"Trust you? Of course, I do. But the truth is, Madame Alia, that it is
going to need hard work on my part to find the person to whom the papers
belong. I don't even know his name." Secretly he condemned himself now,
because he had not overcome his scruples and looked at the address on the
envelope while he had the chance.

Again she sighed. "Well," she said, "of course, it's beyond me. Do
you--do you mind my knowing _your_ name?"

"Pardon me," he said. "I didn't realize that you didn't know it already.
My name is Robert Orme."

She looked at him with a smile. "Well, Mr. Orme, I'll get you out of
this. I think I know a way. But you'll have to do just what I tell you."

"I depend on you," he said.

She laid her hand on his shoulder with a friendly pressure. "You'll have
to wait in here a while longer--and you'll have to keep mighty quiet.
I've got a circle at three o'clock--a seance. They come once a week, and
I can't well put them off. You see, I work alone. It's a small circle,
and I never liked the idea of helpers; they're likely to give you away
sooner or later. I stretch a curtain across this corner for a cabinet,
and they tie me to a chair--and then things happen." She smiled faintly.
"I know _you_ won't hurt my game."

"All your secrets are safe with me." He glanced at the dark interior of
the closet.

"I didn't know any other place to put you," she said simply. "They'd have
got you, if you had went to the hall--Sh-h!" The panel closed and she was
away. A moment later he heard her talking with Arima, who apparently had
again climbed up to her window.

"Thief must be here," said Arima. "He not been in hall. My friend know.
We see him come in here."

"I told you he wasn't here. If you don't believe me, why don't you call
the cops."

"We not want cops. I come in and watch."

"But I'm going to hold a circle here in a few minutes."

"What?" Arima's voice had a puzzled note.

"A seance. The spirits come. You know. All sit around, with the light
turned down, and spirits come."

"Oh!" The Japanese either understood or pretended to. "I come, then."

After a period of hesitation the woman said: "Why, yes, I guess you
can--if you keep still. Your friend can come, too. You're a neighbor, and
I won't charge you anything."

"All right. I call my friend." Footsteps crossed the room and the door to
the hall was opened. Presently it closed again, and Orme heard fragments
of a conversation in Japanese.

Fro