleman named Handyside, anAmerican. You owe him all possible thanks, because it is due to hisaction alone that Mrs. Forbes will soon be rescued from captivity. Yes, she was carried off from Beachy Head this afternoon by Wong LiFu, but, by the rarest good fortune, this Mr. Handyside, a friend ofMr. Theydon's, was able to follow on the trail, and steps are nowbeing taken to free her. Your daughter will speak to you. I intervenedmerely to vouch for it that an almost incredible story is true. By theway, let no one know that Mrs. Forbes is in London. Warn your servantsnot to speak of her return. One more word-- have you heard anything ofFurneaux?"

"I have not heard from or seen him since we parted outside Bow Streetpolice station. But, for Heaven's sake, what is this you tell me aboutmy wife?"

"Miss Forbes will give you all the particulars we possess. Be calm andremain at home. You can best assist us by stopping within call. Mrs. Forbes and the American should arrive first, possibly before 7:30. Ifthere is any hitch, which is unlikely, Mr. Handyside will telephoneyou. Your daughter will tell you the hour she and Mr. Theydon shouldreach Victoria. She will speak to you now. Excuse my abruptness. A lotof things may happen before I retire for the night, and I have no timeto pick and choose my words. "

Evelyn, able at last to pour out her soul in thanksgiving, nearlybroke down when she heard her father's voice. 

"Oh, Dad, " she wailed, "I've passed through a dreadful time since Ispoke to you shortly after five o'clock. I dropped as if I had beenshot when Mrs. Montagu, who was one of the picnic party, told me thata man of foreign appearance, with a scar on the left side of his face, and who said he was a doctor, came to Beachy Head and told poor motherthat I had sent for her. "

She went on to relate such facts as were known to her, and was in themidst of a sensational narrative when Theydon announced that ahigh-powered touring car was in readiness. 

"Won't you take us with you?" he said to Winter. "There is no trainfrom here till 7:30, and in a motor we should be well on the way toLondon by that time. "

Winter had anticipated some such request, and a prompt refusal was onthe tip of his tongue, when he recalled that he would pass throughTunbridge Wells, whence an earlier train might be available. A glanceat the time table showed that a train left Tunbridge Wells at 7:15. 

"Yes, " he said. "I'll take you part of the way. Tell your father, MissForbes, that you will arrive at London Bridge at 8:40. If you tworeach London by a different route I think you should be tolerablysafe. "

"If any Chinaman shows up between here and Fortescue Square I'll shoothim at sight, " Theydon said, producing an automatic pistol. 

"I wouldn't do that, " smiled Winter. "You might bore a hole in someperfectly innocent Celestial. But you won't be troubled. Wong Li Fucarries out his own plans, and at present he is congratulating himselfon the possession of a valuable hostage. But, come along! How about awrap for you, Miss Forbes? We'll create a breeze, you know. "

She ran into her mother's bedroom and came out with a fur coat andmotor veil, articles which, she had guessed correctly, her motherwould not be wearing for the short run to Beachy Head. The hotelmanager lent coats to the men, and they started, not without heartycongratulations from several people in the porch, whose fears on Mrs. Forbes's account Theydon had dissipated when he went out to order thecar. 

Winter gave their thoughts a new direction when Theydon inquired whatmeans the authorities would adopt to rid the country of thepestiferous gang which carried on its vendetta with such scant respectfor the law and order of Great Britain. 

"Once we have Mr. And Mrs. Forbes and this young lady safely housed inFortescue Square, and protected, not only by their own servants but bythe Metropolitan Police, we will devote ourselves to routing out thewhole crew, " he announced. "My idea is that when we lay hands on theringleader, the rest will be easy. Furneaux's prisoner, Len Shi, maybe got to talk when a Chinese interpreter tackles him. Again, there isevery prospect of an important capture being made in the Croydonhouse. Most important of all is the prolonged absence from the yard ofFurneaux. He is busy, or he would have put in an appearance therehours ago, if only to get to know my whereabouts. That meanssomething. Furneaux never wastes time. Usually we hunt in couples. Today, by the fortune of war, we are separated, and perhapsfortunately so. It is all your fault, Mr. Theydon. "

"Mine?" was the astonished cry. 

"Yes. We had to try all sorts of tricks on you before you would speak. Just imagine Scotland Yard being compelled to tap the telephone of arespectable and well-known author before he would own up to suchknowledge as he possessed of the murder in No. 17!"

So that was how Furneaux had played the necromancer, and was able tomystify Theydon that morning. 

The chief inspector, by raising the question, was touching ondangerous ground, as he was well aware, but he was determined now thatall barriers should be thrown down. Evelyn Forbes was nobread-and-butter miss from whose cognizance the evil things of lifemust be sedulously averted. A, woman of spirit and intelligence, whohad already run the dreadful risk of sharing Mrs. Lester's fate, should be made to understand every phase of the difficulty with whichthe Criminal Investigation Department had yet to deal. 

British law and Chinese anarchy would soon grapple in a life and deathconflict, and it was idle folly to suppose that, no matter howreticent her friends might be, this sharp-witted girl would not findout for herself the exact nature of the link which bound the fortunesof her own family with those of the dead woman. 

Theydon tried to pass off the detective's retort with a carelesslaugh, but Evelyn reverted to the topic when they were seated in theLondon-bound train after Winter had dropped them at Tunbridge WellsStation. 

"What did the chief inspector mean when he said you refused to helphim at first?" she inquired. "There are gaps in my history of thisaffair. How did you come to know that my father was acquainted withMrs. Lester? Why did you seem, at one time, to be taking sides with myfather against a public inquiry by the police?"

Then, seeing there was no help for it, Theydon began at the beginningand told the girl the full, true and unexpurgated story of events onthe Monday night. Once or twice, when he hinted at the cause of hisotherwise inexplicable actions-- which, quite obviously, lay in hisinterest in the girl herself, she blushed a little and averted hereyes. But she listened in silence, and did not speak during manyseconds after he had ceased. 

Then she simply murmured:

"Poor, dear Dad! How worried he must have been! And how well heconcealed it from me!"

After another pause, she added:

"We are deeply in your debt, Mr. Theydon. When this ordeal is ended, and those horrid men have been put in prison or driven out of thecountry, our next difficulty will be to-- to thank you adequately forwhat you have done. "

Surgit amari aliquid! Even in life's pleasantest hours somethingbitter arises. Theydon was in the company of the woman he loved, yetno word of love could rise to his lips. In the first place he darednot woo the daughter of a millionaire; in the second were his suiteven possible, he was far too honorable minded to take immediateadvantage of her disturbed state and the services he had undoubtedlyrendered, and give the slightest hint of his passion. 

So he sighed and looked out of the window at a fast-flying vista of aKentish hillside, and contented himself by saying:

"For what little I have done, or attempted to do, I am alreadyrewarded far beyond my wildest dreams. "

Even that was more than he meant to say. Glancing timidly at Evelyn tosee whether or not she resented his words, he was astounded to findthat she had blushed scarlet, and, in her turn, was absorbed in thelandscape. 

Then he remembered that in the frenzy of the moment following thereport of her mother's capture by Wong Li Fu, he had kissed her. Hadhe, or had he not? If not, why not now? But that way lay madness. And, wretched doubt, was she already the promised bride of another man? Itwas a relief when the train stopped at Sevenoaks. 

When it moved on again, they were normal young people once more, anddiscussed various features of the Young Manchus' raid on society asthough the extermination of political adversaries were a commonplaceoccurrence in modern England. 

At last, after a journey which lived long in their minds, since even aprosaic train may follow the path to Wonderland, they arrived atLondon Bridge, and hummed in a taxi through streets of gauntwarehouses until the light of Westminster flashed on a Thames veiledin the blue mystery of a Summer gloaming. 

The cab had hardly halted outside the Fortescue Square mansion whenthe door was thrown wide, and Tomlinson appeared, flanked by twostalwart footmen. The butler's face was aglow with pleasure. 

"It's all right now you've come, Miss Evelyn, " he said joyfully. "Mrs. Forbes arrived more than an hour ago. "

But Tomlinson was in error. He did not know what tribulations loomedalready through the haze of the future, or he would have laid to heartthe time-honored advice to venturesome travelers:

"Never hallo till you're out of the wood!"

 CHAPTER XII

 NO SURRENDER

Mrs. Forbes, a slim, elegant woman, looked as if she were herdaughter's elder sister. Although driven by hay fever to the seasideregularly at the beginning of the London season, she was far frombeing a malade imaginaire. She did not go willingly. Each year shehoped against hope that the annoying ailment would not make itselffelt, yet no sooner was the month of May well established than for sixor seven weeks she had either to drag her husband and daughter awayfrom the metropolis or live by herself in some South Coast hotel. 

She had tried Brighton, whence Mr. Forbes could travel to the city, but soon discovered that the daily train journey was not good for hishealth. After that, she insisted on adopting the self-denyingordinance of leaving Evelyn with her father in the town house from themiddle of May till the end of June, when all three went to theHighlands. 

She, of course, had not the remotest knowledge of the terrorsthreatening her household; a thunderbolt out of a Summer sky wouldhave astonished her less than the indignities she endured when haledaway from Eastbourne in the luxurious car which Wong Li Fu had at hiscommand. 

Theydon had been in the house nearly half an hour and was exchangingexperiences with Forbes and Handyside-- the latter, by virtue of hisextraordinary share in the day's adventures, being admitted to thefull confidence of the others-- when Evelyn brought her mother intothe library. 

"Here is some one who positively refuses to retire for the night untilshe has met you, Mr. Theydon, " said the girl, radiant with joy andrelief, now that the shadow of death had passed, apparently forever, leaving her dear ones unscathed. 

Mrs. Forbes, an aristocrat to the finger tips, greeted her guest withmarked cordiality. 

"I have been living during the past few hours like one of thecharacters one sees in the fearsome little plays produced on the stageof the Grand Guignol in Paris, " she said, gazing at him with frankbrown eyes singularly like her daughter's, "but I have contrived togather one definite impression among the whirl of things, and that isthat were it not for Mr. Frank Theydon, my daughter and I would now bein as bad a predicament as two women could possibly face anywhere. "

"I was lucky enough to be of some little use, but Mr. Handyside is thelion of today's contest, " said Theydon. 

"I am grateful to both of you, how grateful I can never find words totell, but Mr. Handyside rivals you in modesty, Mr. Theydon. He assuredme that you were the deus ex machina, though he obtained the machineitself, and rode sixty miles to rescue me from my dragon. By the way, where is the motor cyclist-- what is his name?"

"Jackson, ma'am, " put in Handyside. "He went back to Eastbourne--thought nothing of it. I fixed him all right. He's coming to Londonnext week. I've hired him for a trip round the island. "

"In a side-car?" laughed Evelyn. 

"No; I guess we'll run to something more roomy. "

"Jim, dear, " said Mrs. Forbes to her husband, "get Mr. Jackson'saddress. Our thanks to him, at least, can take a tangible form. No, Evelyn, I'm not going to bed. I mean to sit up and talk. I want tohear everything. You men must smoke big strong cigars, please. If Ibreathe tobacco smoke I shall not fancy I want to sneeze. "

"I, for one, am simply aching to hear what happened to you, " saidTheydon. 

Mrs. Forbes was equally ready to retail her trials. 

"When a man who resembled a tall and well-built Japanese came to me onthe Downs, " she said, "I really believed him to be what he said hewas-- assistant to an Eastbourne doctor. I never dreamed he wasChinese, not that it mattered at all where I was concerned, only onebecomes quite accustomed to meeting well-dressed Japanese men insociety, but hardly ever a Chinaman. I thought, too, I remembered hisface, which is quite possible, since my husband tells me that thisWong Li Fu was once an attaché at the Chinese Embassy. He spokeexcellent English, with a strongly marked lisp; when he said that mydaughter wished to see me at the Royal Devonshire Hotel, and that aDr. Sinnett had sent a car for my convenience, I was mainly concernedin getting him to admit the real cause of his presence, because Inaturally assumed that Evelyn had met with an accident. No sooner hadthe car started than he seized my wrists, and gave them a queer twist, which seemed to render me powerless for a few seconds. 'If you screamor resist I hurt you-- so-- only very bad, ' he said. I was thatastonished I hardly realized what was taking place before he had mywrists and ankles strapped, tightly, but not painfully, and had placeda gag in my mouth. 'Now, you keep quiet, ' he said, and showed me ahorrible-looking knife, which he put on the seat between us. 'If youmove at all when we pass through towns, ' he went on, 'I stick thisinto you very deep. ' Somehow, I knew that he meant to carry out histhreats to the letter. At first I was more angry than hurt or evenalarmed. Then I began to believe that I had fallen into the clutchesof a lunatic, and grew horribly afraid. I saw that we were followingthe London road, and it oppressed me like a dreadful sort of nightmareto be speeding through a familiar district, a countryside dotted withthe houses and estates of personal friends, and be unable to stir orutter a sound. It seemed to be almost stupid to see policemen in thestreets of Tunbridge Wells, one of whom gazed into our car sharply, because, I suppose, we were traveling rather fast, and feel that noone could begin to guess at my predicament. You all appreciate thefact, of course, that I knew nothing whatever of any quarrel betweenmy husband and a faction in China?"

"Your husband adopted the policy of the ostrich, Helena, " said Forbes, grimly. "It may or may not be a fable as regards ostriches-- I don'tknow enough about them to feel certain, but it is unquestionably toooften true of mankind. I believed my head was hidden and imagined theremainder of my body was safe in consequence. Now I learn that myopponents have been tracking me steadily for half a year. The one factwhich stands out clearly above all others during the past forty-eighthours is the phenomenal range and completeness of Wong Li Fu's plans. "

"I didn't mean my comment as a reproach, dear, " and Mrs. Forbes gavehim a look which told plainly that these two were lovers after manyyears of wedded happiness. "Thank God, we have all escaped-- thusfar!"

"Oh, mother, " laughed Evelyn nervously, "you are not anticipating morehorrors, are you?"

"A few hours ago I would have scoffed at any one who said that ahandful of Chinese could tear aside our cloak of civilized security asthough it were a spider's web, " was the serious reply. "But I haveinterrupted my own story. I began to think that I would be taken tosome awful den in the East End, and held there till some huge sum ofmoney was paid by way of ransom, when the car suddenly quitted themain road and bumped over a rough surface. I knew I was near Croydon--the last place I would have suspected as a brigands' stronghold. Thenwe halted, and that wretched man lifted me out, carried me into a backroom of an old-fashioned house, put me in a fairly comfortable chair, tied me in with ropes, and left me. I couldn't speak. I was looking ata blank wall and smoke-stained ceiling. I was sure then that he wasafter money, and began to calculate the time which must elapse beforemy husband would hear from him and arrange for my release. I wonderedhow much he would ask-- ten, twenty, fifty thousand pounds. How muchwould you have paid, Jim?"

Mrs. Forbes took her trials so cheerfully that they all laughed. 

