es from the lamp when we heard the thuddi

ing place, a quest which I seconded with equal anxiety. And Fate was kind to us-doubly kind as after events revealed. A wooden gate broke the

ith his foot in this as in a stirrup. He threw his arm over the top an

he said, and reached

ain, grasped at a projection in t

, on this side to st

e car turned the corner, slowly, for there was scanty room; but I was standing upon the b

es," hissed my companion, below.

en began to die away. I felt about with my left foot, disc

was a close thing! Sm

yourself the question: what would any ordinary man be doing

th," I agreed. "Sha

ave an idea.

turning me in the

of moonlight slanted into the place wherein we s

an dimly to perceive him beside me. "If my calculatio

ismally, apparently fr

"That turning leads down t

h the ranks of casks, and led the way to the farther door. A good two

grease," he said, "and I want

seems easy to move," I reported

edestal of casks. Then Smith mounted to this observation platform a

oor, was a stack of empty casks. Beyond, over the way, was a kind of ramshackle building that had possibly been a dwelling-house at some time. Bills

chill from the near river and hear the vague noises which,

e no noise! I suspected it. T

rt; for I was suddenly dizzy, and my

her?" he

oor dream-world was toppling about me,

the corner of the lane-was Karamanèh ... Karamanèh whom once we had rescued from the house of this fiendish Chinese doctor; Karamanèh who had been our ally

gain-God knows by what chains he holds her. But she's only a woman, old boy, an

eeth with that mechanical physical effort which often accompanies a mental one, I swallowed the bitter draught of

above the woodwork, I quite distinctly saw her go out of the room. The door, as she opened it, admitt

he other window

was over and had dropped almost noiselessly up

empt anything, single-han

here to be put to the question, in the medi?val, an

ertainly, but so expressed it was defini

added Smith; "follow

st to the closed door of the house. I helped him place it under the open wind

h mo

evil. I would forgive any man who, knowing Dr. Fu-Manchu, feared him; I feared him myself-feared him as one fears a scorpion; but when Nayland Smith hauled himself up on to the wooden ledge above

close t

steady? We may

anèh, whom this wonderful, evil product of secret

me!" I said

ased-frozen

d which at that moment literally struck me rigid with horror. Yet it was only a groan;

w a sibil

hispered hoarsely,

voice that thrilled me anew, but wi

e scuffling. A door somewhere at the back of the house opened-a

ce was low, but perfectly

pened, admitting again the faint light-and Karamanèh came in. The place was qu

s arm about the girl's waist and one hand clapped to her mouth

or, Petrie,"

eminiscent of strange days that, now, seemed to belong to a remote past. Karamanèh! that faint, indefinable perfum

cket," rapped Sm

ave wished that I had had more certain mastery of myself. I took the to

she whom Eltham had mistaken for a French maid. A brooch set with a ruby was pinned at the point where the bl

t-hand pocket," said Smith. "I

nk I never essayed a less congenial task than that of binding her

of it!" rapped Sm

eeks, for I knew well

, and I turned the ray of

e looked up at me with eyes in which I could have sworn there was no recogn

have to-

I can'

h tears and she looked up

re. "Every one-every one-is cruel to me. I will promise-indeed I will swear, to be quiet. Oh, believe me, if

e would have believed y

rted vi

was barely audible. "Yet I h

locks," interrupt

our lovely captive-vacant from wonder of it al

turned towards me fascinatedly. Smith locked the door with much

n was another door. A voice was speaking in the lighted room; yet I could have sworn that K

it, could ever mistake that singular v

nchu was

n-Yang. I have suggested that he may be the Mandarin Yen-Sun-Yat, but you have declined to confirm me. Yet I know" (Smith had the door open a goo

s intonation of the words "the question." This was the

rew the

g. A Chinaman, who wore a slop-shop blue suit and who held an open knife in his hand, stood beside him. Eltham was ghastly white. The appearance of his chest puzzled me mo

"they have the wire-jacket on him! Shoot dow

h the head. I saw his oblique eyes turn up to the whites; I saw the mark squarely between his brows; and with no word nor cry he sank to his knees and toppled for

; and I leapt forward, took up the bloody knife from th

I deserve. Unscrew ... the jacket, Petrie ... I think ... I was very nea

ct of removing the jacket was too agonizing for Eltham-ma

is Fu-M

ry in a tone of stark amaze. I stood up-I could do nothing

on the wall. The dead Chinaman lay close beside Smith. There was no second door, the one window was

-Manchu wa

od there, looking from the dead man to the tortured man

ffled rage Smith leapt along the passage to the second door. It was wide open.

ng-tube fixed betw

ally ground

tly promised Eltham his life if he would divulge the name of his corres

w s

tter than you know the Strand. Probably, if he saw Fu-Manchu, he would recognize

where we had

om was

th bitterly. "The Yellow Dev

he skirl of a police whistle s