etached house displaying the hatchet boards of the estate agent. Here we found unkempt laurel bu

ooden gate and drew me in upon the gravel path. Darkness mantled

le bordering the path,

er?" called S

out for that of a man in the unobtrusive blue s

apped my

go, sir," reported the constable. "

not left

" the man continued, "another ca

lad

that has called

red, plucking at

before, we had had an ally in the enemy's camp-Karamanèh, the beautiful slave, whose presence in those happenings of the past had coloured the sometimes sordid drama with the opulence of old Arabia; who

sing to reveal the secrets of Dr. Fu-Manchu, and all the time-I c

y: but Abel Slattin, a plausible rogue, who, in justice, should be immured in Sing Sing, was chosen out, was enslaved by those lovely mysterious eyes, was taking to his soul the lies which fell from those p

cer; now, casting off the succubus memory which threatened to obsess me, I put forth a giant mental effort to purge my mind of

a house almost opposite. From the fact that two upper windows were illuminated, I adduced that the servants were retiring; the other windows were in d

does not anticipate surveillance, and yo

ouette must have been visible to any one passing the gate, climbed carefully up the ar

wed I should stumble or dislodge some of the

summoned me to the att

sessing a haunting accent, possessing a quality which struck upon my

èh was

beside Smith. One of the laths was slightly displaced and over this

in a revolving chair, sat Slattin. He sat half-turned towards the window, leaning back and smiling; so that I could note the gold crow

le costume and a hat that could only have been produced in Paris. Karamanèh was the one Oriental woman I had ever known who could wear European clothes; and as I watched that exquisite pr

ugh his monocle ogling his beautiful visitor

th start a

a sufficient

question in a stra

ng down at her, with his gold tooth twinkling in the lamplight, "

the chair arm; but she evaded the attempt with seeming artl

e me my orde

ed the girl composedly; "but now that I

ched arm with an artless art which made me writhe; for

began S

an hour," said Karamanèh; and without

he aperture in the blind, when

issed sharply; "if she

d my friend. I dislodged a piece of granite in my descent; but, fortunat

of a dark-faced man who evidently had opened the door for her; then all my thoughts were centred upon that graceful figure receding from me

hedge; until, from a spot lower down the hill, we heard the start of the cab, which had b

decent luck, we should know Fu-Manchu'

ut

ight, Smith stared at me significantly. "Which makes it all the mor

words wer

ive (or detectives) who shared our vigil; we took up a posi

way, casually flashing his lamp in at the opening. One by one the illuminated windows in other houses visible to us became dull; then lived again as mirrors for the pallid moon. In the

over me in a tense attitude, in

you to sit up until I return;

sought cautiously to move my cramped limbs, unlike Smith, who seeming to have sinews of piano-wire, crouched

ching at Smith's arm. It f

Mr. A. S.... I am to come at once?... I know where-yes!... You will me

then Smith had me by the arm, and we were flying swiftly away from the doo

e nearest rank. We shall follow to see where he goes-for it is possible that Weymouth may have been

air to describe. It began with a high, thin scream, which was choked off staccato fashion;

cried, and a

d into a sort of h

s face beside me, the eyes glassy with a fearful apprehension. Then the door was flung open, and, in th

s dimly-and the man Burke showed behind his master. White-faced

ring another choking cry, pitched for

aised dazedly to his head. I could hear the sound of running fe

of face, collapsed on to his knees beside Slattin,

the hall-way, where he sank upon the bottom step of the stairs, to sit with his outstret

er came in out of the darkness, carefully stepping over the recumbent figure;

directed Smith tensely; "f

shadow of Fu-Manchu's vengeance; for as I knelt beside the body on the floor, a look

uscles stood out prominently beneath the dark skin; and his face was grimly set in that old, hal

Petrie-

done the work no bette

h no

od of whispers came sibilantly from the stairway. Smith spun aro

d imperiously: "let no one come

to the upper landing. Burke, shaking like a man with an ague, sat on t

he mumbled monotonously, "I

ed Smith, "stand

ght and left, and seeming to search for somethi

sk?" demanded S

y administered to Bur

ine him, I suppose?" He pointed to the body. "And in th

hand upon Bur

ut, "I was ten yards fr

y; "but since you were the only witness, it is b

ching my friend with a childlike eagerness. During the ensuing conversatio

"you say that you warned him. Wh

ir, that it woul

would com

gs with the

alings wit

t End gaming-house, a man he had known in

ingapore

t had a dope-shop, two year

was a

re Charlie e

s one of

used to call, in New Y

his left ear, reflectively, as I

always suspected that Dr. Fu-Manchu and the notorio

continued more calm

then: "Oh! of course; Slattin u

arlie, and two years ago, when he first met him, he thought that w

ll me, i

in first with the big

the Scotland Yard man, who retu

Charlie again down East, and the Chinaman introdu

pped Smith.

r twice. She made out that she and Singapore Charlie w

rice, of

; "but I don't know. I onl

th. "And now, what

ment here with the

th. "I merely want to know what to

ning-room-when the 'phone bell aroused me. I heard the lieutenant-Mr. Slattin-comin

wears

it, he gave a most frightful scream, and turned around lik

o one else i

ked right behind him-where there was no one-nothing. His cries were frightful." Burke's voice broke, and he shuddered feverishly. "Then he

ixed a piercing

ou know?" he d

know, and all I saw. There was no livin

He turned to me. "What killed

e wound on the left wrist," I replied, and, st

puffiness was becoming observable in the injured hand an

this is, Petr

ature and useless to inject ammonia. Death

loud knocking

the detective, "open that door t

is the in

here you are! Carter, you can speak to whoever knocks through the letter-