"That's hardly a fair question, is it?" she continued, stealinganother glance at her husband. "At any rate, being a banker's wife, Iknew how extraordinarily difficult it would be to raise anyconsiderable sum of gold at such a late hour, and I resigned myself toremaining a prisoner all night. Then I think I wept a little, but notfor long, because I felt that they meant to keep me alive, and as Ilook more delicate than I really am, even a Chinaman would see that hewas taking some risk by denying me food and all liberty of movement. Then-- very soon, it seemed-- I heard an outer door being forced offits hinges and English voices, and the door of my room was brokenopen, and I saw a police inspector and some constables. Hitherto Ihave never properly appreciated our policemen. From this day I becometheir most ardent admirer and enthusiastic helper. I could have gonedown on my knees to those big, kind-looking men in uniform. In fact Inearly did. When they released me I could hardly stand. After that, Mr. Handyside came, and accompanied me here, with a detective sittingnext the driver, and my husband and Evelyn have told me something ofthe extraordinary things which have been going on in London while Iwas gadding about at Eastbourne. "

"Was the detective a man named Furneaux?" inquired Theydon. 

Mrs. Forbes hesitated, and her husband answered for her, as he alone, among the members of the household, had met the Jersey man. 

"No, " he said. "He belonged to the Croydon force, and was sent as anescort. Furneaux seems to have been swallowed alive since threeo'clock. Everybody is inquiring for him, and no one appears to knowanything about him. "

"I wonder whether Wong Li Fu is aware I have been liberated?" saidMrs. Forbes. "It's rather odd, is it not, that nothing has been heardfrom him or his gang if I was to be held a prisoner in order to extortterms?"

"I fancy he meant to add significance to his demand for a reply byadvertisement in tomorrow's Times, " said Forbes. "You see, Helena, hemeant to carry off Evelyn as well as you. "

Mrs. Forbes smiled again at that. 

"What in the world should each of us have thought if we had both beenbound and gagged in that car?" she cried. 

"I know what I think, " said her husband emphatically. "You are goingstraight to bed now, and you'll take ten grains of bromide beforelying down. Evelyn, I appoint you nurse. Don't leave your mother tillshe is sound asleep. "

Mrs. Forbes rose at once. She admitted, though reluctantly, that anight's rest was necessary to steady her nerves. 

"Ah!" she sighed, "I shall be so glad when all this turmoil is ended, and we are settled for the season in Sutherland. "

"Sutherland, ma'am, " inquired Handyside. "Isn't that in the far northof Scotland?"

"Yes. "

"It would be, just as the North Foreland is in Kent. "

Theydon explained his friend's theory of geographical names in theBritish Isles, and on that lightly humorous note the ladiesdisappeared. When they were gone Forbes quickly gave a sinister turnto their talk. He produced a letter from his pocket. 

"Listen to this, " he said. 

"Y. M. Is pleased to inform James Creighton Forbes that Mrs. Forbes isa prisoner, and will remain, without food or drink and unable to move, in an empty house until Y. M. 's demands are granted. "

His face was white with fury while he read, and his fingers movedconvulsively as if he could feel them twining around Wong Li Fu'sthroat. The other men maintained a sympathetic silence. Theyunderstood why that ghastly message had been withheld from thecognizance of the lady who had just quitted them. 

"It was delivered by a messenger boy shortly before you arrived, Theydon, " said Forbes, when his passion had subsided and he couldtrust his voice again. 

"Have you informed Scotland Yard?" said Theydon. 

"No. I dared not use the telephone. I could not leave my wife. She isfar more shaken than she thinks. Ever since her return she hasfollowed me if I even walked across the room. It was pitiful. I had tolie to her when the butler brought this infernal note. She saw it wastyped, and believed my explanation that it was a mere record of anoffice cablegram. "

"Give it to me, " said Theydon. "Mr. Handyside and I must leave younow. We'll take it to Scotland Yard. Mr. Winter ought to know of it. In all likelihood he is arranging to remain in the Croydon housetonight, and, if Wong Li Fu is telling the truth, which is highlyprobable, the local police can watch the place adequately. "

"Yes. You're right, of course. I should have seen that an hour ago, but my brain is on fire owing to the torture these fiends havedevised. "

"Are you quite safe here? It is an absurd question, but I would liketo feel assured on that point. Shall I return, and strengthen yourguard?"

"I'm exceedingly obliged to you, but, in addition to two of myservants, thoroughly trustworthy men, a detective sergeant andconstable have come from Scotland Yard. They are now having supper. When the household retires for the night two will remain in this room, with the door open, and two in the butler's room, which commands theother staircase. Moreover a constable will patrol this side of thesquare, and a second one the back of the premises, until long afterdaybreak. "

"Tell you what, " said Handyside, when he and Theydon were in a taxi, and had made certain they were not being followed, "tell you what, son, you've struck a bonanza in this Chinese drama. "

"What do you mean?" said Theydon. 

"Well, I guess you're the curly-haired boy where Miss Evelyn isconcerned. "

"Like most Americans, you jump at conclusions, " was the ungraciousreply. 

"And, like most Americans, I'm right nearly all the time, " saidHandyside dryly. 

"Surely one can hardly discuss such a matter. "

"Why not? If a proposition sounds hard, chew on it, and may be you'llget your teeth into it somehow. "

Theydon nearly allowed himself to become angry. Was his hopelessadmiration for Evelyn Forbes so patent that a sharp-eyed strangercould discern it after a brief hour in their company?

"Millionaires' daughters marry poor men only in novels and on thestage, " he said bitterly. "In real life, and in England, they takeunto themselves titles and landed estates. "

"I guess Wong Li Fu will have to round you up some more, " was thecryptic answer, and Handyside forthwith plunged airily into somewholly different topic. 

At Scotland Yard they inquired for Furneaux, and were told he had notreported at headquarters since the early afternoon. So Theydon wasintroduced to another representative of the department, and handedover the typed note; the detective promised that its purport should betelephoned to Croydon without delay. 

When the two reached the Embankment again, Theydon felt unaccountablytired, and was minded to take leave of his companion then and there. But Handyside placed an unerring finger on the cause of his weariness. 

"Say, Mr. Theydon, " he cried, "I don't know what food productarrangements you've made all day, but I couldn't have eaten less sincebreakfast if Wong Li Fu was sitting over me with a pistol. How about asquare meal? Come to my hotel, and I'll start the chef on a nicelittle menoo while we're having a wash and a brush up. "

"By Jove! Now I know what is the matter with me, " was the astonishinganswer. "I have lunched and dined on a cup of tea at Eastbourne. "

"Guess I'm fifteen years older than you, so I knew my trouble all thetime. Those people in Fortescue Square were so rattled that they neverthought of asking us to eat. Come right along. It's only a step. "

"I'll come with pleasure. I owe you some money, too, which I wasnearly forgetting. "

"What do you owe for?"

"Railway tickets, and taxis, and motor-cycles, to begin with. "

"No, sir, " said the American decisively. "I've had the cheapest day'samusement I've ever dreamed of. On balance I owe you one sovereign. Asfor those half-tickets from Eastbourne I wouldn't sell them fordollars and cents. When I get back to my home, 21, 097 Park Avenue, Chicago, I'll have those bits of cardboard framed, and when someparticular friend asks the reason I'll tell him, suppressing names ofcourse, and he'll go away thinking that George T. Handyside is thebiggest liar in the State of Illinois, which is some pumpkin, youbet. "

"What beats me, " rejoined Theydon, "is how you remember where youlive. You must have a marvelous head for figures. "

So they dined well, and wined moderately, and Theydon walked toInnesmore Mansions, thinking of little else in the world except of themoment when he held Evelyn Forbes in his arms, almost in an embrace, and he had dared, nearly, if not quite, to kiss her. 

As he drew near Innesmore Mansions, however, be kept his wits abouthim. One of the most remarkable features of a series of remarkablecrimes was the thorough command of the resources of civilizationexhibited by the Young Manchus. A few days earlier he would not havedared to introduce into a story of his own an association composedexclusively of Chinamen which adapted to its needs the motor car, themessenger boy, perhaps the telephone and telegraph, to say nothing ofthe advertising columns of the daily press. 

It was monstrous to imagine that a number of Orientals-- marked men, every one, no matter what disguises they might adopt-- should dare biddefiance to the forces of the British Constitution in order that theymight wreak vengeance on those more enlightened compatriots who wishedto see their country rescued from the effete control of a puppetEmperor. 

But Theydon was now some days older and many degrees wiser. He knewthat the wildly improbable had become dogged fact, that Chinesefanaticism, tigerish in its crafty and utter cold-bloodedness, wassetting at naught not only the ordinances of the law, but thebrightest intellects whose duty it was to make that law respected. 

It behooved him, therefore, to lend a sharp eye to his own safety, andnever a vehicle or pedestrian came near while he traversed the quietstreets in the neighborhood of Innesmore Mansions that he did not givethe closest attention to cab or wayfarer, as the case might be. 

As it happened, that quarter of London was singularly deserted. Thefirst flight of people homeward-bound from the theaters was well over;the later contingent, supping in restaurants, had not begun to arrive. Save for the slow-moving figure of a policeman the long front of themansions themselves was devoid of life. 

Nevertheless, it was with a feeling of relief that he turned the keyin the lock of No. 18, and heard the scraping of a chair on thekitchen floor as Bates rose to meet him. 

"Hello, Bates!" he cried wearily, "here I am again, you see! Anythingnew or interesting during my absence?"

"Mrs. Paxton--" began the valet, stopping when his master uttered asharp exclamation. Theydon had completely forgotten Miss Beale and hissister. 

"Yes, " he said. "Sorry I interrupted you. What of Mrs. Paxton?"

"I saw her, sir, as you ordered, and she promised to call on MissBeale. She kem here about an hour ago--"

"Who? My sister?"

"Yes, sir. She was anxious to see you. From what I could gather, sir, the two ladies had bin puttin' their heads together, and agreed thatthis Chinese business has a nasty look, an' you'd better keep out ofit. "

"What Chinese business, Bates?"

"Well, sir, Miss Beale will 'ave it that Mrs. Lester was killed by aChinaman, an' one of the police on duty in this district told me alittle while ago that he saw no less than three Chinamen prowlin'round here last Monday between dusk and dark. "

Theydon drew a deep breath. If there was gossip going on about"Chinamen" in connection with the murder in No. 17 the newspaperswould soon be getting hold of it. The arrest of Len Shi by Furneauxmust be reported. Possibly some newspaper correspondent in Eastbournewould hear of the kidnaping exploit, and describe the Eastern aspectof its chief actor, Mrs. Forbes's name would "transpire" in theparagraph, and, by putting two and two together the lynx-eyedjournalism of London would ferret out a good deal of the truth. 

"Ladies very often talk nonsense about such things, " he said sharply. "Why should any Chinaman single out poor Mrs. Lester as a victim? Ithink the inquiry may be left safely to Scotland Yard. Have you seenthe evening papers? I'll bet you sixpence nothing was said at theinquest concerning Chinamen?"

"No, sir. That's true. However, Mrs. Paxton wants you to ring her up. "

"Why?"

"She wants to be sure you are safe home. "

Theydon laughed. "How can I?" he cried. "She is not on the telephone. "

"Mrs. Paxton left a number, sir. If you give them a call it will betaken to her. "

Theydon shook his head good-humoredly but obeyed. A voice at the otherend answered:

"Will you oblige me by telling Mrs. Paxton that I took an Americanfriend to Eastbourne this afternoon and returned by a late trains" hesaid. 

"Who is it, please?"

"Mr. Theydon, Mrs. Paxton's brother. "

"O, I have a message for you. Miss Beale is staying with Mrs. Paxtontonight. There was a Chinaman in her hotel, and she didn't like it. "

Theydon controlled his feelings sufficiently to thank his informant. He really wanted to say something crude. 

"Gad!" he muttered, when he had rung off, "these women have Chinamenon the brain. Look here Bates, " he added emphatically, "I hope youwon't lend an ear to this nonsense. You've seen no Chinamen, Isupposed?"

"No, sir. "

"If you do see one, tell me, and I'll get to know his business, prettyquick. "

"Yes, sir. "

"Any letters?"

"Three, sir, and a small parcel. I put them on your table. Shall I getyou something, sir?"

"No, thanks. I've just had a huge supper. Goodnight. "

"Goodnight, sir. Any orders for the morning?"

"Let me sleep as long as I like, unless I'm wanted. "

Theydon entered the sitting room. He opened the letters. Two were ofno moment; the third was a request from the editor of a magazine thatthe "copy" of his article on the "Forbes Peace Propaganda" should beforwarded as speedily as practicable. What a mad world it was, to besure! Here was an important periodical waiting impatiently for theviews of the millionaire on the best means of securing peace on earthand good will to all men, while that same master mind was obsessedwith fear of a few Chinese bandits. Society was looking to Forbes fora promised panacea against war and its evils; Forbes himself waswondering whether bolts and locks and armed servants and policemenwould protect him and his from the claws of the Young Manchus!

Theydon heard Bates locking and bolting the outer door of the flatwith a certain thankfulness. He was thinking of the sheerimpossibility of any marauder gaining access to No. 18, when he openedthe small parcel which the valet had spoken of. He speculated idly asto the nature of its contents, because he could not remember havingordered any article which would be contained in so tiny a package. 

He took out a piece of stout paper, folded twice, and a little whiteobject fell to the table and rolled over several times, finally comingto rest with a curious suddenness. It was a small, carved, ivoryskull!

 CHAPTER XIII

 SOME NEW MOVES IN THE GAME

Theydon gazed dazedly at the skull for the best part of a minute. Hisstate of mind was that of a man, utterly incredulous, who neverthelessthinks he sees a ghost. Then he recovered himself and laughed angrily, harshly, because he had not succeeded better in controlling hisnerves. 

He examined the paper. It bore no writing of any kind. It wasprecisely similar in color and texture to the two typed slips whichForbes had received, but the sender had evidently thought that theskull was symbolical enough of deadly intent without troubling to adda written threat. 

The ivory skull was an exact replica of its predecessors. The setteeth, the scowling grin of the gaunt jawbones, the dull menace of theempty eye sockets, were equally convincing, equally disconcerting. 

Lighting a cigarette, Theydon scrutinized the address and postmarks. In a sense, it was ludicrous to find "Francis B. Theydon, Esq. , 18Innesmore Mansions, W. C. , " typed in plain script on the wrapper. Whatan unholy alliance of modern science and medievalism! The mind almostrefused to focus itself on the tragic aspect of the affair, yet thehour at which the package was posted, 5:30 p. M. In the West Strand, showed conclusively that Wong Li Fu, at any rate, had not sent thedeath's head by his own hand, but had entrusted it to a confederate. The notion brought in its train the departure of Miss Beale from herhotel, "because she had seen a Chinaman there. " "Every little helps, "mused Theydon, "I must let Scotland Yard know. "

He went straight to the telephone, and was pleased to hear that Mr. Winter had reached headquarters. The chief inspector was feelinggrateful, and said so. 

"It was very thoughtful on your part to deal so promptly with themessage received by Mr. Forbes, " he said. "I meant remaining inCroydon all night. No one came to the house, of course. Wong Li Fu'snote explained why. Callous and calculating demon, isn't he?"

"Yes. Even more calculating than you are aware. He has included me inthe count now. When I reached home ten minutes since, aftergormandizing with Mr. Handyside, I found the totem of the tribeawaiting me. "

"The what?"

"An ivory skull. "

"You don't say!" and there was a genuine thrill in Winter's voice. "Anything else?"

"There was no written legend. I have no doubt the enemy believes thatsuch a work of art speaks for itself. It does. I am to beexterminated, I suppose. "

A marked pause ensued. When Winter spoke again his tone was grave. 

"This is a very serious business, Mr. Theydon, " he said. "The worstpart of it is that it seems to be spreading in an ever-wideningcircle. If it goes much further we'll be obliged to run in everyChinaman in London, and sift out the decent ones from the heap untilwe reach the unpleasant residuum. Are you worried about things? If so, I'll send a man to mount guard tonight. "

"Not at all, thanks. Bates and I will take care that there isn't evena joss stick in the flat before we go to bed. But I say, there'sanother matter. Have you met Miss Beale?"

"Yes. She came here this morning. She gave evidence at the inquest, Iam told. What of her?"

"I asked my sister to spend the evening with her, and she was soalarmed at finding a Chinaman as a fellow-guest in her hotel that sheis spending the night in my sister's house. "

"A plague on all Chinamen!" cried Winter wrathfully. "After this I'mdashed if I don't drink Indian tea. However, we'll look him up. Sleepsoundly. Your earlier sins of omission are forgiven you, because youhave done us several good turns today. I'll tell your local policestation that if any pigtail or squint eye is found within half a mileof Innesmore Mansions tonight it is to be jugged without the slightesthesitation. Keep the skull safely. Furneaux is collecting them. "

"Have you seen him, then'"

"No. But I've heard from him. He has gone home suffering from opiumpoisoning. "

"Great Scott!"

"O, that's only pretty Fanny's way. He means that he is sick of thereek of Chinamen. You know his peculiar views with regard to tobacco. If he has been prowling around among opium dens in the East End allthe evening, I'm sorry for him. But he'll turn up all right in themorning, looking like a skinned weasel. By the way, it'll interest youto hear that we have cleared up one minor issue. You remember that AnnRogers, Mrs. Lester's maid, was called away by a telegram saying thather father was ill?"

"Yes. "

"The old fellow, who is a bit of a sponge, admits that he was giventwo pounds by 'a foreign gentleman' for sending that telegram andshamming illness during the night. I wish I could put the hoary oldrascal in jail, but his action probably saved Ann Rogers from sharingher mistress's fate. "

"Mr. Winter, has it struck you that the man who devised this scheme, beginning with the murder of Mrs. Lester and ending, Heaven aloneknows when or where, is an organizing genius of a very high orders"

"You would be surprised if you knew the real extent and scope of thisaffair, " said Winter. "Some day soon I'll be more outspoken. Goodnight. If you go out in the morning leave word with Bates whereyou can be found if wanted. "

Theydon turned from the telephone and found Bates standing beside him. That stolid and worthy ex-noncommissioned officer was armed with ared-hot poker. Henceforth his employer saw pretense was useless. 

"Beg pardon, sir, " said the valet apologetically. "I couldn't helpoverhearin' what you were sayin', an' if there's any blinkin' Chineehidden in this place I'll put a mark on him he won't forget in ahurry. "

Theydon could not help laughing, but Bates was in earnest. 

"Once I was stationed in Cork, sir, " he said solemnly, "an' we had tostop a riot. It was then I learnt the reel vally of a red-hot poker. It's as good as a baynit any time. I've kep' this one handy since Mr. Furneaux ran out. I do believe he saw a Chinaman. "

"He did, and, what is more, arrested him. Well, come on, Bates. Thereare not many hiding places in one of these flats. I only hope we finda Celestial. It would be the fitting finale to a busy day. "

But their search was in vain, though they succeeded in scaring Mrs. Bates badly. It was almost inconceivable that two such men, one apowerfully-built athlete and the other an ex-soldier, should evenimagine that any marauder could be secreted in the flat; but theEuropean insensibly credits the Oriental with occult powers, and theytook their task quite soberly. 

Singularly enough it led to a discovery bearing directly on theproblem of Mrs. Lester's death. Lending out of the kitchen was anarrow scullery; here a lift, worked by a wheel on the ground level, delivered coals by the sack and other heavy parcels. 

Theydon glanced at the sliding panel which gave access to the lift. Obviously he seldom, if ever, visited this part of his domain. 

"Can that thing be operated only from the ground?" he inquired. 

"O, no, sir, " said Bates. "I often pull it up when I want to lower thedust bin. "

"Can you do it now?"

Bates looked surprised at first, then thoughtful. Theydon's words hadsuggested a new idea. He opened the panel, tugged vigorously at arope, and soon the lift itself, a sort of large cupboard, open at theside, came in view. 

"By gum!" he muttered, gazing at its spacious depths, "I never thoughtof that. "

"You see what I'm driving at, then?"

"Why, of course, sir. A moderate-sized man could stow away insidethere and hoist himself to any floor. It 'ud be perfectly easy an'safe as nails. A hundredweight of coal is nothing to it. "

"I think we see now at least one method whereby the man who killedMrs. Lester could have entered the flat without her knowledge?"

"Not a doubt about it, sir. Nearly noiseless, too, an' if you heard itworking you'd imagine it was meant for the flat beneath, becausethere's a whistle to warn us when it's comin' here. "

They surveyed the lift in silence for a little while. Then Batescaused it to descend again, and Theydon examined the rather flimsydevice which fastened the panel. 

"I'm not what you might describe as a nervous individual, " he said, atlast, "but it wouldn't be fair to your wife and yourself, Bates, if Ididn't tell you I have just received an ugly reminder that the gangwhich killed Mrs. Lester has a grudge against me now. Wouldn't it be areasonable thing if we drove a couple of screws into that doortonight?"

Bates stroked his chin. The long-dormant spirit of combat kindled inhis eye. 

"Better still, sir, " he grinned, "let's drive a screw into any one whocomes up in the lift. "

"But how?"

"By tying your pistol firmly to the dresser, putting it on ahair-trigger-- I know how to do that, of course-- an' letting it pluga bullet into the right place when the panel is half open. "

"Are we justified in taking the law into our own hands?"

"Is any one justified in tryin' to get in here an' cut our throatswhile we're asleep, sir?"

Theydon weighed the pros and cons of this thesis very carefully. Hedreaded the possibility of taking a human life, even in self-defense. Yet against the wretches who had strangled Edith Lester, and coollyprepared to leave Mrs. Forbes to starve in an empty house until theirrevengeful scheme was perfected by full knowledge of the identity ofevery man in China, who had assisted in the downfall of an effetemonarchy, what code of conduct would apply unless it were that whichholds sway in the jungle?

"Couldn't we contrive matters so that if the pistol were fired it neednot necessarily inflict a fatal wound?" he said. 

"Let's see what we can do, sir, " and Bates set to work gleefully onthe arrangements. There was not the slightest difficulty in devisingan efficient means of pressing a trigger with a reduced pull byopening the door. Any schoolboy could adjust a piece of string to actunfailingly. By measuring distances, and careful sighting of thepistol when fixed in position, they arrived at a line of fire whichwould strike a body crouched in the lift about the region of the rightshoulder. 

Then Bates locked the scullery door, put the key in his pocket, andassured his trembling wife that she might sleep like a top, since nobloomin' Chinaman could get at her that night. Theydon himself retiredsoon afterwards. He was as tired as though he had been trudgingsteadily along country roads since daybreak. 

When he awoke, it was broad daylight. Around the corners of the drawnblinds in his bedroom he could see strips of golden sunshine. Glancingat a clock on the mantlepiece he was amazed to find that the hour wasten o'clock, so, not only had there not been a raid on the premises, but Bates had taken the overnight instructions literally, and allowedhim to sleep far beyond the usual hour. 

He rose hurriedly, raced to the bathroom and shouted for "breakfast infifteen minutes. " He was splashing in his tub when the telephone bellrang, and Bates answered. Within a few seconds the valet was knockingat the door. 

"A Mr. Handyside has rung up, sir, " was the announcement. "I thinkhe's an American. He wants to know if there is anything doin'. He saidyou would understand. "

"Tell him I'm alive, and will call at his hotel at 11:30. "

"Yes, sir. "

When Bates brought in the breakfast Theydon was glancing hurriedlythrough the morning papers. Some of them contained an allusion to theEastbourne incident, but no names were mentioned. 

A reference to "developments" in connection with the "InnesmoreMansions Murder, " however, caught his eye. Appended to a brief accountof the inquest were the following paragraphs:

"It may be taken as certain that the police are not altogether at seaas to the motive of this atrocious crime. Strange as it may seem-- thevictim being a young and attractive lady, living unostentatiously andtaking little, if any, part in the social life of London-- there issome probability that Mrs. Lester's death was the outcome of politicalrevenge rather than an incident in an interrupted burglary. 

"At first, every indication pointed to the act of some ghoul surprisedby the unfortunate lady in her bedroom, but we have reason to believethat graver issues to the community-at-large will be revealed whenScotland Yard's inquiry is completed. It must not be forgotten thather husband died 'suddenly' some six months ago in Shanghai. Oddlyenough, the police are now keeping a close surveillance on Chinesequarters in London, not only in the neighborhood of the docks, but inthe fashionable West. It may, or may not, be a mere coincidence that aChinaman was arrested yesterday at St. Albans and lodged in BowStreet. 

"There are not wanting other similar 'coincidences' in places so farapart as a well-known South Coast seaside resort and South Croydon. Atpresent, the whole matter is nebulous, but striking developments maytake place at any hour, and the murder of Mrs. Lester may yet figureas one of the most sensational crimes of recent years. "

Theydon was reading these discreet but exceedingly well-informedsentences with much care, when he noticed that Bates had closed thesitting-room door before beginning to arrange the contents of the trayon the table. Such an unusual action meant something. 

"Well, what is it now?" he inquired, lifting his eyes to themanservant's impassive face. 

"When the milkman come this morning, sir, he told me that a policemanwas found lyin' insensible on the road outside the mansions shortlyafter three o'clock, " was the answer, conveyed in a low note thatsuggested a matter better kept from the cognizance of Mrs. Bates. 

"That's a bad job for the policeman; it is nothing very remarkableotherwise, " said Theydon. 

"But the milkman heard he was set about by three swells, younggentlemen in evening dress, sir, who ran away when another constableappeared. "

"Very likely. There was a row, and the law got the worst of it. Anyhow, we were not disturbed during the night. "

"No, sir. I was only thinkin' of what might have happened if thepolice were not on the job. "

"Look here, Bates"-- and Theydon's manner was most emphatic-- "if youand I begin seeing shadows we'll soon collect a fine show of Chineseghosts. I'm astonished at you, a man who has been under fire. "

"Sorry, sir. I thought you'd like to hear the lytest, that's all. "

Theydon ate a hearty breakfast, thus proving that the marvels andportents of the previous day had not begun to undermine hisconstitution. Finding he had time, after attending to hiscorrespondence, to walk to Handyside's hotel in the Strand, he did so. The American was awaiting him at the end of a long, thin cigar. 

"Any noos?" said the Chicagoan, after a cheerful greeting. 

"Yes. The feud continues. You heard about those ivory skullsyesterday?"

"Yes, sir. They reminded me of the tales of my youth. "

"Well, I got mine last night. Here it is!"

"Gee whiz!"

Handyside took the small object which Theydon produced from awaistcoat pocket. He examined it with minute care. 

"I've never crossed the Pacific, " he said, after apparently satisfyinghimself as to the exact nature of the unpleasant token, "but one of myhobbies is the collection of ivories. In my home--"

"21, 097 Park Avenue, " interrupted Theydon. 

"Just so-- four doors short of 211th Street. Well, sir, when you blowin there you'll see a roomful of curios. I'm not exactly aconnoisseur, but I know enough to tell Japanese work from Chinese. This was made by a Jap. And that reminds me. You said last night thatWong Li Fu put you off your balance by a jiu jitsu trick and handedthat husky detective some, too. Very few Chinks have ever even heardof jiu jitsu. I've a notion that a bunch of Japs is mixed up in thisbusiness. "

"Surely not?"

"It's possible. You good people here are crazy in your treatment ofthe Japanese. You think they're civilized because they dress in goodshape, and can put up a mighty spry imitation of Western ways. Butthey ain't. They're the greatest menace to Europe that has yet come upon the tape. Do you believe they want China to wake up and organizebefore they're ready to take hold? No, sir. Anyhow, that skull wascarved by a Japanese artist, and a bully good one at that. "

The two were standing near the fireplace of a square and spaciousfoyer. There were plenty of people in the place, some conversing withfriends, others writing or doing business at the various bureaus. Itchanced that Theydon faced the two swing doors which led to thestreet, and he was returning the bit of ivory to his pocket when, somewhat to his surprise, Furneaux entered. 

The detective saw him, too-- of that he was quite certain-- butignored him completely. After one sharp, comprehensive glance around, as though he were seeking some one who was not visible, the little manwent to a desk, scribbled a note, handed it in at the inquiry office, walked swiftly in the direction of an anteroom and restaurant, anddisappeared forthwith. 

Theydon was puzzled by Furneaux's behavior, but was quick to perceivethat if the latter had not wished to be left alone he would at leasthave made some sign of recognition. 

A page approached Mr. Handyside. 

"Note for you, sir, " he said. 

The American opened the envelope and read a few lines scribbled on asheet of note-paper. He passed it to Theydon. 

"The circus is now about to commence, " he said, and the meaning ofthis enigmatical remark was made clear when Theydon saw what waswritten. 

"Dear Sir, " it ran, "take Mr. Theydon to your room. I'll join youthere immediately. -- C. F. Furneaux. "

"If this is the little sleuth who was missing yesterday I guess we'vegotten our call, " commented Handyside, with an amused grin at theexpression of bewilderment on his companion's face. 

"I was just about to tell you that Furneaux had come in and crossedthe hall. "

"Well, let's beat it to the third floor. I have the key in my pocket. "

They were walking through a long corridor when Furneaux appeared atthe other end. Beyond the three men, not another person was visible inthat part of the hotel, and in a few seconds they were behind theclosed door of Handyside's room. 

"So you're still on the map?" said the detective, surveying Theydonwith an air of professional interest. 

"Yes, but I have received notice to quit, " was the retort. 

"So I hear. The executioner was quick on the heels of the warrant, too. If it had not been for the precautions Winter took last night thenewsboys would have been bawling a second Innesmore Mansions tragedyduring the past couple of hours. "

Theydon smiled. 

"I'm not joking, " snapped Furneaux. "In fact, I feel rather bad aboutit. I woke up at eight o'clock, and pictured you and Bates and hiswife lying about in No. 18 in very uncomfortable and ungainlyattitudes. I was so worried and miserable that I telephoned your hallporter to learn the worst, and was quite astonished when he said thatBates had just been chatting with him. You don't understand, ofcourse. I forgot to tell you about the lift. Wong Li Fu's specialdelegate climbed into No. 17 by that means and three of 'em would havereached you last night in the same way if a policeman hadn't met themin the street. "

"My man heard about the row. He guessed, too, that it had something todo with us. The policeman was badly injured, he was told. "

"Yes-- nothing broken; he was put to sleep by some confounded Japanesewrestling trick. "

"Japanese, you say?"

"Precisely. The Young Manchus are being backed up by a second gangwhich calls itself the 'Sons of Nippon. ' I don't know what London iscoming to. We've entertained Anarchists, Nihilists and Dynamitards foryears. Now we have the Yellow Peril with us. I wish I were King for afew days. There would be a bigger clearance of reptiles out of Englandthan St. Patrick made in Ireland. "

"Mr. Handyside here told me only ten minutes since that he wasconvinced there were Japs in league with the Chinese. "

"How did you know?" and Furneaux whirled round on the Americaninstantly. 

"By using the gray matter at the back of my head, " was the reply. "NoChink ever taught Wong Li Fu how to put away two chesty individualslike Mr. Theydon and your painter, Mr. Winter. But I couldn't be suretill I had seen the ivory skull. Then I knew. "

"So did I know yesterday morning, " said Furneaux, "and a deuce of atime the discovery gave me. Anyhow, the street fight outside InnesmoreMansions at daybreak today settles the matter. There were two Japaneseand one Chinaman. The Japs outed the policeman. Fortunately he andanother man made a five-minute point at each end of the mansions, and, as No. 1 failed to turn up, No. 2 went to look for him. He saw the endof the row, and ran to help, blowing his whistle for assistance. Unfortunately for us, two of the three confounded blackguardsescaped. "

"O, you've got one, then?" cried Theydon. 

"Yes, a Jap. The constable was wise enough to give him the point ofhis truncheon in the gullet, and that settled him. "

"I wonder if he is the one who would have been shot had he broken intomy flat, " said Theydon musingly. 

"Shot! Man alive, you'd never have heard him!"

"Not till he had a bullet lodged securely in his inside, it is true. Bates and I surveyed that lift last night, Mr. Furneaux, and regardedit as the weak part of our defenses, so we arranged that an automaticpistol should live up to its name, and fire at any one who opened thesliding panel. "

"Did you now?" said Furneaux admiringly. "Whose brainy idea was that--yours or Bates's?"

"A joint effort, " he said, with a self-satisfied smile. 

"Well, I'm glad it didn't come off. British law is a fearsome andwonderful thing. You might both have got ten years for fixing aman-trap, to wit, a lethal engine. However, during the next few daysyou're going to change your abode. Tell Bates and his wife that theyneed a holiday, and ought to visit relatives in Yorkshire or NorthWales. Pack what you need for a week, at least, and make straight forFortescue Square. "

"Are you joking?" said Theydon, genuinely astounded. 

"Do I look it?" And, indeed, the detective did not. "Winter has justsettled that program with Mr. Forbes. You see, you're in this affairnow, neck and crop, and it's easier for us to safeguard one place thantwo. You're pleased, aren't you? Doesn't a pretty girl live there?"

"Sir, " said Handyside, "he's tickled to death, and that's a fact. I'mthe only one to make a kick. I kind of reckoned on being allowed toplay a walking-on part in this drama, but I look like being cut out inthe new shuffle. "

"I can make use of you, " said Furneaux promptly. "You've seen Wong LiFu, and would know him again?"

"Yes, sir. "

"And you can tell a Japanese from a Chinaman at sight?"

"Yes, sir. "

"Good. You're enrolled. Next thing you'll be receiving an ivory skull, too. These beggars are the smartest crowd I've come across in twentyyears. I think they would have beaten us if it hadn't happened thatMr. Theydon and you, each of you strangers to the Forbes family, wereselected by fate to intervene at psychological moments. The YoungManchus and their allies had the ground surveyed thoroughly. They evenhad us of the Yard marked down. Oh, it's a plot and a half, I canassure you, and the worst thing is that the real struggle is yetahead. All that has happened before is mere skirmishing compared withwhat's to come. "

"Is that why you covered up your tracks, even in this hotel, beforeyou came to my room?" inquired Handyside. 

"It is, and let me tell you that you're a living example of acontradiction in terms. You use your brains, Mr. Handyside, yet yousmoke a cigar calculated to atrophy the keenest intellect. You, anAmerican, chewing a vile Burmese Cheroot! Cre' nom d'un pipe! Whenthis bubble has burst I must reason with you!"

 CHAPTER XIV

 WHEREIN THEYDON SUFFERS FROM FAINT HEART

Furneaux, with that phenomenally clear mind of his, had perceived andexpressed in one trenchant sentence the outstanding and almost uniquefeature of the tragic mystery which centered around the death of EdithLester. Theydon's connection with either international finance or therebirth of China was remote as that of the man in the moon. Yet he hadbeen pitchforked by fate into an active and, indeed, dominatinginfluence over those phases of both undertakings which were peculiarto London. 

Theydon mused on this element in an unprecedented situation as he satin the taxicab which bore him swiftly to Innesmore Mansions. Anotherquite abnormal condition was the ignorance of London with regard tothe fierce struggle now being waged in its midst. 

On the one hand, a few Oriental fanatics-- most of whom were probablyless swayed by racial enthusiasm than by good payment for servicesrendered-- were carrying out the orders of a master criminal with asublime indifference to the laws framed by the "foreign devils" whomthey despised; on the other were ranged the three members of theForbes family and Theydon himself, supported by the forces of theCrown, it was true, but singularly isolated from the knowledge andsympathy of their fellow-citizens. 

Miss Beale hardly counted. The servants in Fortescue Square sharedwith Bates and his wife a sort of territorial interest in the fight. When Fortune picked an occasional warrior for the fray she chose a manfrom Chicago, a motorcyclist from Eastbourne, a policeman in CharingCross road. 

How portentous had been that hand raised to stem the traffic at acongested corner on the Monday night! Into what a vortex of crime andpassion had it not pointed, all unknowing!

If the cab in which Theydon was hurrying home from Daly's Theater hadnot been delayed by the dispute between driver and policeman, he wouldnever have known that the millionaire visited Innesmore Mansions, andthe subsequent course of the night's history might have left himwholly unaffected. 

Then his wayward thoughts took to brooding on the gray car whichshadowed him from Waterloo to Fortescue Square, and again from thesquare to his own abode. If it held some member of the Embassy staff, why had no more been heard of it? And what had Winter and Furneauxmeant by hinting that far wider issues were bound up with the affairthan the authorities were yet at liberty to divulge? The attack onForbes, sinister and malevolent in its scope and purpose, was, in asense, open warfare. But it was impossible to guess what part, if any, the official representatives of China filled in the fray. Were theyactive allies of Scotland Yard or did they hold what is known in thelaw courts as a watching brief? He could not tell. He only knew thateach successive period of twenty-four hours broadened the area coveredby the struggle, and there, at least, he found solid backing for thelittle detective's demand that the threatened people should dwellunder one roof. His pulses quickened at the notice that this newdeparture implied constant association with Evelyn Forbes. Yet, whatdid it avail? Why should he dream of fanning into a fiercer fury theflame of his love? As matters stood, he had about as much chance ofmarrying Evelyn Forbes as of becoming Emperor of China!

The incongruity of the situation was illustrated with cruel accuracyby the fact that he could ill afford the stoppage of his work demandedby the present trend of events. He earned what might be regarded as agood income by his pen, but his expenses were not light, and he haddeemed himself fortunate the previous year when he was able to investa hundred pounds!

As a matter of fact, the interest on his "securities" paid for hisgloves and ties; another lucky year might see him provided for lifewith boots and socks! He pictured himself-- if he were idiot enough, when all this turmoil was ended, to pose as a suitor for EvelynForbes's hand-- explaining his financial position to the millionaire, and wilting under the scornful amusement in those earnest, deep-seeingeyes. Phew! He grew hot at the mere notion of such folly. 

Little wonder, therefore, that the driver of the taxi should gazequizzically after Theydon's alert figure as it vanished in thestairway of Innesmore Mansions. 

"Got the hump, an' pretty bad, " soliloquized the man. "Gimme a bobover the fare, an' all, so can't be stony. But Lord love a duck, younever can tell!"

Theydon was about to unlock the door of his flat when it opened in hisface, and his sister nearly collided with him. She screamed slightly, a certain quality of alarm in her exclamation merging instantly intojoyful recognition. 

"So you have come home!" she cried. "My goodness! What a fright you'vegiven me!"

"Why?" he said, with a reassuring and brotherly hug. 

"I've had horrid dreams. I couldn't rest all last night for thinkingof you. "

"Is George absent?" George was her husband, a consulting engineer, whose professional duties often took him to distant parts of thecountry. 

"Yes. "

"Then you and Miss Beale have been living on tea and scraps. Really, Mollie, I credited you with more sense. Tell me what you ate lastnight, and I'll diagnose your dreams. "

"We dined at a first-class restaurant in the West End, " said Mrs. Paxton indignantly. "It would be much more to the point if youexplained how you have been living the past few days. I have not beenso worried about anything since George was trapped in that horridmine. "

Mollie was on the verge of tears. Her brother resolved instantly tominimize matters, or she would fret more than ever on his account. 

"Now, look here, old girl, " he said, meeting her critical glancesteadily. "Miss Beale has been putting absurd notions into thatstylish little head of yours. By the way, is that the latest thing inhats? It suits you admirably. "

Mrs. Paxton smiled, though her eyes were glistening suspiciously. 

"You can't humbug me, Frank, so please don't try, " she protested. "Whyare you mixed up in this dreadful business? Why are you constantlymeeting detectives? Why did you rush off to Eastbourne yesterday? Whendid you become acquainted with this Mr. Forbes? Have you seen hisdaughter?"

Theydon was at least sufficiently well versed in the peculiarities ofthe feminine temperament to know that he would, be safe in answeringthe last question first. 

"Yes, " he said. "I have seen a good deal of Miss Forbes recently. Haveyou ever met her?"

"She was at the horse show last year with Lady de Winton's party. She's an awfully pretty girl, and will be worth millions, I suppose. Some one said that young de Winton was simply crazy about her, but helooks such a sloppy youth that I could hardly imagine those twogetting married. Of course, there's the title, yet a title is noteverything. "

Young de Winton! Theydon had not even been aware hitherto of theexistence of a marriageable scion of that noble house. 

"That particular young spark has not been in evidence during the pastfew days at any rate, " he commented, and his voice was not sononchalant as he imagined, because Mrs. Paxton looked up quickly. 

"Perhaps it was only idle gossip, " she said. "Is Miss Forbes a nicegirl to talk to? She struck me as being very animated. "

"Animated"-- while in the company of that undoubted oaf, de Winton!Theydon choked back something tinged with gall as he replied quietly:

"She could not well help being highly intelligent. Her father andmother are charming people. I was introduced to Mr. Forbes owing to amagazine commission to write an article about his interest inaviation. Now you see how promptly even the most gorgeous bubblebursts when it impinges against a solid little fact. As it happens, Mr. Forbes and I will have so much in common during the next day ortwo that I am now going to stay with him. I came here to pack aportmanteau. If you'll be a good little girl and listen while I'm atthe telephone you will hear all about it. "

The words were no sooner uttered than he wanted to recall them. Itwould be no easy matter to discuss Furneaux's suggestion with any onein Fortescue Square without letting his sister into the secret thatthe visit was necessitated by considerations of his own personalsafety. 

Mrs. Paxton's eyes were sparkling with a new interest. 

"I had no idea you were on terms of such intimacy with the family, "she cried. "Don't tell me, Frank, that your flights have taken you tothe elevated region in which millionaires' daughters figure aspossible brides!"

"Now you are making me out a Mormon, " and Theydon grinned fiercely. 

"You know what I mean. This Miss Forbes-- by the way, what is herChristian name?"

"Let me see. I think I have heard it. Doris, is it, or Phyllis? No, Iremember now-- Evelyn. "

"O, then, if you are so vague on that point I suppose I must reconcilemyself to owning a bachelor brother again. "

He shook his head at her. 

"Ah, you women!" he said. "Yet I used to regard you as quite asensible person, Mollie! Now, how in the name of goodness could Ipossibly entertain any notion of marrying the only daughter of a manin Forbes's position?"

"It all depends, " was the illogical but crushing retort. "There areplenty of millionaires' daughters whom I would not regard as goodenough for my brother. And, let me tell you, the family is makingprogress. A little bird whispered the other day that George's namewill appear in the next list of honors. He is to receive aknighthood. "

It was not new to Theydon to learn that his brother-in-law stood inhigh favor with the Government, because Paxton had been appointed ontwo Royal Commissions with reference to mining regulations, but heaffected a surprised incredulity as offering a way of escape from aninquisition which he dreaded. 

"Dear me!" he smirked. 

Therein he erred. His sister gave him a puzzled glance. 

"You are not yourself today, Frank, " she said dubiously. "You areacting. For whose benefit? Not mine, surely!"

"If your prospective ladyship will pardon me I will now go to thetelephone, " he countered. 

Anything, even a mad jumble of incoherence in his talk with the Forbeshousehold, was better than the troubled scrutiny of those clear browneyes. Leaving the door open so that his sister could hear his side ofthe conversation, he rang up No. 11 Fortescue Square. 

The butler answered. 

"That you, Tomlinson?" said Theydon. "Will you ask Mr. Forbes if I amto turn up in time for afternoon tea? If it is more convenient that Ishould arrive later I have lots of things to attend to, and can fillin a few hours easily. "

"I really don't know what to say, sir, " came the astounding answer. "Mrs. Forbes has been shot--"

"Great heavens!"

"Yes, sir. She was merely looking out through the drawing-room window, when some one fired at her from a passing motor car. "

"Do you mean that she is dead?"

"No, sir-- not quite so bad as that. The bullet struck her leftshoulder. A few inches lower and it would have pierced her heart. Thedoctors are with her now. I--"

Some interruption took place on the line and the butler's voiceceased. Theydon, careless now as to what construction his sister mightplace on his words, was about to storm at the exchange for cutting thecommunication. He meant to say that on no consideration would heinflict the presence of a stranger at such a terrible moment, when acoldly metallic, almost harsh question reached him. 

"That you, Theydon?"

"Yes, " he said. Forbes was speaking. 

"I was crossing the hall, and guessed it might be you. Come as soon asyou are at liberty. You will be welcome. If we are to be besieged Iwant some one who will not be afraid to shoot. These policemen are tooscrupulous. They saw some cursed Mongol leaning out through the windowof the closed car, and could have either shot him or put a bullet soclose that his aim would have been disturbed. As it was, my wife onlyescaped death by the mercy of Providence. She bent slightly at thevery instant the would-be assassin fired, and the bullet simplylacerated her shoulder. After this, I'll defend myself and mywomenfolk, but I need at least one other man whom I can trust. Willyou come?"

"I'll be with you within twenty minutes. "

He heard the clang of the receiver being replaced on its rest at theother end of the wire. Somehow, the sound conveyed a new determinationon Forbes's part. He had his back to the wall. No matter what view thelaw took of his action subsequently, he would protect his dear ones atall hazards. 

After that, Theydon hesitated no longer. 

"Bates, " he cried, "throw into a bag such clothes as I shall need fora few days' stay in Mr. Forbes's house. When I am gone, pack your ownboxes and take a week's holiday. Go anywhere you like, out of London, but go at once. Send me your address, care of Mr. Forbes, and I'll letyou know when I want you again. "

"If it's a matter of holdin' out against them--"

Bates intended making a declaration of war, but his employer broke inemphatically. 

"I want you to obey my orders fully and unquestionably, " he said. Bates promptly became the well-trained valet once more. 

"Yes, sir, " he said. "Your portmanteau will be ready in ten minutes. Half an hour later me an' Mrs. Bates will leave for my cousin's placein Hampshire. "

Theydon returned to the sitting room. His sister's face was white withfear, but he threw restraint to the winds. 

"Mollie, " he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "you are verydear to me, but there is one woman in the world who, if fate proveskind, may yet be dearer. She is in danger. If some one said that ofyou to your husband, what would he do?"

She kissed him with tremulous lips. "He would act just as you aregoing to act, " she said. "But, dear, can't you trust me? I cannothelp, perhaps, but I can pray for you. "

"Well, then, Sis, I won't fence with you any longer. There's a sort offeud between Mr. Forbes and a faction in China. He helped thereformers financially, and some supporters of the dethroned dynastyare trying to compel him by force to give them a list of the prominentmen who control the revolution. If he yields, it means that nearly ahundred leading men in China-- men whose only thought is the welfareand progress of their country-- will be ruthlessly murdered. If hecontinues to refuse, his own life and the lives of his wife anddaughter are at stake. These fiends killed Mrs. Lester within a fewfeet of this very room. They killed her husband six months ago. Theytried to kidnap Evelyn Forbes yesterday, and succeeded, for a while, in carrying off her mother, their plan being to torture one or both, even unto death. Heaven help me, I love Evelyn Forbes, and I wouldcount my life well spent if I died in defending her. Should anythinghappen to me and she is spared, tell her that, will you-- and myspirit will thank you. "

"We must not think of death, but of life, " was the brave answer. "CanI do anything? Could George assist if he were here?"

"No, Mollie. Perhaps I am exaggerating matters, though the history ofthis week would make strange reading if published broadcast. Indeed Ishall now urge on Mr. Forbes the advisability of sending the facts tothe press. London would be stirred to its depths, and every one of itscitizens would be quick to observe and report the presence of Chinamenor Japanese in the West End. Some innocent Orientals would suffer, butthe police might at least be enabled to capture the pestiferous gangwhich has committed this latest outrage. Just think of somecold-blooded scoundrel shooting at a sweet-mannered and gentle ladylike Mrs. Forbes!"

"Surely the authorities can protect her. "

"That is the wild absurdity of the position. Of course, you didn'thear what Mr. Forbes said. The armed detectives on duty in his houseactually saw the Chinaman who fired the shot which wounded her, leaning out through the window of a closed car. But they cannot blazeaway at any passer-by merely because he is, or resembles, an Asiatic. What they dare not do, however, he and I will endeavor cheerfully. Bates!"

"Yes, sir, " came the cry from a bedroom. 

"If you are packing two bags, put that pistol and a box of cartridgesin the smaller one. "

"Yes, sir. "

Mrs. Paxton at this crisis proved herself a woman of spirit. 

"I think you're right, Frank, " she said quietly. "I refuse to believethat any British court of justice would blame any man for defendingthe lives of his wife and daughter, nor you for helping him. If thepeacefully disposed Chinese residents in London wish to avoid risk letthem keep away from No. 11. Fortescue Square. May I come with you?"

"You, Mollie?"

He looked at her with troubled eyes. For the moment such was the firein his brain he did not understand. 

She laughed gallantly. 

"I don't mean as one of the garrison, " she said. "May I not make theacquaintance of these people? Sometimes, the mere knowledge thatothers are aware of one's troubles and sympathize with one iscomforting. Miss Beale is not expecting me till tea time. I told her Imight lunch with you. Indeed, I promised to call at her hotel for herletters, and that is halfway on your road. "

"You're a brick, Mollie, " said her brother. "I do believe EvelynForbes will be glad to see you. The most amazing thing about thisaffair is that none of the many friends Mr. And Mrs. Forbes and theirdaughter must possess in London has the slightest inkling of thetruth. I suppose the servants are instructed to tell ordinary callersthat the various members of the family are out, or some of themindisposed, or something of the sort. .. . But come along! I hear Batesbanging my belongings into the passage. I'm in a fever to be there andtaking part in the row. "

Soon they were seated in a taxi and speeding to Smith's Hotel, JermynStreet. 

"Have you invited Miss Beale to reside with you while she is inLondon, Sis?" said Theydon, allowing his thoughts to dwell for amoment on the less tragic side of events. 

"Yes. What else could I do? Poor thing, she was terrified at thenotion of sleeping under the same roof as a Chinaman. "

"I don't blame her. But there's a certain element of risk for you, Mollie--"

"Oh, bother! Don't tell me that a few Chinamen can threaten allLondon. "

Yet even the valiant-hearted Mrs. Paxton yielded to the hauntingterror of the bandits when the taxi drew in behind a gray car alreadystanding at the curb outside Smith's Hotel, and her brother graspedher wrist in sudden warning. 

"Sit still, " he said. "Now we may get on the track of some of thegang. That is the car which followed me on Monday night. "

His sister, of course, did not understand. She had heard nothing ofthe pursuit and its curious sequel. 

"Do you mean it is one of the cars which these men use?" she whisperedbreathlessly. 

"Yes. I'll explain later. But what impudence! The scoundrels have noteven changed the number plate. "

Unquestionably, the number of the gray landaulet now within a few feetof them was XY 1314. Theydon stooped, opened a dressing case lying athis feet, and took out the automatic pistol placed there by Bates. Heput it in the right-hand pocket of his coat. 

"Now, I'll reconnoiter, " he said, and opened the door. The taxi driverwas already gazing curiously in at his fares, wondering why one orboth did not alight. 

"Be ready to start the instant I want you, " said Theydon to the man, and he strolled past the gray car, with every sense alert, everymuscle braced. If Wong Li Fu were seated inside he would cover himwith the pistol and hold him there until the police came, or shoot himdead if he offered any resistance. 

Fortunately, therefore, all things considered, the interior of the carwas absolutely empty, save for a copy of the Times on the back seat. Even the presence of the newspaper was significant. In that issueshould have appeared Forbes's reply to "Y. M. " which Furneaux hadsuppressed as unnecessary. 

There was a chauffeur at the wheel-- no Chinaman, but atightly-buttoned and black-legginged young Englishman-- in fact, thereal thing in chauffeurs. 

"Whose car is this?" demanded Theydon. 

"It belongs to the Chinese Embassy, sir, " said the man, answeringcivilly enough, but not unnaturally showing some surprise at the curtquestion. 

"Are you waiting here for some official of the Embassy?" went onTheydon. 

"Not exactly, sir, some friends of His Excellency. " The man glancedtoward the door of the hotel. "Here they are now, " he added. 

Theydon turned. Two Chinamen, sedate, pig-tailed persons, weredescending the steps. With them was Furneaux! One of the Orientalsgave Theydon a rather sharp glance, having noticed, apparently, thathe was conversing with the chauffeur, but Furneaux, after a stonilyindifferent stare, said to the second Chinaman, in plain English:

"Do you mind dropping me at Scotland Yard?"

"With pleasure, " was the composed reply. 

The three entered, and the gray car made off, leaving Theydon to gazeblankly after it. His sister, though badly scared at first, quicklyrecovered her self-possession. She even made a joke of the incident. 

"As an anti-climax, Frank, that is the best thing of its kind you haveever brought off, " she tittered. 

 CHAPTER XV

 FORCEFUL TACTICS

Though a prey to that most burthensome of cares-- the uneasyconsciousness of an impalpable yet ever-threatening evil-- Theydon wasnot blind to the humorous element in the present situation. Mrs. Paxton, of course, did not know who the little man accompanying theChinamen was. 

She had seen her brother stalk the motor car and its presumedoccupants in the most approved melodramatic fashion, and could nothelp noticing his complete discomfiture. Naturally she imagined he hadencountered a pair of perfectly harmless citizens of the MiddleKingdom, and, being one of those happy beings more readily swayed tolaughter than to tears, rallied him upon an apparent blunder. 

"Never before have I discovered a neurotic streak in you, Frank, " shesaid, after she had obtained a couple of letters for Miss Beale, andthey were en route again. "Come now, confess. If Evelyn Forbes-- or, let me see, is it Phyllis or Doris? No, Evelyn. If Evelyn Forbes, then, did not happen to be a remarkably pretty girl, would you reallyattach such terrific importance to the mad goings-on of a set ofChinese fanatics? I doubt it. "

The cab was threading its way through the traffic of St. James Streetand Piccadilly on a busy afternoon in the season, and Theydon had muchto tell her before they arrived at Fortescue Square, but he sat by herside in silence for a little while. 

"Frank, " said his sister, at last, "it is not like you to seek refugein silence. I'm sorry if my chaff annoyed you. Don't forget that youknow everything about this mysterious business, and I know verylittle. "

Her sympathetic voice roused him from the stupor which had benumbedhis senses. 

"I allowed imagination to run away with me, Sis, " he said gently. "Itwas thoughtless on my part. Please forgive me. I suppose those twoChinamen are unofficially connected with the Embassy. At any rate, theman with them, the little man in a blue serge suit and straw hat, isFurneaux of Scotland Yard, a pocket marvel among detectives, the sortof criminal-hunter you read about in Gaboriau, but can scarcely acceptas existing in real life. "

From that instant he bent his wits to the task of acquainting Mrs. Paxton with the history of the preceding three days. He was aware ofthe irrepressible trembling which shook her slender frame when hespoke of the ivory skull found in Edith Lester's underbodice, and thereplica of the same grewsome token sent to Forbes, so suppressed allmention of his own experiences on returning to Innesmore Mansionsovernight. 

Furneaux had asked him for the bit of ivory that morning, and, incidentally, had produced the others from his pocket. The detectivegave no reason for his eagerness to possess these trophies, but seemedto invest them with great importance. While keeping up a constant flowof talk with his sister, Theydon tried to puzzle out the detective'smotive for carrying such sinister messengers of death around London. 

Try as he might, he could arrive at no plausible explanation, but hedid not make the error of attributing Furneaux's action to mereimpulse. Those men of the Yard had a solid foundation for every stepthey took. Even the visit to Smith's Hotel, and subsequent departurein the gray car, meant a definite stride onward in the fight againstWong Li Fu. Of that he was assured. 

At 11 Fortescue Square there were no outward signs of recentdisturbance beyond the presence of a sharp-eyed policeman at eachcorner of the row of houses of which Mr. Forbes's residence formed oneof the center pair. Theydon expected to see a shattered window in thedrawing-room on the first floor, where, presumably, Mrs. Forbes wasstanding when the shot was fired, but each pane in three large windowswas intact, and the windows were closed. 

Then he reflected-- as, indeed, proved to be the case-- that on such afine day the window would probably be open. Two windows on the secondfloor and one in the cloakroom near the front door were raised a fewinches, but drawn curtains screened from observation any watchful eyewhich might be stationed behind them. As a matter of fact, armeddetectives were hidden there, and they had been given specific ordersto shoot without warning any one of Chinese appearance whose behaviorwas suspicious, while three men were in readiness in the hall to rushout into the square and make an arrest under similar circumstances. 

In that fashionable quarter, at that hour, automobiles of every typewere passing constantly. At the very next door a well-appointedcarriage and pair was in readiness to take an elderly lady for a drivein the park. As yet, none of the other residents in the square had theremotest notion that No. 11 was in a state of siege. The position ofaffairs, if it were not so desperate, was almost amusing!

Mrs. Paxton and Theydon were admitted without any delay, and Forbeshimself hurried downstairs to greet them. He was pale, but quitecomposed. All the nervous uncertainty of the previous day hadvanished. He was armed and willing for the fray. If, as was by nomeans unlikely, Wong Li Fu staked everything on a gambler's throw andled his cohort in a daylight raid on the house, the Manchu leaderwould meet with a very warm reception. 

Forbes was surprised to find that a lady had come with Theydon, butexpressed his pleasure at the visit, which, he said, was just thething his wife and Evelyn needed. 

"Yes, " he went on cheerfully, noting the astonishment caused by hiswords, "Mrs. Forbes is not seriously injured. The bullet lacerated thetop of her left shoulder, and the wound is painful but superficial. She positively refuses to remain in bed, so our doctor humored her, provided she promises not to pass the time looking through thedrawing-room window!"

Mrs. Paxton, to whose senses the presence of armed detectives andconstables in uniform was even more eloquent than her brother's words, glanced about the spacious entrance hall with wide-eyed amazement. Once she and her brother were recognized as friends of the family, themen on duty gave them no heed. 

Outside were the familiar sounds of London traffic; within werepreparations for conflict. The police carried revolvers openly inleather cases strapped to their belts. On a table near the librarydoor were several automatic pistols ready to be snatched up in anemergency. An alert detective, revolver in hand, was peering throughthe curtains of the cloakroom; this sentry, in particular, would alarmthe garrison if, as Winter had definitely warned his assistants, anattempt were ever made to enter the house by main force. 

"I think I must be dreaming, " she said, trying bravely to lessen thegravity of the statement by smiling at its inherent absurdity. "Am Iin London, or have I been whisked by magic to one of those outposts ofcivilization where men and women of European race are often compelledto band together for protection against savages? One reads of suchthings comfortably while dawdling over breakfast, and one wonders idlywhy people go to such places. But that something of the sort couldhappen in London-- why, it is simply fantastic!"

"It is unpleasantly real, for all that, Mrs. Paxton, " said Forbes, leading the way up the stairs. "What else can we do? If theauthorities surrounded the house with a cordon of soldiers Londonwould be in an uproar. We want to avoid that, at all costs. I havebeen in communication with the Home Office, and am advised that, if wedecide to put up with the inconvenience, it is better, and actuallyless risky, to hold out here than seek safety by flight. I understandthat Scotland Yard is not losing an unnecessary minute, but there areobvious difficulties in the way of decisive action. It is consideredworse than useless to effect isolated arrests, as these tend only toput the other members of the gang on their guard. The chief inspectortells me that he had some hope of being able to make a big haultonight. The principal drawback is the language bar. Chineseinterpreters are few and far between in London, and those who doexist-- in the East End, for instance-- have long since lost anyuseful acquaintance with events in their own country. This is apolitical matter, you understand, and must be fought out on politicallines. Strange as it may sound in your ears, the cause of Chinesefreedom is at issue in this very house. If Wong Li Fu could secure alist of names now locked in a bureau in my library the Constitutionalparty in China would perish forthwith for want of leaders. But hewon't get it. Thanks to your brother, Mrs. Paxton, his deadliestattack failed yesterday. For today's accident we have ourselves toblame. We did not even suspect that his malignity would take the formof shooting the first person who chanced to look out of a window. "

He had halted at the top of the broad staircase while making thatstirring declaration of war. 

"Pardon my outspokenness, " he said, sinking his voice to a lower tone. "I don't want to frighten my wife on my own account. She believes nowthat the police are hunting these scoundrels in every hole and cornerof London. In a sense, that is true, but we never know the moment someextraordinary action may be taken, so we remain constantly on the quivive. "

He heard the telephone ring beneath, and turned quickly. 

"I may be wanted, " he said. "I'll join you presently. There is mywife's boudoir, " and he pointed to a door. "Take Mrs. Paxton in, Theydon. Mrs. Forbes and Evelyn will be glad of your company. "

Theydon knocked, and heard Evelyn's voice bidding him enter. Mrs. Forbes was lying on a couch, and her daughter had evidently beenseated near her, reading a newspaper. 

"I've brought my sister to see you, " he explained. "I've been relatingsuch heroic things about you that she simply refused to go homewithout ocular proof of your existence. "

Mrs. Forbes would have risen, but was restrained by the girl'semphatic cry:

"Mother, why won't you behave like an obedient invalid?"

Thus coerced, "Mother" did behave. 

"They insist on treating me as a casualty, " she cried cheerfully. "What is your sister's name, Mr. Theydon?"

"Mollie, " he said thoughtlessly, for he had just touched EvelynForbes's hand, and the mere contact gave him an electrical shock. 

The women laughed, and Mrs. Paxton blushed. 

"Mollie Paxton, at any rate, " she said, realizing at once that herbrother had completely lost all self-possession at sight of hisdivinity. "Now, as you are going to stay here, Frank, you shall giveme the full measure of the few minutes I can spare, so go and talkover your adventures with Mr. Forbes while I gossip with theprisoners. "

Theydon saw that his tactful sister had struck the right note. Shemight be trusted to make herself eminently agreeable. Her bright, smiling manner had already created a good impression, and a livelychat with one who had not passed through the vicissitudes which besetthe Forbes family would be an excellent tonic. 

"Before I efface myself, may I be allowed to congratulate Mrs. Forbeson her escape?" he said, halting at the door. 

"Yes, you may, " replied the older lady. "And, just to show that I amconvalescent, kindly tell Tomlinson that I am coming down to luncheon, and that Mrs. Paxton will join us. "

Forbes was leaving the telephone when Theydon regained the hall andexplained that he had been dismissed from the feminine conclaveupstairs. The millionaire closed the door and motioned his companionto a chair. 

"How long will it be before London wakes up to the knowledge of whatis going on in its midst?" he said. "Is there anything in thenewspapers? I have had no time to read. I passed a rather sleeplessnight, so did not rise until a late hour. Then Helen was fired at. Ineed hardly tell you that my time has been fully occupied since. "

Theydon gave a resume of the paragraph which had appeared in at leastone of the morning journals, and admitted that some inkling of thetruth was bound to gain publicity during the next few hours. 

"I cannot understand why it is the reporters are not here by the scorealready, " he went on. "Some passer-by must have seen or heard theshooting. A pistol cannot be fired in a quiet square like this withoutattracting general attention. "

"That is the extraordinary part of it, " said Forbes, smiling grimly. "People heard the noise, of course, but came to the conclusion that acylinder in the car had back-fired. That was the view taken by twopolicemen on duty within a few yards of the house. A detectivestationed in the cloakroom actually saw the man raising the weapon. He, of course, was under no delusion as to what had happened, and ranout instantly, but the car was then traveling at a fast pace, and wasout of sight before the nearest constable could even endeavor to stopit. Anyhow, what was the man to do? We cannot expect that he wouldwhip out a revolver, if he carries one, and blaze awayindiscriminately at car and occupants if the chauffeur refused to pullup. Really, Theydon, Wong Li Fu has perplexed the authorities morethan any desperado known to this generation. He is aware that hishostage has escaped from Croydon, so he calmly drives past my house, knowing full well that it is efficiently guarded, and fires a pot shotat the first person seen through one of the windows. The man whom Ihave spoken to over the telephone shares that opinion. He is one ofthe legal advisers of the Home Office. Just to show the bafflingnature of the problem, he says that it will be absolutely impossible, on the evidence available at present, to frame a charge against anyChinaman other than Wong Li Fu. Yet we know that he has at least fouror five, and probably three times as many, accomplices. "

"Have the police yet obtained any real clew as to the whereabouts ofthe gang's headquarters? They must have some sort of meeting place. They must eat and sleep somewhere. "

"That big detective, Winter, came here this morning. He seemed to bevery confident, though I think I gave him the worst shock he hasreceived for many a year when I informed him that within an hour afterhe had left the house Mrs. Forbes had been shot at, and narrowlyescaped a fatal wound. It was he who asked me to invite you to comehere. I'm exceedingly sorry that our acquaintance, begun so happily, should involve you in personal risk--"

"As for that, " broke in Theydon, "I would not change places with anyman in England at this moment. "

He feared instantly that he might have said too much, and added with alaugh:

"Don't forget, Mr. Forbes, that I write books, some of them-- the mostpopular ones, I am afraid-- being of a sensational type. When thistornado has died down, and Wong Li Fu is carefully hanged, and you andyour family are recuperating in Sutherlandshire, I shall resume workwith a new inspiration. Never again shall I say to myself, 'Oh, thatis too far-fetched, ' or fear that I am straining my readers' credulitybeyond bounds. If a small gang of Chinamen and Japanese can hold upLondon, bamboozle the best men in Scotland Yard, and keep a man ofyour position a prisoner in his own house, I need have no fear ofadopting any situation my fertile brain can evolve, because four daysago I would have scoffed at the things which have actually happened asquite impossible and therefore unbelievable. "

"Japanese, you say? Why do you mention Japanese?"

"The American, Mr. Handyside, tells me the skulls are of Japaneseworkmanship. He argues also that the wrestling tricks of which Winterand I, and Mrs. Forbes in lesser degree, have had some experience, areJapanese. More than that, a Jap was arrested outside my place earlythis morning. "

"Mr. Winter said something about it, but he spoke only of Chinamen. "

"I have Furneaux's authority for the statement that the prisoner is aJap, and belongs to a society calling itself the 'Sons of Nippon. '"

"But confound it, I have no quarrel with Japan. If anything, I am oneof her best friends. "

"I must get Handyside to propound one of his favorite theories. Hesays that a powerful and growing party among our allies in the FarEast means to keep China in a condition of anarchy until Japan isprepared, financially and in armament, to take a commanding share inthe ultimate settlement. But, at best, the few Japanese adventurers inleague with Wong Li Fu hardly count. Once he is laid by the heels thisfeud will evaporate into thin air. "

"If it doesn't, I must ask the Government to provide safe quarters formy family in the Tower, " muttered Forbes, rising and pacing the roomin the same thoughtful, care-laden way as he had paced it when Theydonfirst told him of Edith Lester's end. 

"You said Wong Li Fu knew that Mrs. Forbes had been rescued from herbonds last night, " went on Theydon. "I suppose Winter told you that. Was he only assuming the fact, or have there been developments atCroydon?"

"A motor car drove up to the gate openly at ten o'clock this morning. A police sergeant, jumping to the conclusion that one of his ownchiefs or a representative of Scotland Yard was paying the place avisit, incautiously showed himself in the doorway, whereupon the carraced away. It was an unfortunate and, perhaps, costly blunder, butthe man is hardly to be blamed. The very audacity of the gang is theirbest safeguard. "

A luncheon gong clanged in the hall. Both men started, and thenlaughed. 

"You see, " cried Forbes. "These rascals have got us on the jump. Idon't know how long my servants will stand the racket. They are mostloyal, and Tomlinson vows that not a syllable has been breathedoutside by any of our domestics. But the women's nerves are on edge. Ascullery maid dropped a decanter a little while since, and the crashdrew bloodcurdling shrieks from the kitchen. Come, let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. The quotation is not a felicitousone. Indeed, it is distinctly ominous, but it seems to meet theconditions. "

He threw open the door, and saw the three ladies descending thestairs. 

"Helena, " he cried sternly, "the doctor said you were not to stir outof your room. "

"My dear, the doctor is a mere man, and fancies that a woman is notfitted for warfare. He is quite mistaken. When aroused we can beterrible. "

Mrs. Forbes, whose face was paler and eyes seemingly bigger and moreluminous than usual, was leaning on Evelyn's arm. She was dressed in ablue tulle costume which lent a fragile air to an already slenderform, but she smiled so unaffectedly that even the policeman grinned. 

"You certainly look ferocious, " said her husband, yielding instantly, as she well knew would happen. 

"I believe you are all jealous, " she vowed. "I am the only one who hasreally been in the forefront of the battle. No. I forgot you, Mr. Theydon. Didn't that horrid man knock you down?"

"Yes, " said Theydon, moistening his lips with his tongue. There wassuch a peculiar rasp in his voice that it evoked a general laugh. 

Obviously the guests meant to avoid serious topics during the meal. Evelyn Forbes chimed in with a reminiscence of her schooldays inBrussels, and soon the talk was general, ranging from the year'sAcademy to the Ladies' Gold Championship. 

Mrs. Paxton, an excellent mimic, was amusing them with imitations ofthe voice and manner of a certain well-known lady golfer, when she wasinterrupted by three sharp, irregular cracks which seemed to come fromthe dining-room windows. Simultaneously a picture frame on theopposite wall was split and a Worcester vase on a sideboard wassmashed to atoms. 

Theydon, owing to his position at the table, was the first to noticethree small, starred holes in the plate glass of the windows. 

"Don't stand up!" he said, instantly. "Some one is shooting at thehouse. Crouch on the floor, for Heaven's sake!"

That urgent appeal was emphasized by a fourth bullet, which, taking alower flight, barely missed Forbes, upset a Venetian glass flower vaseon the table, and buried itself in the lower half of the sideboard. 

Forbes, heedless of the possible consequences to himself, sprang tohis wife's assistance, and, interposing his body as a shield betweenher and the windows, led her to an angle of the wall where she wouldbe safe. The younger women, after a momentary hesitation, dropped tothe floor and crawled to the same refuge. Theydon ran out. The frontdoor was open. 

The police had heard the shooting, the sound of which had beendeadened to those in the dining room by the breaking glass and china. But within a few minutes a useless pursuit was abandoned. Thefusillade had come from a car which halted close to the gardenrailings on the far side of the square. Though the trees were nearlyin full leaf, and dense shrubberies seemed to shut off every housefrom any such method of attack, investigation proved that it waspossible to estimate accurately the position of the dining-roomwindows in No. 11. 

When Theydon returned he found Forbes and the ladies gathered in thehall. 

"Another narrow escape on both sides, " he said coolly. "Two policemenwere just too late to interfere. Of course, they did not anticipate amove in that quarter. "

"Have the-- er-- enemy made off in a car?" said Mrs. Forbes. 

"Yes. A constable in a taxi is trying to follow them. "

"Well, then, let us finish our luncheon. I had hardly touched mycutlet. "

"By Jove, Helena, that doctor of ours was decidedly in error, " criedher husband. "You're right. If we're besieged we must carry ourselvesaccording to the code. Mrs. Paxton, I hope it won't disturb you if ashell bursts before coffee is served!"

Theydon glanced through a window before resuming his seat. 

"That volley has done things!" he announced. "London is stirring atlast. There's a crowd in front of the house, and a short, fat man isexplaining the procedure. Prepare now to receive the press inbattalions. "

 CHAPTER XVI

 WHEREIN UNEXPECTED ALLIES APPEAR

Although, as shall be seen, the final and complete defeat andextinction of the London section of the Young Manchus were directlydue to forces set in motion by Furneaux, it was Winter's painstakingway of covering the ground that unearthed the fraternity's meetingplace, and thus brought matters to a head speedily. For the rest, events followed their own course, and great would have been the fameof the prophet who predicted that course accurately. 

In later days, when more ample knowledge was available, it was adebatable point whether or not the inmates of No. 11 Fortescue Squarewere saved from an almost maniacal vengeance by the fact that a crisiswas precipitated. Winter maintained stoutly that the police musttriumph in the long run, whereas Furneaux held, with even greatertenacity, that although the gang would undoubtedly be broken up, thatmuch-desired end might have been attained after, and not before, adire tragedy occurred in the Forbes household. 

The pros and cons of the argument were equally numerous and weighty. They cannot be marshaled here. Each man and woman who reads thisrecord will probably form an emphatic opinion tending toward the oneside or the other. All that a veracious chronicler can accomplish isto set forth a plain tale of events in their proper sequence, andleave the ultimate verdict to individual judgment. 

Winter was a hard-headed, broad-minded official, whose long and wideexperience enabled him to estimate at their true value thefar-reaching powers of the State as opposed to the machinations of afew determined outlaws. On the other hand, the amazing facility withwhich Furneaux could enter into the twists and turns of the criminalmind entitles his matured views to much respect. 

At any rate, this is what happened. 

Winter was sitting in his office, smoking a fat cigar, and wadingthrough reports brought in by subordinates concerning every opium denand Chinese boarding house in the East End, when Furneaux entered. 

"Any luck?" inquired the chief, laying aside one document which seemedto merit fuller inquiry; it described a club much frequented byChinese residents in London, men of a higher class than the sailorsand firemen brought to the port by ships trading with the Far East, and an outstanding feature of the Young Manchus' operations was theintelligent grasp of the ways and means of modern civilized life thesefilibusters exhibited. 

"So-so, " squeaked Furneaux. 

He flung himself into a big armchair, curled up in it like an animatedBuddha, and extracted one of the three ivory skulls from a waistcoatpocket. 

"If you could only speak, you image of evil!" he muttered. "You're notso dead that you cannot work mischief. Why the deuce, then, can't youmouth your incantations? Then we would listen and learn. "

Winter, still sorting his papers, cocked the cigar inquisitively onone side of his mouth. 

"Oh, I have ascertained a lot about the inner politics of China, "mumbled Furneaux, irritably, gazing fixedly at the skull after onequick glance of his colleague. "Every little helps, of course. I havemet some Chinamen this morning who would cheerfully plunge Wong Li Fuinto a cauldron of boiling oil, and stir him round with a long stickwhen he was in it. One man, quite an important personage in the juteline, has lost a brother and a brother-in-law, the one in Canton, theother in Pekin, and he lays both deaths at the door of the redoubtableWong. Another, the fellow who chanced to take up his quarters atSmith's Hotel, is a delegate sent here specially to hunt out Wong, anddestroy him. I asked him how he meant to set about it, but his schemeis vague. He's an opportunist of the first water. 'Me catchee andkillee Wong Li Fu one time, ' was his best effort. I'm going toconfront Len Shi with these two in Bow Street. They may worm somethingout of him. But will they own up if they do? Dashed if I know. TheOriental mind is on a par with their blessed language. It has threethousand ways of expressing one idea, and not one of 'em is our way. "

"Has Theydon gone to Fortescue Square?"

"I suppose so. He turned up in Jermyn Street-- outside Smith's Hotel, if you please, with a lady in a taxi. "

"A lady? Miss Beale?"

"No, his sister, judging from the family likeness. His eyes grewgoggled like yours when he saw the gray car. "

"Didn't you explain matters?"

"Not I. Gave him the cut direct. My Chinamen are shy birds, and Idaren't flutter them by letting them think there are too many foreigndevils mixed up in the business. My London Chinaman was the brainyperson who got the Embassy busy when Mrs. Lester's death wasannounced. He saw Wong Li Fu's hand in that from the first moment. Oddly enough, though he and a man from the Embassy followed Theydonfrom Waterloo to Forbes's place on Tuesday night, and again toInnesmore Mansions, he didn't recognize him today. Or perhaps he did. I don't know. Talk about the impassive Red Indian! A thoroughbredChink would give a Pawnee chief one glass eye and a coat of paint, andthen beat him hollow at the haughty indifference game. "

"My!" said Winter admiringly, "you've got your tongue loose today. Well, here's an item which should prove useful. Whitechapel thinks wemay find a Young Manchu or two among that collection, " and he threw anofficial memorandum across the table. 

Furneaux repocketed the skull, and was gazing moodily at the report, when a uniformed constable announced that a boy messenger wished tosee a "detective" with regard to the typed letter delivered at Mr. Forbes's house on Wednesday evening. 

"Show him up, " said the chief, and a smart-looking boy, wearing thefamiliar uniform of his corps, was brought in. He glanced aroundinquiringly. 

"Oh, you're the gentleman who came to our Piccadilly office, " he saidto Winter. 

"Yes. "

"Well, sir, I haven't very much to tell you, but it was I who took theletter to Fortescue Square. I saw the sender, a foreign-lookinggentleman, he was, with funny eyes, and I think I spotted him againthis afternoon. He was coming out of a house in Charlotte Street. "

"Are you sure?" demanded Winter, quickly. 

"He was awful like the man who engaged me, sir, and dressed the sameway. "

"Did you notice the number of the house?"

"Yes, sir. No. 412. "

"Quite certain about that?"

"Yes, sir. "

"Good boy. If your information is of any service I'll take care youare not forgotten. "

The boy saluted and went out. 

"We must look up No. 412, " said Winter, quietly; but there was a ringof genuine satisfaction in his voice, because the clew promised well, and it was a complete justification of the straightforward method headopted in every inquiry, whereas Furneaux invariably preferred anabstruse theory to a definite piece of evidence. 

The Jersey man's face had wrinkled as a preliminary to some sarcasticcomment on what he termed the "handcuff" way of reasoning, when thetelephone bell rang. Winter answered, and at once his self-possessedair fled. Indeed, it was a very angry man who listened, because asubordinate was telephoning from Fortescue Square a full account ofthe shooting outrage. 

The Chief gave a few curt instructions as to securing the adequatecooperation of the local police, who should take measures to renderany repetition of such daring tactics absolutely impossible. 

"No one was injured, you say?" he added. 

"No, sir. "

"Were the ladies very much frightened?"

"They've gone back to finish luncheon, sir. "

"Good. Evidently they're all of the right breed. You can tell them Isaid so, if you like. Assure Mr. Forbes that every care will be takento protect his house in future. See that strong patrols occupy everypoint from which a gun can be aimed at any window, even the attics, inNo. 11. Phone me again when you have discussed matters with thedistrict superintendent. "

The receiver clanged back into its hook. Winter had not foreseen thislatest move. "Sheer impudence, " he termed it. 

"More bullets?" inquired Furneaux laconically. 

"Yes. A long-range attack from across the square. Four shots lodged indining room. "

"No one hurt, and no one arrested?"

"Not a soul. "

"James, " said the little man solemnly, "Wong Li Fu is making us alaughing-stock. Are you aware that the newspapers will get on ourtrack now? Can't you see the headlines?-- 'Another Sidney Street. ''Chinese Pirates Busy in London. ' 'Scotland Yard Outwitted. ' By thistime tomorrow the Commissioner will be suggesting that you and I oughtto think about retiring on pensions. "

Winter jumped up, overturning a chair in his haste. 

"Come!" he said. "If that Chinaman in Bow Street won't speak, I'lltorture him. What of the other fellow who was caught near InnesmoreMansions?"

"He's a Jap. He knows nothing. He was hired for the job-- to put anyinterfering bobby to sleep. "

The chief inspector angrily bundled some papers into a drawer, andthrew away his cigar, which he had allowed to go out. Furneauxproduced an ivory skull again, and scowled at it, whereupon hissuperior, snorting with annoyance, strode to the window, and affectedan interest he was far from feeling in the panorama of the Thames. 

And thus they passed a harmonious quarter of an hour, which came to anend with the appearance of an attendant to announce the arrival of"two Chinese gentlemen to see Mr. Furneaux. "

They went down in the elevator without exchanging a word. At theentrance stood the gray car, in which the Chinamen were alreadyseated. Furneaux introduced the chief inspector, and they were whiskedto Bow Street. There in a cell they found Len Shi, a somewhatsullen-looking man whose European chauffeur's livery seemed curiouslyraffish and unsuitable when contrasted with the more picturesque ifsober-hued garments worn by his fellow-countrymen. 

At first he maintained the sulky know-nothing role which he hadadopted successfully with the official interpreter. Furneaux, watchingthe faces of prisoner and questioners, guessed that small progress wasbeing made, so, waiting until Len Shi was evidently quite satisfiedwith himself, he suddenly thrust an ivory skull before the man's eyes. The result was unexpected but puzzling. The man was badly scared, beyond doubt, but he now became obstinately silent. 

Winter, than whom no living actor could play up better to Furneaux'stactics in a touch-and-go encounter of this sort, assumed a highlytragic air. 

"Handcuff that man, and bring him out!" he said to the constable incharge of the cells. 

Len Shi blanched. He estimated the legal methods of Great Britain bythose which obtained in his own land, and probably thought he wasbeing led forth to immediate execution. 

The whole five crowded into the car, and the driver, the same Englishchauffeur to whom Theydon had spoken, was told to make for 412Charlotte Street, and pass the house slowly, but not pull up. Len Shi, though quaking with alarm, bore himself with a certain dignifiedstoicism until he found out where the car was apparently stopping. Then he said something in a panic-stricken voice and the jutemerchant, who spoke English fluently, turned to Furneaux. 

"Tell the chauffeur to return, " he said. "Len Shi will now confess. "

Once started, Len Shi talked volubly. The others merely put in aquestion now and then, and the detectives curbed their impatience asbest they might until Len Shi was safely lodged in Bow Street again. 

Then Winter led his Chinese helpers into an inner office and closedthe door. 

"Well?" he said, addressing the jute merchant. The other Chinaman hadvery little English and could not maintain a conversation. 

But, to the chief inspector's surprise and wrath, the English-speakingChinaman had only a request to make. 

"Give me and my friend those three ivory skulls, " he said. 

"Why?" he said. 

"Without them we can accomplish nothing. "

"Be good enough to explain yourself. Above all, tell me what Len Shihas been jabbering about. He had plenty to say. "

"He told us of the fate of our friends in China. Those things do notconcern you. What you want is to have Wong Li Fu and the others--there are nearly twenty in all-- delivered into your hands. Very well. Give us those ivory skulls, and bring your men to that house inCharlotte Street, at one o'clock this night, and you will take themwithout a blow being struck. "

"That is our business, not yours, " said Winter, gruffly decisive. "Icannot expose you two gentlemen to any personal risk in this affair. Kindly--"

"You do not understand, " broke in the jute merchant, addressing theburly representative of the Criminal Investigation Department as if hewere a fractious child who must be informed as to the why andwherefore of a disagreeable duty. "What will you do? Surround thehouse with policemen, break in the doors, and fight? You may, or maynot succeed. Some, plenty, of your men will certainly be killed. Thatis not good. We do not wish it. Give me those skulls. I and my friendwill go there. You come at one o'clock, tap so on the door, and wewill admit you. Then you take Wong Li Fu and all the others. Therewill be no fight. "

The Chinaman's manner was singularly impressive as he tapped threetimes on a high desk to emphasize, as it were, his instructions. Thesound, too, was curious. He did not use his knuckles, but bunched thefingers of his right hand together, and rapped on the wood with thelong nails which are a mark of distinction in his race. 

"We make things easy and certain for you, " he added, more by way ofpainstaking argument than because any further explanation was reallynecessary. "You do not wish to fail, no? You want to be sure that WongLi Fu's evil deeds shall be stopped? Good. We do that-- I and myfriend. We can pass the door-keepers. Can you? No. At one o'clock weopen the door and the Young Manchus will be wholly in your power, todo with them what you will. I promise that, and my word is alwaystaken in the city. "

Winter turned troubled eyes on Furneaux. 

"What do you say?" he muttered irresolutely. 

"I think the plan is a good one, and should be adopted, " was theinstant reply. 

Nevertheless, Winter was perplexed. He hemmed and hawed a good deal. Seldom did he hesitate in this fashion. As a rule, he was quick todecide and quicker to act. 

"I might entertain your scheme if I were told more about it, " he saiddubiously, gazing with troubled eyes at the Chinaman's blandlyinscrutable face. "Please believe me when I say that I trust your goodfaith, but I am not sure that even you understand fully the nature ofthe adventure you have in mind. Wong Li Fu has already committed onemurder in London. He has attempted others, and is absolutely carelessof consequences. How can I have any guarantee that you and this othergentleman may not be his next victims? He is a person who displays asomewhat forced humor. We might enter the Charlotte Street house atone o'clock and find your corpses there, with labels and ivory skullsneatly attached. "

"That will not be so, " was the grave answer. 

"If I agree, what time do you propose going there?"

"About midnight. "

"And do you expect the police to leave the whole neighborhood severelyalone for another hour?"

"Not unless you wish it. If you so desire you can occupy both ends ofthe street, and arrest every Chinaman coming away from No. 412, butlet those pass who go towards it. "

"Will others go there-- friends of yours, I mean?"

" Oh, yes. We will overpower the Young Manchus by taking them unaware. We will act quietly, but there will be no mistake. It is you who willerr if you do not accept our help. "

Then Winter yielded, though not with a good grace. The impliedsuggestion that the London police could not handle a set of Mongolianruffians was utterly distasteful, yet he admitted, though unwillingly, that he did not want to sacrifice some of his best men in rushing theplace. 

"All right, " he said. "Hand over the skulls, Furneaux! It is quiteagreed, " he went on, addressing the Chinaman again, "that I have fullliberty of action in so far as preliminary arrangements are concerned?I see your point that Wong Li Fu must not be forewarned, and shalltake care that my men are hidden. I have your positive assurance, too, that you are not exposing your own life in any way?"

"To the best of my belief I shall be as safe in Charlotte Street as Iam here, " said the jute merchant, smiling for the first time duringthe interview. 

"One! Two! Three!" said Furneaux, counting the skulls into theChinaman's outstretched hand. 

For some reason, the action, no less than the words, jarred on Winter. 

"I do wish you wouldn't be so d----d theatrical!" he growled. 

Furneaux said nothing. He accompanied the chief inspector when thelatter escorted the two Chinamen to their car, and whistled softlybetween his teeth while Winter and he were walking to Scotland Yard. The big man glowered at him once or twice, but passed no comment. Whenthey reached the Embankment, Winter took Furneaux to his room, butleft him instantly. He was absent a long time. When he came in againhe was cheerfully placid. 

Walking toward their favorite restaurant in Soho, they met a newsboyrunning with an edition of an evening newspaper damp from the press. The boy was shouting, "'Orrible crime in the West End; Chineseoutrage!" Furneaux bought a paper. It contained a lively account ofthe attack on Mr. Forbes's house and described the mansion as an armedfortress. Scores of police were parading the neighborhood andexamining every passing motor car lest it held Chinese bandits. Thearrest of Len Shi at St. Albans, and of a Japanese outside InnesmoreMansions, was recalled, and an Eastbourne correspondent had sent afairly accurate version of the kidnaping of Mrs. Forbes. 

"The pack is in full cry now, James, " grinned Furneaux. "Tomorrow--"

"O, bother tomorrow! Let's eat, and talk about something else. "

"What? Both? Well, now, if that isn't a bit of luck, " cried a pleasantvoice close behind them, and Mr. George T. Handyside held out his twohands. 

"I was feeling kind of lonesome in the hotel, and just strolled out tolook at the shops, " he rattled on. "Say, can you boys eat a line? Isthere any place in London where they know what a planked steak is?"

"Planked steak!" snorted Furneaux. "When you've tasted a porterhousesteak grilled by a master hand you'll never mention any other varietyagain. Come right along, Mr. Handyside. Tell us fairy tales aboutGod's own country. We're in the right mood to believe anything!"

"But what's this story of another shooting up in Fortescue Square? Isit true?"

Then Furneaux dug him in the ribs. 

"This isn't the Wild and Woolly West, " he said. "This is London, sir, poor, old, played-out London, whose beefy citizens do nothing but eat, talk cricket or golf, and sleep. If you credit the newspapers, you'llnever get us in the right perspective. "

Another newspaper boy raced past, bawling loudly. 

"All a flam, is it?" said the American quizzically;

"No, " said Winter, "it's the truth, and less than the truth. Let'shunt that steak, and we'll season the dish for you. "

Winter never erred when he chose a man as a friend. He likedHandyside, and was half inclined to drop a hint in his ear as to thenight's program, for the American had seen Wong Li Fu more than once, and might be useful for identification purposes. 

 CHAPTER XVII

 THE SETTLEMENT

Now, Len Shi had communicated one vital fact to his compatriots whichthey had carefully concealed from the detectives. The opening campaignagainst Forbes had practically ended that day. Thenceforth, for aweek, the Young Manchus meant to separate, revert to Chinese costume, live in Chinese boardinghouses in the East End, and thus utterlymislead and bamboozle the police, who, in their hunt for themiscreants, would be searching for Chinamen in European dress andliving in European style. 

Winter was in two minds whether or not to inform the inmates of No. 11as to the contemplated raid on the Charlotte Street rendezvous. Ultimately, he decided to say nothing definite that evening. It wasbetter that the threatened people and their guards should not relaxtheir vigilance. "The best-laid schemes o' mice and men gang afta-gley, " and if, perchance, the jute merchant's plan, whatever itmight be, miscarried, and some of the desperadoes escaped, they wouldbe stirred to instant reprisals. 

But there was no semblance of doubt or hesitation about the measurestaken by the police. That night, from eleven o'clock onward, not evena prowling cat entered Charlotte Street without being seen by sharpeyes. Nearly opposite No. 412 was a large warehouse, with a backentrance a long way in the rear, and approached from another street. 

At midnight three Chinamen appeared, turned into Charlotte Street fromthe south and shuffled on noiseless feet straight to No. 414. Theyknocked, and after some delay were admitted. A minute later threeothers came from the north, knocked on the door of No. 410 anddisappeared, the delay, seemingly caused by a parley with some onewithin, being longer in this instance. 

Afterward squads of Chinamen, exactly 25, all told, came from northand south in practically equal numbers and entered those two houses, but never a man entered, or passed, or came out of No. 412. These morenumerous arrivals met with no hesitation on the part of the twodoorkeepers. They entered without let or hindrance. 

After that there was what is known in theatrical circles as a "stagewait. " Charlotte Street, save for its loafers and an occasionalbelated resident of some dwelling other than those under observation, lapsed into its normal and utterly dismal gloom. 

From 12:30 onwards, Winter, stationed on the south side, looked at hiswatch many times. A little man, mingling with the disreputable rascalson the north side, was similarly fidgety. 

A tall, slim man, wearing a dark overcoat, who lurked in a doorwaynear Winter's post, blew the tip of the cigar he was smoking into ared glow so that he might look at his watch. Another tall man, rathermore powerfully built, awaited developments with apparent unconcern. Mr. Handyside, in fact, was in the august company of the Commissionerof Police, and the latter, though eminently agreeable, neverthelessobserved an Olympian attitude. Thus might Jove watch a gathering inthe Pompic Way!

At 12:45 there was a stir. Out of 410 and 414 came 25 Chinamen. Theygathered on the pavement, and did not attempt to walk away, though asudden and concentrated advance was made by the two sets of loafers, while the doors of the warehouse opposite belched forth a startlingarray of constables in uniform. 

Winter and Furneaux respectively headed the contingents from north andsouth. An inspector was in charge of the central body, and even aChinaman who had not been a day in London must have realized that theintent of these swift-moving detachments was to cut off his escape ifhe meant flight. But not a Chinaman budged, save one, who seemed torecognize the chief inspector, because he stepped forward and said insuave tones:

"These men are my friends. The others are inside. They are quite safe. Kindly wait till one o'clock. "

"I must understand what you mean, Mr. Li Chang, " said Winter sternly;for some reason, he distrusted the smooth-spoken jute merchant. "Whyhave you visited these two houses, and not 412? And what do we gain bywaiting here any longer? We must have been seen, and our purposeguessed. "

"No, " came the somewhat surprising answer. "No one in No. 412 is awareof your presence. We have taken care of that. As for the other houses, they provide the simplest means of access to the center one. Doorwayshave been made in the cellar walls and special staircases built. Consequently, if you broke open the door of 412 you would find the waybarred by two other locked doors, while the occupants, if aroused, could escape from either or both of the next houses. We Chinese have along acquaintance with the needs of a secret society. You may take itfrom me that the obvious way into or out of an opium den, forinstance, is never the way used by the habitues. "

By this time the commissioner, Handyside, Furneaux and the inspectorhad come up, and the five formed a little group in the center of asemicircle of detectives and police. There was absolutely no sign oflife in any of the houses; save for the raiders and the stolidOrientals, the street itself was deserted. Many eyes, no doubt, werepeering through darkened windows, but the denizens of Charlotte Streetas a rule attend strictly to their own personal affairs when thepolice are in evidence. 

"What do you advise, sire" said Winter, addressing the commissioner. "Mr. Li Chang wants us to make no move until one o'clock. It is only amatter of six or seven minutes. "

"And what then? Are we to enter these other houses, and not No. 412?"

"Yes, " said the Chinaman. 

"Have you left the doors open?"

"No. They must be forced. But there are only small locks. The boltsare drawn. "

"The places are apparently in complete darkness. My men must use theirlamps, and may be attacked. "

"No, " said Li Chang simply. "There will be no fighting. Those Manchudogs are helpless. We have seen to that. "

"But how? Do you mean that they are stupefied?"

"Bound, " said the Chinaman. "Tied hand and foot. "

"Again then, may I ask, why wait?"

"It will be in order, " was the calm reply. "I entered into anarrangement with you. I want to abide by it. "

Winter breathed heavily. The ways of the Oriental were not his ways, but a bargain was a bargain, so what more could be said?

Suddenly, about two minutes to one o'clock, a curious crackling noisewas heard, a column of sparks burst high above the steep roof of No. 412, and the upper windows of the opposite houses reflected a redglare. 

"Good heavens! the place is on fire!" cried Winter. 

Simultaneously came a shout from both ends of the street. Men wererunning from the detachment guarding the rear of the premises to saythat a fierce fire was raging on the first floor back of No. 412. 

"Smash in those three doors!" cried Winter to his helpers. "Drag outevery Chinaman you meet! Handcuff them in threes and fours! Arrestthese fellows standing outside, but keep the two lots separate!"

"Why are we, your friends, to be arrested?" demanded Li Chang'sdignified voice. 

"I'll soon tell you why, you slim demon!" shouted the chief inspector, roused to anger by the consciousness that he had been duped. "Whatfiendish trick have you played on those wretches penned up insidethere? But I'll soon know. "

He turned to the local officer. 

"Better march this crowd of Chinamen straight to your station, " hesaid. "I'll follow soon, and lay a charge. "

He felt a claw-like hand on his arm, and wild with vexation though hewas, forced himself to listen. 

"We are ready to go where you wish, " said Li Chang calmly. "But spareyour own men. They must not enter No. 412. They will be blown topieces. Stop them! I shall not warn you twice!"

Somehow, Winter was impelled to obey. The center door was alreadyyielding, but he rushed forward and told the party which meant toenter at that point to abandon it, and reinforce their comrades. Anumber of detectives and police were already inside the dark hallwaysof Nos. 410 and 414 when the very walls trembled under the shock of aviolent explosion in No. 412, which was quickly followed by threeothers. 

A tongue of flame darted instantly to a height of many feet above thetopmost storey, showing that the series of explosions had not onlydestroyed the whole rear section of the house, and thus given the firefresh fuel and plenty of space but there could be no reasonable doubtthat the bombs, if bombs they were, had themselves been filled withsome highly inflammable substance. Thenceforth, the police could donothing beyond keeping at a distance the crowds which soon gathered, and thus clear a space for the operations of the fire brigade. 

No. 412 was thoroughly gutted. Not a shred of the building remainedexcept the crumbling walls at front and back. Its neighbors were inlittle better case, and the firemen devoted their efforts mainlytoward keeping the disaster within bounds. 

One thing was certain. No human being had escaped from out of thatdoomed habitation. The fire, too, had gained hold with a phenomenalrapidity which argued the use of petrol, or some kindred agent ofirresistible potency when ignited. 

Winter and Furneaux, accompanied by the commissioner and Mr. Handyside, walked to the local police station. The American was theonly one who spoke. 

"Queer ducks, the Chinese!" he said, seemingly musing aloud ratherthan inviting comment. "They like to settle their own differences. Iguess we'd feel pretty much like that if we lived in China. "

No one took up the point thus raised. Winter bent a searching, almostsorrowful glance at Furneaux, but the little man's eyes were fixed onthe ground, as though he were deep in thought. 

In the charge room of the police station the twenty-five Chinamenawaited them. Twenty-five pairs of oblique eyes gleamed at the fourwhen they entered, but not a word was spoken. 

Winter, of course, singled out Li Chang for a parley. 

"Now, " he said, "tell me just what happened after you and these otherswent into the two houses in Charlotte Street. "

The Chinaman faced him imperturbably. His manner was as unemotionaland his words as slow and methodical as if he were selling jute in hisEast End warehouse. 

"We asked to be admitted, and after giving the password and showingthe sign there was no difficulty, " he said. "We were in parties ofthree. As you probably saw, I headed one, which entered No. 410. Myfriend, Won Lung Foo, led the other. The ivory skulls made matterssimple. We explained to the door-keepers that we had just arrived fromChina, and brought messages of great urgency. Once inside, we gaggedand bound the door-keepers. Then we entered No. 412, where we knewthat Wong Li Fu would be smoking opium with the remaining fourteen. "

"Were there seventeen in the gang, all told?" broke in Furneaux. 

"Seventeen Manchus. The rest are-- paid men-- of no account. "

"Queer, " muttered Furneaux, almost to himself. "The story begins andends with the number 17!"

Again did Winter strive to pierce his colleague with a look from thosebulging eyes, but the little man was far too occupied with a singularnumerical coincidence to pay any heed to him. 

"Well, go on!" he said impatiently, glaring at the Chinaman. 

"We went to the big room at the back, " continued Li Chang quietly, uttering each word separately, and evidently weighing it in his mindto test its accuracy before use, "and found Wong Li Fu. Him we boundquickly, and very securely. The others we tied in twos and threes. Ofcourse, we brought the two doorkeepers to the same room, so that youshould experience no difficulty, but take them all together. "

Here Mr. Won Lung Foo broke in. Evidently he could follow Englishbetter than speak it. 

"Yes, " he said. "We wantee you catchee Chineemans all togeller--muchee wantee!"

Then he smiled blandly, and his tongue rolled over his lips as thoughsome fruit or sweetmeat had left a pleasant taste there. 

"Then, if your surprise was so successful, what caused the fire?" saidWinter, affecting a magnificent disregard of the plain facts. 

Li Chang, for once, permitted his immobile features to show somesemblance of anxious uncertainty. 

"That, " he said, "is a mystery which can, perhaps, never be solved. But it saves your Government much trouble. "

In those few words he expressed quite clearly the line he adhered tothroughout a long cross-examination. Neither Winter nor thecommissioner could shake him. The fire was an accident-- the outcomeof an extraordinary chance. He knew nothing whatsoever of its origin. 

After a protracted debate in private between the two heads of theCriminal Investigation Department, the names and addresses of theprisoners were recorded and they were set at liberty. 

Before Li Chang went away Furneaux demanded the return of the threeivory skulls, which were promptly handed over. 

"One word in your ear, " murmured the detective, sotto voce. "Did WongLi Fu recognize you?"

"Oh, yes, " said the Chinaman. 

"And you spoke to him?"

"Oh, yes. "

The eyes of the two clashed. For once, Furneaux peered deep into themind of an Oriental, and what he saw there kept him quiet, but heknew, just as surely as if he had been present, exactly what Li Changsaid to Wong Li Fu. He delivered a message from two graves in far-offChina. _______

And that is all-- or nearly all. 

The "Charlotte Street Fire" caused only a slight sensation. It becameknown that No. 412 was a resort of Chinese opium fiends, and the lossof the den and its frequenters was not treated as a National calamity. The shooting at No. 11 Fortescue Square was regarded much moreseriously, and the newspapers were full of it all next day. 

Thenceforth, however, interest flagged. Mr. Forbes and his family andservants left London for Scotland, and the Amateur Golf Championshipcame along, so the escapades of a few Chinese fanatics in London werequickly forgotten. 

They were forgotten, that is, by most people; but one man, FrankTheydon, went back to his flat in Innesmore Mansions to plunge intowork and strive vainly to obliterate those pages of his memory chargedwith bitter-sweet day-dreams. 

Strive as he would, and did, to bury the past under the duties andcares of the present, the radiant vision of Evelyn Forbes remainedineffaceable and entrancing. 

But he was built of tough fiber, and resolutely refused an invitationto visit the Sutherlandshire glen in which Forbes and his daughterwere sedulously nursing to health and strength the dear wife andmother whose nervous system had suffered far more than she permittedto become known under the stress and strain of the kidnapingexperience. 

Even when Evelyn herself wrote, seconding her father's most friendlynote, Theydon pleaded the exigencies of his profession and filled aletter with an amusing account of Bates's chagrin because he hadfailed to "bag a Chinaman on his own account, " having actuallypurchased a pistol and fixed it in position before he and his wifequitted the flat. 

Three months passed. On August 9, a broiling morning, Theydon wasdejectedly reading of preparations for the "Twelfth, " when a telegramreached him. It read:

"Handyside has arrived here in his car. Come for the gathering of theclan. We take no refusal. Forbes. "

Theydon traveled north that night. He reached the glen in time fordinner next evening and passed a few delightfully miserable days inEvelyn's company. 

At last, feeling that he was losing grip and might act foolishly, heannounced to Forbes, one night when a glorious moon was shining, andhe knew that Evelyn was awaiting him in the garden, that he must leavefor London next day. 

"Why?" inquired his host. "Has something unforeseen happened? Ithought you meant remaining here till the end of the month at theearliest. "

"I'm sorry, " said Theydon, chewing a cigar viciously as a means towardmaintaining his self-control. "I'm sorry, but I must go. "

There was a slight pause. Forbes looked at his young friend with thoseearnest, deep-seeing eyes of his. 

"Is it a personal matter?" he went on. 

"Yes. "

Again there was a pause. Theydon was well aware that he risked a gravemisunderstanding, but that could not be avoided. It might be evenbetter so. And then his blood ran cold, because Forbes was saying:

"Are you leaving us because of anything Evelyn has said or done?"

"No, no!" came the frenzied answer. "Heaven help me, why do you askthat?"

"Heaven helps those who help themselves, " said the older man. "That isa trite saying, but it meets the case. I think I diagnose yourtrouble, my boy. You are in love with Evelyn, and dare not tell herso, because I happen to be a rich man. Really I didn't think you hadso poor an opinion of me as to believe that money or rank would countagainst my daughter's happiness. "

He said other things-- kindly, wise, appreciative-- but Frank Theydonnever knew what they were. He managed to stammer out some words ofgratitude and then went to find Evelyn. 

She had crossed a sloping lawn and was standing by the side of alittle stream that gargled and bubbled in joyous career to the nearbyloch. She had thrown a white shawl over her head and shoulders, andlooked adorably sylphlike as she turned on hearing his footsteps; themoonlight shone on her face and was reflected in her eyes. 

"Oh, you're here at last!" she cried gaily. "The next time I ask anycavalier to escort me he will come more quickly, I imagine. "

He stood in front of her, and stretched out both hands. 

"Evelyn, " he said, "here is one cavalier, at any rate, who offershimself as an escort for life. "

The merriment died out of her eyes, and the quip on her tongue failedher. Greatly daring, her lover took her in his arms. Through the openwindows of the drawing room floated the tender refrain of a ballad. Mrs. Forbes was singing, and sweet words blended with sweet music inthe still air. 

Then their lips met, and the dark glen became an earthly Paradise. 

 THE END